← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 9 in E major BWV 854
Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 36 chord changes across 24 bars — ranked 15 of 42 by measured difficulty (advanced) in this survey. Played as block chords, it's a progression you can learn in an afternoon; the piece is that progression wearing sixteenth notes.
Practice this piece → Practice chords → Learn it section by section → Hear the harmony →
How it opens
The first changes are IV7 (E) · I7 (D#) · I · I (D#) · II (A#) · I7 (B) · V7/V · iii7 (F#) — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 35 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: IV7 (E) (2×), I (2×), iii7 (F#) (2×), iii7 (B) (2×), IV7 (G#) (2×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)