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Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) · sheet music

  • Key G minor
  • Time 3/4
  • Levels 5–8
  • Passages 8

Your turn · both hands

 

 

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Johann Sebastian Bach, German baroque (1685–1750). The reading release has 8 passages from this piece at levels 5–8; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 1–4 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 1–12 at level 8.

Your practice path

Learn it the way teachers do: each hand on its own, then together, then the hard bars. Each step is a real graded passage of Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119.

  1. Hands together · bars 1–4 level 5
  2. The hardest bars · bars 1–12 level 8

How to play Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119

  1. Tempo:A polonaise is a processional dance, so choose a tempo where the sixteenth notes in the right hand stay clear. A steady, dignified three feels better than a quick one.
  2. Right hand:The right hand carries dotted and quick figures. Practice the rhythm on a single note first, then play the real pitches.
  3. Left hand:The left hand supports with a firm bass and chords. Keep it quieter than the tune and play it with a clean release on each beat.
  4. Hands together:Combine the hands in two-bar chunks and slow down for the sixteenth notes. Check that bass notes fall exactly with the tune.
  5. Rhythm:Say each dotted figure aloud as long-short before playing it. The rhythm is what gives the dance its character.
  6. Reading:Two flats in the signature, but the raised F sharp appears often to make the minor key sound firm. Mark each sharp before playing.
  7. Practice:Loop the hardest sixteenth-note figure with a metronome and speed up two clicks at a time. Return to the full phrase once it is even.

Common mistakes

  • Playing the sixteenth notes unevenly, with the last note of each group too short. Fix: Practice slowly with a metronome and accent the first note of each beat group.
  • Forgetting the F sharp that makes the music firmly G minor. Fix: Pencil a sharp in front of each F in the first section until it becomes habit.
  • Playing the left-hand chords too loudly. Fix: Practice the left hand alone at a soft level and keep it softer than the right hand.

Structure: binary (two repeated sections)

The dance has two sections, each repeated. A short first section states the dotted polonaise idea and closes in G minor. The second section turns to B-flat major, then uses F-sharps to steer back to G minor for a firm final cadence.

A · First section (G minor)
A four-bar phrase built on a rising dotted idea over a steady bass, ending in G minor. Reading focus: dotted rhythms and quick sixteenth-note pickups.
B · Second section (B-flat major, returning to G minor)
Longer lines in sixteenth notes move to the relative major, then detached quarter notes and F-sharps lead the music home. Expect more accidentals and wider reaches.

About Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119

The 1725 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach is a collection of keyboard pieces and songs whose title page is dated 1725. Most entries are in Anna Magdalena's hand, though Johann Sebastian and two of their sons also wrote in it, and it mixes Bach's own music with pieces by other composers.

The G minor polonaise is No. 10 in the notebook. Bach's authorship is considered doubtful, so it sits in the Anhang of the BWV catalogue, and no other composer has been firmly identified. Two other polonaises in the notebook, both also in G minor, are now regarded as early works of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

Whoever wrote it, the piece is a fine introduction to the polonaise, a Polish dance in triple time. Its dotted rhythms and firm bass give pianists a good chance to practice rhythmic precision.

  • The first section is only four bars long and is played twice, while the second section is three times as long.
  • The inscription naming Anna Magdalena on the notebook was added by her stepson Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach after he inherited it.
  • The notebook's two marches and two polonaises numbered 16 to 19 are considered early works of C.P.E. Bach.

Why the first passage is level 5

That passage is level 5 rather than 4 because it carries accidentals outside the key, notes come faster than one per beat, it leaps a octave, it has dotted rhythms, it moves in sixteenth notes, it runs fast figuration.

G minor, two flats, in 3/4. The passages start with a rising dotted figure and include sixteenth notes, detached quarter notes and the F-sharps that pull the music back to G minor.

Questions about Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119

How hard is Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119 to play?
Its passages grade from level 5 to level 8 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 1–12 at level 8.
Is there an easy part of Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119 for beginners?
Its easiest passage is level 5, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 1–4 for both hands together, the level-5 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 5 because it carries accidentals outside the key and notes come faster than one per beat.
What key and time signature is Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119 in?
Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119 is in G minor, 2 flats. The engraving on this page is in 3/4 time.
Who composed Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119?
Johann Sebastian Bach, German baroque (1685–1750). The 1725 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach is a collection of keyboard pieces and songs whose title page is dated 1725.
Can I practice Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119 online for free?
Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 8 graded passages from Polonaise in G Minor, BWV Anh. 119 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Did J.S. Bach compose the Polonaise in G minor, BWV Anh. 119?
Possibly not. Bach's authorship is considered doubtful, and the BWV catalogue lists the piece in its appendix of doubtful works. No other composer has been firmly identified.
What is the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach?
It is a handwritten collection of keyboard pieces, songs and chorales that Bach gave to his second wife in 1725, mixing his music with works by others.
Is the G minor polonaise in the public domain?
Yes. The music dates from the early eighteenth century, and free editions, including a Mutopia typeset edition taken from the Bach-Gesellschaft volume of 1894, are available online.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 8 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 5
bars 1–4 both hands
Level 7
bars 1–8 both hands · bars 5–8 both hands · bars 11–16 both hands · bars 13–16 both hands
Level 8
bars 1–12 both hands · bars 9–12 both hands · bars 9–16 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

Score: public-domain engraving from the corpus (mutopia), graded by the piano-reading-v2-20261023-identity-audit reading release.

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