Johann Sebastian Bach
1685-1750
Johann Sebastian Bach was the towering figure of German Baroque music, serving for decades as Cantor of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Renowned for his mastery of counterpoint, he laid the foundations of keyboard music with works such as The Well-Tempered Clavier and the Inventions. This site includes minuets and polonaises from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, the Inventions and Sinfonias, and fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier. The Notebook pieces are catalogued with BWV Anh. (appendix) numbers, but many are by other composers - Petzold's minuets among them - or by no one known, and most of their song pages give the current view of who wrote them.
Works by Bach (160 pieces)
Arias1
Baroque-era arias marked by singing, lyrical melodic lines — a form used both in vocal music and as themes for keyboard variations.
Chorales5
Chorale settings by Bach, weaving intricate counterpoint around hymn melodies into solemn, prayerful music.
Duettos3
Two-voice contrapuntal pieces from Part 3 of Bach's Clavier-Übung, blending strict compositional rigor with a lively dialogue between the voices.
English Suites5
Six suites by Bach known as the "English Suites," combining French elegance with technical brilliance.
Fantasias1
Piano works with a free, improvisatory character, ranging from Bach to Chopin and Beethoven, each shaped by imaginative, fantasy-like ideas.
Fugues2
Contrapuntal works influenced by Bach, where each composer's individuality shines through a strict formal structure.
Two-Part Inventions15
A set of 15 two-part counterpoint studies (BWV 772-786) that Bach composed for his son's musical education.
Minuets9
The minuet, an elegant triple-time dance popular in the Baroque era, evoking the refined atmosphere of a courtly ball.
Partitas20
Suite-form works from the Baroque era; Bach's Partitas, a sequence of varied dances, are ranked among the greatest keyboard works.
Piano Pieces22
A broad collection of standalone piano pieces not belonging to any specific set, offering hundreds of varied character pieces to explore and compare.
Polonaises3
The polonaise, a stately Polish triple-time dance, including Chopin's grand works marked by a proud, march-like rhythm.
Preludes4
A collection of preludes not tied to a specific set, featuring short, evocative works by composers from Bach to more modern voices.
Three-Part Sinfonias15
A set of three-part counterpoint studies (BWV 787-801) that expand on the two-part Inventions, teaching more complex polyphony.
Toccatas1
Keyboard works with an improvisatory character, alternating between virtuosic passages and contrapuntal sections.
Variations1
Works written in theme-and-variations form, where a single melody is transformed in many different ways.
The Well-Tempered Clavier37
Bach's collection of preludes and fugues for keyboard, covering all 24 keys and regarded as the summit of contrapuntal writing.