Minuet in B-flat major

Description

A B-flat major minuet, BWV Anh. 118, that sings in long, unhurried phrases. Like many small pieces in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, a book used for teaching and enjoyment at home, it bears no composer's name, and whether it is by Bach himself has not been confirmed. Set beside the famous G major minuet from the same book, its settled calm stands out.

It is in B-flat major and 3/4, a binary minuet with each half repeated, whose phrases are relatively long-breathed so the melody unfolds unhurriedly. With 225 notes in about 81 seconds it has few notes for its length and asks for each one to be heard with care. The range runs from E-flat 2 to G5, which fits on a 61-key keyboard.

With few notes, the fingers have a light load; in return, the piece asks for the expressiveness to sing long phrases without a break. Where there are leaps, take care that shifting the hand does not cut the sound. Slow the playback speed to check where each phrase begins and ends, watch the melodic groupings in the score view, and repeat a single phrase with the A-B loop to develop a calm, singing line.

The minuet, an elegant triple-time dance popular in the Baroque era, evoking the refined atmosphere of a courtly ball.