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Primary sourceBook1722 (Book 1); 1742 (Book 2)

The Well-Tempered Clavier

Johann Sebastian Bach · 1722 (Book 1); 1742 (Book 2)

Two books of preludes and fugues by Bach in all 24 keys, written as teaching pieces that display his mastery of counterpoint.

Bach composed this teaching collection to demonstrate and pass on his mastery of keyboard composition.

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Black and white scan of the handwritten title page of Bach's Das Wohltemperirte Clavier, with ornate flourishes at top, a large decorative initial, lines of German script, Bach's name, the date 1722 and a library stamp at bottom.
Johann Sebastian Bach, title page of Das Wohltemperirte Clavier, Book 1, 1722.

About this source

What it is

The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893, is a two-part collection of preludes and fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach, covering all 24 major and minor keys. The first book was completed in 1722 while Bach worked in Köthen, and the second followed about twenty years later in Leipzig.

Why it matters

Bach described the collection as being for the 'profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning.' It is one of the most influential works in the history of keyboard music, showing Bach's deep exploration of harmony, tuning and compositional technique across every key.

Look closer

  • Why might Bach have chosen to write music in every possible key?
  • What does the decorative title page suggest about how much care went into presenting this work?
  • How might this collection have been used by students learning music in Bach's time?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Johann Sebastian Bach on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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