Western — Classical & Romantic
Baroque · 1723

Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major

J. S. BachBWV 772

Key
C
Time
4/4
Tempo
♩=84
AO focus
AO3

Incipit

Form

Invention — two-voice imitative counterpoint, motif inverted and transposed through closely related keys.

Teaching points

  • Subject (bar 1, voice 1) and answer (bar 1.5, voice 2) — same motif, octave apart, half-bar offset
  • Stretto: subject re-enters before the previous statement finishes
  • Tonal plan: C → G (V) → A minor (vi) → C — closing perfect cadence at the end of the incipit
Topic T9Topic T11