Piano — Practical study pieces
Baroque · 1723

Two-Part Invention No. 8 in F major

J. S. BachBWV 779

Key
F
Time
3/4
Tempo
♩=132
AO focus
AO3

Incipit

Form

Invention — two-voice imitative counterpoint. Cheerful F-major Allegro. Subject (one bar long, ascending arpeggio) is answered an octave below at the half-bar.

Teaching points

  • Subject = one bar of arpeggiated F major + scale fragment. Voice 2 answers an octave below, half a bar offset
  • Sequence — the subject is sequenced down by step in bars 5–7. Track each entry
  • Practical: a Grade 3 piano standard. After Invention No. 1, this is usually next on the syllabus
Full score ↓Public domain

Score: IMSLP (Bach-Gesellschaft + Henle urtext, public domain).

Topic T9Topic T11