Prelude in C minor, BWV 999

The

The Prelude can be performed as well on a lute as on a keyboard. In the 19th century, it was adopted as No. 3 in the keyboard collection Twelve Little Preludes. It was grouped with Bach's lute compositions in 20th-century scholarship such as the Bach-Jahrbuch of 1931, the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis and the New Bach Edition. It has been recorded in performances on lute, on guitar, and on keyboard instruments such as piano or harpsichord. In the 21st century, digital facsimiles of Kellner's copy became available on-line, for instance at the Bach Digital website.

History

Prelude in C minor BWV 999

Played on harpsichord by Gérard Janot

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According to the

The title page of Kellner's copy of BWV 999, page 101 in the D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 804 convolute, reads:^[1][8]

The composition is written on the next two pages, on systems of two

bass clef for the lower staff. Although, in the first half of the 18th century, a tablature notation was common for lute compositions, Kellner thus wrote the Prelude down in a notation which at the time was customary for keyboard compositions.^[10] The Prelude can be performed as well on a keyboard instrument as on a lute.^[11][12][13] Kellner is known as organist and keyboard performer: his copy of BWV 999 is the only extant instance of him taking an interest in a composition for lute.^[11]

Pages 102 and 103 in D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 804, Kellner's copy of BWV 999.^[1]

BWV 999's brief, introductory nature (43 measures), improvisatory feel and reiteration of a defining motif fits squarely within the prelude genre of the 1710s and 1720s. Additionally, the shortness of the motif itself follows the conventions of early sixteenth-century prelude. It also served a teaching purpose characteristic of the genre, widely using arpeggiations and technical demands that served students well as an étude. Barbara Russano Hanning describes prelude features and goals: "The typical prelude assigns the player a specific task, so that the piece functions as an etude. In addition, the preludes illustrate different types of keyboard performance conventions and compositional practices."^[14] Such pedagogical traits contribute to the work's longevity; it is still an oft-used educational tool.^{[citation needed]}

Motif

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The Prelude's central motif consists of intersecting rhythms between the upper and lower voice (what originally would have been the left and right hand). In the right hand, this is a sixteenth rest, followed by a seven-note sixteenth passage that typically arpeggiates an

. The ascending and descending triad in Bach's prelude BWV 999 seem to have been the true inspiration and chord structure for the arpeggios in the Beatles song Because, because when the prelude is played at half-speed and on harpsichord, the similarity is striking, especially at measures 8–9–11, about 15 seconds into the prelude, with the repeating notes at the end of the interval being eliminated in the Beatles version.

Harmony

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Contrary to its title and key signature, less than a third of BWV 999 is actually written in C minor. In measure 11, a

Hans Neemann [d], writing in the Bach-Jahrbuch of 1931, had no doubt that Bach composed the Prelude for lute:^[13]

Neemann identified five more compositions by Bach as intended for lute.^[24] In the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, first published in 1950, these compositions were grouped in the BWV 995–1000 range, in a section for lute works.^[25] The same six compositions were published in Series V, Vol. 10, of the New Bach Edition, in 1976.^[26]

The Prelude has been adapted for various instruments, including lute, piano and guitar. It is a pedagogical work much in the spirit of The Well-Tempered Clavier, with which it shares musical characteristics.^{[citation needed]} In the second decade of the 21st century, digital facsimiles of Kellner's manuscript became available on the Berlin State Library and Bach Digital websites.^[1][5]

Recordings

Some guitarists perform the Prelude BWV 999 in D minor instead of in its original key of C minor (but they can however use D Standard Tuning so that when they play in D Minor, it sounds as the Original C Minor).^{[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]}

References