TheInventions and Sinfonias,BWV 772–801, also known as theTwo- and Three-Part Inventions, are a collection of thirty shortkeyboard compositions byJohann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): 15inventions, which are two-partcontrapuntal pieces, and 15sinfonias, which are three-part contrapuntal pieces. They were originally written asPraeambula andFantasiae in theKlavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, aclavier-booklet forhis eldest son, and later rewritten as musical exercises for his students.
Bach titled the collection:
Forthright instruction, wherewith lovers of the clavier, especially those desirous of learning, are shown in a clear way not only 1) to learn to play two voices clearly, but also after further progress 2) to deal correctly and well with three obbligato parts, moreover at the same time to obtain not only good ideas, but also to carry them out well, but most of all to achieve acantabile style of playing, and thereby to acquire a strong foretaste ofcomposition.[1]
The two groups of pieces are both arranged in order of ascendingkey, each group covering eightmajor and sevenminor keys.
The inventions were composed inKöthen; the sinfonias, on the other hand, were probably not finished until the beginning of the Leipzig period.[original research?] The autograph fair copy is dated 1723.[2]
| Key | Invention | Sinfonia | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major |  |  | ||
| C minor |  |  | ||
| D major |  |  | ||
| D minor |  |  | ||
| E♭ major |  |  | ||
| E major |  |  | ||
| E minor |  |  | ||
| F major |  |  | ||
| F minor |  |  | ||
| G major |  |  | ||
| G minor |  |  | ||
| A major |  |  | ||
| A minor |  |  | ||
| B♭ major |  |  | ||
| B minor |  |  | ||
| These (Inventions) areMIDI representations of Bach's music, and do not convey how a human pianist would perform them. | All Sinfonia performances above were played byRandolph Hokanson. A version of Sinfonia No. 8 (BWV 794) for clarinet, oboe and celloand another version of Sinfonia No. 15 (BWV 801). | |||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
