J.S.Bach: Prelude1, Well-tempered Clavier Book 1

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Here is the J. S. Bach Prelude 1 (Book 1) from the Well-tempered Clavier. Transposed into all 12 keys and notated in Express Stave by John Keller.


This famous piece is originally in C major. Here it is presented with exactly the same layout on all 12 pages, but starting in F major (a perfect 4th or 5 semitones higher than C) and progressing successively downward by semitones. The original key of C major is on page 6.


By viewing the PDF file and using Control with Page Up and Page Down, you can see how the intervals comprising each chord are invariant while the black/white notehead color fluctuates, according to the traditional notation key signature. (Page Down takes you down in pitch and Page Up takes you up.)


You can see how the ES intervals work when you do this, for example a minor third is always two oppositely shaped noteheads touching; the "power chord" (degrees 1 5 8) contain the P5th - an odd interval one semitone greater than the tritone (which is the line spacing) and the P4th - one semitone less than the tritone. Power chords also have the same colour notes except for B and H power chords.


Media:JS_Bach_Prelude_1_in_C_major_WTC1_(ES_all_keys).pdf

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