BWV 998: Prelude by J. S. Bach
There is always something special and somewhat indescribable about Bach’s music. I know it sounds cliché, but something about his music seems to transcend time, place, and definitive description. This piece is no exception: I have performed this piece at informal gatherings and farmers markets, as well as very formal events, and it always seems to fit regardless of the occasion.
The flexibility and ambiguity inherent in this piece also applies to some details of its historical background. The exact date in which the piece was written is not definitively known, with the general consensus being approximately between 1735-1740. The instrumentation of this piece was indicated on the original manuscript to be for lute or harpsichord (the autograph manuscript has sold for more than 2.5 million euros – see the following link for details and a very cool video which shows the manuscript: https://www.christies.com/features/Johann-Sebastian-Bach-autograph-manuscript-7497-3.aspx). However, there is much scholarly debate as to whether or not the piece was actually intended for lute, as some lutenists and scholars have found the idiomatic compositional style more suited for harpsichord than lute. Regardless of its original instrumentation, this is an excellent and beautiful piece that has become a staple of the classical guitar repertory.
Several noteworthy features include nearly constant forward motion rhythmically (except for measure 40 and 48), the use of all closely related keys (the piece is in D Major and modulates to A Major, e minor, b minor, f# minor, G Major, and even uses the key of g minor, which is the parallel minor of the subdominant). The form of the piece involves the theme or main musical idea being repeated and varied in different keys in between short musical statements that appear to be both related and distinct from the main idea. In addition, the piece utilizes several pedal tones on the tonic, a couple of memorable bass lines that are repeated with small variation in order to accommodate the current key (the bass line in measures 4-5 repeats in mm 17-18, 23-25, 36-38; and the bass line in measures 11-13 repeats with slight variation in mm 30-33).
Big picture analysis: the theme or main idea appears in measures 1-5 (D Major), 6-8 (A Major), 14-18 (b minor), 25-27 (G Major), and 42-44 (D Major), with a Coda from measures 45-48 in the tonic key.
Phrases and cadences: mm 1-6 (IAC), 6-11 (IAC), 11-14 (IAC), 14-19 (IAC), 19-25 (IAC), 25-30 (IAC), 30-33 (HC), 33-38 (IAC), 38-42 (PAC), 42-48 (IAC with a 4-3 suspension).
Pedal tones: mm 1-4 (D), 6-9 (A), 14-17 (B), 25-28 (G), 42-46 (D).
I hope you enjoyed this brief analysis of BWV 998: Prelude! Please feel free to reach out with any comments, questions, suggestions, or insights relating to this piece or analyzing Bach in general, as there are many aspects of Bach’s music that can yet be discovered and explored.
See below for some fascinating and informative sources regarding this piece and Bach’s Lute Suites in general:
Christie’s. “A Piece of Musical History.” Books & Manuscripts. Last Modified July 11, 2016. https://www.christies.com/features/Johann-Sebastian-Bach-autograph-manuscript-7497-3.aspx.
Hall, John. “Prelude Analysis, BWV 998 by J.S. Bach.” Last Modified January 3rd, 2013. https://johnhallguitar.com/blog/blog/prelude-analysis-bwv-998-by-j-s-bach.
Johnson, Blair. “Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, for lute in E flat major, BWV 998.” AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/composition/prelude-fugue-and-allegro-for-lute-in-e-flat-major-bwv-998-bc-l132-mc0002369008.
Titmuss, Clive. “The Myth of Bach’s Lute Suites.” This Is Classical Guitar. Guest Post, 2015. https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/bachs-lute-suites-clive-titmuss/.