939 943 J. S. Bach Five little preludes BWV 939 943 All of Bach

HARPSICHORD Joel Katzman after Joannes Couchet, ca. 1650. HARPSICHORDIST Benjamin Alard YEAR 1703 (BWV 943) and between 1717 and 1739 STAD Arnstadt, Köthen, Leipzig Bach composed various works for the purpose of teaching, and he obviously enjoyed challenging beginners. In the teaching booklets for his eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann and his wife Anna Magdalena, he collected all sorts of compositions, some of which he wrote himself. In both cases, the pieces are tailored to the level of the pupil concerned, without making any concessions to musicality. The Five little preludes are also presumed to have originated for teaching purposes, although it is not clear when Bach wrote them or for whom. The originals have been lost, while the copies date from 1726 at the earliest. From this, we can deduce that the pieces could have been composed as early as 1717, but possibly also twenty years later. The last Prelude is said to have been written by Bach in Arnstadt already. And there is some debate about whether Bach actu