Bach Two-Part Inventions

Johann Sebastian Bach's Two-Part Inventions (BWV 772-786).

Overview

The Two-Part Inventions are a collection of 15 keyboard pieces composed by J.S. Bach around 1720-1723. Originally titled "Inventions and Sinfonias," these works were pedagogical pieces designed to teach contrapuntal technique and keyboard performance.

Collection Details

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Period: Baroque
Year: c. 1723
Format: Two-voice keyboard works
Files: 15 MEI files (BWV 772-786)

File List

BWV	Key	Filename
772	C major	`Bach_BWV_0772.mei`
773	D minor	`Bach_BWV_0773.mei`
774	D major	`Bach_BWV_0774.mei`
775	E♭ major	`Bach_BWV_0775.mei`
776	E minor	`Bach_BWV_0776.mei`
777	E major	`Bach_BWV_0777.mei`
778	F major	`Bach_BWV_0778.mei`
779	F minor	`Bach_BWV_0779.mei`
780	G major	`Bach_BWV_0780.mei`
781	G minor	`Bach_BWV_0781.mei`
782	A major	`Bach_BWV_0782.mei`
783	A minor	`Bach_BWV_0783.mei`
784	B♭ major	`Bach_BWV_0784.mei`
785	B minor	`Bach_BWV_0785.mei`
786	B major	`Bach_BWV_0786.mei`

Musical Characteristics

Texture

Two independent voices (upper and lower)
Contrapuntal writing with frequent imitation
Equal importance given to both voices

Pedagogical Purpose

Teach independent finger technique
Develop contrapuntal hearing
Introduce invertible counterpoint
Train both hands equally

Style

Clear tonal structure
Motivic development
Sequential patterns
Imitative entries

Analysis Opportunities

These files are ideal for studying:

Two-voice counterpoint: Clear voice leading
Motivic development: Recurring themes
Key relationships: Covers multiple keys
Imitation: Voices imitating each other
Invertible counterpoint: Voices exchanging material

Example Analyses

Key Analysis

Bach_BWV_0772.mei: C major (confidence: 0.945)
Bach_BWV_0773.mei: D minor (confidence: 0.892)

Melodic Patterns

Find recurring motifs using n-gram analysis:

get_melodic_ngrams("Bach_BWV_0772.mei", n=4)

Voice Leading

Study how the two voices interact:

get_harmonic_intervals("Bach_BWV_0772.mei")

Metadata Example

{
  "title": "Invention No. 1 in C major",
  "composer": "Bach, Johann Sebastian",
  "mei_editors": ["Freedman, Richard"],
  "xml_editors": ["Schölkopf, Tobias"]
}

Educational Value

Perfect for: - Learning two-part counterpoint - Studying Baroque keyboard style - Comparing contrapuntal techniques - Analyzing motivic development - Understanding imitative writing