Prelude in D Minor

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The Eighth-Note Layer

Like many of Bach’s pieces, this prelude is made up almost entirely of only two rhythmic values: eighth notes and sixteenth notes (quavers and semi-quavers). Usually, one hand plays the eighth notes, and the other the sixteenth notes, though in a few measures both hands have sixteenth notes. We’ll study the eighth-note layer first, as this will show us the broad outline of the piece, and help us to make decisions about dynamic nuances. In the reduction below, all of Bach’s eighth notes have been retained, while the sixteenth notes have been reduced to their main notes. This gives us...

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