1.Prelude in C, BWV939

This is the second of the so-titled Little Preludes (12) (BWV 924-30, 939-42, and 999) and was written about three years before the first, also in C major. The reason for the disparity in dates of composition is that Bach himself did not arrange the dozen Little Preludes as a collection, but wrote them separately, intending them to primarily serve a pedagogical purpose. Their inclusion in a set arranged according to key, however, is logical and listeners often encounter them grouped in this fashion. Like the Little Prelude No. 1 in C major (BWV 924), this one, while short and quite simple, offers both instructional value to the student and a rewarding experience for the listener. Bach bases his main theme here on a broken chord, and as with the first piece, repeats it throughout in slightly different guises, underpinning it with a simple, though varying harmony. The theme, or motivic idea, is more of a mellow running figure that ascends, while the harmonies, reticent at the outset, grow more active until they become quite rhythmic and animated near the end. This piece has a duration of about half a minute.

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2.Prelude in D-, BWV940

Johann Sebastian Bach demonstrated that he could both teach and entertain in his works, like Schumann and Bartók in the succeeding generations. His Well-Tempered Clavier is an example of pedagogical music that is masterful in virtually every respect. This Prelude in D minor, a more modest but still compelling exercise in the same dual-purpose genre, serves as the sixth in his set of Little Preludes (12). Actually, Bach himself never assembled the dozen works into any particular collection, but their arrangement by key sequence and the fact they are short, educational pieces makes their grouping logical and convenient. This Prelude in D minor, along with the D major Fourth are perhaps the most challenging and complex of the works in this otherwise fairly uncomplicated set. While several pieces here are built on motifs from broken chords that repeat throughout, this Prelude in D minor presents a mostly descending theme alternately played by the right and left hands, supported by seemingly simple harmonies, but with much of the writing subtly imitative. Lasting only about three-quarters of a minute, this piece exudes a measure of profundity, its theme deftly conveying a mixture of the philosophical and the melancholy.

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5.Prelude in C, BWV943

This Prelude can be identified as a component of two different sets: the Little Preludes (12) and the Little Preludes (5). Bach himself did not place the work in any collection, but musicologists have conveniently assembled a group of 18 of his "pedagogical" preludes into two sets. The larger of them, the Little Preludes (12), consists of the works from BWV 924-30, 939-43, and 999. Some musicologists break these Preludes down further, grouping the ones from BWV 939-43 as a separate set of five. In any event, this C major effort is a fairly easy work meant for keyboard students, but still compelling on purely musical grounds. The work opens with a single, mostly descending line that resembles a mere practice scale. But from this modest beginning, Bach, without adding significant complications, fashions a minor gem. When harmonies are added—which themselves reveal subtle contrapuntal aspects—the notes from the opening take shape, forming an attractive, lively melody. A variant soon appears, quite graceful and charming in its mostly ascending trajectory and equally simple manner. The theme goes through many transformations and never reappears in its original guise. This charming piece typically has a duration of two minutes.

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