Bach was one of the few composers whose genius allowed him to write instructive works for students that could also stand alone as pure music for the listener. Schumann, Bartók, and a few others also produced pedagogical compositions that accomplished both objectives, but Bach may have been the most effective here. Certainly, the Well-Tempered Clavier is one of the supreme efforts in the genre. And one can go on to cite his more modest pedagogical creations, like the so-called Little Preludes (12), of which this F major effort is the ninth. Though Bach himself did not assemble this compilation, it logically and conveniently groups the individual pieces according to key sequence. This ninth Little Prelude features a lively, joyous theme that is punctuated throughout by four emphatic chords that seem to impart a sense of resolution. The accompaniment, while relatively simple, features some quite attractive contrapuntal activity. The work turns a bit darker and develops a somewhat greater expressive depth when the main line descends from the upper register to the middle ranges, from where the music builds back up to reach a mood of serene triumph. At about a minute-and-a-half, this is one of the longer Little Preludes.

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