Beginner to Intermediate: Recommended Bach Pieces You’ll Want to Play on Piano
Johann Sebastian Bach, also known as the “Father of Music,” was active during the Baroque era—before the piano became widespread.
In other words, Bach himself did not compose pieces for the piano, and most Bach works performed on the piano today were originally written for the harpsichord!
Baroque polyphonic music, built from overlapping melodic lines, is often avoided because it seems difficult at first glance.
However, many of Bach’s works are actually quite approachable and relatively low in difficulty.
In this article, we’ve selected Bach pieces recommended for beginner to intermediate pianists.
If you love Bach’s music or want to try your hand at Baroque music, be sure to check them out!
- [Intermediate Level] Cool Piano Pieces You Can Play [Great for Recitals Too]
- [Beginner] Recommended Piano Pieces to Play at a Recital
- Piano Masterpieces: Surprisingly Easy Despite Sounding Difficult!? A Curated Selection Perfect for Recitals
- Baroque Music on the Piano: A Curated Selection of Masterpieces Perfect for Recitals and Concerts
- [For Intermediate Players] Challenge Yourself! Recommended Masterpieces That Shine at Piano Recitals
- [For Elementary School Students] Brilliant, Showy Masterpieces That Sound Impressive at Piano Recitals
- Beginner to Intermediate: Chopin pieces with relatively low difficulty. Recommended works by Chopin.
- [Beginner-friendly] Easy Mozart piano pieces. Recommended Mozart works.
- Brahms Piano Pieces | A Curated Selection of Easier, Beginner-Friendly Works
- Lower difficulty: Not as hard as it sounds!? Debussy’s piano pieces
- Beethoven: A selection of gem-like masterpieces that are easy to play on the piano
- Recommended for piano beginners! 10 sheet music picks that adults can enjoy too
- Beginner-friendly: Easily playable Mendelssohn piano pieces. Recommended piano works.
[Beginner to Intermediate] Pieces You’ll Want to Play on Piano! Recommended Bach Works (21–30)
Sinfonia No. 11 in G minor, BWV 797J.S.Bach
Bach’s representative work, the Inventions (Sinfonias).
This time, I’ll introduce the Sinfonia No.
11 in G minor, BWV 797.
Among the Sinfonias, this piece is performed relatively often, so many of you may find it familiar.
Because it is built on a somewhat long, eight-bar subject, it demands expressiveness; even so, in terms of sheer technical difficulty, it falls into the easier category.
As you can tell from the development that appears at bar 51, reminiscent of bar 6, this is a work in which pedal control is key.
Invention No. 1, BWV 772J.S.Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Inventions can be considered a staple collection that many piano students tackle when studying Baroque repertoire.
Among them, No.
1 is especially familiar—often used on television and in commercials—so many people have likely heard it without realizing it’s by Bach.
It’s an ideal piece for the transition from beginner to intermediate, allowing you to learn the characteristics of polyphonic music built from overlapping voices, such as the left hand chasing the right hand’s theme and the theme appearing in inversion.
[Beginner to Intermediate] Must-Play Bach Pieces on Piano: Recommended Selections (31–40)
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, No. 1, BWV 846, PreludeJ.S.Bach
The Well-Tempered Clavier is a collection of works for keyboard, with one book and a second book each containing pieces in all 24 keys.
The Prelude from Book I, No.
1 is also famous as the accompaniment to Charles Gounod’s signature piece Ave Maria, and can be said to be the most familiar piece in the collection.
With naturally beautiful harmonic progressions and a very gentle character, it is relatively approachable even among the many pieces in The Well-Tempered Clavier that feature intricately interwoven melodies.
Play it at a relaxed tempo, keeping a keen awareness of the horizontal (linear) flow.
Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother, BWV 992J.S.Bach
Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother, BWV 992—written for keyboard—is one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most famous early works.
It consists of six movements, each with a striking subtitle such as “The friends try to dissuade him from his journey.” Since a complete performance takes about ten minutes, it’s best to start by tackling one movement at a time.
The piece has a compelling, story-like character, so you’ll naturally find yourself wanting to try the other movements, too!
In conclusion
This time, I’ve selected pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era, that are approachable for beginners to intermediate players.
If you usually enjoy playing piano works by Classical or Romantic composers, Baroque pieces will likely feel refreshingly new.
Understanding the music of Bach, the “Father of Music,” is essentially engaging with the very history of music itself.
Using the works introduced here as a reference, I encourage you to give them a try!