Invention No. 8 in F, BWV 779
Bach's Invention No. 8 in F major, BWV 779, is an early-intermediate piece in 3/4, Octotune grade 5 of 8. A leaping broken chord and a run of sixteenths are played by the right hand, then by the left a measure later: a canon.
At a glance
| Composer | Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 5 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 1 flat (B♭) |
| Time | 3/4 |
| Tempo | 90 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 34 measures, about 1:06 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | F3 to C6 |
| Left hand | C2 to C5 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Invention No. 8 in F, BWV 779 | 5 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Bach's fifteen Inventions are two-part teaching pieces, collected in a fair copy of 1723. No. 8, in F major (one flat, B flat) and 3/4, is bright and energetic, and a favorite second Invention after No. 1.
How it is built. The right hand opens with a leaping broken chord in eighths, F A F C F, up to the F at the top of the staff, then runs down in sixteenths, E D C D C B flat A. One measure later the left hand plays exactly the same, an octave lower: a canon, like a round. After the opening the hands separate, trading runs and chord leaps, and the music visits other keys before returning to F.
The tricky parts
- Leaps. The opening skips a whole octave in eighths. Keep it light and accurate.
- Independence. At the start, each hand is a measure behind the other in the same music. Listen to both.
- Even sixteenths, especially in the rocking figures, A C B flat C, where two notes alternate.
- Accidentals. B naturals, E flats and others, written in as the music visits other keys.
Practice plan
- Hands separately in Wait for me; notice the left hand starts with the right hand's music.
- Hands together at 50% speed with Loop this measure; join two measures, then four.
- Play along, raising the speed gently.
Start with: Invention No. 1, in C major.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, which teaches B flat. The other accidentals go beyond it.
Questions
Is Bach's Invention No. 8 hard?
It is early intermediate, Octotune grade 5 of 8. The hands play the same music a measure apart at the start, and both run in sixteenths, so independence and evenness are the challenge.
Credits and license
- Music: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
- Typeset by Allen Garvin for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece