Minuet in F major, BWV Anh. 113
The Minuet in F major, BWV Anh. 113, from the 1725 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, is a Beginner piece in 3/4, Octotune grade 3 of 8. One note at a time in each hand, it brings B flat, eighth-note triplets and a bass that walks down below the staff.
At a glance
| Composer | Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 3 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 1 flat (B♭) |
| Time | 3/4 |
| Tempo | 120 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 32 measures, about 48 seconds |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | D4 to C6 |
| Left hand | E2 to D4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Minuet in F major, BWV Anh. 113 | 3 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
This minuet is one of the short dances copied into the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach in 1725, a family music book of pieces to play at home. Like most of the notebook's minuets, its composer is unknown; it has long been played as Bach's, and the catalog lists it in its appendix (Anh.).
How it is built. The right hand plays a graceful line, mostly in eighth notes, in F major (one flat, B flat). The left hand walks along in quarter notes. Each hand plays one note at a time, so the work is in reading and in keeping the dance steady.
The tricky parts
- Triplets. In measures 2 and 3, the eighths come in threes: three notes to a beat. Say "tri-pl-et" on each beat and keep the three even.
- B flat. Every B is B flat, from the key signature. A few other accidentals appear as the music visits D minor.
- The low bass. The left hand steps down to the F just below the bass staff and the E on the first ledger line under it. Read them down from the G on the bottom line.
Practice plan
- Hands separately in Wait for me: choose Right hand, then Left hand, and let the app play the other.
- Count the triplets aloud with Loop this measure on measure 3 until they are even.
- Both hands at 60% speed, then Play along, with the weight on beat 1 of each measure.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, which teaches the low bass notes (Unit 9) and B flat. The few other accidentals go just beyond it.
Questions
Who wrote the Minuet in F major, BWV Anh. 113?
Nobody knows for certain. It is one of the pieces copied into the 1725 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, and the Bach catalog lists it in its appendix (Anh.) of works not confirmed as J. S. Bach's.
Is the Minuet in F, BWV Anh. 113, easy?
It is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 3 of 8: one note at a time in each hand, in F major. Its triplets and its low bass notes are the parts to practice.
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