Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 116
The Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 116, from the 1725 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, is a Beginner piece in 3/4, Octotune grade 3 of 8. It opens on a broken G major chord and has the left hand walking in eighth notes: one note at a time in each hand.
At a glance
| Composer | Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 3 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 1 sharp (F♯) |
| Time | 3/4 |
| Tempo | 125 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 40 measures, about 58 seconds |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | D4 to A5 |
| Left hand | D2 to B3 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 116 | 3 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Not the famous Minuet in G (that is BWV Anh. 114, on its own page), but its neighbor in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach of 1725. Its composer is unknown; the Bach catalog lists it in its appendix (Anh.).
How it is built. The right hand opens by climbing a G major chord in eighth notes, G B D G, then answers with a leap and three plain quarter notes. The left hand alternates held notes with measures of walking eighths that trace the same chord. Each hand plays one note at a time, in G major (one sharp, F sharp).
The tricky parts
- Broken chords. Read G B D G as one shape, a stack of skips, rather than four separate notes.
- Leaps. Both hands jump more than an octave in places. Look ahead so the hand arrives in time.
- The left hand's eighths, low on the bass staff and below it. Keep them even and light.
- D sharp. A few appear as the second half passes through E minor.
Practice plan
- Hands separately in Wait for me, choosing Right hand, then Left hand.
- Both hands, slowly, with Loop this measure on any measure with a leap.
- Play along, a gentle one in a measure, the weight on beat 1.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, which teaches F sharp and the low notes under the bass staff. The D sharps go a step beyond it.
Questions
Is this the famous Minuet in G?
No. The famous one is BWV Anh. 114, now credited to Christian Petzold. This is another minuet in G major from the same 1725 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, BWV Anh. 116, whose composer is unknown.
Is the Minuet in G, BWV Anh. 116, easy?
It is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 3 of 8: one note at a time in each hand. Its broken chords and the left hand's eighth 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