View source for Inventions and Sinfonias

{{Short description|30 keyboard compositions by J. S. Bach}}
The '''Inventions and Sinfonias''', [[Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis|BWV]] 772–801, also known as the '''Two- and Three-Part Inventions''', are a collection of thirty short [[Keyboard instrument|keyboard]] compositions by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] (1685–1750): 15 [[Invention (musical composition)|invention]]s, which are two-part [[Counterpoint|contrapuntal]] pieces, and 15 [[sinfonia]]s, which are three-part contrapuntal pieces. They were originally written as {{lang|la|Praeambula}} and {{lang|la|Fantasiae}} in the ''[[Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach]]'', a [[wikt:clavier|clavier]]-booklet for [[Wilhelm Friedemann Bach|his eldest son]], and later rewritten as musical exercises for his students.

Bach titled the collection: <blockquote>Forthright instruction, wherewith lovers of the clavier, especially those desirous of learning, are shown in a clear way not only 1) to learn to play two voices clearly, but also after further progress 2) to deal correctly and well with three obbligato parts, moreover at the same time to obtain not only good ideas, but also to carry them out well, but most of all to achieve a ''[[cantabile]]'' style of playing, and thereby to acquire a strong foretaste of [[Musical composition|composition]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Goodfriend |first1=James |title=in Glenn Gould Remastered: The Complete Columbia Album Collection |date=2015 |publisher=Sony Classical |location=New York |page=136}}</ref></blockquote>
{{Inline audio|section}}
The two groups of pieces are both arranged in order of ascending [[Key (music)|key]], each group covering eight [[Major scale|major]] and seven [[Minor scale|minor]] keys.

The inventions were composed in [[Köthen]]; the sinfonias, on the other hand, were probably not finished until the beginning of the Leipzig period.{{Or-inline|date=October 2015}} The autograph fair copy is dated 1723.<ref>''30 Inventions'' {{RISM|467300919}}</ref>

==Media==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Key!!colspan=2|Invention!!colspan=2|Sinfonia
|-
|[[C major]]
|[[File:BWV 772 preview.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=BWV 772.mid|title=No. 1, BWV 772}}
|[[File:BWV 787 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien01.ogg|title=No. 1, BWV 787}}
|-
|[[C minor]]
|[[File:BWV 773 preview.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=BWV 773.mid|title=No. 2, BWV 773}}
|[[File:BWV 788 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien02.ogg|title=No. 2, BWV 788}}
|-
|[[D major]]
|[[File:BWV 774 preview.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=BWV 774.mid|title=No. 3, BWV 774}}
|[[File:BWV 789 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien03.ogg|title=No. 3, BWV 789}}
|-
|[[D minor]]
|[[File:BWV 775 preview.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=BWV 775.mid|title=No. 4, BWV 775}}
|[[File:BWV 790 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien04.ogg|title=No. 4, BWV 790}}
|-
|[[E-flat major|E{{music|flat}} major]]
|[[File:BWV 776 preview.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=BWV 776.mid|title=No. 5, BWV 776}}
|[[File:BWV 791 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien05.ogg|title=No. 5, BWV 791}}
|-
|[[E major]]
|[[File:BWV 777 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 6 (BWV 777).mid|title=No. 6, BWV 777}}
|[[File:BWV 792 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien06.ogg|title=No. 6, BWV 792}}
|-
|[[E minor]]
|[[File:BWV 778 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 7 (BWV 778).mid|title=No. 7, BWV 778}}
|[[File:BWV 793 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien07.ogg|title=No. 7, BWV 793}}
|-
|[[F major]]
|[[File:BWV 779 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 8 (BWV 779).mid|title=No. 8, BWV 779}}
|[[File:BWV 794 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien08.ogg|title=No. 8, BWV 794}}
|-
|[[F minor]]
|[[File:BWV 780 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 9 (BWV 780).mid|title=No. 9, BWV 780}}
|[[File:BWV 795 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien09.ogg|title=No. 9, BWV 795}}
|-
|[[G major]]
|[[File:BWV 781 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 10 (BWV 781).mid|title=No. 10, BWV 781}}
|[[File:BWV 796 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien10.ogg|title=No. 10, BWV 796}}
|-
|[[G minor]]
|[[File:BWV 782 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 11 (BWV 782).mid|title=No. 11, BWV 782}}
|[[File:BWV 797 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien11.ogg|title=No. 11, BWV 797}}
|-
|[[A major]]
|[[File:BWV 783 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 12 (BWV 783).mid|title=No. 12, BWV 783}}
|[[File:BWV 798 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien12.ogg|title=No. 12, BWV 798}}
|-
|[[A minor]]
|[[File:BWV 784 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 13 (BWV 784).mid|title=No. 13, BWV 784}}
|[[File:BWV 799 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien13.ogg|title=No. 13, BWV 799}}
|-
|[[B-flat major|B{{music|flat}} major]]
|[[File:BWV 785 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 14 (BWV 785).mid|title=No. 14, BWV 785}}
|[[File:BWV 800 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien14.ogg|title=No. 14, BWV 800}}
|-
|[[B minor]]
|[[File:BWV 786 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Invention 15 (BWV 786).mid|title=No. 15, BWV 786}}
|[[File:BWV 801 Incipit.png|280px]]||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien15.ogg|title=No. 15, BWV 801}}
|-
|&nbsp;||valign=top colspan=2|<span style="color: gray">These (Inventions) are [[MIDI]] representations of Bach's music,<br>and do not convey how a human pianist would perform them.</span>
|colspan=2|<span style="color: gray">All Sinfonia performances above were played by [[Randolph Hokanson]].
----
{{Listen|plain=yes|style=float:right|filename=J.S.Bach Sinfonia in F.ogg|title=Sinfonia No. 8}}A version of Sinfonia No. 8 (BWV 794)<br />for clarinet, oboe and cello{{clear}}{{Listen|plain=yes|style=float:right|filename=Bach Sinfonia N15 BWV801.mid|title=Sinfonia No. 15}}and another version of<br />Sinfonia No. 15 (BWV 801).</span>
|}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category|Inventions and Sinfonias}}
* {{IMSLP|work=15 Inventions, BWV 772-786 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)|cname=Inventions|work2=15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)|cname2=Sinfonias}}
* [http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/make-table.cgi?collection=bachis&preview=1 Bach's Inventions and Sinfonias], [[Mutopia Project]]
* {{cite web|url=http://www.music.qub.ac.uk/tomita/essay/inventions.html|url-status=dead|title=The Inventions and Sinfonias – History and analysis of Bach's inventions|author=Yo Tomita|date=1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120123509/http://www.music.qub.ac.uk/tomita/essay/inventions.html|archive-date=2012-01-20|ref=none}}
* [http://www.djtascha.de/music/htm/index_inv_sin.htm Graphical motif extraction of the Inventions and Sinfonias] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303104656/http://www.djtascha.de/music/htm/index_inv_sin.htm |date=2012-03-03 }}

{{Compositions for Organ, Keyboard and Lute by Johann Sebastian Bach|state=collapsed}}
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[[Category:Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach]]
[[Category:Compositions for harpsichord]]
[[Category:Compositions covering all major and/or minor keys|Bach]]