{{Short description|30 keyboard compositions by J. S. Bach}} [[File:BWV 772, 1723 autograph, page 1.png|thumb|First page of Invention No. 1 (BWV 772), from J.S. Bach's 1723 autograph|331x331px]] The '''Inventions and Sinfonias''', BWV 772–801, also known as the '''Two- and Three-Part Inventions''', are a collection of thirty short keyboard compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): 15 inventions, which are two-part contrapuntal pieces, and 15 sinfonias, 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 clavier-booklet for 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 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, each group covering eight major and seven minor keys. Bach also composed an alternative version of the first ''Invention'' featuring triplets, identified as BWV 772a.
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>
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==Media== {| class="wikitable" |- !Key!!colspan=2|Invention |- |C major |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Bach - Invention 01.mid | title = No. 1, BWV 772 }}
|- |C minor |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = BWV 773.mid | title = No. 2, BWV 773 }}
|- |D major |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = BWV 774.mid | title = No. 3, BWV 774 }}
|- |D minor |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = BWV 775.mid | title = No. 4, BWV 775 }}
|- |E{{music|flat}} major |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = BWV 776.mid | title = No. 5, BWV 776 }}
|- |E major |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 6 (BWV 777).mid | title = No. 6, BWV 777 }}
|- |E minor |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 7 (BWV 778).mid | title = No. 7, BWV 778 }}
|- |F major |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 8 (BWV 779).mid | title = No. 8, BWV 779 }}
|- |F minor |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 9 (BWV 780).mid | title = No. 9, BWV 780 }}
|- |G major |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 10 (BWV 781).mid | title = No. 10, BWV 781 }}
|- |G minor |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 11 (BWV 782).mid | title = No. 11, BWV 782 }}
|- |A major |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 12 (BWV 783).mid | title = No. 12, BWV 783 }}
|- |A minor |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 13 (BWV 784).mid | title = No. 13, BWV 784 }}
|- |B{{music|flat}} major |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 14 (BWV 785).mid | title = No. 14, BWV 785 }}
|- |B minor |280px||{{Listen | plain = yes | filename = Invention 15 (BWV 786).mid | title = No. 15, BWV 786 }}
|- | ||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 musician would perform them.</span> |} {| class="wikitable" |- !Key!! colspan="2" |Sinfonia |- |C major |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien01.ogg|title=No. 1, BWV 787}} |- |C minor |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien02.ogg|title=No. 2, BWV 788}} |- |D major |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien03.ogg|title=No. 3, BWV 789}} |- |D minor |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien04.ogg|title=No. 4, BWV 790}} |- |E{{music|flat}} major |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien05.ogg|title=No. 5, BWV 791}} |- |E major |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien06.ogg|title=No. 6, BWV 792}} |- |E minor |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien07.ogg|title=No. 7, BWV 793}} |- |F major |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien08.ogg|title=No. 8, BWV 794}} |- |F minor |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien09.ogg|title=No. 9, BWV 795}} |- |G major |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien10.ogg|title=No. 10, BWV 796}} |- |G minor |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien11.ogg|title=No. 11, BWV 797}} |- |A major |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien12.ogg|title=No. 12, BWV 798}} |- |A minor |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien13.ogg|title=No. 13, BWV 799}} |- |B{{music|flat}} major |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien14.ogg|title=No. 14, BWV 800}} |- |B minor |280px||{{Listen|plain=yes|filename=Bach Sinfonien15.ogg|title=No. 15, BWV 801}} |- | | 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}} {{Portal bar|Classical music}} {{authority control}}
Category:Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach Category:Compositions for harpsichord Bach