You've arrived at Bach's First Invention, one of the landmark pieces in a pianist's development. According to Bach's own hand-written preface to the Two and Three-Part Inventions, these pieces were meant for music lovers interested in improving their keyboard technique and compositional understanding. Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772, is the first of fifteen written in two-parts. Bach encourages you to study them carefully and develop a facile, cantabile playing style, at which point you're ready to graduate to the Three-Part Inventions, or "Sinfonias."

It is in this spirit that Magdalenz Stern-Baczewska approaches this lesson, guiding you through the First Invention, introducing you to the main concepts of advanced, two-part counterpoint – including motives, imitation, inversion, augmentation, modulation, and sequence – while demonstrating how to approach the piece technically so as to realize two, independent singing "voices." The lesson also serves to orient you to the principles of Baroque performance practice, and teach you how to apply them on the modern piano, with a focus on articulation, phrasing, and ornamentation.

While Bach's 15 Two-Part Inventions were composed with the larger purpose of providing intellectual and spiritual nourishment, they're practically speaking studies in physical coordination – obstacle courses intended to help you gain self-mastery over complex physical tasks. Invention No. 4 in D minor, BWV 775 is a prime example, posing a series of challenges to the player, including fingering puzzles, awkward leaps, extended trills in both hands, alternating stepwise and arpeggiated motion, legato and staccato articulations, and hemiola. In this lesson, Magdalena Stern-Baczewska will serve as your personal trainer, ready to help you surmount each obstacle in turn while applying the style and nuance this dramatic work demands.