Exercises · Chords · Music Theory

Analyze the Prelude in C

Every bar of Bach’s Prelude in C is one chord, broken into a pattern (Handout 377). Here are 22 of its bars stacked into block chords, every note at Bach’s own pitch. Name each chord in C major: stack the letters in thirds to find the root, write the roman numeral, then add the figure from the bass note. The small number above each chord is its bar in the piece.