J.S.Bach’s Invention No. 9 BWV 780 is a slow tempo movement in the key of F minor. A haunting and melancholy movement, the realisation plays back at 60 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. It is a movement that can be played at an even slower tempo. Legato playing is also needed in a performance. The PlentyMusic principle when it comes to adding ornaments to music scores is to follow and more or less and imitate current modern performance practice. Ornaments are applied consistently although there is scope for players to make some additions particularly at important cadence points in movements where the option of more notes in the trill can be explored. In the sheet music video score, which keyboard players may wish to refer to on the PlentyMusic YouTube channel ornaments have been written out as they sound in the realisation to represent exactly what is being played. Players may well possibly need to edit their scores with reminders about accidentals within the bar. Playing the scale of F minor in the harmonic and melodic versions will provide a valuable assist in preparing this invention for performance. F minor in much of J.S.Bach’s music is a key identified with melancholy and pathos particularly with a falling or sighing motif as heard in the opening of this invention. The Bach Inventions are generally intermediate level movements when played on a keyboard instrument. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing a sound and secure keyboard technique. When played in an ensemble context there is not much other music that can better prepare players for this type of music activity. The intention in the duo arrangement is to help players become better ensemble players and to grow as musicians playing music as close to the composer’s intentions as possible. These are concentrated and demanding movements to play. There is opportunity to distribute the weight between the hands to give prominence to the entries of thematic material. Pianists will find it rewarding to listen to performances of this invention on streaming platforms to get a sense of how important an aspect of piano playing this is. Those learning how to use music notation software will find this an excellent and frustrating study to copy simply because of the many accidentals that require attention. A plain score is attached to the edited music score.
