Invention No.2 in C minor BWV 773
Invention Piano solo ~2 min
In brief

This Invention in C minor projects a taut contrapuntal energy, often articulated and incisive in the exchanges between the two voices rather than extended lyricism. Expect to focus on Independence of the hands (4.6/5) and Two-voice polyphony (4.6/5): this requires sustaining two distinct lines at once, balancing the melodic prominence between right and left hand and shaping attacks and releases so each voice remains clear. The piece belongs to Bach's pedagogical inventions and is part of his small-scale keyboard works aimed at developing contrapuntal clarity and keyboard technique.

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  • Play — Bach: Invention 2 in C Minor, BWV 773 (Urtext Edition) · Bach Piano Scores (the player loads on click)

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  • Play — 2-Part Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 773 · Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Rübsam (the player loads on click)

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MusicCoach difficulty
39/100
Elementary
Likely range : 32–46/100
Confidence : 69% · fair confidence
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
On the syllabus: Grade 4 ABRSM

Official level, taken from the exam syllabus.

Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.

Where this work sits
050100

Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.

The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.

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Difficulty sources
Henle Verlag
4
38/100 normalised · 5 obs.
Combined exam syllabi
Grade 4
36/100 normalised · 2 obs.
Relative difficulty
24%
Among Johann Sebastian Bach
32%
Era
44%
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Hand independence
1
Style
Baroque style
1
Technique
Two-voice polyphony
2
Technique
Legato
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
What to play next?

Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.

See the whole progression