“The manuscripts of great composers are invaluable. Unlike printed editions, they offer a direct window into the composer’s innermost world, revealing the creative process, complete with changes, corrections, and variants. The beauty of Bach’s manuscripts stands out as truly unique, singular.”
(András Schiff)


Great art in the seemingly small: What Johann Sebastian Bach initially created as the “Notebook for Friedemann Bach”, he later reworked and retitled “Auffrichtige Anleitung” (A Sincere Guide) – a first step in piano and composition training, upon which the “Well-Tempered Clavier”, the parts of the “Clavier Übung” and ultimately the “Art of Fugue” are based. To this day, the inventions and sinfonias from this “Auffrichtige Anleitung” are the first encounter with Bach’s music for many piano students worldwide.

András Schiff, for whom this work has been a companion since early childhood, describes in his Foreword what fascinates him about it: Bach’s handwriting reveals the inner movement of the music more vividly than a modern music edition ever could. Although each invention and sinfonia takes up no more than a double page, each piece has its very own distinctive character, often inspired by dances. Bach’s art reveals itself in all its grandeur in this condensed form in the smallest of spaces. Martina Rebmann, head of the music department of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, describes how Bach conceived this collection and the journey the autograph manuscript has taken up to the present day.

Invention Nr. 2 in c BWV 773
Invention Nr. 3 in D BWV 774
Invention Nr. 4 in d BWV 775
Invention Nr. 5 in Es BWV 776
Invention Nr. 6 in E BWV 777
Invention Nr. 7 in e BWV 778
Invention Nr. 8 in F BWV 779
Invention Nr. 9 in f BWV 780
Invention Nr. 10 in G BWV 781
Invention Nr. 11 in g BWV 782
Invention Nr. 12 in A BWV 783
Invention Nr. 13 in a BWV 784
Invention Nr. 14 in B BWV 785
Invention Nr. 15 in h BWV 786
Sinfonia Nr. 1 in C BWV 787
Sinfonia Nr. 2 in c BWV 788
Sinfonia Nr. 3 in D BWV 789
Sinfonia Nr. 4 in d BWV 790
Sinfonia Nr. 5 in Es BWV 791
Sinfonia Nr. 6 in E BWV 792
Sinfonia Nr. 7 in e BWV 793
Sinfonia Nr. 8 in F BWV 794
Sinfonia Nr. 9 in f BWV 795
Sinfonia Nr. 10 in G BWV 796
Sinfonia Nr. 11 in g BWV 797
Sinfonia Nr. 12 in A BWV 798
Sinfonia Nr. 13 in a BWV 799
Sinfonia Nr. 14 in B BWV 800
Sinfonia Nr. 15 in h BWV 801
Geleitwort – In Nuce / Preface – In Nuce
Ein Lehrwerk für die Jahrhunderte / A Keyboard Tutor Bridging the Centuries
Entstehung und Konzeption / Genesis and conception
Die Überlieferung der Handschrift / The transmission of the manuscript
Konservatorischer Zustand der Handschrift / State of preservation of the manuscript
Anmerkungen / Notes