The Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 846, is a keyboard composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the first prelude and fugue in the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. An alternative version of the prelude, is found in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.

 

The prelude is 35 bars long and consists mostly of broken chords. Below are the first four bars of the prelude:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The prelude continues like this with different variations on harmony, and change of key. The prelude ends with a single C major chord.