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ChoraleGUIDE: writing four-part harmony in the style of Bach




Bach fingerprints

Your harmonisations will sound much more convincing if you incorporate progressions that Bach often uses. These worksheets introduce some of the most common Bachian 'fingerprints', most of which are associated with particular melodic patterns in the soprano part (e.g. a descending 3-2-1 on the tonic). In each worksheet you first analyse some examples from Bach's chorales and then complete some short exercises.

On each page you can download and print the relevant worksheet as well as listen to MIDI files of the examples. There are also some extra (more complex) examples of each fingerprint to explore.

Download a revision guide to the fingerprint patterns below: Harmonic Fingerprints Summary Sheet. You should refer to the examples on worksheets and in the examples below for detailed voice-leading patterns.

Resource Melodic pattern or feature
Fingerprint 1 (Worksheet 5)
3-2-1
Fingerprint 2 (Worksheet 6)
2-2-1
Fingerprint 3 (Worksheet 7)
8-7-8
Fingerprint 4 (Worksheet 14)
6-7-8
Fingerprint 5 (Worksheet 15)
3-3-2
Fingerprint 6 (Worksheet 17)
4-3-2
Fingerprint 7 (Worksheet 21)
1-2-1
Fingerprint 8 (Worksheet 22)
4-3-2-1
Fingerprint 9 (Worksheet 16)
Mid-phrase
Suspensions
Adding extra suspensions (for advanced students only)
Chromaticisms
Adding chromatic chords at cadences (for advanced students only)





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© Copyright Thomas Pankhurst