Table of Contents
Best Sheet Music Editions Bach
Click on the images to buy the score to the music
Bach was a German Composer of the Baroque Era. He was born in 1685 and died in 1750. He is a prominent figure for Baroque keyboard music. Any pianist is expected to learn his Prelude and Fugues, Partitas, Suites, and other works.
Bach Prelude and Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier
The Bach Preludes and the Bach Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier feature prelude and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys. In all, there are two Well-Tempered Clavier books and there are 48 prelude and fugues in all. The most recommended editions are ranked from top (highest) to bottom (lowest).
Barenreiter Urtext
The most recommended edition for Bach’s Prelude and Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier. This Barenreiter Urtext Edition is a reproduction of the New Bach Edition. The editor Alfred Duerr writes a preface which explains the sources for the edition, and performance practices, such as how to play the ornaments. This edition contains two versions of the Prelude and Fugues, one edited and one unedited, so that the musician can have better insights on what the composer’s original intent was for the pieces. This edition contains no fingering suggestions.
Click here to see an example of Barenreiter Urtext with Bach.
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ABSRM Edition
Edited by Richard Jones. This is the best selling edition of Bach’s Prelude and Fugues in the U.K. It features introductory notes and excellent performance practice suggestions. The overall layout is aesthetically pleasing and easy to read. Each edition contains over 150 pages.
Click here to see a sample of the ABRSM Bach Prelude and Fugues
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Wiener/Vienna Urtext
This edition is edited by Walther Dehnhard. This edition features high quality precision, easy reading, and strong binding. Please read the home page for more information on Wiener/Vienna Urtext.
Click here to see a sample of this edition with Bach’s Prelude and Fugues.
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Henle Verlag Urtext
The Henle Verlag Urtext is currently the most trustworthy edition of Bach. While it is a bit pricey, this will be one of the best edition of Bach you can find. All of the Bach preludes and the Bach Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier can be found in part 1 and part 2 of this edition.
This edition is edited by Ernst-Günter Heinemann
with fingering by András Schiff.
You can see an example of the Henle Bach Prelude and Fugues with the following picture:
Prelude and Fugues (Part 1)
THE Well-tempered Clavier – Revised Edition Part I, BWV 846-869 (Henle Music Folios)
Prelude and Fugues (Part 2)
Well-Tempered Clavier Bwv 870-893 Part Ii
Alfred Masterwork Edition
Editors Willard Palmer and Judith Schneider worked on this edition of the Bach Prelude and Fugues. These editions come with a 25 page introduction, explaining the history behind the Well-Tempered Clavier and the process of creating an accurate edition for these pieces. This edition comes with a plastic comb binding, fingering suggestions, dynamic suggestions, tempo suggestions, and footnotes. Because of the large print, these editions contain over 200 pages.
An example of Alfred Masterwork Bach Prelude and Fugues is given with the following picture:
Bach — The Well-Tempered Clavier, Vol 1 (Comb Bound Book) (Alfred Masterwork Edition)
Bach — The Well-Tempered Clavier, Vol 2: Comb Bound Book (Alfred Masterwork Edition)
Dover Edition
The Dover Edition of Bach Prelude and Fugues is the most inexpensive edition. This edition is reproduction of the expired Bach-Gesellschaft edition, a very trustworthy edition for Bach’s music. The score does not feature editor markings.
You can see a sample of the Dover Bach Prelude and Fugues with this image:
Prelude and Fugues – Bach Prelude and Fugues
The Well-Tempered Clavier: Books I and II, Complete (Dover Music for Piano)
Kalmus Edition
This edition is edited by Dr. Hans Bischoff. It also includes a preface and a table of embellishments written by the editor. This edition has good spacing in the sheet music, which makes it easy to read the music, and footnotes that explains the ornamentation. Some musicians complain about the ink quality of the sheet music however, saying that it is too light. This edition has small print, and the two books of the Well-Tempered Clavier fit in this one edition. It is also light and portable.
You can see an example of the Kalmus Bach Prelude and Fugues here:
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Volume II: 48 Preludes and Fugues for Piano (Kalmus Edition)
Schirmer Edition
The Schirmer edition of Bach Prelude and Fugues contains markings such as dynamic changes and tempo changes by the editor Carl Czerny.
Caution: This edition is known for having typos and missing notes. If price is a factor in your decision to purchase quality sheet music, this site recommends buying the Dover edition instead.
Here is an example of the Schirmer Bach Prelude and Fugues:
Prelude and Fugues
Well Tempered Clavier – Book 1 (Schirmer’s Library of Musical Classics Vo. 13)
Well Tempered Clavier: 48 Preludes and Fugues for the Piano Book 2 Vol 14
Bach Partitas
The most recommended editions are ranked from top (highest) to bottom (lowest).
Barenreiter Urtext
Edited by Richard Douglas Jones. Paperback cover. Printed in 2015.
Click here to see an example of the Barenreiter Bach Partitas.
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ABRSM Signature Series
Click here to see a sample of the ABRSM Bach Partitas.
Partitas I-III: Bwv 825-827 (Signature Series (ABRSM))
Wiener Urtext
Edited by Klaus Engler and fingering by Edith Picht-Axenfeld.
Click on the following link to see an example of the Wiener Urtext Bach Partitas.
Henle Verlag Urtext
Edited by Rudolf Steglich and Fingering by Hans-Martin Theopold
The following picture shows an example of the Henle Bach Partitas:
6 Partitas BWV 825-830 Softcover Piano Solo
Bach English Suites
The most recommended editions are ranked from top (highest) to bottom (lowest).
Barenreiter Urtext
Edited by Alfred Dürr.
Click on the following link to see an example of the Barenreiter Bach English Suites.
ABRSM Signature Series
Edited by Richard Jones
This pictures exemplifies the ABRSM Bach English Suites:
Click here to see more samples of the ABRSM Bach English Suites
English Suites: Bwv 809, 810, 811 No. 3 4-6 (Signature Series (ABRSM))
Henle Verlag Urtext
Edited by Rudolf Steglich and Fingering by Hans-Martin Theopold.
The following picture illustrates what the Henle Bach English Suites looks like:
Bach English Suites
Alfred Masterwork Edition
Edited by Hans Bischoff
Click on the following link to see a sample of the Alfred Masterwork Bach English Suites.
Dover Edition
This edition by Dover features the six english suites, the six french suites, the six partitas, the Goldberg variations, the fifteen two-part inventions, and the three part sinfonias. This edition is a reprint of the Bach-Gesellschaft edition. The print is small, but overall, it is a portable edition and is inexpensive.
Click here to see a sample of the Dover English Suites
Bach French Suites
The most recommended editions are ranked from top (highest) to bottom (lowest).
Barenreiter Urtext
Edited by Alfred Dürr.
Here is a sample of the Barenreiter Bach French Suites:
BACH – Suites Francesas Completas para Piano (Urtext) (Durr)
ABRSM Signature Series
The ABRSM Bach French Suites is edited by Howard Jones
Click here to see a sample of the ABRSM Bach French Suites.
French Suites: Bwv 812-817 (Signature Series (ABRSM))
Henle Verlag Urtext
Edited by Rudolf Steglich and Fingering by Hans-Martin Theopold
Here is a sample of the Henle Bach French Suite:
Bach French Suites
Bach Goldberg Variations
The most recommended editions are ranked from top (highest) to bottom (lowest).
Barenreiter Urtext
Edited by Christoph Wolff
Here is a sample of the Barenreiter Bach Goldberg Variations:
Henle Verlag Urtext
This shows the 1978 Henle Bach Goldberg Variations:
Bach Italian Concerto
Barenreiter Urtext
Edited by Walter Emery and Renate Kretschmar-Fischer
Click on the following link to see an example of the Barenreiter Bach Italian Concerto.
ABRSM Signature Series
The ABRSM Bach Italian Concerto is edited by Richard Jones.
Click here to see a sample of the ABRSM Bach Italian Concerto
Clavierubung, Part II (Italian Concerto, French Overture) (Signature Series (ABRSM)) (Pt. 2)
Henle Verlag Urtext
Here is an example of the Henle Bach Italian Concerto:
Alfred Masterwork Edition
Edited by Willard A. Palmer.
Click on the following link to see a sample of the Alfred Masterwork Bach Italian Concerto.
Bach — Italian Concerto (Alfred Masterwork Edition)
Bach Inventions and Sinfonias
Barenreiter Urtext
Edited by Georg von Dadelsen
Click on the following link to see a sample of the Barenreiter Bach Inventions and Sinfonias.
ABRSM Signature Series
Click here to see a sample of the ABRSM Bach Inventions and Sinfonias
Inventions and Sinfonias: Bwv 772-801 (Signature Series (ABRSM))
Thanks for the post, is there any way I can get an email whenever you write a new post?
Hi Jeramy, by subscribing to this website, you will receive updates on new posts.
Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the advice. But, I am a bit confused. It says that the list goes from best to worst edition. Henle is not listed first, but in the description it says that Henle will be the best edition you can buy. Can someone explain this. I am looking to start learning Bach. So I am looking to purchase the Notebook of Anna Magdalena. Because I am new to Bach, I am looking for an edition that explains Bach’s ornamentation as well as what different marks meant to Bach. Any recommendations? Thank you.
Hi Robert, thank you for the message!
I should have wrote that henle is “one of the best,” not the best. I just corrected that.
The henle edition is good if you are looking for good fingering suggestions for the prelude and fugues. Andras Schiff does a great job of providing fingering suggestions, as can be seen in the sample picture provided.
I personally enjoy Barenreiter the most because it is a very clean urtext edition that allows me to explore my own fingering for the prelude and fugues.
For Bach ornaments, pennuto.com is a great resource for seeing how to execute them. Willard Palmer gives good commentary on this as well in the Alfred master work edition.
Hope this helps!
Is Henle possibly higher up now that the library app allows you view the music without fingerings? Admitted though the print quality from the app is not very good (probably to avoid selling)