The Clavitura practice room
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From a first phrase to a concert programme. Explore 48 recommendations for harpsichord and organ, chosen around the skills you want to develop.
New to the instrument? Start here.
Harpsichord: start with basic note reading and relaxed five-finger patterns. Listen to the end of every note; shape phrases with timing and articulation. Work on short first-step pieces before adding ornaments.
Organ: begin with one quiet manual registration and a comfortable bench position. Practise a short manual phrase, then a separate pedal exercise. Add feet to a piece only when each part is secure. A pianist new to pedals can choose a different stage for manuals and for feet.
Choose one comfortable piece, one small technical study and one stretch piece. Move on when you can keep the pulse, repeat your fingering and finish without tension.
48 recommendations · six stages per instrument
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Harpsichord · stage 1 of 6
First steps
Start after basic note reading: short phrases, a steady beat and relaxed hands.
24 Keyboard Lessons · opening lesson
Begin with a short lesson and a steady pulse.
- Be ready for
- Basic notation; teacher-selected opening lesson.
- Try this
- Learn two bars at a time; join them only when both hands stay relaxed.
Which score / movement?
Opening lesson only; later lessons are not foundation repertoire.
Edition: Opening lesson only; later lessons are not foundation repertoire.
Air in G major, Z.641
Shape a small melody through timing and release.
- Be ready for
- Basic two-hand reading; no piano-style dynamic shaping.
- Try this
- Sing the upper line, then mark where each phrase breathes.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.10 MB, 1 pp.
March in C major, Z.647
Keep a march pulse through short phrases.
- Be ready for
- Hands together after separate practice; begin below performance tempo.
- Try this
- Tap the rhythm away from the keyboard before adding notes.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.11 MB, 1 pp.
Minuet in F major, HWV 516c
Give a minuet a gentle three-beat lilt.
- Be ready for
- Elementary dance rhythm; follow the selected 516c edition.
- Try this
- Play the bass alone while counting all three beats.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete score (HWV 516c) · 0.06 MB, 1 pp.
Harpsichord · stage 2 of 6
Developing
Move between positions, shape dances and introduce simple ornaments.
Prelude in C major BWV 939
Keep a short prelude flowing without rushing.
- Be ready for
- Position changes and even small note groups.
- Try this
- Practise the harmonic changes slowly before joining the figuration.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (CA) · 0.30 MB, 1 pp.
Little Prelude in C major BWV 933
Build confidence with a compact Baroque prelude.
- Be ready for
- Coordinated hands; more movement than a first dance.
- Try this
- Group notes by harmony and release repeated patterns consistently.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 0.06 MB, 1 pp.
Keyboard Sonata in D minor K32
Make a slow sonata speak through articulation.
- Be ready for
- Expressive timing and ornaments; slow does not mean effortless.
- Try this
- Try two different phrase endings and listen for the clearer one.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.48 MB, 1 pp.
Minuet in G major, BWV Anh.114
Hear a melody over a moving dance bass.
- Be ready for
- Secure triple metre and elementary ornaments.
- Try this
- Isolate the left-hand changes before adding the melody.
Which score / movement?
Original keyboard version, edition by Christian Mondrup.
Edition: Original keyboard version, edition by Christian Mondrup.
Harpsichord · stage 3 of 6
Intermediate
Give two voices independence and learn to make a plucked line sing.
Invention in C major BWV 772
Give two equal voices their own articulation.
- Be ready for
- Two-part independence, sequences and ornaments.
- Try this
- Sing one voice while playing the other, then swap.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (Præambulum) · 0.12 MB, 2 pp.
Invention in D minor BWV 775
Pass a motive between the hands without losing direction.
- Be ready for
- Continuous contrapuntal listening and balanced phrasing.
- Try this
- Mark each subject entry and practise overlapping entries slowly.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (Præambulum) · 0.12 MB, 2 pp.
Keyboard Sonata in A major K208
Sustain a long cantabile line through timing.
- Be ready for
- Ornament control and long phrasing; no sustaining pedal.
- Try this
- Practise the melody alone with intentional note lengths.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.09 MB, 2 pp.
Premier Prélude · L’Art de toucher le clavecin
Explore French touch and the placement of ornaments.
- Be ready for
- French ornament vocabulary and flexible phrasing.
- Try this
- Compare the ornament signs with the method before playing a phrase.
Which score / movement?
Premier Prélude only.
Edition: Premier Prélude only.
Harpsichord · stage 4 of 6
Upper intermediate
Balance several voices, French ornaments and more active keyboard writing.
Sinfonia in C major BWV 787
Keep three voices distinct in two hands.
- Be ready for
- Three-part independence and careful fingering.
- Try this
- Practise each pair of voices before combining all three.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (Fantasia) · 0.13 MB, 2 pp.
Alman, FVB 163
Find dance energy within a Renaissance texture.
- Be ready for
- Historical articulation, ornament choices and chord coordination.
- Try this
- Choose a fingering that keeps each phrase clear at a modest tempo.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.09 MB, 2 pp.
Les barricades mystérieuses
Make interlocking textures sound effortless.
- Be ready for
- Style, overlapping voices and subtle rhythmic flow.
- Try this
- Practise small overlaps very slowly; listen to every release.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Score
Le Rappel des Oiseaux · Suite in E minor, RCT 2
Turn repeated bird-call gestures into dialogue.
- Be ready for
- Quick ornaments, repeated figures and French style.
- Try this
- Practise each repeated figure without tension before increasing speed.
Which score / movement?
Le Rappel des Oiseaux only; the linked edition is this movement.
Edition: 5. Le Rappel des Oiseaux · 0.46 MB, 6 pp.
Harpsichord · stage 5 of 6
Advanced
Prepare complete suites and substantial sonatas with a secure sense of style.
French Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812
Give a complete suite contrasting dance characters.
- Be ready for
- A sustained multi-movement programme; ornament decisions.
- Try this
- Plan a different pulse and articulation for each movement.
Which score / movement?
Revised keyboard version, all six movements.
Edition: Revised keyboard version, all six movements.
Keyboard Sonata in C major K132
Carry a sonata through contrasting gestures and episodes.
- Be ready for
- Secure changes of texture, keyboard geography and stylistic control.
- Try this
- Map the large sections before working on local technical spots.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.19 MB, 4 pp.
Ballo del Granduca, SwWV 319
Let a variation sequence grow without losing its dance.
- Be ready for
- Variation continuity and increasingly active figuration.
- Try this
- Keep one underlying pulse while changing surface rhythm.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (fingerings) · 8.53 MB, 7 pp.
Suite in F major HWV 427
Unify a suite while keeping each movement individual.
- Be ready for
- Longer-form preparation and contrapuntal control.
- Try this
- Build a short recital plan, then practise transitions between movements.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (scan) ( Preview ) · 0.67 MB, 6 pp.
Harpsichord · stage 6 of 6
Concert projects
Build a recital project: virtuosity, architecture and sustained musical judgement.
Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue BWV 903
Join rhetorical freedom to a large fugue.
- Be ready for
- Concert-level virtuosity, rhetoric and contrapuntal stamina.
- Try this
- Map the harmonic arrivals; practise the fugue in pairs of voices.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 0.63 MB, 13 pp.
Partita No.6 in E minor, BWV 830
Maintain character and direction across a large partita.
- Be ready for
- Extended form, dense counterpoint and mature style.
- Try this
- Build the programme movement by movement before complete run-throughs.
Which score / movement?
Partita No.6 only, all movements.
Edition: 6. Partita in E minor, BWV 830 (EU) · 1.63 MB, 24 pp.
Italienisches Konzert BWV 971
Create convincing solo and tutti contrast.
- Be ready for
- Concert-level ensemble illusion; two manuals are helpful, not a prerequisite.
- Try this
- Plan changes of manual or texture around the musical structure.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 2.14 MB, 13 pp.
Gavotte et six doubles · Suite in A minor, RCT 5
Keep the variation theme audible through virtuoso doubles.
- Be ready for
- Advanced repeated-note technique and variation pacing.
- Try this
- Practise repeated-note groups in short relaxed bursts.
Which score / movement?
Gavotte and all six doubles; linked edition contains this movement.
Edition: 7. Gavotte et six doubles · 1.44 MB, 15 pp.
Organ · stage 1 of 6
First steps
Begin on the manuals. Prepare pedal technique separately before combining hands and feet.
First Lessons on the Organ
Begin with organ touch and the method’s opening studies.
- Be ready for
- Basic reading and a comfortable bench position.
- Try this
- Work on a short opening exercise before attempting a whole piece.
Which score / movement?
Opening exercises only; the whole method spans several levels.
Edition: Complete Score · 17.42 MB, 104 pp.
Prélude No.1 · Six Pièces courtes, Part I
Learn to connect and release a simple manual texture.
- Be ready for
- Manuals only; basic two-hand coordination.
- Try this
- Choose fingerings slowly and listen for unintended gaps.
Which score / movement?
First prelude only, in Part I (without pedals).
Edition: First prelude only, in Part I (without pedals).
Poco allegretto in C major · L’Organiste I/1
Shape a short Romantic phrase on the manuals.
- Be ready for
- Manuals only; originally for harmonium, adapted to organ.
- Try this
- Use a quiet registration and make the phrase endings deliberate.
Which score / movement?
First piece in the C-major/minor group; original manual texture.
Edition: First piece in the C-major/minor group; original manual texture.
The Organ · opening studies
Establish touch before combining hands and feet.
- Be ready for
- Opening manual studies, followed by separate pedal preparation.
- Try this
- Choose a short manual exercise with a teacher; practise slowly.
Which score / movement?
Read the 1909 method online; selected opening exercises, not the whole volume.
Edition: Read the 1909 method online; selected opening exercises, not the whole volume.
Organ · stage 2 of 6
Developing
Choose a manuals-only piece or introduce the pedals through a short, prepared study.
All’Elevazione in C major · Op.1, Part I No.14
Sustain a quiet line and shape suspensions.
- Be ready for
- Manuals-only option; steady held notes and careful releases.
- Try this
- Listen to each dissonance resolve before moving to the next phrase.
Which score / movement?
Part I, No.14 in the original keyboard collection, not a flute or lute arrangement.
Edition: Part I, No.14 in the original keyboard collection, not a flute or lute arrangement.
Petit trio No.1 · École d’orgue, Part II
Coordinate two manual voices with a simple pedal line.
- Be ready for
- First short trio study after separate pedal preparation.
- Try this
- Learn the pedal alone, then combine it with each hand separately.
Which score / movement?
No.1 of Six petits trios très faciles only.
Edition: No.1 of Six petits trios très faciles only.
Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort BuxWV 185
Introduce a chorale over a restrained pedal part.
- Be ready for
- Pedals required; manual counterpoint still needs preparation.
- Try this
- Practise hands with a silent pedal motion before sounding all parts.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.89 MB, 4 pp.
Voluntary in D minor, Op.6 No.5 · opening slow movement
Shape the opening slow movement as a dialogue.
- Be ready for
- Manuals-only option; this level applies only to the opening movement.
- Try this
- Plan breaths and changes of manual before adding ornaments.
Which score / movement?
Opening slow movement only; later movements are more demanding.
Edition: Complete Score · 0.18 MB, 3 pp.
Organ · stage 3 of 6
Intermediate
Develop independent feet, a clear melody and dependable accompaniment.
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 639
Balance an ornamented melody over two independent parts.
- Be ready for
- Two manuals helpful; pedal independence and ornament control.
- Try this
- Practise left hand and pedal together until their pulse is dependable.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 0.16 MB, 2 pp.
Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier BWV 731
Let a chorale melody breathe above a steady accompaniment.
- Be ready for
- Pedal support, sustained lines and careful registration.
- Try this
- Sing the melody and mark cadences before adding ornaments.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.07 MB, 1 pp.
Prelude in C major, BWV 553 · traditionally attributed to J.S. Bach
Keep a concise prelude steady with hands and feet.
- Be ready for
- Secure elementary pedal coordination; attribution to J.S. Bach is uncertain.
- Try this
- Practise the pedal line, then add the hands in short sections.
Which score / movement?
Prelude only, from Eight Short Preludes and Fugues.
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 2.51 MB, 39 pp.
Prière à Notre-Dame · Suite gothique, Op.25
Support a lyrical melody with a quiet accompaniment.
- Be ready for
- Pedals, expressive phrasing and sensitive registration.
- Try this
- Practise melody and pedal as a duet, then restore the inner parts.
Which score / movement?
Third movement only; the suite’s Toccata is not at this level.
Edition: Score
Organ · stage 4 of 6
Upper intermediate
Coordinate active counterpoint and make purposeful registration choices.
Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland BWV 599
Maintain a chorale line within a compact active texture.
- Be ready for
- Confident pedal coordination and four-part listening.
- Try this
- Practise each voice separately and then in pairs.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.05 MB, 1 pp.
Fugue in G minor BWV 578
Track fugal entries through hands and pedals.
- Be ready for
- Independent pedal entries and sustained contrapuntal concentration.
- Try this
- Mark every entry; rehearse the pedal entries with each hand.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (CA) · 1.65 MB, 4 pp.
Passacaglia in D minor BuxWV 161
Shape a recurring bass across contrasting sections.
- Be ready for
- Pedal ostinato, section pacing and historical articulation.
- Try this
- Learn the bass cycle securely before adding upper voices.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 0.18 MB, 7 pp.
Préambule, Op.31 No.1 · Pièces en style libre
Shape a French Romantic prelude with a clear harmonic arc.
- Be ready for
- Pedal version in the linked three-stave edition.
- Try this
- Mark harmonic arrivals and plan a restrained registration.
Which score / movement?
No.1 only, in Livre I; linked edition uses three staves.
Edition: Livre I (3 staves) · 1.29 MB, 52 pp.
Organ · stage 5 of 6
Advanced
Refine ornamentation, long phrases and larger forms. Manuals-only challenges continue here too.
O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß BWV 622
Sustain a richly ornamented melody over an independent texture.
- Be ready for
- Advanced ornamentation, pedal independence and sustained phrasing.
- Try this
- Study ornament timing slowly while keeping the lower voices calm.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.10 MB, 2 pp.
Prélude, fugue et variation, Op.18
Carry one lyrical idea through prelude, fugue and variation.
- Be ready for
- Two manuals useful; Romantic legato and careful balance.
- Try this
- Plan registrations and rehearse manual changes in context.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete piece
Organ Sonata No.6 in D minor, Op.65 No.6
Unify chorale variations and the closing sections.
- Be ready for
- Substantial pedal technique and long-form planning.
- Try this
- Practise each variation as a distinct character before joining the whole.
Which score / movement?
Sonata No.6 only, all movements.
Edition: 6. Sonata in D minor · 1.16 MB, 19 pp.
Fantasia cromatica, SwWV 258
Make a chromatic subject audible across a long contrapuntal span.
- Be ready for
- Advanced manuals-only repertoire; dense counterpoint and stamina.
- Try this
- Practise voice pairs and make a map of the subject transformations.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.31 MB, 10 pp.
Organ · stage 6 of 6
Concert projects
Approach large concert works with mature technique, stamina and a registration plan.
Passacaglia in C minor BWV 582
Shape a large ostinato architecture and its concluding fugue.
- Be ready for
- Concert-level pedals, contrapuntal control and architectural pacing.
- Try this
- Plan variation groups, then practise long spans without losing direction.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.38 MB, 19 pp.
Prelude and Fugue in E minor BWV 548
Sustain a large prelude and an expansive fugue.
- Be ready for
- Virtuoso pedal writing, dense texture and large-form control.
- Try this
- Build stamina with sectional runs before complete performances.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 1.23 MB, 18 pp.
Trio Sonata No.1 in E-flat major, BWV 525
Maintain three equal voices with complete independence.
- Be ready for
- Two manuals and pedals; mature coordination throughout.
- Try this
- Practise all three voice pairings before assembling the trio.
Which score / movement?
Sonata No.1 only, all three movements.
Edition: Complete Score · 6.26 MB, 78 pp.
Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme Op73
Manage a large variation cycle and a demanding fugue.
- Be ready for
- Professional concert project; dense chromatic writing and major technical demands.
- Try this
- Map the form and registration changes before building performance stamina.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 13.57 MB, 38 pp.
A thoughtful route through the scores
How to use the stages
These are Clavitura’s editorial recommendations, not exam grades or a claim of teacher assessment. Difficulty depends on tempo, movement, edition, hand span, instrument and prior experience. A short or slow piece can still be musically demanding. Follow the movement named on each card; a collection may contain much harder music.
Organ stages consider manual writing and pedal coordination separately. Harpsichord stages consider voices, ornaments, dance style and longer forms. Ask your teacher to adapt the route to your instrument and goals.
Organ foundations
Stainer / Harker · The Organ (1909) ↗ — a historical method to read online.
Lemmens · École d’orgue ↗ — manual studies and separate pedal studies.
RCO · skill descriptions ↗ — a reference for the progression of coordination and interpretation. RCO does not assign the stages on these cards.
Harpsichord style & repertoire
Couperin · L’Art de toucher le clavecin ↗ — a historical reference for French playing.
Trinity · 2026 harpsichord diploma repertoire ↗ — context for substantial advanced works; our six stages are independent of its diplomas.
Scores and collection details are linked on every card. Read the edition notes before choosing a score. Editorial selection reviewed 17 October 2026.
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