This Partita is special because it was the first keyboard work Bach ever published himself, in 1726. At first it came out on its own, before the other five partitas were printed in the following years and later collected as Clavier-Übung I. So for a while, this piece alone represented Bach in print, almost like his introduction, showing what he could do as both a composer and a keyboard player. The Prelude is bold and full of ornaments, which might be the most challenging part of this piece as it moves from the right to the left hand. The opening theme’s widening melodic pattern has a stately character, contrasting with the playful and gentler motion of the sequence that follows.