Finding the Implied Polyphony in the Minuet II from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major

Figured-bass reduction (also known as “imaginary continuo”) is a method wherein a musical passage is recomposed in a simplified version in keyboard-harmony style. In undergraduate theory pedagogy, bridge the divide between voice-leading “rules” and actual compositional practices, helping students to navigate musical passages with complex surface textures. This lesson focuses on learning to audiate and to conceptualize the implied polyphony in the Minuet II from J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major (BWV 1007).