The theme often appears with its entrance varied. The melody that emerges in the middle voice from the downbeat of beat 4 in measure 17, and the melody that emerges in the lower voice from the upbeat of beat 4 in the same measure, are significantly transformed versions of the theme.

Score examples courtesy of: Bärenreiter Verlag

Sinfonia No. 14 in B-flat Major

This Sinfonia can be considered the most challenging among the 15 in terms of pedaling. The pedaling in this Sinfonia is indeed very demanding. Of course, the difficulty of pedaling varies with tempo, but when examining this B-flat major Sinfonia, and referencing other B-flat major works by Bach, the tempo itself does not seem to be particularly fast. I believe an Andantino or Andante tempo, or even slower, would be appropriate. Naturally, this is subjective, and performers are free to set their own tempo. However, let us proceed with the assumption that it moves at a relatively leisurely pace (the author perceives the quarter note at around 40 bpm).

The author is currently referring to the Henle edition, which, for example, indicates the fingering for the soprano voice in measure 5 as 4-5, 4-5, 4-5 for each beat. This suggests that the person who notated these fingerings also considered a tempo that allows for the flexibility to change from finger 4 to 5.

When practicing this Sinfonia, the performer's primary concern should be the fingering. The fingering 4-5, 4-5, 4-5 in measure 5 is impractical for the author. While not entirely impossible, it is quite strenuous. Therefore, the author would play the soprano voice in this measure using only finger 5.

The soprano voice is played with only finger 5 each time the note changes. Of course, this would result in a break, so it is connected using an "instantaneous pedal," as is customary.

While there are sections where one must adapt flexibly, presuming reliance on the pedal, conversely, there are also sections where it is desirable to connect notes solely with the fingers. For instance, consider the right hand in measure 14. The fingerings for both the soprano and alto voices from beat 2 to beat 3 are as follows:

• Beat 2: Soprano 4, Alto 1-3-2-1
• Beat 3: Soprano 5-3-5, Alto 2-1

The technical highlight is in beat 3. The soprano's 5-3-5 should be executed quickly, and simultaneously, the alto's 2-1 should also be performed swiftly.

Performers should utilize all means at their disposal—such as finger pedaling, finger substitution, conventional pedaling, sliding the same finger from a black key to a white key, etc.—to determine the fingerings, striving to "minimize pedal usage as much as possible" and avoid blurring of the sixteenth notes. This is a crucial hint for this Sinfonia.