In the autograph of his 'Inventions', J.S. Bach set out the aim of these pieces, formulating a dual purpose: the keyboard player should, on the one hand, practise polyphonic playing with two obligatory parts and develop a 'cantabile' style; at the same time he should also be given an introduction to the study of composition, and learn how a piece can be developed from an invented theme (Inventio) by means of imitative techniques. Our new edition in the well-known 'Piano Classics' series is intended for teaching purposes and provides a reliable text, an introduction to the work as well as a table for the realization of J. S. Bach's ornaments and trills.