It is generally accepted that Johann Sebastian Bach
wrote his six Sonatas for Organ for his eldest son,
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, as the not always reliable
W.F. often asserted. There is no strong reason to
disbelieve it, for they appeared at about the right
time and, moreover, are teaching pieces par excellence.
There is a world of difference between the familiar
Bach organ works in the mold of the various preludes or
toccatas and fugues and the Six Sonatas. Compared to
those works, these Sonata...(+)
It is generally accepted that Johann Sebastian Bach
wrote his six Sonatas for Organ for his eldest son,
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, as the not always reliable
W.F. often asserted. There is no strong reason to
disbelieve it, for they appeared at about the right
time and, moreover, are teaching pieces par excellence.
There is a world of difference between the familiar
Bach organ works in the mold of the various preludes or
toccatas and fugues and the Six Sonatas. Compared to
those works, these Sonatas are light, transparent in
texture, never concerned with display or Baroque
flamboyance. They are Trio-Sonatas, works in three
voices, irrespective of how many actual players were
needed. The voices in these works are independent: one
in either hand, the third on the pedals. Ordinarily,
each hand plays on its own manual. Thus, the Sonatas
test and cultivate the student's physical and mental
ability to coordinate all these separate motions of
hands and feet, the interpretive ability to project
each voice equally and clearly to the audience, and the
musical ability to make them meaningful.
This (fourth) Sonata is written in the form of a
concerto for organ. The first movement is a Vivace
preceded by a short slow introduction. It is a
transcription of a sinfonia of the cantata Die Himmel
erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76 (1723). This number
was already a trio for oboe d'amore, viola, and bass
line. It is in a ritornello form, with a lively main
episode interspersed with contrasting sections. The
slow (second) movement seems to have originated as a
separate piece. The concluding (Un Poco Allegro)
section is vigorous and tests coordination by throwing
in triplets that cross hands on Keyboard as well as on
flute.
SHEET MUSIC