Johann Sebastian Bach's (1685-1750) "second" Concerto
for Two Harpsichords in C minor from 1736 is a
transcription of his Concerto for Two Violins in D
minor (BWV 1043). Bach distributed the two solo violin
parts to the right hands of the two solo harpsichords
and filled the left hands with elaborations of the
orchestral bass, but left the actual orchestral parts
untouched except to transpose them down a major second.
In the opinion of some critics, the two-harpsichord
concerto is an inferior ad...(+)
Johann Sebastian Bach's (1685-1750) "second" Concerto
for Two Harpsichords in C minor from 1736 is a
transcription of his Concerto for Two Violins in D
minor (BWV 1043). Bach distributed the two solo violin
parts to the right hands of the two solo harpsichords
and filled the left hands with elaborations of the
orchestral bass, but left the actual orchestral parts
untouched except to transpose them down a major second.
In the opinion of some critics, the two-harpsichord
concerto is an inferior adaptation of pre-existing
material; they point to the congestion of the left-hand
parts and to the non-sustaining character of the
harpsichord as the two major faults of Bach's
transcriptions. Other critics assert that the work is a
brilliant adaptation and that the central Siciliano
movement sounds especially lovely when played by two
harpsichords.
Although originally written for 2 Harpsichords, Strings
and Continuo, I created this Arrangement of the
Concerto in C Major (BWV 1062) for Flute, Oboe &
Strings (2 Violins, 2 Violas, Cello & Bass).
PARTITION