This concerto, composed during Johann Sebastian Bach's
Cöthen period, is thought to be based on a lost violin
concerto. It is clear from the manuscript notation that
the concerto was composed for the two manuals of the
harpsichord, but it is frequently performed on the
single keyboard of the modern piano. The piece is
composed in three movements; the first one was later
used by Bach as an organ prelude, and the slow movement
became the first chorus of his Cantata No. 146, "Wir
müssen durch vie...(+)
This concerto, composed during Johann Sebastian Bach's
Cöthen period, is thought to be based on a lost violin
concerto. It is clear from the manuscript notation that
the concerto was composed for the two manuals of the
harpsichord, but it is frequently performed on the
single keyboard of the modern piano. The piece is
composed in three movements; the first one was later
used by Bach as an organ prelude, and the slow movement
became the first chorus of his Cantata No. 146, "Wir
müssen durch viel Trübsal."
Like most of Bach's instrumental concertos, this work
employs the Italian ritornello form. The ritornello of
the first movement is a driving six-bar unison theme
whose opening five notes form the foundation for the
majority of the movement. The theme's power stems from
its ever-expanding leaps and its emphatic closing
cadence. Most of the soloist's passages are derived
from this theme, but Bach later introduces a chromatic,
toccata-like secondary theme for effect. The ritornello
immediately gives way to a carefully mapped progression
through the neighboring keys, using the dominant minor,
the relative major, the relative major of the dominant
minor, and so forth. The soloist leads the concerto
through sections of contrapuntal and harmonic
exploration, interspersed with several varied
restatements of the ritornello by the strings.
Following an elaborate cadenza by the soloist, the
first movement closes with a unison restatement of the
ritornello. The slow second movement is in G minor,
which is unusual in that most of Bach's concertos and
sonatas that begin in a minor key have a second
movement in a major key, and vice-versa. Like Bach's
two violin concertos, the movement is built on a
foundation of a solemn basso ostinato which also serves
as the ritornello. The movement's structure is
symmetrical, with the first half progressing from G
minor to C minor, and then to a B flat major cadence;
the progression then retraces its steps, through C
minor and again back to G minor. Similarly, the opening
and closing statements of the ritornello are both in
unison. Throughout the piece, the soloist weaves an
increasingly florid melody over the ground bass, adding
a lyrical quality to the somber character of the
movement. The Allegro finale movement is constructed in
a similar manner to the opening movement. In 3/4 time,
its opening 12-bar ritornello begins with a downward
scale and has a recurring rhythmic figure consisting of
two sixteenth notes and an eighth note. In parts of the
ritornello, the melody is traded between the bass and
treble. The first solo section is a toccata-like
figure. The final statement of the ritornello is
preceded by a short but elaborate cadenza, as in the
first movement.
Although originally written for Harpsichord, 2 Violins,
Viola and Continuo, I created this Arrangement of the
Concerto in D Minor (BWV 1052) for Piano & Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION