The six Partitas (BWV 825-830) are part of Bach's
Clavier-Übung, but were published singly, beginning in
1726 with this B flat major effort. A new partita
appeared each year thereafter until 1731, when the
whole collection was issued. Each of the six is a suite
containing allemandes, sarabandes, minuets, and various
other dances and numbers. The B flat major Partita
consists of seven short movements, the first being a
praeludium, a moderately paced piece so typical of
Bach's music in its statel...(+)
The six Partitas (BWV 825-830) are part of Bach's
Clavier-Übung, but were published singly, beginning in
1726 with this B flat major effort. A new partita
appeared each year thereafter until 1731, when the
whole collection was issued. Each of the six is a suite
containing allemandes, sarabandes, minuets, and various
other dances and numbers. The B flat major Partita
consists of seven short movements, the first being a
praeludium, a moderately paced piece so typical of
Bach's music in its stately confidence, serene joy, and
deftly wrought contrapuntal writing. There follow an
allemande, corrente (courante), sarabande, and gigue
which comprise the standard sequence of dances that
make up a partita. Actually, Bach inserted two brief
minuets between the sarabande and gigue.
This partita is probably the briefest of the six in the
set, though Nos. 1 and 3 are also slight works, and in
a given performance, with repeats observed in one piece
and ignored in another, may have a marginally shorter
timing. That said, the diminutive fifth is a fine work
even if it lacks the grander scales of the D major
fourth and E minor sixth. Comprised of the usual seven
movements and featuring the more or less requisite
Allemande, Courante (the Italian Corrente here),
Sarabande, and Gigue, it is a light, buoyant work of
such brilliance and subtlety as to stand alongside its
more grandiose siblings.
The opening Praeambulum ripples with buoyancy and joy
as notes cascade seemingly in all directions with
breathless energy. The music here has been called
Haydnesque, and while it may augur that master's style,
it is still pure Bach in all his inventive genius. The
ensuing Allemande, by contrast, is subdued and playful,
delightfully graceful, too, in its moderate pacing. The
brief Courante bustles with the same kind of energy
heard in the Praeambulum, but ultimately divulges a
somewhat more subdued character.
The Sarabande follows, a serene yet at times playful
piece whose relatively lengthy duration and gentleness
are a sort of island of restraint amid all the bustle
and brightness surrounding it. The music is quite
transparent here in its slow pacing, thus allowing
Bach's deft contrapuntal writing to emerge in all its
subtlety. The ensuing Tempo di Minuetto is light and
graceful, full of energy right up to its suddenly
subdued close. A hearty Passepied follows, introducing
a sort of muscular manner, with much writing in the
middle and lower registers.
As usual a Gigue closes this work, bringing energy and
a sense of near-ecstasy in its joy. Here, the
contrapuntal writing is full of subtle details, the ear
noticing something delightfully different on each
subsequent hearing. Moreover, this colorful music is
quite a virtuosic challenge to the performer, the
fugue-like section midway through especially taxing the
fingers.
PARTITION