Johann Sebastian Bach was better known as a virtuoso
organist than as a composer in his day. His sacred
music, organ and choral works, and other instrumental
music had an enthusiasm and seeming freedom that
concealed immense rigor. Bach's use of counterpoint was
brilliant and innovative, and the immense complexities
of his compositional style -- which often included
religious and numerological symbols that seem to fit
perfectly together in a profound puzzle of special
codes -- still amaze musici...(+)
Johann Sebastian Bach was better known as a virtuoso
organist than as a composer in his day. His sacred
music, organ and choral works, and other instrumental
music had an enthusiasm and seeming freedom that
concealed immense rigor. Bach's use of counterpoint was
brilliant and innovative, and the immense complexities
of his compositional style -- which often included
religious and numerological symbols that seem to fit
perfectly together in a profound puzzle of special
codes -- still amaze musicians today. Many consider him
the greatest composer of all time.
According to the manuscripts of Bach's Sonatas and
Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-06, the six pieces
were completed in 1720, while the composer was employed
at the Cöthen court. At Cöthen, Bach devoted himself
primarily to the composition of instrumental music;
this period saw the composition of the Brandenburg
Concertos, the violin and keyboard concertos, the
orchestral suites and the first part of the
Well-Tempered Clavier, among other works. Often Bach
composed works of each genre in cycles, with six works
in each.
In the case of the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo
Violin, Bach alternated three sonatas with three
partitas. The partitas consist of between five and
eight dance movements, while the sonatas are in four
movements, none of which is a dance except the third
movement of the first sonata, in G minor, which is a
Siciliana. Throughout these six works there is evidence
of not only Bach's knowledge of the technical
capabilities of the violin, but also of his ability to
create dense counterpoint and effective harmony with
one stringed instrument. The solo violin sonatas were
first published between 1817 and 1828.
A rhapsodic Grave opens the second Sonata in A minor,
BWV 1003. At such a slow tempo, the highly ornamented
melody seems to meander at will, navigating a course of
highly contrasting rhythms and decorative flourishes
that release the melodic potential of the minor mode.
The overall "free" nature of the Grave makes it sound
like a prelude to the ensuing movement. As in all three
of the violin sonatas, the second movement, the central
point of the piece, is a fugue. Daunting in both size
and complexity, the Fugue pushes forward relentlessly,
creating a dense contrapuntal web. Bach sets the third
movement apart from the others through both an Andante
tempo and contrasting key. The writing is more
homophonic here, with a calm melody that provides a
needed foil to the harsh energy of the preceding Fugue.
A lively, lighthearted Allegro, rich with rhythmic and
melodic variations, returns to A minor and closes the
piece.
PARTITION