Like each of J.S. Bach's other harpsichord concertos,
excepting perhaps one, the Harpsichord Concerto No. 6
in F major, BWV 1057 is actually a transcription of an
earlier concerto conceived for one of the more
traditional concerto solo instruments. When Bach made
these transcriptions in the 1730s, the keyboard was a
newcomer to the concerto scene. Many of the original
source works for the harpsichord concertos have been
lost, but the one arranged for keyboard use in BWV 1057
is alive and quite w...(+)
Like each of J.S. Bach's other harpsichord concertos,
excepting perhaps one, the Harpsichord Concerto No. 6
in F major, BWV 1057 is actually a transcription of an
earlier concerto conceived for one of the more
traditional concerto solo instruments. When Bach made
these transcriptions in the 1730s, the keyboard was a
newcomer to the concerto scene. Many of the original
source works for the harpsichord concertos have been
lost, but the one arranged for keyboard use in BWV 1057
is alive and quite well -- for it is none other than
the Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major that Bach has
reused, transposing the music down a whole step and
recasting the original solo violin part for keyboard.
The structure of the music remains unchanged in the
harpsichord version (and the two important obbligato
recorders are still present), but Bach has done much
more than simply adapt the solo violin part to make it
better fall under the keyboardist's fingers -- he has
completely rewritten the part. A great deal of music
exists in the solo part where none existed before (the
harpsichordist must play where, in the Brandenburg
Concerto, the violinist rests), and the textures and
figurations of the part are, quite naturally, a great
deal richer. In the second movement, Andante, the
scoring has been changed noticeably to allow the
harpsichordist to take over music originally given to
the two recorders; where, in Brandenburg No. 4, the
recorders were part of the solo group, here they are
members of the ripieno. The finale, marked Presto in
Brandenburg No. 4, is now an Allegro assai.
Although originally written for Harpsichord, 2
Recorders, Strings and Continuo, I created this
Arrangement of the Concerto in F Major (BWV 1057) for
Winds (2 Flutes, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, French Horn &
Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Bass).
PARTITION