Like Johann Sebastian Bach's better known Concerto in D
minor, this work is thought to be a transcription of a
lost concerto. While some scholars have attributed the
violin composition to Vivaldi or to a minor German
composer, the counterpoint and structure of the clavier
seem indicative of Bach's idiom. Written during Bach's
Cöthen period, the concerto is in three movements; all
three are in ritornello form, in which each movement is
based upon a single theme restated in various
orchestrations...(+)
Like Johann Sebastian Bach's better known Concerto in D
minor, this work is thought to be a transcription of a
lost concerto. While some scholars have attributed the
violin composition to Vivaldi or to a minor German
composer, the counterpoint and structure of the clavier
seem indicative of Bach's idiom. Written during Bach's
Cöthen period, the concerto is in three movements; all
three are in ritornello form, in which each movement is
based upon a single theme restated in various
orchestrations at the opening, the closing, and after
each exploratory section.
The first movement, an Allegro, has hints of the form
that would later be described as a sonata-rondo. It
begins with a tutti exposition of a 14-bar ritornello,
characterized by a firmly stated bass figure and a
recurring sixteenth note triplet in the upper voice.
Even in the solo episodes, the bass figure from the
ritornello is frequently restated. Once the ritornello
is introduced, the soloist elaborates on the triplet
figure with light accompaniment. After the tutti
restates the ritornello in A flat, the soloist embarks
upon a sonata-like development, firmly rooted in the
tonic, to build up momentum. Midway through this
section, the tutti briefly suggests the ritornello,
then gives way to the soloist for a full 24 bars of
triplet figures. In the equivalent of a sonata's
recapitulation, the ritornello and the soloist's
triplets are restated, finally concluding in a
compressed eight-bar ritornello. The main sense of
contrast in the first movement is conveyed not by
variation of keys or of a primary and secondary theme,
but by the distinction between the soloist's triplets
and the orchestra's sturdy ritornello.
The slow movement, in the relative major of A flat,
begins with a lengthy and elaborate 21-bar arabesque,
lightly accompanied by a sparse bass figure of eighth
notes. The frequent and extensive ornamentation in the
melody make this movement somewhat rococo in character.
The F minor finale is a vigorous, flowing movement in
triple time that gives it an air of constant motion.
The ritornello is 24 bars in length and can be divided
into two distinct parts. In the first section, a scalar
passage of sixteenth notes is traded between the upper
and lower voices against a more triadic accompaniment
of eighth notes. The second section consists of a
series of contrary and parallel scale passages, leading
to a firmly declared cadence. The soloist next develops
the ritornello, without introducing any substantially
new material. After the ritornello is restated in A
flat, there is an episode based on a figure of
descending trills. Included in this passage is a
curious passage in which crashing chords -- alternating
between the tutti and the soloist -- build up tension
which is finally released in a decisive C major
cadence. The soloist recapitulates the first main solo
in C, but there is no definitive restatement of the
ritornello as a whole until the final recapitulation at
the close of the concerto.
Although originally written for Harpsichord, 2 Violins,
Viola and Continuo, I created this Arrangement of the
Concerto in F Minor (BWV 1056) for Piano Duet.
PARTITION