Bach's "first" Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C minor
from approximately 1730 is a transcription of a now
lost concerto for two solo instruments and string
orchestra. Scholars conjecture that the earlier
concerto was intended for violin and oboe soloists and
it has been reconstructed in this form (also BWV
1060).
As in all of Bach's concertos for solo instruments and
orchestra, this concerto is laid out in three
movements: two fast outer movements here marked Allegro
enclosing a centr...(+)
Bach's "first" Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C minor
from approximately 1730 is a transcription of a now
lost concerto for two solo instruments and string
orchestra. Scholars conjecture that the earlier
concerto was intended for violin and oboe soloists and
it has been reconstructed in this form (also BWV
1060).
As in all of Bach's concertos for solo instruments and
orchestra, this concerto is laid out in three
movements: two fast outer movements here marked Allegro
enclosing a central slow movement here marked Adagio.
With its echo effects between the two soloists in the
outer movements and its long cantabile lines in the
central movement, the C minor concerto is skillfully
written for two soloists. However, like Bach's later
transcription of his Concerto for Two Violins in D
minor as another Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C
minor, some critics question the effectiveness of
substituting two keyboard instruments for two melodic
instruments and point out the thicker textures of the
two-harpsichord concerto as demonstrating the
inferiority of this version of the concerto. Other
critics assert that, when performed on lighter
instruments by players with more supple technique, the
two-harpsichord concerto is in no way a lesser work
than the proposed violin and oboe concerto version.
Although originally written for 2 Harpsichords, Strings
and Continuo, I created this Arrangement of the
Concerto in C Minor (BWV 1060) for Wind Sextet (Bb
Trumpet, Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, French Horn &
Bassoon).
SHEET MUSIC