Bach CD I-09: Double Concertos BWV 1043-1044-1055-1060
12 videos • 24 views • by jotaman7 DOUBLE CONCERTOS BWV 1043-1044-1055-1060 According to Schmieder (BWV = Bach Werke Verzeichnis) the Triple Concerto in A minor for flute, violin and harpsichord (BWV 1044) was written after 1730. The first and third movements are a lengthier version of the Prelude and Fugue in A minor for solo harpsichord (BWV 894) from c.1717. The middle movement, Adagio, is the second movement of the third of six sonatas for organ (BWV 527), composed after 1727 or, possibly, after 1723. The traditional view is that this concerto was developed from these works. However, in a recent article by Hans Eppstein, it is suggested that the Prelude and Fuge was itself based on a lost keyboard concerto and that the Organ Sonata BWV 527 may also be an arrangement of an earlier instrumental trio, now lost. Eppstein believes that stylistic elements in the Aminor Triple Concerto point to a composition date around that of Brandenburg Concerto No.5, c.1720, which also has a monumental concertante part for the harpsichord. When arranging his earlier harpsichord Prelude and Fugue into the outer movements of the Triple Concerto Bach not only broadened but also reconstructed the general form. By reworking and enlarging the original ideas he produced a staggeringly impressive conception, dramatized further by dynamic contrasts and (in the Finale) by the confrontation of highly intense solo lines with the orchestra’s sharp impact. Yet the orchestra is not merely a contrasting partner to the soloist’ concertino, it also produces a broad canvas of an obbligato accompagnato. Bach also makes use of unique effects, such as the combination of harpsichord passages with the orchestra’s pizzicato before the end of the first movement. The brilliant effect of inner unity in the first and last movements is achieved by the ingenious combination of concerto form and fuge, which Bach had already experimented with in some of his Brandenburg Concertos. The crowning point of the virtuoso harpsichord part is a magnificent cadence in the last movement. The second movement, Adagio e dolce, contrasts strongly with the dramatic first and last movements. Despite all contrapuntal strictness this music is in a more modern and galant style. Perhaps it is no coincidence, that Mozart, on the suggestion of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, transcribed the original organ version for a string trio. The original versions have mostly been lost. But a study of Bach’s method of re-writing works where both versions have been preserved (e.g. the famous Concerto in D minor for two violins, later arranged for two harpsichords) provides us with a reliable means of reconstructing the original versions from the later transcriptions. This is the case with another Concerto in C minor for two harpsichords (BWV 1060). Its original model, which has been lost, the Concerto in D minor for oboe and violin was offered in the Breitkopf catalogue as late as 1764: `Bach, G(iovanni) S(ebastian) I. Concerto a Oboe concert(ato), Violino concert(ato), 2 Violini, Viola, Basso. 1 thl.’ The musical content and charm of this composition is perhaps even more convincing in this version, because the sound of the harpsichord in the later version can only roughly sketch the flowing melody sung by the two melodic instruments in the slow movement. The Concerto for two violins, strings and basso continuo in D minor (BWV 1043) is one of the most beautiful works among Bach’s numerous instrumental music. From the point of view of style, this piece seems to be archaic in comparison with the two solo violin concertos. The date of composition is believed to be a little earlier than the others, 1718. This concerto is written with well-ordered structure in each of the three movements and with the technique of imitation skillfully employed throughout. Bach reduced the orchestral contribution substantially in order not to distract the listeners to much from the solo parts. The weight of the first movement falls upon the soloists in two long episodes, the tutti returning only briefly in the middle and at the end. The work reaches its peak in the second movement, Largo ma non tanto, in a sicilian rhythm, a sublime duet of beautifully overlapping and imitative phrases. The Concerto in A major for harpsichord and strings (BWV 1055) is believed to be a transcription from an earlier version for violin or oboe d’amore. One scholar, W. Mohr, suggests that the original version was for a stringed instrument and not an oboe - probably a viola since the range is too low for the violin. But, in 1939 Donald Tovey suggested - or as some say, even proved - that the A major Concerto for harpsichord and strings (BWV 1055) was originally written for the oboe d’amore, an instrument that came into use around 1720 and remained popular until the end of the 18th century. Clemens Romijn