Bach: The Sonatas And Partitas For Violin Solo, BWV 1001-1006 - Christian Tetzlaff, violin

In 1890, Johannes Brahms received an offer to purchase an extraordinarily handsome manuscript of Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, alleged to be the composer's recently rediscovered original manuscript. Brahms, himself a great admirer of Bach's music, doubted that the manuscript was authentic and declined it with thanks. Later, it turned out that Bach did indeed write this particular manuscript himself. And with their spirited flowing style, the notes on this beautiful copy of the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin made in 1720 are are not only almost a depiction of the violinist's bow gliding over the strings, but also a masterpiece of calligraphy. Bach, a celebrated keyboard virtuoso as well as a widely famed and feared organ examiner, was also an excellent violinist. His son, Carl Philipp Emmanuel, recalls that his father preferred to lead his instrumental ensembles as violinist or even as violist, since then he could keep them »in greater order ... than he could have accomplished from the harpsichord<< . As early as 1703, when Bach was serving as violinist and footman at the Weimar court, he made the acquaintance of the violinist Paul Westhoff (1656-1705). Westhoff was one of the best violin virtuosos of his time and his solo suites for violin, published in 1696, were the first of their kind. While in Weimar, Bach also got to know Georg Pisendel (1687-1755), a pupil of Antonio Vivaldi, and later concertmaster at the court of Dresden. Pisendel introduced Bach to the latest refinements of the Italian style of composting for violin and also to Vivaldi’s music. The 24-year-old Bach was so impressed that he arranged the concertos of the Prete Rosso for keyboard instruments, thus becoming thoroughly adept writing works in the new form of the Italian concerto. Ten years later, the Brandenburg Concertos would show the expertise which Bach had developed with the concerto grosso. Sei Solo A Violino senza Basso Accompagnato.Libro Primo da Joh. Seb. Bach. Ao. 1720 is the title Bach wrote above this copy of the six compositions for solo violin, which were not at first conceived as a cycle having in part been composed during his time at Weimar (1708-1717). Hence, these grouped were themselves originally individual compositions which only during hindsight grouped themselves in the mind’s eye of their creator into a unified whole.