Sonatas no. 4 - 6 for Violin and Piano (Harpsichord) BWV 1017- 1019

Bach probably composed his six violin sonatas between 1717 and 1723, during his tenure as court Kapellmeister in Köthen. Apparently he was no longer content with adding the solo part to a bass-line, so wrote the harpsichord part out in full instead. As for compositional technique, his model here was the Baroque trio sonata; but the path to the duo sonata in the modern sense, however, is already traced out.

The sonatas were not published until 50 years after Bach's demise. The transmission of the individual sonatas is sometimes problematic, especially since only little autograph material has survived. In the Appendix to this Urtext volume, we have reproduced various versions of different pieces.

As Court Music Director in Cöthen, Johann Sebastian Bach devoted himself primarily to instrumental music. Among the works written there were his Sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord BWV 1014–1019, which have come down to us as a complete cycle. The violinist and harpsichordist/pianist are equally challenged here, and the sonatas – together with Bach's flute and viola da gamba sonatas – lay the foundation for the duo sonata in the modern sense, as the usual accompanying function of the basso continuo yields to an independent keyboard part that lends each sonata an individual profile. Our edition is largely based on the manuscript copies made by Bach's son-in-law Altnickol. The Sonata in G Major BWV 1019 exists in quite varying versions, each with different individual movements. For this reason, two older versions of the Sonata are published here in an appendix, making this Urtext edition especially valuable for Bach enthusiasts too.