Bach's Clavier-Übung II, published in 1735, was advertised in Nuremberg on July 1st and in Leipzig on August 13th, though it may have appeared earlier at Easter.
Composer Biography
Johann Nikolaus Forkel, Bach's first biographer, noted that Bach arranged Antonio Vivaldi's concertos for keyboard after hearing them praised, which helped him master the concerto style.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The full title of Clavier-Übung II states it was "Composed with the intention of Restoring the Spirit of Music-Lovers by Johann Sebastian Bach."
Critical Reception
Johann Adolph Scheibe, a composer and critic who was a former student of Bach, praised the Concerto in the Italian Style as a "perfect model of a well-conceived concerto for one voice."
Compositional Technique
The Concerto in the Italian Style and the Overture in the French Manner are archetypes of keyboard works that transcribe an orchestral work for a single instrument, even though no original orchestral pieces exist for them.
Compositional Technique
Bach indicates keyboard changes using 'forte' or 'piano' in the Concerto and Overture, a method that would later become common practice for his sons.
Compositional Technique
Both the Concerto in the Italian Style and the Overture in the French Manner are explicitly intended for a double-manual harpsichord, a rare level of instrumental precision for the time.
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