Bach, J.S.: Lute Music

Featuring

Jakob Lindberg
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Composer's Artistic Vision

J.S. Bach viewed music primarily as a craft, reportedly saying, "I have had to work hard; anyone who works just as hard will get just as far."

Recording & Production

The booklet advises listeners to decrease the gain on their amplifier when listening to the lute, as otherwise, "all the nuances disappear and the resulting timbre is most incorrect."

Composition History

J.S. Bach's works for solo lute were not conceived as a group, spanning a long period of his creative life and written in different styles.

Composer Biography

During his lifetime, J.S. Bach's fame rested more on his skills as an organ virtuoso than as a composer.

Instruments

J.S. Bach commissioned Zacharias Hildebrandt to construct a Lautenwerk, a keyboard instrument designed to imitate the sound of the lute.

Performer Biography

Jakob Lindberg, the lutenist on this recording, founded the Dowland Consort in 1985, an instrumental ensemble specializing in 16th and 17th-century music.

Interpretation

Jakob Lindberg, the performer, uses scordatura (alternate tunings) for BWV996 and BWV1006a to make their keys more comfortable for the lute and increase sonority.