Bach, J.S.: Viola Da Gamba Sonatas, Bwv 1027-1029 / Trios

Featuring

Mikko Perkola
Aapo Häkkinen
Vernon Handley
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Bach's music represents the culmination of the Baroque era, synthesizing Italian melodic invention, French rhythmic dance forms, and German contrapuntal mastery.

Compositional Technique

The three Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord, BWV 1027-29, use a texture common in Bach's instrumental sonatas, with two upper parts supported by a bass part, similar to his organ Trio Sonatas.

Composition History

Bach composed instrumental music, including the works on this album, during his time as Kapellmeister at Anhalt-Cöthen, where the court's Pietist leanings made church music unnecessary.

Composer Biography

Johann Sebastian Bach came from a family of musicians, and his sons continued this tradition, laying the groundwork for a new musical style in the late 18th century.

Composition History

The Sonata in D major, BWV 963, includes a movement titled "Thema all'imitatio Gallina Cuccu" (Theme in Imitation of the Hen and Cuckoo), a fugue where the hen provides the subject and the cuckoo's notes are heard later.

Instruments

The viola da gamba used in this recording was made by Guy Harrison in Toronto in 1998, modeled after an instrument by Michel Colichon from Paris, 1691.