The Sonata in D major, Falck 3, from 1745, represents Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's 'Opus One' and was his first work presented to the public in published form.
Interpretation
The interpretations on this recording by Robert Hill demonstrate the art of quantitative accentuation, a performance practice discussed in his article on Carl Reinecke's performance of Mozart.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach pioneered the expansion and emancipation of the tonal system in his Polonaises through the use of multiple appoggiaturas, a device later made famous by Richard Wagner's Tristan chord.
Composer Biography
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the first-born son of Johann Sebastian Bach, received his initial formal music instruction documented in a small blank book given to him by his father at age ten.
Performer Biography
Robert Hill, the performer on this album, is a professor for historical keyboard instruments and performance practice at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany.
Instruments
The fortepiano used for this recording is a 1999 reconstruction by Keith Hill of a Florentine fortepiano from around 1720, in the style of Bartolomeo Cristofori, the inventor of the piano action.
Compositional Technique
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's twelve Polonaises are organized cyclically in ascending key order, a plan influenced by his early participation in the creation of his father's Inventions and Sinfonias.
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