Bach: Six Sonatas, Op. 17

Featuring

Rachel Heard
Johann Christian Bach

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Historical Context

Johann Christian Bach enjoyed more international fame during his lifetime than his father, Johann Sebastian Bach, or his older brothers.

Cultural Impact

Johann Christian Bach introduced the British public to the piano as a solo instrument at a 1768 concert, advertising 'a solo in the Piano Forte by Mr. Bach'.

Composer Biography

Johann Christian Bach, known as 'The London Bach,' lived the last twenty years of his life in London and composed in virtually every genre of his day.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Johann Christian Bach was a master of the galant style, a light-textured and charming aesthetic that reacted against the more ornamented Baroque music.

Instruments

The fortepiano used on this recording is a 1992 model by Thomas and Barbara Wolf, based on an instrument built by Johann Schantz around 1800.

Compositional Technique

Johann Christian Bach's fascination with the newly emerging fortepiano led him to compose for it, seeing expressive capabilities beyond the harpsichord.

Composition History

The Six Sonatas, Op. 17, were published in Paris (as Op. 12), reissued in Vienna (as Op. 6), and finally given their current Op. 17 designation in London and Amsterdam.