Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-1006

Featuring

Elizabeth Wallfisch
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Performer Biography

Elizabeth Wallfisch, the violinist on this recording, won a prize for the most outstanding performance of solo Bach at the 1974 Carl Flesch Violin Competition.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bach avoided the use of scordatura (variant tunings) in these Six Solos, likely because it focused on a single key and made wide-ranging modulation difficult.

Composer Biography

Bach composed these Six Solos for violin during a troubled period in 1720, following the death of his wife Maria Barbara.

Critical Reception

These Six Solos were not published during Bach's lifetime and did not circulate widely until the late 18th century, though their reputation was known earlier.

Interpretation

This recording performs Bach's Six Solos at A = 400Hz, in accordance with general practice in early 18th-century Germany.

Compositional Technique

J. N. Forkel, Bach's biographer, praised these Six Solos for combining melody and harmony in a single line, though the works also feature extensive chordal and polyphonic writing.

Composition History

Bach's Six Solos for violin were likely intended to showcase his skills as both a composer of virtuoso violin music and a violinist to potential employers.