The Ciaccona of the D minor Partita might be a 'tombeau' (a musical memorial) written in memory of Bach's first wife, Maria Barbara, who died in July 1720.
Composition History
Johann Georg Pisendel, a virtuoso German violinist and Vivaldi's pupil, owned a copy of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas, and his solo violin sonata (also on this album) is considered the earliest homage to these works.
Compositional Technique
Bach's Sonatas and Partitas are notable for how he uses the violin, composing for it 'theoretically and not practically,' pushing the instrument beyond its conventional role.
Composition History
Bach copied the Sonatas and Partitas in 1720 while serving in Cöthen, a period that might coincide with the death of his first wife, Maria Barbara.
Compositional Technique
Bach deliberately frustrates the violin in these works, using awkward articulations and complex bowings that turn them into an endurance test, both physically and psychologically.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The Sonatas and Partitas emphasize the limits of language and intelligence, presenting humility, reflection, effort, and faith as means to transcend an 'intolerable state.'
Composition History
One of the fundamental sources for Bach's Sonatas and Partitas was saved from being used as wrapping paper in a St. Petersburg dairy.
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J.S. Bach: The Sonatas and Partitas Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue
