J.S. Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin

Featuring

Gottfried von der Goltz
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Compositional Technique

Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin use various musical elements like style, genre, key, tempo, and rhythm to express a wide range of human emotions, or 'affections.'

Instruments

Gottfried von der Goltz, the violinist on this recording, plays a Paolo Antonio Testore violin made in Milan around 1720.

Historical Context

The 17th and 18th-century musical concept of 'affection' or 'passion,' as described by theorist Johann Mattheson, referred to any human emotion that composers aimed to evoke in listeners.

Composition History

Among the four surviving 18th-century manuscript copies of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, one was made by his wife, Anna Magdalena.

Compositional Technique

The 'senza basso' (without bass) scoring in Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin allows for greater expressive freedom, reflecting the constant, subtle changes in human emotions.

Critical Reception

Early 19th-century editions of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas, like Simrock's 1802 edition titled 'Studio,' primarily regarded them as study material rather than concert pieces.

Composition History

Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, completed around 1720, are exceptional because few compositions from that era have multiple surviving copies.