J.S. Bach: Sonatas & Partitas, Vol. 1

Featuring

Frank Peter Zimmermann
Johann Sebastian Bach

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

Bach's historical significance in these works lies in combining 17th-century solo violin traditions with the 'style brisé' technique from French lute and harpsichord music.

Composition History

Bach himself simply called his works for solo violin "Sei solo" (meaning "six solos"), a grammatically incorrect title.

Critical Reception

The Ciaccona from Bach's Partita in D minor was so rich in sound that his biographer Philipp Spitta remarked in 1880 that the instrument might be "torn asunder by this enormous power."

Composer Biography

Bach, though primarily known as a composer of sacred music and keyboard player, was also a violinist throughout his life, and the violin may have been his very first instrument.

Instruments

Frank Peter Zimmermann, the violinist on this album, plays a 1711 Antonio Stradivarius violin named 'Lady Inchiquin'.

Notable Performances

Joseph Joachim, a prominent 19th-century German violinist and friend of Johannes Brahms, established the tradition of performing all six of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas in their original, unaccompanied form.

Compositional Technique

Bach's Sei solo pieces are notable for lacking a basso continuo, meaning a single player must perform all notes on the four strings of one instrument.