J.S. Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba & Harpsichord

Featuring

Robert Smith
Francesco Corti
Johann Sebastian Bach
Christoph Schaffrath

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Compositional Technique

The cembalo-obbligato sonata, a genre featured on this album, differs from a trio sonata in that the harpsichord plays both an upper melody line and the bass line.

Composer Biography

J. S. Bach was a pioneer of the obbligato sonata and the soloistic role of the harpsichord in ensemble music, a genre he is credited with inventing in his Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.

Performer Biography

Robert Smith, the viola da gamba player, won the Bach-Abel Viola da Gamba Competition in Köthen in 2012.

Composition History

The Bach sonatas on this album were likely composed during his later Leipzig period, rather than his earlier time at Cöthen, as suggested by manuscript sources.

Composition History

Christoph Schaffrath, a composer featured on this album, was shortlisted for an organist position in Dresden in 1733 but was beaten by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, J. S. Bach's son.

Performer Biography

Francesco Cor, the harpsichordist, won top prizes at the Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig (2006) and the Bruges Harpsichord Competition (2007).

Composition History

Robert Smith's "Dido's Torment" is a new composition that deconstructs Henry Purcell's "Dido's Lament" and reassembles it with elements of Marin Marais' Préludes and Metallica-inspired riffs.