J.S. Bach: Violin Sonatas, BWV 1014-1019

Featuring

Daniel Gaede
Raphael Alpermann
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Instruments

Bach's estate included three violins, one of which was made by the famous Tyrolean instrument maker Jakob Stainer.

Composition History

Bach transcribed and grouped these six works in the mid-1720s with his nephew, Johann Heinrich Bach, under the title 'Sounate â Cembalo certato è Violino Solo, col Baßo per Viola da Gamba accompagnato se piace'.

Performer Biography

Daniel Gaede, the violinist on this recording, was the concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic from 1994 to 2000.

Performer Biography

Raphael Alpermann, the harpsichordist, has been a member of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin since 1991 and debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1995.

Critical Reception

Bach's son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, praised these sonatas in 1774 as 'the best works of my blessed dear father,' noting their enduring quality and melodiousness even after 50 years.

Compositional Technique

Unlike typical sonatas of the era where the harpsichord improvises, in BWV 1014-1019, all harpsichord voices are notated, with the right-hand part often an equal counterpart to the violin.

Composer Biography

Johann Sebastian Bach was not only a master of keyboard instruments but also a highly skilled violinist, employed as an ensemble violinist and later concertmaster in Weimar.