Bach - Partita No. 1 in B flat, BWV 825 (Part 2)

This is a performance I gave as part of a Gifted Musicians Masterclass program for Trinity College on Friday 29th October, 2010. The Piano is a Fazioli F212, and a rather beautiful one at that.

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Johann Sebastian Bach—Partita No. 1 in B flat major, BWV 825


In 1723, Bach arrived in Leipzig to take up the position of Cantor at the Thomaskirche, which carried with it the responsibility for all of the city's musical requirements. It was during his earliest and busiest years there that he embarked on the four volumes of harpsichord and organ music known as the Clavier-Übung (Keyboard Practice), an ambitious undertaking intended to show, once and for all, his mastery of several important genres. Bach published, at his own expense six 'partitas' or suites from 1726 onwards, compiling them in 1731.

By the time of the partitas, diverse influences had combined to form his mature style, where the original rustic dance characteristics had been replaced by a highly stylised & sophisticated approach to composition.

Partita No. 1, was dedicated to Crown Prince Emanuel Ludwig of Anhalt-Cöthen, the infant son of Bach's former employer, Prince Leopold. The Præludium begins with a simple theme based on an ascending scale, while arpeggiated figures characterise the Allemande and the Corrente. The serenely beautiful Sarabande has a melodic embellishment under which the traditional dance rhythm, with its second-beat emphasis, is clearly marked. The prelude finishes with a witty Gigue, exploring hand-crossing where the left hand provides both melody and bass while the right hand fills in the harmony.

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