Partitas for keyboard (825–830)
Encyclopedia
The Partitas, BWV
825–830, are a set of six keyboard suite
s written by Johann Sebastian Bach
, published from 1726
to 1730
as Clavier-Übung I, and the first of his works to be published under his direction. They were, however, among the last of his keyboard
suites to be composed, the others being the 6 English Suites, BWV 806-811 and the 6 French Suites, BWV 812-817.
s for keyboard are the last set that Bach composed and the most technically demanding of the three. They were composed between 1725 and 1730 or 1731. As with the French and English Suites, the manuscript of the Partitas is no longer extant.
In keeping with a nineteenth century naming tradition that labelled Bach's first set of Suites English and the second French, the Partitas are often referred to as the German Suites. This title, however, is a publishing convenience; there is nothing particularly German about the Partitas. In comparison with the two earlier sets of suites, the Partitas are by far the most free-ranging in terms of structure. Unlike the English Suites, for example, which open with a strict prelude
, the Partitas feature a number of different opening styles including an ornamental Overture
and a Toccata
.
While each of the Partitas was published separately, they were collected into a single volume (1731), known as the Clavier-Übung I (Keyboard Practice), which Bach himself chose to label his Opus 1. Unlike the earlier sets of suites, Bach originally intended to publish seven Partitas, advertising in the Spring of 1730 upon the publication of the fifth Partita that the promised collected volume would contain two more such pieces. This intention is further signalled by the spread of keys, which follows a clear structure, B-Flat - c, a - D, G - e, leaving F as the logical conclusion. The Italian Concerto
, which is in the key of F and was published in the Clavier-Übung II, likely originated therefore as one of the Partitas before expanding beyond the dictates of the Suite form.
BWV
The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number, is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions...
825–830, are a set of six keyboard suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
s written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, published from 1726
1726 in music
-Events:*The Academy of Ancient Music is founded in London.*George Frideric Handel becomes a British subject.*Johann Sebastian Bach copies and performs 18 church cantatas written by his cousin, Johann Ludwig Bach....
to 1730
1730 in music
-Events:*The Beggar's Opera by John Gay is so popular that a deck of playing cards based on the characters is printed.*Antonio Vivaldi and his family arrive in Prague.*André Campra becomes Inspector General of the Paris Opera....
as Clavier-Übung I, and the first of his works to be published under his direction. They were, however, among the last of his keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
suites to be composed, the others being the 6 English Suites, BWV 806-811 and the 6 French Suites, BWV 812-817.
History
These six suiteSuite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
s for keyboard are the last set that Bach composed and the most technically demanding of the three. They were composed between 1725 and 1730 or 1731. As with the French and English Suites, the manuscript of the Partitas is no longer extant.
In keeping with a nineteenth century naming tradition that labelled Bach's first set of Suites English and the second French, the Partitas are often referred to as the German Suites. This title, however, is a publishing convenience; there is nothing particularly German about the Partitas. In comparison with the two earlier sets of suites, the Partitas are by far the most free-ranging in terms of structure. Unlike the English Suites, for example, which open with a strict prelude
Prelude (music)
A prelude is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The prelude can be thought of as a preface. It may stand on its own or introduce another work...
, the Partitas feature a number of different opening styles including an ornamental Overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
and a Toccata
Toccata
Toccata is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passages or sections, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer's fingers...
.
While each of the Partitas was published separately, they were collected into a single volume (1731), known as the Clavier-Übung I (Keyboard Practice), which Bach himself chose to label his Opus 1. Unlike the earlier sets of suites, Bach originally intended to publish seven Partitas, advertising in the Spring of 1730 upon the publication of the fifth Partita that the promised collected volume would contain two more such pieces. This intention is further signalled by the spread of keys, which follows a clear structure, B-Flat - c, a - D, G - e, leaving F as the logical conclusion. The Italian Concerto
Italian Concerto
The Italian Concerto, BWV 971, original title: Concerto nach Italienischem Gusto , published in 1735 as the first half of Clavier-Übung II is a three-movement concerto for two-manual harpsichord solo composed by Johann Sebastian Bach...
, which is in the key of F and was published in the Clavier-Übung II, likely originated therefore as one of the Partitas before expanding beyond the dictates of the Suite form.
Contents
- Partita No.1 in B flat Major, BWV 825
- PreludePrelude (music)A prelude is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The prelude can be thought of as a preface. It may stand on its own or introduce another work...
, AllemandeAllemandeAn allemande is one of the most popular instrumental dance forms in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite...
, CouranteCouranteThe courante, corrente, coranto and corant are some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era....
, SarabandeSarabandeIn music, the sarabande is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of quarter notes and eighth notes in alternation...
, Menuett I, Menuett II, GigueGigueThe gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance originating from the British jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th century and usually appears at the end of a suite...
- Partita No.2 in C minor, BWV 826
- SinfoniaSinfoniaSinfonia is the Italian word for symphony. In English it most commonly refers to a 17th- or 18th-century orchestral piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an opera, oratorio, cantata, or suite...
, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, RondeauRondoRondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
, CapriccioCapriccio (music)A capriccio or caprice , is a piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character...
- Partita No.3 in A minor, BWV 827
- FantasiaFantasia (music)The fantasia is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. Because of this, it seldom approximates the textbook rules of any strict musical form ....
, Allemande, Corrente, Sarabande, Burlesca, ScherzoScherzoA scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
, Gigue
- Partita No.4 in D Major, BWV 828
- Ouverture, Allemande, Courante, AriaAriaAn aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
, Sarabande, Menuett, Gigue
- Partita No.5 in G Major, BWV 829
- Preambulum, Allemande, Corrente, Sarabande, Tempo di Minuetto, PassepiedPassepiedThe passepied is a 17th- and 18th-century dance that originated in Brittany. The term can also be used to describe the music to which a passepied is set...
, Gigue
- Partita No.6 in E minor, BWV 830
- ToccataToccataToccata is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passages or sections, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer's fingers...
, Allemande, Corrente, Air, Sarabande, Tempo di GavottaGavotteThe gavotte originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné, where the dance originated. It is notated in 4/4 or 2/2 time and is of moderate tempo...
, Gigue
On harpsichord
- Wanda LandowskaWanda LandowskaWanda Landowska was a Polish harpsichordist whose performances, teaching, recordings and writings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in the early 20th century...
, (?, 1935 or 1936) - Blandine Verlet, (Philips, 1978)
- Kenneth GilbertKenneth GilbertKenneth Gilbert, OC is a Canadian harpsichordist, organist, musicologist and music educator.Gilbert was trained at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal where he was a pupil of Yvonne Hubert and Gabriel Cusson . He also studied the organ privately with Conrad Letendre in Montréal...
, (Harmonia Mundi, 1985) - Trevor PinnockTrevor PinnockTrevor David Pinnock CBE is an English conductor, harpsichordist, and occasional organist and pianist.He is best known for his association with the period-performance orchestra The English Concert which he helped found and directed from the keyboard for over 30 years in baroque and early classical...
, (Archiv, 1985) - Huguette DreyfusHuguette DreyfusHuguette Dreyfus is a French harpsichordist born on November 30, 1928 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France.-Biography:Huguette Dreyfus began taking piano lessons at four years old. In 1946, she began working with renowned piano teacher Lazare Lévy...
, (Denon, 1986) - Gustav LeonhardtGustav LeonhardtGustav Leonhardt is a highly renowned Dutch keyboard player, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. Leonhardt has been a leading figure in the movement to perform music on period instruments...
, (Virgin, 1986) - Scott Ross, (Erato, 1988)
- Christophe RoussetChristophe RoussetChristophe Rousset is a French harpsichordist and conductor, specializing in the performance of baroque music on period instruments.-Biography:...
, (L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1992) - Andreas StaierAndreas StaierAndreas Staier is a German pianist and harpsichordist.-Life:Staier studied piano and harpsichord in the Hochschule für Musik in Hanover, with Kurt Bauer and Erika Haase for piano and from Lajos Rovatkay for harpsichord, and also in Amsterdam. From 1983 until 1986 he was the harpsichord soloist for...
, (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 1993) - Pieter-Jan Belder, (Brilliant Classics, 1999)
On piano
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(EMI Classics, 1999) - Glenn GouldGlenn GouldGlenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
(Sony, 1957, 1980) - András SchiffAndrás SchiffAndrás Schiff is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist, who has won a number of awards including the Grammy and made numerous recordings.- Biography :...
(Decca, 1985 and ECM 2009) - Angela HewittAngela HewittAngela Hewitt, OC, OBE is a Canadian classical pianist. She holds British nationality through her father, Godfrey, who was the organist and choirmaster at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, Ontario for almost fifty years.-Career:...
(Hyperion, 1997) - Gianluca LuisiGianluca LuisiGianluca Luisi is an Italian pianist known for his interpretations of J. S. Bach. whose complete The Well-Tempered Clavier he recorded. Luisi studied at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro under the guidance of Franco Scala and, later, at the piano Academy in Imola with Giovanni Valentini, Boris...
(OnClassicalOnClassicalOnClassical is a small Italian independent record label based in Pove del Grappa, Italy. It features classical music mostly for piano or chamber ensemble.- History :...
, 2005–07) - Murray PerahiaMurray PerahiaMurray Perahia KBE is an American concert pianist and conductor.-Early life:Murray Perahia was born in the Bronx borough of New York City to a family of Sephardi Jewish origin. According to the biography on his Mozart piano sonatas CD, his first language was Judaeo-Spanish or, Ladino. The family...
(Sony, 2008 and 2009) - Vladimir AshkenazyVladimir AshkenazyVladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian-Icelandic conductor and pianist. Since 1972 he has been a citizen of Iceland, his wife Þórunn's country of birth. Since 1978, because of his many obligations in Europe, he and his family have resided in Meggen, near Lucerne in Switzerland...
(DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, 2010) - Martha ArgerichMartha ArgerichMartha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.-Early life:Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three...
(Verbier Festival, 2008)
See also
- Works for keyboard by J.S. BachWorks for keyboard by J.S. BachThe keyboard works of the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, originally written for organ, clavichord, and harpsichord, are among the most important and well-known of his compositions...
- English Suites, BWV 806-811
- French Suites, BWV 812-817
- List of compositions by J.S. Bach printed during his lifetime