Solo Violin Partita No. 2 (Bach)
Encyclopedia
The Partita in D minor for solo violin (BWV 1004) by Johann Sebastian Bach
was written during the period 1717–1723 and one scholar, Professor Helga Thoene, suggests this partita, and especially its last movement, was a tombeau
, written in memory of Bach's first wife, Maria Barbara Bach
(who died in 1720), though this theory is controversial. The partita contains five movements, given in Italian as:
in French), the concluding movement of the partita, lasts some 13 to 15 minutes, surpassing the duration of the previous movements combined (depending on whether any repeats
in the five movements may be omitted). The theme, presented in the first four measures in typical chaconne rhythm with a chord progression based on the repeated bass note pattern D D C D B G A D, begets the rest of the movement in a series of variations
. The overall form is a triptych
, the middle section of which is in major mode.
This ciaccona is considered a pinnacle of the solo violin repertoire in that it covers every aspect of violin-playing known during Bach's time and thus it is among the most difficult pieces to play for that instrument. Since Bach's time, several transcription
s of the piece have been made for other instruments, particularly for the piano
by Ferruccio Busoni
and Alexander Siloti
and piano/left-hand by Brahms
, and for full orchestra by Leopold Stokowski
and Joachim Raff
, as well as for the guitar
, first transcribed by Spanish guitarist and composer Andres Segovia
. At least three transcriptions have been published for organ solo
. Recently, a bassoon transcription by Arthur Weisberg
was written to highlight the capabilities of his new key systems for the bassoon. The Chaconne was also transcribed for Flute by Danish flautist Toke Lund Christensen, then re-transcribed by Denis Bouriakov
.There is also a transcription for choral and piano by Luiz Antonio V Penteado with lyrics in Portuguese and a version in German, besides a version in English only as a poem.
The Ciaccona is commonly included as a required repertoire piece in violin competitions all over the world.
Violinist Joshua Bell
has said the Chaconne is "not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history. It's a spiritually powerful piece, emotionally powerful, structurally perfect." Johannes Brahms
, in a letter to Clara Schumann
, said about the ciaccona:
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...
was written during the period 1717–1723 and one scholar, Professor Helga Thoene, suggests this partita, and especially its last movement, was a tombeau
Tombeau
A tombeau is a musical composition commemorating the death of a notable individual. The term derives from the French word for "tomb" or "tombstone". The vast majority of tombeaux date from the 17th century and were composed for lute or other plucked string instruments...
, written in memory of Bach's first wife, Maria Barbara Bach
Maria Barbara Bach
Maria Barbara Bach was the first wife of composer Johann Sebastian Bach. She was also his second cousin, and the daughter of Johann Michael Bach.-Personal life:...
(who died in 1720), though this theory is controversial. The partita contains five movements, given in Italian as:
- AllemandaAllemandeAn allemande is one of the most popular instrumental dance forms in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite...
- CorrenteCouranteThe 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....
- SarabandaSarabandeIn 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...
- GigaGigueThe 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...
- CiacconaChaconneA chaconne ; is a type of musical composition popular in the baroque era when it was much used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line which offered a compositional outline for variation, decoration, figuration and...
The Ciaccona
The Ciaccona (commonly known as ChaconneChaconne
A chaconne ; is a type of musical composition popular in the baroque era when it was much used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line which offered a compositional outline for variation, decoration, figuration and...
in French), the concluding movement of the partita, lasts some 13 to 15 minutes, surpassing the duration of the previous movements combined (depending on whether any repeats
Repetition (music)
Repetition is important in music, where sounds or sequences are often repeated. One often stated idea is that repetition should be in balance with the initial statements and variations in a piece. It may be called restatement, such as the restatement of a theme...
in the five movements may be omitted). The theme, presented in the first four measures in typical chaconne rhythm with a chord progression based on the repeated bass note pattern D D C D B G A D, begets the rest of the movement in a series of variations
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
. The overall form is a triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
, the middle section of which is in major mode.
This ciaccona is considered a pinnacle of the solo violin repertoire in that it covers every aspect of violin-playing known during Bach's time and thus it is among the most difficult pieces to play for that instrument. Since Bach's time, several transcription
Transcription (music)
In music, transcription can mean notating a piece or a sound which was previously unnotated, as, for example, an improvised jazz solo. Further examples include ethnomusicological notation of oral traditions of folk music, such as Béla Bartók's and Ralph Vaughan Williams' collections of the national...
s of the piece have been made for other instruments, particularly for the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
by Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
and Alexander Siloti
Alexander Siloti
Alexander Ilyich Siloti was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti, , Aleksandr Iljič Ziloti) (9 October 1863, near Kharkiv - 8 December 1945, New York) was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti, , Aleksandr Iljič...
and piano/left-hand by Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, and for full orchestra by Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born, naturalised American orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski...
and Joachim Raff
Joachim Raff
Joseph Joachim Raff was a German-Swiss composer, teacher and pianist.-Biography:Raff was born in Lachen in Switzerland. His father, a teacher, had fled there from Württemberg in 1810 to escape forced recruitment into the military of that southwestern German state that had to fight for Napoleon in...
, as well as for the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, first transcribed by Spanish guitarist and composer Andres Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
. At least three transcriptions have been published for organ solo
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
. Recently, a bassoon transcription by Arthur Weisberg
Arthur Weisberg
Arthur Weisberg was an American bassoonist, conductor, composer and author.-Biography:Weisberg was born in New York City. He attended the Fiorello H...
was written to highlight the capabilities of his new key systems for the bassoon. The Chaconne was also transcribed for Flute by Danish flautist Toke Lund Christensen, then re-transcribed by Denis Bouriakov
Denis Bouriakov
Denis V. Bouriakov is a Russian flautist and principal flutist of the New York's Metropolitan Opera.- Biography :...
.There is also a transcription for choral and piano by Luiz Antonio V Penteado with lyrics in Portuguese and a version in German, besides a version in English only as a poem.
The Ciaccona is commonly included as a required repertoire piece in violin competitions all over the world.
Violinist Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell
Joshua David Bell is an American Grammy Award-winning violinist.-Childhood:Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, the son of a psychologist and a therapist. Bell's father is the late Alan P...
has said the Chaconne is "not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history. It's a spiritually powerful piece, emotionally powerful, structurally perfect." Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, in a letter to Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
, said about the ciaccona:
External links
- Bach's Chaconne in D minor for solo violin: An application through analysis by Larry Solomon
- Nathan Milstein playing the Chaconne
- Recording of Busoni's transcription of the Chaconne by Boris GiltburgBoris GiltburgBoris Giltburg is an Israeli-Russian classical pianist . - Biography and career :Giltburg was born in Moscow, Russia, and began studying piano with his mother at the age of five...
in MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format - Partita No. 2 (complete), played on electric bass by Dave Grossman (Audio and Video)
- Violinist and author Arnold Steinhardt discusses his lifelong quest to master the chaconne; interesting interview, good links
- Audio of Joshua Bell playing at L'Enfant Plaza in January 2007 for largely oblivious commuters; includes 2 performances of the complete chaconne
- Partita No. 2 performed on guitar by Yaron Hasson
- http://www.scoreexchange.com/scores/95424.html Bach Chaconne Coral and Piano Transcription - Portuguese Version (score, audio and details) by Luiz Antonio V Penteado.
- http://www.scoreexchange.com/scores/97010.html Bach Chaconne Choral and Piano Transcription - German Version (score, audio and details) by Luiz Antonio V Penteado.
- http://www.scoreexchange.com/scores/95427.html Bach Chaconne Piano Transcription (score, audio and details) by Luiz Antonio V Penteado.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee3o8wTR8RI Bach Chaconne Choral and Piano Transcription (audio and video) by Luiz Antonio V Penteado.