When the set of six sonatas and partitas for solo violin by J.S. Bach was published in Bonn in 1802, its author had been dead for 52 years. Even after its publication, the work was largely ignored until the middle of the 19th century when the famous violinist Joseph Joachim made them known, joining his name to Felix Mendelssohn's as a judicious rediscoverer of the baroque master and his work.
Sonatas for solo violin
Begun around 1703 while Bach was in Weimar, the Sei solo-a-violino senza basso acompagnato – as Bach titled them – were finished in 1720 when the maestro was serving as Kapellmeister at the court of Köthen. It is not known if they were performed during the maestro's lifetime, but Bach himself likely made them known, as his son Carl Philipp Emanuel tells us "from his youth until well into his old age, he played the violin limpidly and passionately".
Sonata No. 2 BWV 1003
Since its rescue by the violinist Joachim, the work has been widely disseminated, being the object of arrangements for the most diverse instruments, among them, for solo cello, harp, organ, piano, trombone, trumpet, viola, string trio, and guitar.
Likewise, of the group of six sonatas and partitas, the one that has received the greatest favor from the public and performers is the sonata No. 2.
Its movements are the typical four movements of the sonata da chiesa: slow-fast-slow-fast. In this case: Grave - Fugue - Andante - Allegro.
Its movements are the typical four movements of the sonata da chiesa: slow-fast-slow-fast. In this case: Grave - Fugue - Andante - Allegro.
The charming artist Tatyana Ryzhkova, born in Minsk, capital of Belarus, in 1986, offers us her no less charming rendition of the second movement, Fugue, in an arrangement for solo guitar.
