Partita for Violin No. 3 (Bach)

(Redirected from BWV 1006.1)

The Partita No. 3 in E major for solo violin, BWV 1006.1 (formerly 1006),[1] is the last work in Johann Sebastian Bach's set of Sonatas and Partitas. It consists of the following movements:

  1. Preludio
  2. Loure
  3. Gavotte en Rondeau
  4. Menuets (I and II)
  5. Bourrée
  6. Gigue
First page of opening preludio

It takes about 15–18 minutes to perform.

Bach transcribed the Partita as a suite, cataloged as BWV 1006.2 (formerly 1006a).[2] The music critic Wilhelm Tappert claimed in 1900 that this arrangement was for lute solo, but present research[by whom?] indicates that it was for an unspecified instrument.[3]

The Preludio consists almost entirely of semiquavers (i.e. sixteenth notes). The Preludio was also transcribed by Bach for use in two cantatas:

The "Gavotte en Rondeau" is included on the Voyager Golden Record and often heard in TV or radio programs.[4]

In 1933 Sergei Rachmaninoff transcribed for piano (and subsequently recorded) the Preludio, Gavotte, and Giga from this partita (as TN 111/1).[5] An arrangement of the Preludio for jazz trio by Jacques Loussier appeared on his Reflections of Bach album of 1987[6] and was used as the theme of the BBC Radio 4 music quiz show Counterpoint.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Partita no. 3, E BWV 1006.1; BWV 1006". Bach Digital. Leipzig: Bach Archive; et al. 2020-04-09.
  2. ^ "Suite, E (arr. of BWV 1006.1) BWV 1006.2; BWV 1006a". Bach Digital. Leipzig: Bach Archive; et al. 2020-04-29.
  3. ^ Titmuss, Clive, "The Myth of Bach's Lute Suites", in Classical Guitar website, accessed 27 April 2015
  4. ^ Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record. New York: Ballantine Books. 1979. p. 170. ISBN 978-0345283962.
  5. ^ Rowat, Robert (2 October 2018). "Here's the arrangement of Bach's Violin Partita in E Major you didn't know you needed". CBC Music. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Jacques Loussier: Bach's Instrumental Works". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Counterpoint". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
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