J. S. Bach - Flute Concerto
in A Minor (BWV 1056)

Johann Sebastian Bach, composer, violinist and keyboard virtuoso, was born on March 21,1685 in Eisenach, Germany and died on July 28, 1750 in Leipzig, Germany. Today, Bach is probably the most famous composer of the Baroque Period in music (1600-1750) and definitely represents the culmination of Baroque style. He is best known for his composition for keyboard, especially organ, and, because he was employed as a church musician, his religious works: the Mass in B Minor and Saint Matthew Passion are perennial favorites at Christmas and Easter, respectively.

Bach composed for the Flute over a period of about twenty year, beginning with the Sonata in A Minor for unaccompanied Flute (BWV 1013 - BWV stand for Bach Werke Verzeichnis - “Bach works catalog”) - written while Bach was the conductor of the court orchestra in Cöthen, between 1717 and 1723, for the French flautist Pierre-Gabriel Buffardin (1690-1768), who Bach had met at the Dresden court in 1717; Sonata No. 1 in B Minor (BWV 1030) was also probably written for Buffardin.

One of the two surviving manuscript copies of Sonata No. 2 in Eb Major (BWV 1031) was copied by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), Bach’s second oldest son, also a composer, who himself wrote many works for the Flute. This has caused much debate about the authenticity of this sonata and, for the same reason, Sonata No. 4 in C Major (BWV 1033, now believed to have been originally composed for unaccompanied Flute by J. S. Bach with a figured bass line added later by C. P. E. Bach).

To call the Concerto in A Minor a transcription of a Harpsichord Concerto (No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056) is misleading, in that all seven of Bach’s harpsichord concertos (1729-1736) were arrangements, made by Bach himself, of earlier concertos for violin or wind instruments, written while he was in Cöthen (1717-1723); it is very possible that the work originally was a concerto for the flute. Bach even used the 2nd movement Largo in 1729 as a Sinfonia (instrumental section) in Cantata No. 156.

To avoid the use of 16th and 32nd notes and, thus make the work appear less intimidating, all of the rhythmic values have been doubled and the meters changed accordingly: 1st Movement from 2/4 to 4/4 ; 2nd Movement remains in 4/4 but the values have been doubled so that quarter can be counted as the beat, rather than eighth ; 3rd Movement from 3/8 to 3/4 .

Solo Flute part - 9”X12” - 12 pages - $14.95
with CD - 4 smp files:
- 1st Movement (4/4, Moderato, quarter = 120);
- 2nd Movement (4/4, Largo, quarter = 60);
- 3rd Movement (3/4, Presto, dotted half = 60);
- Complete (All three movements)
Please note that this is NOT an AUDIO CD
and an active SmartMusic subscription is needed to play smp files

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