Table of Contents
J.S. Bach: Guitar Transcriptions (sheet music, Notes, partituras, spartiti)
New recordings from a pioneering Russian classical guitarist: works for lute by Bach, plus Ivannikov’s own transcriptions of the D minor Partita and A minor Sonata for solo violin.
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach Artists: Arcady Ivannikov (guitar).
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Tracklist:
Prelude, Fugue & Allegro in E-Flat Major, BWV 998: 00:00:00 I. Prelude 00:02:28 II. Fugue 00:09:01 III. Allegro
Suite in E Minor, BWV 996: 00:13:01 I. Prelude 00:16:16 II. Allemande 00:18:44 III. Courante 00:22:13 IV. Sarabande 00:27:07 V. Bourree 00:28:35 VI. Gigue
Sonata in A Minor, BWV 1003: 00:32:12 I. Grave 00:36:30 II. Fuga 00:44:58 III. Andante 00:50:15 IV. Allegro
Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 997: 00:57:09 I. Prelude 01:00:31 II. Fuga 01:07:46 III. Sarabande 01:13:40 IV. Gigue 01:16:40 V. Double
Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: 01:20:27 I. Allemande 01:25:12 II. Corrente 01:28:24 III. Sarabande 01:33:42 IV. Giga 01:39:04 V. Chaconne
01:54:34 Prelude in D Minor, BWV 999.
J.S. Bach composed no original works for guitar, and although several compositions for lute have been attributed to him, his interest in this expressive instrument appears to have been rather limited. This is possibly because his mastery and knowledge of it was less extensive than of other instruments, such as the violin and keyboard.
However, the 20th century still witnessed an increasing interest in the possibility of performing Bach’s music on the guitar. It was in the late 1920s that Andrés Segovia recorded the Courante of the 3rd Cello Suite, and he followed this with the Chaconne from the Partita No.2 for solo violin, later recording the entire work. Julian Bream and Narciso Yepes also made recordings on the guitar of Bach’s music, but it was John Williams who eventually recorded the complete works for lute.
Unlike the suites for unaccompanied cello or the sonatas and partitas for solo violin, Bach’s works for solo lute do not seem to have been conceived as a group. They include a variety of compositions written in different styles and span a fairly long period of his creative life; the E minor Suite BWV996 dates from Bach’s time in Weimar, while the Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro BWV998 are believed to have been composed during the last years of his life.
Although some pieces are more idiomatic than others, they all make taxing demands on the performer. There is no evidence that Bach actually played the lute himself, but he was clearly interested in the sound of the instrument.
This is further illustrated by his subtle use of it in the St. John Passion and the Trauerode BWV 198. Of the four suites which appear to have been written specifically with the lute in mind, Arcady Ivannikov presents the E minor BWB996 and the C minor BWV997 (transposed here to A minor). BWV997 is probably a late work of Bach’s and in the richness and complexity of its full five-movement form (especially the fugue) notably reminiscent of the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, which makes Ivannikov’s coupling so inspired (but unusual).
As a transcriber and performer, Ivannikov has taken a path of minimal intervention, attempting only to make small editorial adjustments to ease the fit of the music from the four-string violin to the six-string guitar. Culminating in the sublime Chaconne which was probably composed as a tombeau to mark the sudden passing of his first wife Maria Barbara, the D minor Partita is Bach’s most profound work for solo instrument besides the piano. It is a fitting climax to this collection from one of Russia’s master guitarists.
