Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Complete Orchestral Works Originals; Transcriptions; Reconstructions Volume 8: Overtures (Suites) Nos. 1-4 It seems that...
Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750): Complete Orchestral Works
Originals;
Transcriptions; Reconstructions
Volume 8: Overtures
(Suites) Nos. 1-4
It seems that only a relatively small part of Bach's orchestral ceuvre
has been preserved for posterity. Much has been speculated about the
reasons for the above-average losses in this particular field, but up till now
no really conclusive reasons have been found. The fact that so few works for
instrumental ensemble have survived particularly from the Weimar and Cothen
periods, during which the composer directed so many excellent ensembles, has
led many researchers to the hypothesis that Bach was obliged to leave the
majority of his compositions in these places when he moved on to another post -
a common custom for which much evidence can be found in many eighteenth century
documents; other considerations establish a connection with the distribution of
Bach's compositions to his heirs after his death. Whatever the case, only one
thing is certain: that at the latest with Bach's death a veil of oblivion began
to sink over his orchestral works - partly caused also by a profound change in
taste which began in the middle of the eighteenth century. Thus great effort
was necessary in the course of the Bach renaissance at the beginning of the
nineteenth century to win back these works, which by then were completely
unknown even to Bach connoisseurs, into the performance repertoire.
Today Bach's orchestral works enjoy an enduring popularity once more.
Intensive study of this repertoire, which in spite of the regrettable gaps is
in many ways incomparable, has led to the realization that only a part of the
works can be regarded as original compositions, whereas many of the concertos
in the form in which they are known today represent transcriptions of pieces
written earlier. Among the works of the first-named category are the Brandenburg
Concertos and the three Violin Concertos, among the transcriptions
are all the concertos for one to three harpsichords, which are presumed to be
based on lost works for various melody instruments. The Concerto for four
harpsichords, BWV 1065 is a special case in that Bach did not take one of his
own works as a basis but, exceptionally, a work by Antonio Vivaldi. Comparative
studies on Bach's technique of rearranging works have led again and again to
speculations about the possible form and structure of the lost works on which
the arrangements are based, and as a consequence to attempts at reconstruction
which have resulted in pieces which are stylistically convincing and which have
proved their worth in practice; within the context of this recording these
works are intended to help fill the gaps mentioned above.
The present complete recording of Bach's orchestral works illustrates
graphically the enormous musical variety and compositional quality of this
sphere of his creative work. We meet the composer for the first time around
1715 on his first pinnacle of mastery (Brandenburg Concerto No. 5) and
accompany him for approximately a quarter of a century up to the sublime works
of his maturity - the Overture BWV 1067 and the Triple Concerto BWV 1044.
From the middle of the seventeenth century onwards students associations
formed to make music became increasingly important pillars of society in the
musical life of Leipzig. So when in March 1729 the Cantor of St Thomas's,
Johann Sebastian Bach, took over from Georg Balthasar Schott (who had been
appointed organist at the New Church in Gotha) the direction of an ensemble
originally founded by Georg Philipp Telemann, he also made sure of the
co-operation of the most gifted young men of the town for his performances of
sacred and secular music; he was to direct the orchestra - with one short
interruption - until around 1742. By means of these regular appearances, which
took place in the warm season in Zimmermann's Coffee Garden and in winter in Zimmermann's Coffee House in
Katharinenstraße, Bach was able to a certain extent to continue his Cothen
activities as conductor. For this reason instrumental and secular vocal works
also playa particular role in his composing and performing activities in the
1730s. Although none of the programmes of the weekly appearances of
"Bach's Collegium Musicum" are known, at least part of the repertoire
can be deduced from the music which has survived from Bach's music library.
This apparently also included the four Orchestral Overtures BWV
1066-1069, although the history of two of them (BWV 1066 and 1069) has not yet
been researched in detail.
The Overture in C
major, BWV 1066 was perhaps written as early as Bach's Cothen period. The
performance material which has survived, however, dates from the beginning of
Bach's Leipzig period, which leads us to presume that the Cantor of St Thomas's
had already taken up contact with the student music associations at this time.
The extensive ternary first movement is followed by several melodiously gallant
dance movements, in which the sound potential of an orchestration containing
only woodwind and strings is exploited to the full. A typical characteristic of
this work is the emphasis on the upper part by means of parallel part-writing
for the first violins and the two oboes. Differentiations in tone-colour are
brought about by a trio group of two oboes and a bassoon separating itself
regularly from the full body of the orchestra.
In contrast to these
relatively early compositions, the Overture in B minor BWV 1067 is one of the
works dating from Bach's late Leipzig period. Presumably it is, in fact, Bach's
last orchestral work; the sources which have been preserved document
performances around 1739 and in the middle of the 1740s. The Overture integrates
the principles of the concerto form into nearly all the movements, by
contrasting a flute treated as a solo instrument with an accompanying string
group. This special form of concertante overture, which seems to go back
to Telemann, was taken up at the time by numerous German composers, among them
the Eisenach court musician Johann Bernhard Bach, by whom an overture with
concertante violin has been preserved. This work in its turn, preserved in the
form of a copy originating from Bach's Collegium Musicum circle in Leipzig,
seemed to have been the direct inspiration for BWV 1067. The B minor Overture is a work of austere beauty, in which contrapuntal ingenuity and melancholy
expression join together with precisely defined dance rhythms in an extremely
individual combination. Bach made use here of the whole rich palette of
compositional potential which he had acquired in the course of his life; the pluralism
of style and form and the increased expressiveness and the permeation of the
texture with rationalism are already evocative of the later works of his last
years.
The Overture in D
major BWV 1068 has been preserved in a set of parts dating from around 1731;
additional parts added later prove that Bach's second-eldest son Carl Philipp
Emanuel borrowed this work of his father's during his years of study in
Frankfurt an der Oder (1734-1738) in order to perform it with his fellow
students in the Collegium Musicum there. It is one of Bach's most impressive
and magnificent orchestral works. The character of the work is determined to a
great extent by the sweeping first movement with its wealth of harmonic
nuances; between the dotted rhythms of the grave sections which frame it a very
fast fugato Allegro section unfolds, which in places displays
concertante features. No less fascinating is the famous Air which
follows; above the constant pendulum movement of the bass the first violins
soar up in one of the most mysterious and tender melodies the composer ever
wrote, gently counterpointed by the restrained counter-melodies of second
violin and viola. After this point of rest the work finds its way back to its
basic festive mood in three lively dance movements.
The Overture in D
major BWV 1069 displays a festive character similar to that of its companion
work BWV 1068 in the same key. The piece presumably acquired its present form
and scoring in the 1730s. However, it is recognizable that the trumpet and
timpani parts represent a later ingredient and that the work seems originally
to have been conceived in a version similar to the C major overture. At the end
of 1725 Bach rearranged the overture into the opening chorus of his Christmas
cantata Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, partly by adding new vocal parts
to the fugato middle section, partly by taking them over from the
orchestral parts; on this occasion he also enriched the orchestration with
trumpets and timpani, which he subsequently added also to three of the four
following dance movements.
Peter Wollny
Translation: Diana Loos