Concerto for Violin in A minor
J. S. Bach
The earliest surviving manuscript of Bach’s A minor Violin Concerto
dates from around 1730, not long after he assumed directorship of
Leipzig’s Collegium Musicum. Bach’s post with the Collegium provided
him with an opportunity to present secular, instrumental music to the
public in a series of weekly concerts given in Zimmermann’s coffee shop
during the winter and at an outdoor coffee garden in the summer. Bach
himself likely performed the solo part at these intimate gatherings.
Today, this concerto has become one of the cornerstones of the violin
repertoire. Stylistically, it combines the virtuoso flair and form of Vivaldi’s
violin concertos (some of which Bach studied and arranged for organ)
with Bach’s own harmonic language and complex textures, in which
multiple melodies weave in and out of each other simultaneously.
Each movement follows a similar structural pattern based on a main
theme (ritornello). The orchestra first presents the ritornello, which then
alternates with passages featuring the soloist. This technique creates
a wonderful unity throughout each movement. In this concerto, the
fast, fiery outer movements surround a slower, more meditative inner
movement. The finale features a passage where the soloist uses a rapid
string-crossing technique that in this instance features the flashing
sonority of the violin’s highest string.
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