Angela Hewitt BACH French Suites / Little Preludes / Sonata in D minor / Prelude and Fugue in A minor (4 & 5 / 15)

Sonata in D minor BWV964

Both the Sonata in D minor, BWV964, and the Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV894, are virtuoso pieces, intended to show off the ability of the performer. They are consequently very effective in recital. Both exist in versions for other instruments, the sonata being Bach’s own transcription of his solo Violin Sonata in A minor, BWV1003, and the prelude and fugue appearing recycled as the outer movements of the Triple Concerto for flute, violin, solo harpsichord and strings, BWV1044. The keyboard arrangement of the sonata no doubt annoys violinists as so many of the horrendous difficulties to be overcome on the violin are easily rendered by two hands. There are many reports handed down of Bach playing his unaccompanied string pieces at the keyboard, so although this transcription again only survives in a copyist’s hand (that of Altnikol, his son-in-law), its authenticity is not really questionable. The polyphonic texture implied in the original is here beautifully realized without great changes to the melodic line. The second movement was admired by Bach’s Hamburg contemporary Mattheson, who praised his ability to construct such a long fugue from so short a subject. It is indeed a tour de force, demanding great concentration and skill (and probably scaring away many a player). The lovely F major andante brings us a moment of complete repose and tenderness. The finale is almost completely identical to the original, with the one line of music being divided between the two hands. (from notes by Angela Hewitt © 1995)

Prelude in C major BWV924

The eighteen Little Preludes are among the most valuable pieces ever written for beginners. They form a bridge between the easiest pieces of the Anna Magdalena Notebook (1725) and the Two-part Inventions, giving the player a wonderful introduction to voice imitation, pedal points, cadenza-like passages, and basic ornamentation. They cover many different moods, from the affirmative (all three preludes in C major), to the tender (the C minor minuet, BWV924), the improvisatory (BWV940), the joyful (BWV927 and 937), and the very grand (BWV928). The C minor prelude, BWV999, was originally written for the lute. Many of them are far from easy (the A minor, BWV942, for instance), and require quite complicated fingering (BWV943). Even in these little pieces, big decisions have to be made concerning tempo, phrasing, articulation, dynamics, and timing, and this challenges the teacher as much as the student. Bach wrote them for his son Wilhelm Friedemann and other pupils, but never grouped them into any particular arrangement. Like the French Suites, many of them survive only in copies made by another hand. There are several traditional groupings of which I have chosen one, changing the order of the first six to make a more pleasing progression in performance. For me they recall fond childhood memories, and are as fascinating now as they were then.

(from notes by Angela Hewitt © 1995)

Prelude in E major BWV937

Johann Sebastian Bach perhaps remains the greatest composer of what may in the best sense be called ‘educational music for youthful performers’. His Prelude in E major is the penultimate of Six Little Preludes while the Praeambulum in G minor is from the Little Keyboard Book written for his son Wilhelm Friedemann – two groups of pieces well designed to cultivate precise phrasing, clear part-playing and buoyant rhythm, among other qualities. (from notes by Max Harrison © 1986)

Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV894

Both the Sonata in D minor, BWV964, and the Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV894, are virtuoso pieces, intended to show off the ability of the performer. They are consequently very effective in recital. Both exist in versions for other instruments, the sonata being Bach’s own transcription of his solo Violin Sonata in A minor, BWV1003, and the prelude and fugue appearing recycled as the outer movements of the Triple Concerto for flute, violin, solo harpsichord and strings, BWV1044.

Bach’s creative genius flourished during his time as court organist (and later Konzertmeister) to Duke Wilhelm Ernst in Weimar (1708–1717). There he not only composed most of the great organ works, but also transcribed twenty-one concertos (most of them by Vivaldi) for organ and harpsichord. Influences of both these genres can be heard in the A minor prelude and fugue, composed towards the end of his tenure. The prelude, with its opening motive in the right hand immediately repeated by the left, is in concerto style, alternating between tutti and solo passages. Triplets give it constant direction, interrupted only by cadenza-like passages, the last one reminding us of the D minor harpsichord concerto. The gigue fugue is in perpetual motion, never once letting up. The fact that Bach again uses triplets to propel it forward can, if one is not careful, provide for little contrast with the prelude. It is perhaps best to emphasize the difference in time signatures (4/4 for the prelude, 12/16 for the fugue). Would Bach have been able to improvise such a fugue on the spot? I think it most probable, for at that he was unbeatable! (from notes by Angela Hewitt © 1995)