Exposed: Bach Solo Violin

Exposed: Bach Solo Violin The performance of Three Sonatas and Three Partitas for Solo Violin by Bach serve as a coming of age ceremony reserved only for the most serious of musicians.

It’s just you and your fiddle. 3 sonatas; 3 partitas. 28 movements without a break. Two hours later it’s still just you and your fiddle. A herculean display of virtuosity only a genius like Bach could have devised. Just you. And, your fiddle.

The Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by Bach, the paternal twin of the Bach Cello Suite, are a collection of 6 compositions performed by a single violinist without any accompaniment. The final movement of the sample above, Chaconne, is the most famous of the collection. But, my favorites is the Fugues in which by playing multiple strings at a time, the violinist creates the illusion of two violins. In fact I recall listening to the recording for the first time and wondering if “solo” was a mislabeling as I swore I could hear two violins. I’ve since only attempted one of the easier movements, the somber Adagio in G minor (http://ks.petruccimusiclibrary.org/files/imglnks/usimg/8/82/IMSLP371366-PMLP244084-bach-sonata1.pdf).