Bach, J.S.: Flute Sonatas, Vol. 1

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Cat No: 8553754

Release Date: 12 January 1999

Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 730099475426

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: BACH, J.S.

Description
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 -1750)Flute Sonatas Vol.lSonata in E minor for flute and continuo, BWV 1034Sonata in E flat major for flute and harpsichord, BWV1031Partita in A minor for solo flute, BWV 1013Sonata in A major for flute and harpsichord, BWV 1032 In a letter to a friend in 1750 Padre Martini, a dominantfigure in Italian music, wrote that he considered it unnecessary to describethe unique merits ofBach, who was quite well known and admired, not only in Germanybut everywhere in Italy too: he could only add that it would be difficult tofind a master better than him, since he could with justification be describedas one of the foremost musicians of Europe. The importance of Johann Sebastian Bach to Western musiccontinues to the present. He was once regarded as one who provided a synthesis,a summary of the skills and grandeur of the past, offering a perfection in hisown period, but suggesting no way forward. This view is now seen to beerroneous. The music of Bach is like a vast lake into which rivers have flowedand which continues to provide his posterity with a source of spiritual andmusical refreshment. No musician can train for his profession without cominginto contact with the music of this composer, arguably the greatest of all time.The works of Bach are, indeed, a compendium of all that is needed forkeyboard-players, violinists, cellists and flautists. The biography of Bach written by Johann Nicolaus Forkel(1749-1818) and published in 1802, based on conversations with Bach's sonsWilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel and on other first-hand sources, remainsthe foundation of Bach historical scholarship, In his catalogue of Bach'scompositions Forkel regrettably passes over the flute sonatas with barely acomment: Many single Sonatas for the harpsichord with accompaniment of violin,flute, viola da gamba, &c., all admirably composed and so that even in ourdays most of them would be heard by connoisseurs with pleasure. The history of the flute sonatas is not clear. It is probablethat most of them were written while Bach was in the service of Prince Leopoldof Anhalt-Cothen. At the time it could hardly have been imagined that the smalltown of Cothen, thirty kilometres north of Halle, would be remembered inhistory as one of the most important centres of music of the day. PrinceLeopold was a young man who loved music and who gradually expanded his courtorchestra to eighteen members. He engaged Johann Sebastian Each asKapellmeister in 1717 and it is interesting to notice, as an illustration ofthe esteem in which Bach was held, that his salary was twice that of hispredecessor. The Prince was an accomplished musician himself and played theviolin, viol and harpsichord and the court orchestra was fortunate in itsharmonious working conditions, with a friendly relationship and mutualunderstanding between the musicians and their patron. All performances at Cothen took place at court, withother courtiers taking part, as they
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