The ''Italian Concerto'',
BWV
The (, ; BWV) is a Catalogues of classical compositions, catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990 and the third edition in ...
971, originally titled ''Concerto nach Italiænischen Gusto'' (''Concerto in the Italian taste''), is a three-movement
concerto
A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...
for two-
manual harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...
solo composed by
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
and published in
1735 as the first half of
Clavier-Übung II (the second half being the ''
French Overture''). The ''Italian Concerto'' has become popular among Bach's keyboard works, and has been widely recorded both on the harpsichord and piano.
Context
An Italian
concerto
A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...
relies upon the contrasting roles of different groups of instruments in an ensemble; Bach imitates this effect by creating contrasts using the ''forte'' and ''piano''
manuals of a two-manual
harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...
throughout the piece.
Related works
Along with the ''
French Overture'' and some of the ''
Goldberg Variations'', this is one of the few works by Bach which specifically require a 2-manual harpsichord. However, it is not unusual in being a solo keyboard work based on Italian concertos. Long before the publication of the ''Italian Concerto'', Bach produced a number of
concerto transcriptions while working at Weimar. These are of music by
Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...
and others, reflecting the court's interest in Italian music. They are for harpsichord (BWV 972–987), and for
organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
or
pedal harpsichord (BWV 592–596).
Movements
The ''Italian Concerto'' consists of three movements:
#-
#
Andante
#
Presto
The two lively
F major
F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...
outer movements, in
ritornello
A ritornello (Italian; "little return") is a recurring passage in Renaissance music and Baroque music for orchestra or chorus.
Early history
The earliest use of the term "ritornello" in music referred to the final lines of a fourteenth-century ...
style, frame a florid
arioso
In classical music, arioso (; also aria parlante ) is a category of Solo (music), solo vocal piece, usually occurring in an opera or oratorio, falling somewhere between recitative and aria in style. Literally, arioso means ''airy''. The term arose ...
-style movement in
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major.
The D natural minor scale is:
Changes needed ...
, the
relative minor.
Discography
Harpsichord
*
Wanda Landowska recorded the first movement in 1908.
*
George Malcolm recorded the work twice in the 1950s.
Piano
*
Alfred Brendel included the work in a Bach album he recorded for Decca.
*
Andras Schiff has also recorded the work for Decca.
References
External links
''Italian Concerto'', BWV 971 performance by the
Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)
*
{{Authority control
1735 compositions
Compositions in F major
Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach
Compositions for harpsichord