Concerto

In early 1729 Bach became director of the so-called »Scottish Collegium Musician« a music organization of students and local citizens. The remarkable results of this undertaking are the concertos for harpsichord. Today it is almost certain that practically all of these concertos were transcribed from concertos for melody instruments (mostly violin or oboe).

The Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings in G minor, BWV 1058, is the last complete work in the original autograph score of harpsichord concertos that Bach wrote out in or around 1738 (Berlin Staatsbibliothek, Mus. Ms. Bach 234). However, it only came to occupy this position later when the manuscript wasbound. It stands at the very outset of the genesis of this group of works, and marks the earliest stage in Bach’s efforts to transform concertos for melody instrument and strings into harpsichord concertos. In this case the original model, the Concerto for Violin and Strings in A minor (BWV 1041), has survived, thereby allowing us to examine Bach’s technique of arrangement in detail.

- Urtext of the New Bach Edition

- Full score & parts (BA5230), two-keyboard reduction (BA5230-90) and study score (TP410) format 22.5 x 16.5cm (all 6 concertos) available for sale