Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066 It is uncertain when Johann Sebastian Bach wrote Suite for Orchestra No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066, the first of his four orchestral suites. The autograph score for the first suite has never been found. Music scholars uncovered a set of score parts that were written presumably for performance. It has also been determined that the parts were copied around 1724 and that one of the principal copyists was a scholar from Leipzig named Meissner. This is the first known example of secular orchestral music that Bach generated in Leipzig. His principal position as cantor of St. Thomas did not pay for secular music. As well, certain stylistic embellishments suggest pre-Leipzig composition. It is generally acknowledged that he probably wrote the music at his previous position at Cöthen and had the parts copied in Leipzig for some event that has yet to be uncovered. The orchestral suite was among the nebulous musical forms that hovered between the world of art and the world of entertainment in the eighteenth century. This genre is also called ouverture, which is generally thought to be derived from excerpts from French operas and ballets. Such works were the rage of German courts of the eighteenth century, which was enamored with the French styles at the time. The opening of this first orchestral suite is unmistakably French; the telltale slower, grand opening with its dotted rhythms give way to very fast solo writing in the middle section which also features counterpoint and some concerto qualities such as a distinctive ritornello. These concerto qualities is where Bach begins to diverge from the strict tastes of the patrons and the work of his contemporaries, insofar as he enjoyed blending the French ouverture style with Italian concerto flavors. Many Bach scholars would agree that he seemed more partial to the brilliant Italian styles of Vivaldi and the Scarlattis. Among the four orchestral suites, the first, in C major, is the most old-fashioned. Its scoring of two oboes, bassoon, continuo, and strings is as orthodox as its harmonies and dance movements that attach two different dances of the same style to the same movement. For example, the third movement is two different gavottes. Bach has some interesting tricks that give this opening suite some jump, such as changing the instrumentation of the menuets so that the first one is with full ensemble while the second is with reduced orchestral forces. Close attention to this music reveals a lighter approach than he had for, say, his Brandenburg Concertos, but it is still a lovely work. Bachs Orchestral Suites are summery, not too demanding, though the musicians themselves are obliged to play some very difficult figures and make them sound easy. This is not the composers most challenging music, but it is unassailably fun and even thrilling. youtube/watch?v=zjQIvU8QzHU
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 23:14:39 +0000
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