Sonata for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord No. 1 in G major

Sonata for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord No. 1 in G major BWV 1027

celloharpsichordbaroquesonata~14 minadvanced

The first of three sonatas composed at Cöthen for viola da gamba and obbligato harpsichord. On modern cello, the piece reads as chamber music between equals rather than soloist-with-continuo: Bach gives the keyboardist a fully written-out right hand that trades material with the cellist throughout. The opening Adagio is lyrical and gently ornamented; the ensuing Allegro ma non tanto is one of Bach's most graceful fugues. BWV 1027 survives in an earlier version as the Trio Sonata BWV 1039 for two flutes and continuo, and the gamba sonata can be read as Bach's reworking of that material.

Difficulty

Technical

Intermediate

Conservative range, fugal writing; the keyboardist has most of the acrobatics.

Stamina

Moderate

About fourteen minutes, four compact movements.

Interpretive

Advanced

Reads as chamber between equals, not soloist-with-continuo.

Ensemble

Demanding

Keyboard is fully written-out; the trio-sonata texture has to breathe together.

Performer's notes

Structural landmarks

I. Adagio

G major · 3/2

II. Allegro ma non tanto

G major · 6/8

III. Andante

E minor · 3/4

IV. Allegro moderato

G major · 2/4

Interpretive schools

Editions

Bärenreiter

Hans Eppstein · 1989

Part of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The most thorough scholarly text, with alternative harpsichord realisations.

Henle Verlag

Hans Eppstein · 1987

Urtext edition with separate cello and harpsichord parts. Includes both the Leipzig and Cöthen readings in the critical commentary.

Recordings

Pedagogical arc