# Bach's solo violin music



## Aurelian

I see 2 possibilities with Bach's solo violin music:

1. There was a very good violinist at the time (1720s) who has been unfairly forgotten.
2. Bach had completely unrealistic expectations of the violinists at Cothen.

Who was the first violinist known to have played at least some of these works? Were Paganini or Wieniawski interested in this music?


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## brianvds

I have long wondered about this. As I understand it, his music for solo violin is monstrously difficult.

I kind of prefer his solo violin music played on guitar - I find the solo violin a bit shrill after a while. I know, I know, it's blasphemous.


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## majlis

I think I read somewhere that Paganini wasn't very interested on Bach. Don't fit with his personality.


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## Pugg

I do like the Cello more, hardly listing to his solo violin work, sorry can't help.


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## seven four

great study material for solo guitar (not the classical guitar transcriptions)


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## Guest

Bach new perfectly well wat was possible or not.When you play the traverso you realise that Bach did not give attention that one has to breathe once and a while.
On a clarinet is that easier but you will find other difficulties.


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## majlis

Only Bach could have written a counterpointed work for solo flute, but his fantastic partita for flute is exactly that. Extremely beautiful piece, but equally difficult.


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## Guest

Post deleted,sorry.


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## Animal the Drummer

brianvds said:


> I have long wondered about this. As I understand it, his music for solo violin is monstrously difficult.
> 
> I kind of prefer his solo violin music played on guitar - I find the solo violin a bit shrill after a while. I know, I know, it's blasphemous.


Maybe not so much - Paganini was an ace on the guitar as well.


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## arnerich

Stokowski made an orchestral transcription of the Chaconne. That may not seem surprising but really stop for a moment and think about that... Bach's piece, composed for a single violin, contains such a wealth of ideas that it was able to be arranged for an entire orchestra! Woah... 

But I think Brahms said it best in a letter he wrote to Clara Schumann:

"On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind."


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## MusicalBudhisatva

I think Bach was a virtuoso violinist himself, can't imagine he didn't played his Chaconne after written it...


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## fluteman

Aurelian said:


> I see 2 possibilities with Bach's solo violin music:
> 
> 1. There was a very good violinist at the time (1720s) who has been unfairly forgotten.
> 2. Bach had completely unrealistic expectations of the violinists at Cothen.
> 
> Who was the first violinist known to have played at least some of these works? Were Paganini or Wieniawski interested in this music?


Probably nearly every serious violinist has studied these works almost since they were published, but they were considered more technical studies than pieces to be played in recital until the late 19th and 20th centuries. Bach likely had in mind use of a curved bow that would make the double stops more playable, and perhaps slower tempi than are common today. But they are virtuoso pieces, no question, as are many of his keyboard works.


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