Bach: Trio Sonatas

Most of Bach’s vocal works were never performed outside Leipzig and most of his instrumental compositions were never printed and, as a result, didn’t find a wide dissemination. Because of that, Bach’s reputation as a composer of vocal and instrumental music was not comparable to that of Georg Philipp Telemann. Among those who did know his compositions some were quite critical. There was one department where Bach’s skills were unchallenged: he was universally praised as an organ virtuoso who also had a thorough knowledge of the instrument and its construction. It is no coincidence that most of his pupils were organists and landed in prestigious positions. Johann Ludwig Krebs is one of the best-known examples, alongside Bach’s eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann. By all accounts he was the favourite son of Johann Sebastian, who paid much attention to his musical education. Part of that was the playing of keyboard instruments, and especially the organ. Several collections of keyboard works were written with that purpose, such as the Clavierbüchlein and the first part of the Wohltemperirtes Clavier. The six trio sonatas for two manuals and pedal also belong among the material that Bach produced for the education of Friedemann. They were probably compiled in the late 1720s, when the latter had already developed considerable skills in the playing of the keyboard, because these trio sonatas are technically challenging. They take a special place in the history of music as they were among the few works by Bach which, although never printed, were widely known and disseminated in manuscript. In 1788 an anonymous author wrote that the “six trios for two manuals and pedal are particularly well known. They are written in such galant style that they still sound very good, and will never age, but will outlive all changes of fashion in music.” In the same vein, Bach’s second eldest son Carl Philipp Emanuel said in 1774 that “the six keyboard trios are among the best works of my dear father. They sound very good even now and give me much pleasure, regardless of the fact that they are over 50 years old. There are some adagios among them that could not be composed more melodiously”. In these works Bach translates one of the most popular forms of instrumental music – the trio sonata for two treble instruments and basso continuo – to the organ. However, he did not adhere to the form of the trio sonata which had been established by Arcangelo Corelli: basically four movements in the order slow – fast – slow – fast. He rather adopted the texture of the Italian solo concerto, established by Vivaldi, which Bach had become acquainted with during his time in Weimar. Some movements also adopt the ritornello structure of the Vivaldian concerto. For the most part the sonatas consist of music written previously for other scorings. The opening movement from the Sonata in e minor, for instance, began life as the sinfonia to the second part of the cantata BWV 76. The Sonata in G, the last of the set, is probably the only one that was originally conceived for the organ. Although these sonatas were intended as study material, that does not mean they were never performed, but it is hard to say when and where. They certainly would not have been played during the liturgy. Could they have been performed before or after a service? Public organ recitals were known, and Bach now and then was asked to inaugurate a newly-built organ. Could he have played one of his trio sonatas at such an occasion? We may never know. There are alternatives, such as the clavichord with pedal, which was the favourite study instrument of organists at the time. That would be an interesting option today as well. There are quite a number of performances with instrumental ensemble on the market; for instance, two treble instruments and basso continuo or keyboard (harpsichord) and one treble instrument (recorder, violin). However, the majority of recordings concerns performances on organ. It is not that easy to create a satisfying performance, especially as the tempo indications make it rather hard to keep clear the structure in a reverberant acoustic, which is a feature of many historical churches. The present recording took place in such a church, and in some cases I find that set against the acoustic the articulation not quite clear enough in connection. Generally the tempi are well-chosen. Only the opening movement of the first sonata, which has no tempo indication, is a bit too slow. The organ is a very appropriate instrument, built by Apollonius Bosch in 1686 and extended by Franz Caspar Schnitger in 1720. In 1860 an independent pedal was added. In 1977 the instrument was restored to the state of 1720, but the pedal was maintained. The pitch is a=415 Hz, and the tuning is Werckmeister. I. Manuel Tomadin has developed into an expert in early organ music – witness many recordings for Brilliant Classics. He surely explores the colours of the organ to good effect, although sometimes the registration of the upper part is such that it is a bit too dominant. The pedal part could have been registered a little more strongly – but that is also a matter of taste. If you decide to purchase this disc, you certainly won’t regret it. You get really good performances on a splendid historical instrument – and at a budget price, too. Johan van Veen www.musica-dei-donum.org twitter.com/johanvanveen Original: https://musicwebinternational.com/2024/06/bach-trio-sonatas-brilliant-classics/