Treasures of the High Baroque (2/6/25)

Gotham Early Music Scene
Jörg-Michael Schwarz ~ violin; Dongsok Shin ~ harpsichord 

Sonata per il Violino e Cembalo in G Major, BWV 1021 – J.S. Bach (1685–1750)
Adagio; Vivace; Largo; Presto

Sonata per il Violino e Cembalo in F Major, BWV 1022 – J.S. Bach
[Largo]; Allegro e presto; Adagio; Presto

Sonata in G minor del Signore Bach, BWV 1020 (formerly attributed to J.S. Bach) – C.P.E. Bach (1714–1788)
Allegro; Adagio; Allegro

Sonata No. 6 in G Major, BWV 1019 (ca. 1720) – J.S. Bach
Allegro; Largo; Cembalo solo Allegro; Adagio; Allegro

It was a wonderful concert. Both players are masters of their instruments. As you can see, all four works were very similar, so I'm going into teacher mode. Some of you may want to skip this part. Adagio = slowly (though not always somber). Vivace = brisk. Largo = slowly but maybe a little different from Adagio. Presto is more brisk than Vivace.

[Largo] has already been addressed, but I have no idea why the brackets were included in the second work on the program. Allegro e presto seems to be a hybrid Vivace. 

So far, the first two works were four movements each. It's a sort of a standard—until it isn't. The third work was three movements, which is also perfectly acceptable as sonata form.

So, of course, the fourth work had five movements. Is anyone confused yet? Suffice it to say that there were interesting situations where the harpsichord had a brief introduction before being joined by the violin. There were many instances where the two were equal partners. There was the cembalo (and as far as I can find, cembalo and harpsichord are interchangeable) solo movement in the fourth sonata. So, as much as the four works were alike, they were also slightly different. To me, that's a good thing.

Of note, the violin retuned to the harpsichord between each work, but not between individual movements. Hmm, the things that make me go hmm. Also of note (see the BWV listings above), I learned that BWV stands for Bach Werke Verzeichnis, Leipzig 1950; i.e., Complete Works of J.S. Bach. Which is probably why the C.P.E. Bach piece has a BWV number, since it was originally attributed to J.S.

Did I mention that the music was wonderful? And that the crowd was very appreciative? I'll be back (no, I am not going there) for more GEMS concerts.

ConcertMeister