Concerto in A Minor by J.S. Bach – Part 1
The Concerto in A Minor by J.S. Bach in Volume 7 is the iconic concerto in the Suzuki violin repertoire, a kind of doorway to the upper levels. When students master this immortal masterpiece, they find themselves in a different world and look forward with confidence to the two Mozart concertos and beyond. The A minor is an enriching piece to learn to play, and since it is such a well-loved piece, there’s a wealth of wonderful recordings by great players on CD and video to help your studies.
Art of Fugue, J.S. Bach. (courtesy of www.cmuse.org)
Visiting Barcelona several years ago, we came across an intriguing little music shop, its venerable entrance beckoning us to take a look within. In a dark and cramped back room I stumbled across a treasure trove of old scores in tattered hard-cover folders, neatly bound together with faded black ribbon.
“Take your time,” Allie had said with a knowing smile as I reached up eagerly for the folder titled, Bach Violin Concerti, written in elegant white lettering, “I’ll be in the clothes shop next door...”
Old editions of scores can provide useful insights into how music was played and interpreted by past musicians. Looking at the violin part of the A minor concerto, I immediately noticed a small significant detail.
The first note was marked with a zero – an open E. I’d been taught to play this E in 3rd position (2nd finger on A string) and always wanted it to ring out a little more, which yes, can be achieved with a fingered note – yet is so much cleaner and more natural with an open E. In my mind, the first movement needs a good kick off to get our hearts beating and an open string might work better. I remember watching video performances by David Oistrakh and Isaac Stern, who both begin the concerto this way.
This post is the first of 3 parts on the Bach concerto: page 1, up to measure 55.
The Tutti
In a bold and usual move by Bach, the soloist joins the first violins for the opening tutti (measures 1 to 24), making the solo violin part less transparent when played with the orchestra. This robust tutti pushes on through a false cadence in measure 17 to end emphatically in E major to set the stage for the espressivo entry of the first solo.
The opening motif with its characteristic bowing reoccurs in various forms in the tutti and later, unleashing new bursts of energy.
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