As an introduction to the Classical repertoire for the uninitiated, perhaps the most accessible solo instrument performance for most, after the piano, is the violin.
Extrapolating that thought further, for both piano and violin, perhaps the most accessible composer to begin with is Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750). Bach’s position in musical history looms too large for brief description, but for the sake of time and space and anemic attempt will be made.
Harold C. Schoenberg, former Classical Music Critic for the New York Times entitled his chapter on Bach in his monumental Lives of the Great Composers, “Transfiguration of the Baroque.”
While closely associated with the Baroque period of music, he nevertheless did not create it. Bach’s influence in the Baroque period was predated by Claudio Monteverdi and Heinrich Schutz in the early period (1600 – 1650) and Archangelo Corelli, Henry Purcell, and Antonio Vivaldi in the Middle Period (1650 – 1700).
Bach shared the late Baroque Period with two almost perfect chronological contemporaries: Domenico Scarlatti (1685 – 1757); and George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759).
All three perfected the baroque musical aesthetic, but it was Bach that attempted to systematize Baroque musical thought, most particularly with his Das Wohltemperierte Clavier (Well Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893), Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (BWV 1001–1006), and his instrumentally ambiguous magnum opus, Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080).
Much has been written regarding the age which a modern performer records a given piece of classical music. Regarding Bach’s monolithic Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, BWV 1007-1012) many cellists choose to first record these later in their careers, examples being the master Pablo Casals(age 63) Pierre Fournier (age 55), and Mstislav Rostropovich (age 68) and the performances benefit from this.
This results in introspective and extremely thoughtful performances, each mentioned deserving a listen. I do not necessarily think that the same circumstances exist for Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (BWV 1001–1006). Experienced young performers are more than capable of bringing a spark and freshness to these pieces that is often dampened by studied age and experience.
Bringing us presently to Canadian violinist Lara St. John. In a stroke of artistic and marketing genius, St. John released Bach: Works for Violin Solo in 1996.
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