Favourite Transcriptions

...And he used it again in the Cantata No.120a, with the same orchestration (with the addition of Timpani), Chris. I guess we may call it the recycling of a genius' inspiration.

However, the best transcription of this particular piece (the first movement or the Prelude of the Partita for solo Violin in E major) has been done by Sir Henry J. Wood in his Suite No.6 for Orchestra, where he orchestrated no less than six pieces by Bach with the brightest orchestral colours. He starts with the Prelude in C sharp minor from the Well-Tempered Book I, passes through different pieces from other works in B flat major, a minor, d minor, B flat minor and ends up with this Prelude in E major (the relative major of c sharp minor), in an orchestration that gives full justice to the immense greatness of Bach. It is amazing how he retains the perpetual role of the violins throughout, while the other instruments "comment" along the way, reaching the culminating point with the brass (blazing trumpets) and timpani. Superb and marvelous!

It exists in a SACD recording of Chandos called Bach: The conductors' Transcriptions. A great and revealing (there are transcriptions of Bach's works by Mitropoulos, Ormandy, Klemperer, Barbirolli, Gui etc.) disc as well, superbly recorded.

Parla

IMSLP lists 15 transcriptions of the chaconne alone:

http://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Partita_No.2_in_D_minor,_BWV_1004_%28Bach,_...

What I'm missing is a transcription for organ - of which there are several. It appears to me that the organ must be best suited for bringing out the inherent polyphonic scructure of the piece.

I said "inherent" because mostly the four-part polyphonic structure is broken down in arpeggio's and scales, for practical and musical reasons. But it's still there, and in most keyboard transcriptions it's translated into "real" polyphony without problems.

And of course Bach writes real polyphony for solo strings as well (another great example is the fugue from the 5th cello suite), but if you go beyond 2 part-harmony on a solo violin or cello, the chords need to be arpeggiated. Good violinists or cellist can do this is a way that you really - almost - hear a full four-part chord. (there have been experiments in the past with a flexible bow that was able to touch all four strings at the same time, but you don't hear much of it anymore nowadays... I guess the practicability was rather limited?)

Also, part of the challenge (and fun?) for Bach was to give the violin a piece to play in a genre that always had been associated with keyboard music. This called for some very creative solutions in order to give the piece the structure of a proper chaconne - which of course was right up to Bach's alley.

I remember writing a fugue for solo flute once, as a joke. :)
It's certainly possible!

It certainly is. Schulhoff wrote one for the bass clarinet!

Chris, there is a very recent recording of Cantata BWV 120a with Suzuki, on BIS); the Vol.51 from his complete series of the Cantatas.

There are some dozens of transcriptions of the Chaconne for various instruments and combinations of instruments or orchestra. For Organ, there are at least three I know (and have):a) one by the obscure German composer Wilhelm Middelschulte, on CPO. b) One on Audite, transcribed by William Thomas Best and performed by Carsten Wiebusch (the CD is called "Best's Bach"). c) On MDG, a CD called "Romantic Organ" containing works by Bach and Haendel, transcribed for Organ by various composers of the Romantic period. The Chaconne has been transcribed by an obscure composer called Arno Landmann.

I hope it helps a bit.

Parla

Yes 33lp, you're quite right. The concerto Op.3, No.10 from Vivaldi's L"Estro Armonico, for four violins and strings became a Bach concerto for four harpsichords(!) and strings. It must be fun tuning them. There are also six 'concertos' by Bach, three of which are arrangements of Vivaldi concertos.  The other three are also arrangements of other composers' music.

Chris