Uploaded April 2016 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
Here I play the Sarabande from Bach's second lute suite on my 2016 Senior Recital.
Program Note: Johann Sebastian Bach is described by most as the single most prolific composer of the Baroque era. Some might even go as far as to say that he was one of the most ingenious minds to have ever lived. The Baroque era is often classified by its contrapuntal textures, frequent use of musical ornamentation, and the desire to express complex human emotions through music. Counterpoint occurs when multiple voices or lines of music are played together at the same time, independent of one another. This creates for a complicated, intricate, and sometimes chaotic blend of musical textures. Bach wrote over 1000 pieces of music during his lifetime ranging from Church music, choir, orchestra, and keyboard. While Bach wrote for a wide variety of instruments, he never wrote a single piece for guitar. He did however write a collection of seven works known as the Bach Lute Suites. While these pieces are designated as Lute Suites, they were actually written for the lute-harpsichord, a keyboard like instrument. It wasn’t until years later that they were transcribed to be played on the actual lute. These seven pieces were only recently transcribed for guitar in the 20th century, and have since become staples of classical guitar repertoire. The 997 Lute Suite in particular, is quite the conundrum to scholars, as Bach’s original copy no longer exists. Because of this, the piece had to be arduously compiled through fragments and copies of the original score. This Lute Suite starts off with a very lively and expressive Prelude that leads us into one of the most expressive and challenging Fugues in all of Bach’s lute suites. We are then met with a much more tranquil movement known as the Sarabande. Following this, the piece begins to once again build momentum in the Gigue before concluding the entire suite with the fast and virtuosic Double.
Here I play the Sarabande from Bach's second lute suite on my 2016 Senior Recital.
Program Note: Johann Sebastian Bach is described by most as the single most prolific composer of the Baroque era. Some might even go as far as to say that he was one of the most ingenious minds to have ever lived. The Baroque era is often classified by its contrapuntal textures, frequent use of musical ornamentation, and the desire to express complex human emotions through music. Counterpoint occurs when multiple voices or lines of music are played together at the same time, independent of one another. This creates for a complicated, intricate, and sometimes chaotic blend of musical textures. Bach wrote over 1000 pieces of music during his lifetime ranging from Church music, choir, orchestra, and keyboard. While Bach wrote for a wide variety of instruments, he never wrote a single piece for guitar. He did however write a collection of seven works known as the Bach Lute Suites. While these pieces are designated as Lute Suites, they were actually written for the lute-harpsichord, a keyboard like instrument. It wasn’t until years later that they were transcribed to be played on the actual lute. These seven pieces were only recently transcribed for guitar in the 20th century, and have since become staples of classical guitar repertoire. The 997 Lute Suite in particular, is quite the conundrum to scholars, as Bach’s original copy no longer exists. Because of this, the piece had to be arduously compiled through fragments and copies of the original score. This Lute Suite starts off with a very lively and expressive Prelude that leads us into one of the most expressive and challenging Fugues in all of Bach’s lute suites. We are then met with a much more tranquil movement known as the Sarabande. Following this, the piece begins to once again build momentum in the Gigue before concluding the entire suite with the fast and virtuosic Double.
