The Bach Partita in E minor (BWV 1013) is one of those pieces that you could spend years with, and not quite perfect. It is the Moonlight Sonata of flute pieces.
One might expect this piece to be accompanied by basso continuo, but it was just written for a solo instrument. Naturally, the next questions I would answer are as follows:
Which solo instrument?
When was it written?
After diving into a little research, I discovered just how many unanswered questions still follow this piece.
A Piece Shrouded in Mystery
One of the many things that I love about this partita is the uncertainty of it all. Nobody is sure exactly when it was written.
Some historians even propose that BWV 1013 was originally intended for violin, though it is usually performed on flute today. They think it may have been for violin, because the piece has no breath marks. There are long stretches of phrases that would simply sound odd if broken, which leads to many challenges for the flutist. Others argue that the piece was written for flute, but influenced by trends in the violin music of the time (JSOR.org). But without so much as a title from JS Bach, how would we ever know?
Discovery
The piece was first discovered by Karl Straube, a well-known church musician and organist. He was actually the one who named it, not Johann Sebastian Bach. I have to wonder- What would Bach have called it instead? Perhaps the piece was untitled because it was unfinished, which begs the question:
Should it be played with basso continuo after all?
There is only one manuscript from the original time period. It can be estimated that it was written after the 1720’s, because of the style. That being said, historians are also unsure of the transcriptionist who penned this copy.
Movements
Allemande
The arpeggiations of the first movement strongly implies a chordal structure. It gives us the sense that there are multiple flutes (or a harpsichord) beneath the louder melody up top. Though it is somewhat technically challenging, when the Allemande is played correctly, it gives us a laid-back feeling, as if a shepherd were playing in a meadow.
Courante
The Partita’s second movement starts off with a sunny yellow color. The accented feeling from the higher note of each measure gives it a near-sassy attitude.
Sarabande
The tone of this Sarabande is melancholy yet regal. The delicacy at which Jean-Pierre Rampal plays it at is most demanding. This movement is simply too easy to overdo. The player needs an entire reset both physically and emotionally, between the Courante and the Sarabande. The piano sections of this movement sound like the softest crying.
Bourrée Anglais
The Bourrée Anglais, or, English dance, closes this partita with an energetic exclamation mark. This is both the fastest and most technically challenging of the five movements. Light-footed double tonguing and nimble thirds are crucial to pulling off the closing of this piece.
Recordings
I highly recommend this recording by Jean-Pierre Rampal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YOMtofcJRg as well as this recording by Pahud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LMni-U7Fiw . While there are recordings on wooden flutes that better capture the time period in which it was written, Rampal and Pahud’s recordings contain an impeccable emotional and dynamic sensitivity. In addition, Matvey Demin’s recording of the piece especially shines through in its tasteful ornamentations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6vrx5lWzDU
About the Author: Aleah Fitzwater is a studio flute teacher, and music blogger for https://scan-score.com/en/ and https://aleahfitzwater.com/ . In her free time, she enjoys arranging rock songs for flute, and cooking French cuisine.
Classical Music | Music for Flute
Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach Partita in E Minor for Solo Flute Play
Recorded on 01/01/1996, uploaded on 06/28/2021
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
The Bach Partita in E minor (BWV 1013) is one of those pieces that you could spend years with, and not quite perfect. It is the Moonlight Sonata of flute pieces.
One might expect this piece to be accompanied by basso continuo, but it was just written for a solo instrument. Naturally, the next questions I would answer are as follows:
After diving into a little research, I discovered just how many unanswered questions still follow this piece.
A Piece Shrouded in Mystery
One of the many things that I love about this partita is the uncertainty of it all. Nobody is sure exactly when it was written.
Some historians even propose that BWV 1013 was originally intended for violin, though it is usually performed on flute today. They think it may have been for violin, because the piece has no breath marks. There are long stretches of phrases that would simply sound odd if broken, which leads to many challenges for the flutist. Others argue that the piece was written for flute, but influenced by trends in the violin music of the time (JSOR.org). But without so much as a title from JS Bach, how would we ever know?
Discovery
The piece was first discovered by Karl Straube, a well-known church musician and organist. He was actually the one who named it, not Johann Sebastian Bach. I have to wonder- What would Bach have called it instead? Perhaps the piece was untitled because it was unfinished, which begs the question:
Should it be played with basso continuo after all?
There is only one manuscript from the original time period. It can be estimated that it was written after the 1720’s, because of the style. That being said, historians are also unsure of the transcriptionist who penned this copy.
Movements
Allemande
The arpeggiations of the first movement strongly implies a chordal structure. It gives us the sense that there are multiple flutes (or a harpsichord) beneath the louder melody up top. Though it is somewhat technically challenging, when the Allemande is played correctly, it gives us a laid-back feeling, as if a shepherd were playing in a meadow.
Courante
The Partita’s second movement starts off with a sunny yellow color. The accented feeling from the higher note of each measure gives it a near-sassy attitude.
Sarabande
The tone of this Sarabande is melancholy yet regal. The delicacy at which Jean-Pierre Rampal plays it at is most demanding. This movement is simply too easy to overdo. The player needs an entire reset both physically and emotionally, between the Courante and the Sarabande. The piano sections of this movement sound like the softest crying.
Bourrée Anglais
The Bourrée Anglais, or, English dance, closes this partita with an energetic exclamation mark. This is both the fastest and most technically challenging of the five movements. Light-footed double tonguing and nimble thirds are crucial to pulling off the closing of this piece.
Recordings
I highly recommend this recording by Jean-Pierre Rampal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YOMtofcJRg as well as this recording by Pahud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LMni-U7Fiw . While there are recordings on wooden flutes that better capture the time period in which it was written, Rampal and Pahud’s recordings contain an impeccable emotional and dynamic sensitivity. In addition, Matvey Demin’s recording of the piece especially shines through in its tasteful ornamentations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6vrx5lWzDU
About the Author: Aleah Fitzwater is a studio flute teacher, and music blogger for https://scan-score.com/en/ and https://aleahfitzwater.com/ . In her free time, she enjoys arranging rock songs for flute, and cooking French cuisine.
More music by Johann Sebastian Bach
English Suite No. 2 in a minor, BWV 807
Brandenburg concerto no. 1 in F major, BWV 1046
French Suite No 6 in E major BWV 817
Prelude in b minor
Nun komm’ der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659
Prelude & Fugue in A minor BWV 894
English Suite No. 2 in a minor, BWV 807
Well Tempered Clavier - Prelude 1
Prelude and Fugue in E Major from Well-Tempered Clavier Book II
Italian concerto, BWV 971
Classical Music for the Internet Era™