Bach: Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord Nº 6 BWV 1019: Transcribed For Cello

Here is Bach‘s Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No 6 BWV 1019, transcribed for cello. For the cello transcription this sonata has been transposed down a fourth from its original key of D major into G major.

For each movement, two different keyboard scores are offered:

the “Literal Transcription” in which all notes are taken down a fourth and
the “Adapted Version” in which many of the lowest notes and passages in the piano accompaniment parts have been transposed up a fifth instead of down a fourth to avoid the register being too low.

MOVEMENT I: ALLEGRO

No notes have been changed for this cello transcription which means that the only difference between the “Literal Transcription” and the “Clean Performance Version” is the presence of Bach’s bowings in the Literal Transcription. The cello parts of movements I and II are published together for simple layout reasons, but the accompaniment scores (and audio) are downloadable separately.

Here below are two downloadable audios (computer-generated) of the accompaniment “played” on the guitar. The first one is at a practice (slow) speed. If we actually download them then we can play them at different tempi with the wonderfully useful and simple Amazing Slowdowner program. Because the accompaniment and cello start together, a one-bar introduction has been added as well as a few seconds to allow us to sit down with the cello after pressing the start button.

MOVEMENT II: LARGO

This movement is originally in E minor, the relative minor of the sonata’s original key (G major). This means that in our version, transposed down a fourth, the new key is B minor. The cello part of this movement is published (printed) with the first movement because it is only five lines of music. In the “Performance Versions” bars 10-15 of the cello part have been taken up one octave.

MOVEMENT III: (FAST)

This is, in both of Bach’s different versions of this sonata, a movement for harpsichord solo. In each of his two different versions of this sonata, Bach uses totally different pieces for this third movement. Only the lesser-known of these two alternative pieces is offered here (the other one is available for free download at imslp.org). This piece is so attractive and entertaining with its ultra-fast light-footed syncopations, that as well as offering its solo keyboard version, we also present it in a version for cello with a single-voice bass-clef accompaniment (the left-hand line of the keyboard, which can also be played by a second cellist or any other bass instrument). This movement is originally the Courante from Bach’s Partita Nº 6 for Harpsichord BWV 830 and is excellent (and very enjoyable) study material for working on our fast syncopations.

The original key of this movement is E minor, which is the relative minor of this Sonata’s basic key of G major. Just like for all the other movements of this Sonata, for our cello version we have transposed it down a fourth, so it is now in B minor. This is a sparkling high-speed movement and it probably needs to be played “as fast as possible”. We can play it lightly like a fast-flowing mountain river, or alternatively like a high-octane Jimmy Hendrix rock extravaganza. In either case, there are two cello passages (bars 1-4 and 86-97) which could perhaps be transposed up a fifth rather than down a fourth, in order to keep them out of the grunting register. Some octave changes have been made in the accompaniment line to keep it within the range of a second cello.

This movement is made considerably more user-friendly when notated in doubletime, in which each note has twice the rhythmic value (length) as in Bach’s original notation. In this way, the 650 semidemiquavers (32nd notes, with three beams) that constitute more than half of the notes of the cello part, are converted into semiquavers. This not only makes the rhythms easier to read but also makes the page much less black (see Bach: Rhythmic Curiosities). In the Literal Transcription Bach’s rhythmic notation is used whereas the Performance Versions are notated in “doubletime”.

In all the versions a one-bar keyboard introduction has been added in case we are playing with the prerecorded accompaniment. Without this introduction, we have no way of knowing how to synchronise our start with the accompaniment audio.

Solo Keyboard Part (Original Key)

Here below are two downloadable audios (computer-generated) of the accompaniment “played” on the guitar. The first is a little slower than the second. If we actually download them then we can play them at different tempi. Because the accompaniment and cello start together, a one-bar introduction has been added as well as a few seconds of silence to allow us to sit down with the cello after pressing the start button. In both accompaniments, the two repeats are made: we will almost certainly appreciate the second opportunity to play the many tricky passages !

MOVEMENT IV: ADAGIO

This movement, like the previous one, is made considerably more user-friendly when notated in doubletime, in which each note has twice the rhythmic value (length) than in Bach’s original notation. In this way, the (almost) 200 semidemiquavers (32nd notes, with three beams) that constitute more than a quarter of all the notes found in the keyboard and cello parts of the fourth movement are converted to 16th notes (semiquavers). It has been transposed down a fourth and no notes have been changed in the cello’s voice. Here below are the accompaniment scores. In the “Adapted Version” some of the lowest notes of the accompaniment have been raised a fifth rather than taken down a fourth.

In the following recorded accompaniment there is quite a lot of rubato. If this music doesn’t breathe between the phrases it just becomes boring, losing most of its delicate sensitivity.

MOVEMENT V: ALLEGRO

Two small ornamental cadenzas have been added in this movement, one for the cello just before the reprise, and one for the piano as a lead-in to bar 72 after the G.P. (General Pause). This idea was simply stolen from the magnificent recordings of these Sonatas by Rachel Podger and Trevor Pinnock.

Here below is a downloadable audio (computer-generated) of the accompaniment “played” on the guitar. If we actually download it then we can play it at different tempi. Because the accompaniment and cello start together, a two-bar introduction has been added as well as a few seconds of silence to allow us to sit down with the cello after pressing the start button.