Product Description
J.S. Bach composed his solo pieces for the lute on the lautenwerck, a harpsichord strung with gut strings that could imitate the timbre of the original instrument. It is believe that he received input on the compositions from contemporary lutenists such as Sylvius Leopold Weiss in order to make them playable within the instrument's range. The guitar is strung and tuned quite differently than the lute, so not all of the pieces from each suite perfectly complement the guitar's capabilities without difficulty. The Bourree in E minor is a notable exception that has become a fixture of the classical guitar repertoire, as well as a staple of pop and rock culture.
This piece is a brisk dance movement from the 2nd Lute Suite, BWV 996, which reveals Bach's consummate mastery of 2 voice counterpoint. The melodic lines are brilliantly interwoven between the bass and treble voices exploring a labyrinth of harmonies and often implying more complex chords due to the consistent usage of passing tones. Most of the piece lies firmly between the keys of the tonic E minor and it's relative G major with some inventive usage of melodic minor to create the sensation of rising and falling. In the 2nd section of the piece, Bach takes us on a vigorous journey to neighboring tonalities through the implied use of secondary dominants, augmented and diminished chord before returning to the home key.
I have provided 4 versions in this edition. The first 2 include chord and arpeggio/scale charts, harmonic analysis, right and left hand fingerings, and position markers. The last two only include the fingerings with position markers. For a simpler performance, the 1st ending of the 2nd section can be repeated.
Standard notation, includes glossary of Symbols and an illustrated cover. 5 pgs.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.