Bach composed a set of six sonatas (“sonatas di chiesa”) and partitas for unaccompanied violin, “Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato” which he finished after the death of his wife. The partitas (“partias”) are composed in dance-form movements.
Partita No. 3 in E major begins with a vigorous, ecstatic Preludio; in the middle of the work is the lyrical, waltz-like Loure, a vigorous Gavotte, two delicate Menuets, a Bouree and a fast-paced Gigue to bookend the work. The works were finished after the sudden death of Bach’s wife. Some scholars believe this is referenced by the year of completion on the title page (unusual for Bach) and possibly by the grammatically incorrect Italian title (“sei soli” would translate to “six solos”, but “sei solo” may have been an intentional error, translated literally, “You are alone”).
Julia Fischer plays Bach’s Partita No. 3 in E Major, mvt. 1 – Preludio.
The exact timeline of this composition is unknown; it is commonly held that Bach developed originally composed the pieces for the set while in Weimar. The first surviving manuscript is from 1720 while Bach was in Cöthen. Composing polyphonic (multi-voice) material for solo violin was not a new idea at the time, having already been developed by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and the Dresden school composers (Westhoff and Walther).
The idea of writing the accompaniment part into the soloist’s part is aurally riveting – I have spent much time listening in wonder as Bach expertly weaves bass and middle-voice material into a solo line, and admiring the two parts’ complementarity.
It is also very challenging from a performance standpoint. An incredible amount of time can be poured into dissecting soprano lines from bass, melody from harmony, and refining technique to make one instrument sound like many. It is precisely this juxtaposition of musical and technical challenge that make Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas so valuable for a violinist’s development. They are a school of technique, lessons in composition and theory, and an apprenticeship in musicality: a challenge for both the inexperienced student and the seasoned professional.
The Partita No. 3 in E major is the final work of the set of sonatas and partitas for unaccompanied violin.
Julia Fischer, Partita No. 3 in E major, II. Loure
A gavotte is a dance originating from the southeast of France in the Pays de Gap region of Dauphine. It is also considered a type of a variety of folk dances from Lower Brittany, the French Basque region or Provence.
The Gavotte made its appearance in the 16th century in a Renaissance suite dance called the “branle”. It involves couples dancing in a line or in the round with the side-to-side, skipping steps characteristic of the branle. It could be an elegantly simple dance or more ornate depending on the time period. At the end of the performance the couples would either kiss each other, or as the dance became more formal, exchange flowers. The walking dance is in 4/4 with upbeats on 3 and 4, which is naturally mirrored in the composition.
This Gavotte is in rondo (“rondeau”) form, with the “A” section (first stated then repeated in the beginning) alternating six times with various contrasting themes (B, C, D and E).
The first two contrasting melodies seem closely related to the original A theme: the first contrasting melody, “B” begins very similarly to the main theme, but departs from it as it develops. The theme is even quoted in the “C” section, but in the dominant key (B major) right before returning to the original E major “A” theme. “D” wanders about the E major key and explores more distant keys before climbing back up to a triumphant restatement of “A” – only to digress even further than before with an ornate “E” melody.
I conceive of the concluding “A” theme to be just that, a conclusion or epilogue. It signals the end of the dance, when the couples enjoy one last turn about the room before the final promenade and bow.
III. Gavotte en Rondeau.
IV. Menuets I and II.
This triple-meter dance is a French social dance for two people. “Minuet” derives from the French “menu”, meaning “small, pretty, delicate” and dictates the kind of steps one takes in the dance. It was as important to the 18th century ballroom as the waltz was to the 19th. A highly ceremonial dance, the minuet is performed by one couple at a time while the others in the group look on as an audience, and opens and finishes with the couple bowing to one another.
The uniqueness of this dance is that it allows for some creativity and spontaneity within a larger framework (different from other court ballroom dances, which have certain steps choreographed with musical figures). It allows couples to highlight their grace, skill, and artistry with a nonchalant air. The Minuet step is essentially four straight steps taken in any direction, embellished to the lead couples’ liking.
These two minuets are fittingly short, delicate and sweet. They maximize the natural resonance of the violin and the key of E major and are not as vigorous as the other movements. They match the graceful, lilting quality of the second movement, the Loure, and provide airy contrasts to the more brilliant movements of the piece (the Preludio, Gavotte, Bourée and Gigue).
V. Bourrée.
With speed and brilliancy mirroring the Preludio, the Bourrée spirals around the tonic, E with a virtuosity meant to show off the player’s comfort on the instrument. At the time of its composition, people played the violin without shoulder and chin rest, making it difficult to shift positions to notes high up on the instrument. Using notes higher than C5 denoted a high level of technical prowess at the time. This movement frequently ascends into the stratosphere on the E string and climbs back down rapidly – an opportunity for the violinist to demonstrate their mastery.
A Bourrée is a type of dance similar to the Gavotte. Both are in double time and courtly dances. The Bourrée differs in that it uses a quick, quarter-bar pickup (a “tag” of notes at the beginning of the piece or a phrase) at the beginning, whereas a Gavotte has a longer pickup (a half-bar).
VI. Gigue.
Despite their fancy-sounding French name, gigues originate from the Irish jig, which was imported to France and popularized in noble social dances. “Giguer” in French means “to jump” – so its humble beginning as an Irish folk dance makes sense. Mirroring the dance, this gigue seems to spend more time in the air than on the ground, incorporating dozens of upward gestures that gracefully fall back to the ground only to ascend right into the sky again. Being a baroque dance, it retains elegance despite its bounciness and periodic peals of laughter by utilizing the momentum of its pace to simplify the beat into a graceful one.