Violin plays an important role in Bach’s œuvre. Many arias of his Cantatas and Passions include an obbligato violin part, his two Violin Concertos and his Double Concerto are among his most popular works, outstanding solo violin parts are to be found in five of the six Brandenburg Concertos, the Sonatas and Partitas for unaccompanied violin remain as demanding now as when they were composed, but what about the six Sonatas for violin and harpsichord?
For some strange reason, this might well be considered a neglected collection, too seldom performed and recorded. It can be dated though in the Cöthen period, arguably the happiest time and one of the most productive in Bach’s career, still far from the unpleasant duties of the Leipzig years. Many of the above-mentioned works were written precisely at that time and all of them show an inexhaustible inventiveness.
