To-day the Flute is most often made of
silver or even gold, but is used in various forms in every primitive tribe world-wide, and
examples from as long ago as 200 B.C. have been found in Egypt. By the time J.S. Bach
travelled to Dresden to hear the King of Poland's orchestra in 1717 the 'transverse' flute
was already being developed, with most made of box wood, and with a single D# key.
Buffardin and Quantz were two of the principal flautists using this 'new' flute. By 1768
further keys had been added, and the player Tacet wrote Sonatas for this instrument,
performing with J.C. Bach in London.
The Harp may be traced back to the plucking of a single string
on a bow, and a drawing of such an instrument has been found on a Bismaya vase from around
3000 B.C. By about 2000 B.C. some form of sound-box had been added, but it wasn't until
the 18th century that makers began experimenting with chromatic tuning systems. By 1720
the first pedal harp was in use, each string being raised by a semi-tone, and by 1782
Georges and Jacques Cousineau had developed the double action instrument. The modern harp
design was now close to completion, the most recent perfection being carried out by
Sébastien Érard, patenting his now standard 'double-action' harp in London in 1801.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1665-1750)
Under the patronage of Duke Leopold, Bach's time in Cöthen (1717-1723) was a very stable
and fruitful one. With no church music to produce he was able to develop 'order' and new
standards of technical craftsmanship in instrumental and chamber works such as the two Clavierbüchlein
for Friedmann and for Anna Magdalena, the Orgelbüchlein, and the Well-tempered
Clavier (forty-eight Preludes and Fugues). His output also included the six Brandenburg
Concertos, the Cello Suites, sonatas for flute, concertos for violin and
keyboards, violin partitas and cello suites.
The Sonatas 2 and 6 on this recording are selected from two separate sets,
containing three Sonatas each, written during this period. The first set is for flute (or
violin) and cembalo, while Sonatas four to six are for flute (or violin) and basso
continuo. These works may easily be considered trio sonatas, with the second solo
instrument incorporated into the keyboard part.
Again from Bach's time at Cöthen comes the Prelude in C major, the first prelude
from the Well-tempered Clavier. Here, though, it is used in its well-known role as
the accompaniment to the luscious Ave Maria melody by Gounod (Paris 1818-1893).
The date of the Orchestral Suites is uncertain. They may come from the same period
as the Flute Sonatas, or from Bach's time in Leipzig, but they were certainly
performed to the Herzog von Cöthen, and definitely conducted by Bach himself between 1729
and 1736. The Air is from the Orchestral Suite No. 3. From this same period
(1729-36) comes the Arioso, extracted from the Clavier Concerto no. 5 in F minor.
This version utilizes the right-hand only from the harpsichord part of the movement.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
The third son of J.S. Bach, Carl Philipp became an eminent composer in his own right,
holding positions with Frederick the Great in Potsdam fro 28 years, and in Hamburg for the
final 21 years of his life. The Sonata in E major (1754) follows in the footsteps
of J.S. Bach, being a revision of an earlier work for 2 flutes and basso continuo,
incorporating the upper flute into the keyboard continuo in a re-working from the last
years of Carl Philipp's life.
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732-1795)
The ninth and eldest surviving son of J.S. Bach, Johann Christoph initially studied music
with his father. He also studied law, but in 1750, when his father was seriously ill, he
left his career to become a musician at the court of Bückeburg, where he remained until
his death. The Sonata in D major - originally for flute and keyboard
("claviercembalo") - is the second from a set of Six Sonatas published in
1777.
