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Name of composer: Johann Bach Title of piece: The Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 Movement: Allegro Date of piece: 1720 The piece I will be examining is called The sonatas and partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001-1006) by the German composer Johann Bach; I will be specifically looking at Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, in the allegro movement. The set of sonatas is said to have been composed and completed by 1720 but not published until 1802. Information about the inspiration for this piece is not readily available however, there is speculation that this piece is homage to his late wife who passed around the time this was composed. The work was not immediately noticed until another well-known violinist began to perform the works in the nineteenth century. Since then, the six part violin repertoire has been attributed to being a masterpiece for solo violinist and commends the complexity its able to attain as a solo instrument. The Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, like the other five pieces, is set to the slow-fast-slow-fast four-movement structure of the sonata da chiesa—the second movement is an allegro movement and it is especially enticing since it builds up to a serious tone then transitions into a softer reverberation before moving into the next movement. I have also noticed that throughout the allegro movement, the chords change quickly and unexpectedly (i.e 3:11 in the sound track) which throws me, the listener, off guard but I also acknowledge the skill and musical complexity it takes to make a transition like this work on a violin. Listening Map: Link to track: https://pdx-nml3-naxosmusiclibrary-com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/stream.asp?s=134157%2FPSUNmlPd12 %2FCDR078_02 Starting at 0:00 in this clip, it starts out slow as monophonic but then immediately transitions to polyphonic at 0:03. I believe this tempo is known as a fugue since there is one main subject being played that gets transformed with the introduction of other notes. This can be heard again at 0:11, the original subject returns with new notes. 0:22 is the beginning of a consistent harmonic chords that has an increasing tone which leads back up to the original subject at 0:44. 0:50 to 1:03 is another string of harmonic chords that leads to what seems like a complicated polyphonic section with varying intensity that kind of makes it hard to believe that this is a solo violist. This section ends with returning to the original subject once again.

Name of composer: Giuseppe Bach Title of piece: The Violin Sonata in ​G minor​, category B.g5 (commonly known as the Devil’s Trill Sonata) Movement: Allegro Date of piece: 1713 (possibly later) The next piece I will be examining is The Violin Sonata in ​G minor​, category B.g5 commonly known as the Devil’s Trill Sonata written by the Italian composer Giuseppe Tartini in 1713. Tartini says that he composed this piece in 1713 but others say it may have been composed in the late 1740’s due to the complex and mature style that was used; the work was not published until 1798-1799, years after Tartini died. It is said that Tartini was inspired to write this piece after having a dream that involved him making a pact with the Devil and during that time, the Devil played the most beautiful violin sonata Tartini had ever heard. He tried to recreate what he heard in real life but states that it will never compare to what the Devil played in his dream. This is Tartini’s most famous work and rightfully so, the individual movements of slow-fast-slow-fast (typical for a sonata during this time) tell an unwritten story of the devil while also showcasing the strategic and extraordinary craft of solo violinist. In this piece, I will be specifically looking at the allegro movement which is a fast paced movement with varying and repeating cadences when the mood is supposed to shift. Bach anticipates a trill which occurs during this movement in which there is rapid alteration of two notes – I couldn’t find the sheet music for this piece that was free of charge, so I cannot not definitively state where the trills are but from what I hear, they are located at the beginning of the movement and at the end of the movement before fading out into the next movement. Listening Map: Link to track: https://pdx-nml3-naxosmusiclibrary-com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/stream.asp?s=134157%2FPSUNmlPd12 %2FPJ0697_002 The piece starts out quickly at 0:00 with a violin strings with accompanying piano notes immediately after. I believe a double stop followed by a trill can be heard at this time. I think this leads us straight into the intensity of the piece; its possible that this signifies the beginning of his dream. 0:18 began at a low pitch with a consistent harmony but develops into a higher pitch until around 0:28. This occurs multiple times until 1:13 when the double stop followed by the trill occurs again. Comparison: I chose these pieces because they were just very pleasant to continually listen to and I noticed similarities in regard to their style (violin sonatas) and the complex harmonic

patterns used. The polyphonic texture with ritornellos is typical for the baroque period and can been noted in both pieces however, I was unable to appreciate the use of double stops or trills in The Violin Sonata No. 1 but I deeply appreciated in the Devils Trill Sonata. They both have steadfast transitions from high and low pitches that really stand out but I was able to distinguish the fast changing notes better in The Violin Sonata No. 1. Sources used: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Sonata_in_G_minor_(Tartini) https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Devils-Trill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Tartini https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonatas_and_Partitas_for_Solo_Violin_(Bach) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_stop