J.S. Bach: Italian Concerto, BWV 971
Bach's concerto for a harpsichord with two keyboards, arranged for flute and alto flute by Barbara Hill and published by Wonderful Winds.
The music
J.S. Bach published the Italian Concerto in 1735, writing it “in the Italian taste” for a harpsichord with two keyboards. It borrows the concerto grosso of Corelli and Vivaldi: moving between the two keyboards gives its sudden contrasts between loud and soft, soloist and full ensemble.
The arrangement
The flute and the alto flute share the two keyboards' music as equal partners, passing it back and forth like a conversation. Their different tone colours make the contrasts and changes of role easy to hear.
The outer movements are lively and exuberant. In the Andante, the flute sings a long, ornamented melody over a repeating bass line in the alto flute.
Listen
Short clips of each movement, courtesy of the publisher, Wonderful Winds.
- Allegro
- Andante
- Presto
Staff pick · Just Flutes
“You can never have too much Bach!”
Chris chose Barbara's arrangement as a staff pick at the specialist flute shop. The Italian Concerto is not an obvious piece for two flutes, he admits, but the alto flute fills out the sound and keeps Bach's style in focus.
The fast outer movements carry all of Bach's high spirits, and in the Andante the alto flute brings out the bass line beneath the flute's melody. Above all, he finds it a joy to play.