little freiburg music festival: »SEI SOLO«

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Friedemann A. Treiber

»During my engagement with Bach's Sonatas and Partitas it became more and more clear for me that there are crosslinks to single soli of the different stages of the church year. This becomes specially obvious in the three Sonatas which are assigned to the genre »Sonata da chiesa« with its succession of movements: slow movement, fugue, slow movement, fast final movement.

When dealing with the interrelations between Bach's »Sei Solo á Violino senza Basso accompagnato« and the church year it is recommended to deal with the works of the violinist and musicologist Helga Thoene. The Italian original title of the six Sonatas and Partitas by Johann Sebastian Bach is fascinating in an astonishing way. Based on a superficial perception the title contains a grammatical error but when analysed and regarded on a more profound level it features an interesting wordplay.

The titel is »Sei solo per violino senza basso accompagnato« which can be translated as »Six soli for violin without accompanying bass«. The correct Italian term would be »Sei Soli« instead of »Sei Solo«. Dealing with J.S.Bach has taught me that there are no coincidences and random mistakes in his music and world. Hence, the Italian expression »Sei Solo« can be translated into English as »You are alone«, in the truest sence of the word reflecting loneliness.

I am having these kind of experiences repeatedly when I perform Bach's Sonatas and Partitas. These experiences can be characterised and described by the feeling to be unified with everything, to be connected with something of divine origin in an inseparable and timeless way.

This spacelessness and timelessness respectively eternity is symbolised in the life, suffering and crucifixion and following resurrection of Jesus in a virtually archetypal way. Thus, the circle to the title of my text is closed: 

»Bach's Sonatas and Partitas, passion history without words«?

But let's now go back to the concrete interrelations of the »Sei solo senza basso accompagnato« and the church year. The reference to the church is becomes especially obvious in his Sonata in C major, BWV 1005 with its fugue theme »Come holy spirit, you lord god« which shows clearly the connection to Pentecost. The image of the holy spirit which is coming down to the mankind is reflected in the »Fuga« of the sonata in C major even in an illustrative and suggestiv way.

In one of the interludes of the fugue the tonal compass is rising higher and higher up to heavenly levels, up to the high g just to return to the earthly realms of the central positions of the violin. A very impressive illustration of a descending holy spirit. The last movement »Allegro assai« is symbolising the Pentecost jubilance in an impressive manner in which the violin is rocketing upwards at the end of the movement, a special occurrence as the pitch range is continuously moving around the central positions apart from that.

In the a minor Sonata BWV 1003 associations with the idea of the passion are imposing in an impressive way which are reflected by the character and name »Grave« of the first movement as well. I would like to point out a special characteristic: at the end of the »Grave« Bach is explicitly notating vibrato wave lines above the penultimate sixth which is underlining the expressive passion character of the music. Furthermore the third movement »Andante« is characterised by pacing quavers over which a lament is unfolding. For me the image of Jesus is imposed who is carrying his cross to Golgatha.

However, the g minor Sonata BWV 1001 with its »Siciliano« similar in character to its pendant in Bach's Christmas Oratorio is to be correlated to Christ's birth.

In contrary, the d minor Partita BWV 1004 is dealing again with the passion idea and theme. It has been created right after the death of Bach's first wife Maria Barbara Bach. The passion theme is particularly present and obvious is the »Ciaccona« which at first glance is a dance but reveals itself as a »Tombeau« on the deceased Maria Barbara Bach when analysing and listening with more profoundness. It is remarkable that J.S.Bach has interlaced the choral »Chris lay in death bands« into the »Ciaconna« which adds a further transcendent dimension to this dance. The timelessness of the »Ciaconna« is fascinating me.

I can sense something autobiographical besides all its sprituality which usually can be found in later epochs. In my point of view the minor parts at the begin and end incarnate the grief and mourning of Bach about the death of his wife Maria Barbara whereas the bright major part in the middle appears as a remembrance of happy times shared, while at the end the bitter reality of death and grief is overtaking. 

In contrast, the E major Partita BWW 1006 at the end of the cycle is a music which does not deal with conflicts and which is only pure joy and symbolises bright light. It can be understood as a hymn of praise and gratitude towards god. After all, Bach has picked up the »Preludio« of the Partita in E major again in the »Sinfonia« of the cantata BWV 29 »We thank you Lord, we thank you«.

Bach initially composed the Sonatas and Partitas as single works and integrated them into a complete cycle in 1720. The idea to regard the Sonatas and Partitas by J.S.Bach as passion meditation is not a random idea:

Let us have a closer look at the tonal plan of the cycle:

The basic framework is built by the open strings of the violin G, D, A, E with the third intermediate steps, hence G, B, D, A, C, E. However there is a deviation: Bach is interchanging the tonalities d minor and a minor in the middle virtually crisscross-like! Therefore the sequence of tonalities g minor, b minor, a minor, d minor, C major, E major is constituted.

It is interesting as well that Bach is interchanging the order of the d minor Partita and a minor Sonata which are both specially dealing with the theme passion and death. Therefore in the middle of the cycle a cross is placed which makes it obvious to me to regard the complete cycle as musical passion story without without words about life and suffering of Jesu Christ and his salvation.«

Tickets for this wonderful recital taking place on Friday, 15.07.2022 at 7 p.m. (admission from 6:20 p.m.) can be purchased in advance via the ticket shop seen below and at the box office on the day of the recital. The number of seats is limited to 80. Therefore an online-purchase is highly recommended in order to ensure a seat.