by Laura Pontecorvo
My journey from Bach's Partita
The journey began with J.S. Bach's Partita for Solo Flute BWV 1013, a true “monument” of our repertoire. I've always felt that in order to address the many questions raised by studying this piece, it's crucial to place it within a broader context. How idiomatic is it for the traverso? How should we interpret it with just one example? After all, the flute is the only wind instrument that received such attention from Bach—there is nothing similar for the oboe, despite its central role in Bach's cantatas, masses, and orchestral suites. So, how can we place this piece in its proper context?
The journey began with J.S. Bach's Partita for Solo Flute BWV 1013, a true “monument” of our repertoire. I've always felt that in order to address the many questions raised by studying this piece, it's crucial to place it within a broader context. How idiomatic is it for the traverso? How should we interpret it with just one example? After all, the flute is the only wind instrument that received such attention from Bach—there is nothing similar for the oboe, despite its central role in Bach's cantatas, masses, and orchestral suites. So, how can we place this piece in its proper context?
First, we look at the solo flute repertoire of the time, especially German works that Bach might have known. I’m thinking of the Capricci and solo works by Quantz, Blochwitz, and Braun, as well as Telemann’s Fantasies. The Allemandes in Quantz’s Giedde’s collection I.45, "Fantasier og Preluder. 8 Caprices og andre Stykker til Ovelse dor Floyten", share much in common with the writing in the first movement of the Flute Partita.
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The final A in Bach’s Allemande, often considered extreme and exceptional, also appears in more than one piece in this collection, as in this Praeludium.
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Drawing on the solo repertoire of other instruments
Another key source to explore is Bach’s solo repertoire for other instruments.
Another key source to explore is Bach’s solo repertoire for other instruments.
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For example, performing Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin on the traverso presents challenges due to their highly polyphonic nature. Peter Lukas Graf published a selection of these violin works, reorganizing them into three pieces for flute, which he calls Sonatas for Flute, though they also include many dances from the Partitas (Johann Sebastian Bach Drei Sonaten für Flöte aus BWV 1001-1006, Breitkopf 6520). In his transcriptions, Graf changes many tonalities and adapts polyphonic passages, making choices that impact the piece’s melodic structure. While not all of Graf's decisions are universally accepted, his transcriptions are useful in daily practice, offering a bridge to significant works in the literature.
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The Cello Suites are more accessible for the traverso, primarily because they are less polyphonic (except for the Sarabandes) and generally more comfortable within the flute's range. These Suites have a modern flute transcription (J.S. Bach 6 Suiten nach den 6 Suiten für Violoncello ohne Bass, Heinrichshofen N2420, edited by Jean-Claude Veilhan) that I find incredibly helpful in daily practice. Although some minor adjustments are needed to avoid low notes, the transcription is largely faithful to the original cello version.
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Bach also composed an extensive set of Solo Keyboard Suites, including the 6 French Suites and the 6 English Suites, as well as the 6 Partitas, all of which are based on dance forms. While approaching these works for a monophonic instrument like the traverso presents greater challenges, they have become an inexhaustible source of study and inspiration for me.
I approached these keyboard works in two main ways:
- I tried performing the upper voice on the flute while imagining another instrument playing the basso continuo, thus creating pieces for traverso and continuo.
- I imagined performing these pieces for solo flute, "reducing" the polyphony into monophonic lines while maintaining the essential harmonic and melodic complexity.
From a reverse perspective, I also analyzed the versions of the Flute Partita transcribed for harpsichord. For example, here is the opening of the Allemande in the transcription by David Schulenberg, an American musicologist and harpsichordist.
Rather than reducing the material, Schulenberg develops and transposes to e minor the various polyphonic lines that, in the original, are combined into a single voice.
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The question of the style of French Dances in Bach is also one of the aspects that I was most interested in deepening. In the additional box you’ll find personal reflections and hints about dances in the Partita.
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Click on the picture for more about
French Dances in Bach |
Bringing The Idea to Life: Creating ‘New’ Partitas
Inspired by this research, I set out to create (or better transcribe) my own Partita for Solo Flute by adapting movements from various Bach sources. This was driven by a practical need—flutists often perform the same single solo piece by Bach, while keyboardists have countless options!
Starting along the lines of the original Partita, I chose to start with an Allemanda, then continue with Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte and Giga. Except for the Sarabande, which comes from a cello suite, the other three movements are transcriptions from French suites for harpsichord. I chose to transpose all the parts to D major, except for the Sarabande which became in B minor.
Inspired by this research, I set out to create (or better transcribe) my own Partita for Solo Flute by adapting movements from various Bach sources. This was driven by a practical need—flutists often perform the same single solo piece by Bach, while keyboardists have countless options!
Starting along the lines of the original Partita, I chose to start with an Allemanda, then continue with Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte and Giga. Except for the Sarabande, which comes from a cello suite, the other three movements are transcriptions from French suites for harpsichord. I chose to transpose all the parts to D major, except for the Sarabande which became in B minor.
In principle, I chose to play the upper voice, combined with the second voice where present, as in this Allemande from BWV 815:
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I have often raised entire passages by an octave, such as in the Gavotte from BWV 815:
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In some cases I created a melodic line passing from the upper voice to the bass so as not to lose the melodic and harmonic structure of the piece, such as in the Gigue from BWV 817:
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The most difficult movement to recreate was the Sarabande since this type of dance, in harpsichord pieces, is often very polyphonic and therefore suffers a lot from the reduction of voices. For this reason I have chosen to include the Sarabande from Suite BWV 1011 for cello which, as I have already pointed out, has numerous points in common with the Sarabande of the Partita for flute:
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A further extension of this project was my collaboration with Rinaldo Alessandrini on the album More Bach, Please (Naïve Classique OP8454, October 2024). This recording presents a Partita for Flute, Strings, and Continuo, assembled from movements originally written for violin, harpsichord, and orchestra.
The first movement of the new Partita is the transcription of the 1st movement of the Sonata for violin and harpsichord obbligato in E major BWV 1016. It is a piece of great singability and expression that lends itself very well to the traversiere. Transposing it one tone below, in D major and changing the octave of some passages that would otherwise be too low, everything works. The second movement of the "new composition" is the transcription of the Aria from Partita No. 4 in D major BWV 828 for harpsichord. The 1st Minuet is taken from the Orchestral Suite in D major BWV 1069, while the 2nd is a transcription from the Partita No. 1 in B flat major BWV 825. The fourth movement is a transcription of the Aria from French Suite No. 4 in E-flat BWV 815 and the last movement, Giga, comes from French Suite No. 6 in E major BWV 817. This Giga actually comes from the same movement from which I took the above Giga for solo flute.
The first movement of the new Partita is the transcription of the 1st movement of the Sonata for violin and harpsichord obbligato in E major BWV 1016. It is a piece of great singability and expression that lends itself very well to the traversiere. Transposing it one tone below, in D major and changing the octave of some passages that would otherwise be too low, everything works. The second movement of the "new composition" is the transcription of the Aria from Partita No. 4 in D major BWV 828 for harpsichord. The 1st Minuet is taken from the Orchestral Suite in D major BWV 1069, while the 2nd is a transcription from the Partita No. 1 in B flat major BWV 825. The fourth movement is a transcription of the Aria from French Suite No. 4 in E-flat BWV 815 and the last movement, Giga, comes from French Suite No. 6 in E major BWV 817. This Giga actually comes from the same movement from which I took the above Giga for solo flute.
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Obviously, the processing work is very different: in one case it is a matter of reducing the overall story to a single line, while in the case of the realization with flute and strings voices have been added to maintain polyphonic coherence.
In this video you can appreciate the resulting Partita in D major (at 32'41"). |
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Benefits & challenges in our practice
Transcribing and playing these pieces on the traverso, while expanding and supporting our daily practice, may present many benefits and some challenges:
Transcribing and playing these pieces on the traverso, while expanding and supporting our daily practice, may present many benefits and some challenges:
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SUGGESTED PRACTICE Sight-transposition: Choose a passage from Bach’s Suites for other instruments and try transposing it into a different key to fit the flute’s range. This will help you master difficult tonalities and improve your transposition skills |
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2. Extending range practice:
SUGGESTED PRACTICE Work through a passage from the Cello or Violin Suites in the 3rd octave of the flute. These works are great for building agility and confidence in that often underused register. |
These works require full use of the traverso’s range, particularly the often-neglected third octave. The following score is an excerpt from Graf’s flute transcription in G major of the Allegro Assai from Violin Sonata in C major, BWV 1005, which shows both versions alongside
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3. Deepening understanding of French dance forms: Bach’s approach to the Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Bourrée can be studied across multiple compositions for different instruments, revealing how he adapted these forms for the flute. (see box)
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SUGGESTED PRACTICE Dance Style Study: Pick one of Bach’s French dances (e.g., Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourrèe) and study it across different instruments. Notice the stylistic differences and try to incorporate them into your own performance of the Partita for Flute. |
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4. Preserving polyphony:
SUGGESTED PRACTICE Melodic Reduction: Take a polyphonic passage from a Keyboard Suite or Violin Sonata and reduce it to a single voice, keeping the harmonic essence. This will improve your ability to focus on melodic clarity while understanding the underlying counterpoint incorporate them into your own performance of the Partita for Flute. |
When adapting keyboard or violin works for the flute, issues such as preserving polyphony while simplifying parts become important. The transcriptions can therefore involve creative solutions, like adjusting octaves or merging parts to maintain musical coherence.
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The role of trancription and adaptation
In conclusion, what is the "politically correct" of transcriptions or adaptations?
These are invaluable practices for gaining a deeper understanding of Bach’s music.
There is no single “correct” way to approach them, but the process opens up new avenues for technical growth and stylistic expression, not to mention the expansion of the repertoire that can strengthen our daily practice and make it much more fun.
In conclusion, what is the "politically correct" of transcriptions or adaptations?
These are invaluable practices for gaining a deeper understanding of Bach’s music.
There is no single “correct” way to approach them, but the process opens up new avenues for technical growth and stylistic expression, not to mention the expansion of the repertoire that can strengthen our daily practice and make it much more fun.
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Laura Pontecorvo is an Italian flutist who has been performing the baroque and classical repertoire for many years in the most important concert seasons in the world.
Laura collaborates with numerous specialized groups, in particular with Concerto Italiano conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini, with whom she has also recorded the sonatas of J.S. Bach (Arcana-Outhere), and just released an original Partita for Flute, Strings, and Continuo (Naïve Classique). She has always been interested in the variety of baroque transverse flutes and experimenting with specific repertoires with different models. She has recorded for Opus 111, Naïve, Stradivarius, Brilliant, Dynamic, Inedita. For more than 20 years she has also been teaching chamber music and flute. www.laurapontecorvo.it Laura on Facebook |
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