Product Description
The Six Trio Sonatas, BWV 525-530 were composed about 1727 during Bachs period in Leipzig. They were not composed for organ, but (according to Forkel, Bachs first biographer whose information came from Bachs son Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach) for the pedal harpsichord as means of improiving the pedal technique of his son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. This instrument, which requires a great deal of precision in performance, contains a normal harpsichord with two manuals attached to a pedal board which activates another harpsichord which is lower to the ground. Many of the movements in these "Italian" sonatas were used in other settings, in Bachs Cantatas and in other instrumental works.
Bach always tuned his own keyboards and confided his tuning system to his student Johann Kimberger (1721-1788) who used this information to devise several tuning schemes to create a "well-tempered" system according to Bachs ideas. The main principal that Bach gave Kimberger was that all thirds should be tuned slightly sharp ("...alle grossen Terzen scharf"). The saxophone is an ideal instrument to experiment with this sort of tuning, given the possibilities for adjustment in the embouchure. Nothing can replace a good set of ears in the process and use of electronic tuning devices should be avoided, unless they can be specifically programmed to reflect these sorts of non-standard tunings.
Sonata no. 1 in Eb major, BWV 525
Sonata no. 2 in c minor , BWV 526
Sonata no. 3 in d minor, BWV 527
Sonata no. 4 in e minor, BWV 528
Sonata no. 5 in C major, BWV 529
Sonata no. 6 in G major, BWV 530
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