The ciaccona (commonly called by the French form of the word, chaconne), the concluding movement of Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004, surpasses the duration of the previous four movements combined. Along with its disproportional relationship to the rest of the suite, it merits the emphasis given it by musicians and composers alike. Basic aspects like tempo, harmony, polyphony, articulations, additions, and subtractions should be made with extreme care and knowledge. The Chaconne from the Partita II for Violin Solo, BWV 1004, by Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most marvelous monuments in music history. About 'Chaconne BWV 1004 / Second Theme Excerpt (Easy Piano)' Artist: Bach, Johann Sebastian (sheet music) Born: 21 March 1685, Eisenach Died: 28 July 1750, Leipzig The Artist: One of the greatest composers of all time. Bach wrote hundreds of pieces for organ, choir, as well as many other instruments. BWV 1004 - The Chaconne submitted. While it seems like Bach secretly composed chorales like 'Christ lag in Todesbanden' or 'Dein Will gescheh, Herr Gott zugleich. Media in category 'BWV 1004 – Partita No. 2 in D minor for violin solo' The following 11 files are in this category, out of 11 total.

The Partita in D minor for solo violin (BWV 1004) by Johann Sebastian Bach was written between 1717 and 1720. It is a part of his compositional cycle called Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin.

• 3Transcriptions of the Ciaccona

Structure[edit]

The partita contains five movements, given in Italian as:

Except for the ciaccona, the movements are dance types of the time, and they are frequently listed by their French names: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, and Chaconne. The final movement is written in the form of variations, and lasts approximately as long as the first four movements combined.

Performance time of the whole partita varies between 26 and 32 minutes, depending on the approach and style of the performer.

Interesting facts[edit]

Professor Helga Thoene suggests that this partita, and especially its last movement, was a tombeau written in memory of Bach's first wife, Maria Barbara Bach (who died in 1720),^[1] though this theory is controversial.^[2]

Yehudi Menuhin called the Chaconne 'the greatest structure for solo violin that exists'.^[3]

Violinist Joshua Bell has said the Chaconne is 'not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history. It's a spiritually powerful piece, emotionally powerful, structurally perfect.' He played the piece busking in L'Enfant Plaza for The Washington Post.^[4]

Transcriptions of the Ciaccona[edit]

Piano transcriptions[edit]

Since Bach's time, several transcriptions of the piece have been made for other instruments, particularly for the piano (including those by Ferruccio Busoni, Alexander Siloti, and Joachim Raff), and for the piano left-hand (by Johannes Brahms and Géza Zichy).

Johannes Brahms, in a letter to Clara Schumann in June 1877, said about the ciaccona:

On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind.^[5]

Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann each wrote piano accompaniments for the work.

Carl Reinecke transcribed the piece for piano duet.

Organ transcriptions[edit]

The earliest version for organ is by William Thomas Best. Further transcriptions are by John Cook, Wilhelm Middelschulte, Walter Henry Goss-Custard (1915–55), and Henri Messerer (1838–1923).

In the preface to his 1955 transcription, John Cook writes: 'The Chaconne is sublimely satisfying in its original form, yet many will agree that a single violin is only able to hint at the vast implications of much of this music … It is perhaps not unreasonable to suppose that Bach would have chosen the organ, had he transcribed the Chaconne himself, as the instrument best suited to the scale of his ideas … A good performance on the violin may be taken as the best guide to interpretation on the organ — the two instruments are not without their points in common, and both were beloved of Bach.'

Cello transcriptions[edit]

There is a transcription of the Chaconne for solo cello made by cellist Johann Sebastian Paetsch in 2015. This has been published by the Hofmeister Musikverlag in Leipzig.^[6]

Guitar transcriptions[edit]

The Chaconne is often performed on guitar. Marc Pincherle, Secretary of the French Society of Musicology in Paris, wrote in 1930: 'If, insofar as certain rapid monodic passages are concerned, opinion is divided between the violin and the guitar as the better medium, the guitar always triumphs in polyphonic passages; that is to say almost throughout the entire work. The timbre of the guitar creates new and emotional resonance and unsuspected dynamic gradations in those passages which might have been created purely for the violin; as for instance the variations in arpeggi.'^[7]

The most well-known transcription for guitar is the Segovia transcription. Many guitarists today prefer to play the Chaconne directly from the violin score.^[8]

Orchestra transcriptions[edit]

There are a number of transcriptions of the Chaconne for orchestras of different sizes, including Leopold Stokowski's transcription for a full symphony orchestra.^[9]

Other transcriptions[edit]

Anne Dudley arranged Bach's Chaconne for piano trio, and a recording by the Eroica Trio appears on their Baroque album.

Literature[edit]

In 2005 Joseph C. Mastroianni published Chaconne The Novel. Milo, abandoned by the father who introduced him to Chaconne, studies in Spain for four years to master the piece.^[10]

In 2008 Arnold Steinhardt, the violin soloist and first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, published Violin Dreams, a memoir about his life as a violinist and about his ultimate challenge: playing Bach's Chaconne.^[11]

In 2017 Márta Ábrahám [hu] and Barnabás Dukay [hu] published a book about Bach's Chaconne: Excerpts from Eternity – The Purification of Time and Character, the Fulfilment of Love and Cooperation with the Celestial Will in Johann Sebastian Bach's Ciaccona for Violin.

References[edit]

Notes

1. ^Thoene 1994; Thoene 2001; Thoene 2003.
2. ^Altschuler 2005, 79, 85; Anderson 2002; Erickson 2002; Humphreys 2002; Rich 2006; Silbiger 1999, 374n34.
3. ^Menuhin 2001, 236.
4. ^Weingarten 2007.
5. ^Schumann & Brahms 1927, 2:16.
6. ^Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister Verlag, FH 3021, 3 Pieces from BWV 565, 903, 1004, Leipzig 2015, (Editor/Arranger – Johann Sebastian Paetsch), ISMN: 9790203430216
7. ^Pincherle 1930.
8. ^Berg 2009.
9. ^Smith 1990, 243.
10. ^Mastroianni n.d.
11. ^Block 2007.

Bibliography

• Altschuler, Eric Lewin. 2005. 'Were Bach's Toccata and Fugue BWV565 and the Ciacconia from BWV1004 Lute Pieces?' The Musical Times 146, no. 1893 (Winter): 77–86.
• Anderson, Rick. 2002. 'Johann Sebastian Bach: Morimur. Hilliard Ensemble; Christoph Poppen. ECM 289 461 895-2, 2001.' Notes, second series, 59, No. 1 (September): 145.
• Berg, Christopher. 2009. 'Bach, Busoni, Segovia, and the Chaconne'. Pristine Madness [Christopher Berg blog] (10 August) (accessed 20 June 2016)^{[unreliable source?]}
• Block, Melissa. 2007. 'Violin Dreams': Chasing Bach's Elusive Chaconne'. NPR Music (18 January) (accessed 20 June 2016).
• Erickson, Raymond. 2002. 'Secret Codes, Dance and Bach's Great 'Ciaccona'. Early Music America 8, no. 2:34–43.
• Humphreys, David. 2002. 'Esoteric Bach'. Early Music 30, no. 2 (May): 307.
• Mastroianni, Joseph C. n.d. Chaconne: The Novel. The Devil's Advocate (accessed 26 October 2014).
• Menuhin, Yehudi. 2001. Unfinished Journey, new edition. London: Pimlico. ISBN978-0-7126-6809-5.
• Pincherle, Marc. 1930. 'Bach and the Guitar'.^{[full citation needed]} (accessed 20 June 2016).
• Rich, Alan. 2006. 'Morimur: Is There Sex after Bach?' In his So I've Heard: Notes of a Migratory Music Critic, 66–67. Milwaukee: Amadeus. ISBN1-57467-133-2.
• Schumann, Clara, and Johannes Brahms. 1927. Letters of Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms, 1853–1896, 2 vols., edited by Berthold Litzmann. Encore Music Editions. London: E. Arnold; New York: Longmans, Green and Co. Reprinted, Westport, CT: Hyperion Press, 1979. ISBN0883557614.
• Silbiger, Alexander. 1999. 'Bach and the Chaconne'. The Journal of Musicology 17, no. 3 (Summer): 358–85.
• Smith, William Ander. 1990. The Mystery of Leopold Stokowski. Rutherford, Madison, and Teaneck: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press; London and Toronto: Associated University Presses.
• Thoene, Helga. 1994. 'Johann Sebastian Bach. Ciaconna—Tanz oder Tombeau. Verborgene Sprache eines berühmten Werkes'. In Festschrift zum Leopoldfest [15. Köthener Bachfesttage] , 14–81. Cöthener Bach-Hefte 6, Veröffentlichungen des Historischen Museums Köthen/Anhalt XIX. Köthen.
• Thoene, Helga. 2001. Johann Sebastian Bach, Ciaccona: Tanz oder Tombeau?—Eine analytische Studie. Oschersleben: Ziethen. ISBN3-935358-60-1.
• Thoene, Helga. 2003. 'Verborgener Klang und verschlüsselte Sprache in den Werken für Violine solo von Johann Sebastian Bach'. In AnsBACHwoche, Almanach: 25 Juli bis 3. August 2003, 22–35. Ansbach: Bachwoche Ansbach GmbH.
• Weingarten, Gene. 2007. 'Pearls Before Breakfast' (article text only); includes video. Washington Post Magazine (April 8; accessed September 18, 2011).

External links[edit]

• Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Bach's Second Violin Partita by Dmitri N. Smirnov
• Bach's Chaconne in D minor for solo violin: An application through analysis by Larry Solomon
• Chaconne for organ on YouTube, arranged by W. T. Best, played by D'Arcy Trinkwon
• Chaconne on YouTube, Nathan Milstein
• Recording of Busoni's transcription of the Chaconne by Boris Giltburg in MP3 format (archived on the Wayback Machine)
• Partita No. 2 (complete), played on electric bass by Dave Grossman (audio and video)
• Podcast, Arnold Steinhardt discusses his lifelong quest to master the chaconne
• Partita No. 2, performed on guitar by Yaron Hasson (from the Wayback Machine)

Performances

Recordings

Chaconne (No.5)

Complete Recording
*#473518 - 12.89MB - 14:05 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 9403×⇩ - MP3 - Carolus

For 12 Recorders (Eijkhout)

Complete Recording
*#359740 - 28.69MB - 12:32 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 13942×⇩ - MP3 - VictorEijkhout

Complete Recording
*#359456 - 30.83MB - 13:28 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 4148×⇩ - MP3 - Papalin

For Piano (Busoni)

Complete Recording
*#71715 - 14.05MB - 15:19 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 31747×⇩ - MP3 - Steligo

Complete Recording
*#528203 - 21.10MB - 17:00 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 395×⇩ - MP3 - Lumineux

Synthesized/MIDI

For Harpsichord (Gouin)

1. Allemande
*#350404 - 0.01MB - 4:36 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 1808×⇩ - MID - Keanur

⇒ 4 more: 2. Courante • 3. Sarabande • 4. Gigue • 5. Chaconne

2. Courante
*#350405 - 0.01MB - 2:42 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 507×⇩ - MID - Keanur

3. Sarabande
*#350406 - 0.01MB - 3:18 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 791×⇩ - MID - Keanur

4. Gigue
*#350407 - 0.02MB - 4:01 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 1028×⇩ - MID - Keanur

5. Chaconne
*#350408 - 0.04MB - 9:10 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 1523×⇩ - MID - Keanur

Chaconne (No.5)

For Piano (Busoni)

Synthesized Performance
*#173118 - 0.05MB - 13:26 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 2648×⇩ - MID - Hammondmania

For 4 Recorders (Tennent)

Synthesized Performance
*#515989 - 0.04MB - 14:20 - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N - 125×⇩ - MID - Rdtennent

Sheet Music

Scores

Complete Score
*#01307 - 0.91MB, 11 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 164568×⇩ - shikamoo

Complete Score
*#497336 - 1.05MB, 12 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - C*/V*/V*- 1525×⇩ - Sallen112

Complete Score with Technical Indications
*#371396 - 12.07MB, 26 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 56142×⇩ - Noeclement

Chaconne (No.5)

First Page
*#22958 - 5.55MB, 1 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 27564×⇩ - Perlnerd666

Arrangements and Transcriptions

Complete

For Recorder (Philp)

Complete Score (Recorder in C major)
*#271083 - 0.37MB, 8 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 10694×⇩ - Wes

Engraving files (scw)
*#271084 - 0.07MB, ? pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 1922×⇩ - Wes

For Harpsichord (Gouin)

Complete Score
*#379823 - 0.69MB, 20 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 4761×⇩ - arranger

⇒ 5 more: 1. Allemande • 2. Courante • 3. Sarabande • 4. Gigue • 5. Chaconne

1. Allemande
*#350400 - 0.13MB, 2 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 4033×⇩ - arranger

2. Courante
*#350401 - 0.08MB, 2 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 1063×⇩ - arranger

3. Sarabande
*#350402 - 0.07MB, 2 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 2011×⇩ - arranger

4. Gigue
*#350403 - 0.10MB, 3 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 2497×⇩ - arranger

5. Chaconne
*#129376 - 0.32MB, 10 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 9885×⇩ - arranger

For Flute (Kamioka)

Complete Score
*#577554 - 0.23MB, 18 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 155×⇩ - Powell7300

Selections

For Violin and Piano (Wilhelmj)

3. Sarabande - Complete Score and Violin Part
*#62906 - 0.18MB, 3 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 6075×⇩ - Afp0815

5. Chaconne - Complete Score and Violin Part
*#60970 - 1.41MB, 20 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 4912×⇩ - Afp0815

5. Chaconne - Violin Part
*#60971 - 0.58MB, 8 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 13525×⇩ - Afp0815

5. Chaconne - Violin Part
*#235386 - 0.83MB, 12 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 4175×⇩ - Afp0815

For Piano (Raff)

5. Chaconne
*#12094 - 1.68MB, 19 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V*- 5565×⇩ - Guifre

See:6 Violin Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001-1006 (No.4. Gigue (WoO 23 No.12))

Allemande (No.1)

For Viol (Yates)

Complete Score
*#526349 - 0.12MB, 6 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 841×⇩ - Rayates

Bach Chaconne Piano

For Viola (Hughes)

Complete Score
*#265253 - 0.09MB, 1 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 10948×⇩ - Miranda Hughes

Sarabande (No.3)

For Viola (Albanese)

Complete Score
*#503095 - 0.03MB, 1 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 865×⇩ - Amatus

Gigue (No.4)

For Saxophone (Manceaux)

Complete Score
*#505563 - 0.14MB, 6 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 697×⇩ - Ramancea

Chaconne (No.5)

For 12 Recorders (Eijkhout)

Complete Score
*#359522 - 5.74MB, 33 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 2187×⇩ - VictorEijkhout

Complete Parts
*#359523 - 13.77MB, 30 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 530×⇩ - VictorEijkhout

For 4 Recorders (Tennent)

Complete Score
*#515987 - 0.15MB, 16 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 463×⇩ - Rdtennent

Complete Parts
*#516153 - 0.21MB, 18 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 144×⇩ - Rdtennent

For Violin and Piano (Mendelssohn)

Complete Score
*#22485 - 2.12MB, 15 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 9682×⇩ - Generoso

For Violin and Piano (Mendelssohn and Schumann)

Complete Score
*#174478 - 1.95MB, 26 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 5106×⇩ - Generoso

Violin Part
*#174479 - 0.67MB, 8 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 8967×⇩ - Generoso

For Violin and Piano (Retsel)

Complete Score
*#172740 - 1.41MB, 11 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 1344×⇩ - Generoso

Violin Part
*#172741 - 0.86MB, 6 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 2895×⇩ - Generoso

For 2 Violins (Hermann)

Violin 1
*#68394 - 0.64MB, 10 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 7972×⇩ - Generoso

Violin 2
*#68395 - 0.21MB, 4 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 4260×⇩ - Generoso

For 2 Violins (Soontornniyomkij)

Complete Score
*#502664 - 0.39MB, 19 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 671×⇩ - VarunSoon

Violin 1
*#502665 - 0.27MB, 9 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 191×⇩ - VarunSoon

Violin 2
*#502666 - 0.18MB, 6 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 146×⇩ - VarunSoon

For 2 Pianos (Bologna)

Bwv 1004 Pdf

Complete Score
*#376516 - 1.27MB, 32 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 1123×⇩ - Mediumsize

For 2 Pianos (Luzzato)

Complete Score
*#96545 - 1.43MB, 25 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 2578×⇩ - Aggelos

Complete Score
*#355009 - 19.36MB, 26 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 229×⇩ - Hs46

For Flute (Kamioka)

Complete Score
*#93748 - 0.18MB, 5 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 10236×⇩ - Hideo Kamioka

For Cello (Bockmühl)

Complete Score
*#72350 - 3.13MB, 10 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 13359×⇩ - Kalliwoda

For Guitar (Jacquot)

Complete Score
*#24349 - 0.66MB, 12 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 13393×⇩ - arranger

For Guitar (Kuokkanen)

Complete Score
*#485387 - 0.44MB, 9 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 1067×⇩ - Vesa.kuokkanen

For Organ (Best)

Complete Score
*#474396 - 0.73MB, 13 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 162×⇩ - Keanur

For Piano (Busoni)

Complete Score
*#03613 - 1.12MB, 19 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 40393×⇩ - Guifre

Complete Score
*#05092 - 1.02MB, 18 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V*/V*/V*- 12204×⇩ - Mouchette

Complete Score (EU)
*#11000 - 8.06MB, 20 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/20/16- 6755×⇩ - Peter

For Piano or Harpsichord (Drillon)

Complete Score
*#427598 - 0.19MB, 15 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 1718×⇩ - Mouchette

For Piano (Harthan)

Complete Score
*#96330 - 1.36MB, 18 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 4745×⇩ - Aggelos

For Piano (Lamping)

Complete Score
*#391080 - 2.13MB, 16 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 387×⇩ - Notenquetser

For Piano (Pauer)

Complete Score
*#96332 - 1.64MB, 20 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 4294×⇩ - Aggelos

For Piano (Raff)

Complete Score
*#578698 - 9.51MB, 18 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 7×⇩ - Pianoman121

For Piano (Snuggs)

Complete Score
*#429177 - 0.34MB, 26 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 761×⇩ - Beetzart77

For Piano (Wilschau)

Complete Score
*#379782 - 9.57MB, 20 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 475×⇩ - Notenquetser

For Piano left hand (Brahms)

See:5 Studies, Anh.1a/1, by Johannes Brahms (No.5)

For Piano left hand (Philipp)

See:6 Violin Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001-1006 (4 Études pour la main gauche seule d'après J.-S. Bach, by Isidor Philipp, No.4)

For Piano left hand (Zichy)

Complete Score
*#64515 - 2.64MB, 20 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 4802×⇩ - Generoso

Complete Score (improved version)
*#365424 - 4.20MB, 19 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - V/V/V- 692×⇩ - Notenquetser

Other

Alternative notation (Klavarskribo)
*#554029 - 0.57MB, 15 pp. - 0.0/10 (-) - !N/!N/!N- 250×⇩ - NeptuneVII

General Information