Bach, JS: 3 Sonatas For Viola Da Gamba, BWV 1027-1029/Peters,CD

Category: Cello and Piano ** Title: Three Sonatas for Viola da Gamba BWV 1027 1029 ** Composer: JS Bach ** Book/Part: with Play-Along CD ** Publisher: Peters Edition ** Rating 4-5.

The Bach Sonatas for Viola da Gamba were composed during his tenure as Kapellmeister of Prince Leopold in Cothen, himself an accomplished gambist. Today, these pieces remain popular both on the cello and the double bass. They are serious pieces, often lively and contrapuntal and always interesting.

"Bass teachers: This is an excellent edition of Bach's three Gamba Sonatas. Written originally for the viola da gamba, they translate extremely well into three beautiful and deceptively challenging pieces that should be added to the repertoire of any young, growing bassist. The sonatas range from first position, up the neck and into thumb position with a lot of opportunities to work on cross-string technique, ornamentation, and tone of the instrument, while providing a strong base for later work on Bach's cello suites. They are also written in more than one clef, adding the opportunity for your student to work in the tenor clef. The edition is the urtext and printed large so there's lots of room for a student's own markings."

Grading: (More musically challenging, shifting and more complex rhythms, more difficult key signatures, more advanced bowings and techniques, suitable for someone with fairly extensive playing ability).