15 Sinfonias for String Trio, Viola

VIOLA PART. VOLUME 3 OF 4. Bach wrote in the preface to the Sinfonias that we should work above all to “achieve a cantabile style in playing and at the same time acquire a strong foretaste of composition.” It’s this endeavor to achieve a singing style that gave me the idea to transcribe these little gems, part of the pianist’s catechism, for “singing” instruments—that and my desire to have more repertoire to play as a cellist in a string trio. Often referred to as three-part inventions, Bach’s Sinfonias (Sinfonien) reflect the master’s continuing concern for the complete education of musicians. They were indeed conceived originally for keyboard—and are rather more difficult to play than the two-part Inventions—but as always in Bach’s keyboard works, their probative value reaches far beyond the mere pressing down of keys in the proper order. Bach sought to teach the complete musician in his Clavier Übung, of which the Sinfonias are a part. Übung is translated for our purposes not just as practice in the general sense of learning keyboard technique. It also means emersion in the professional essence of the art, as in the practice of medicine or law. These pieces are about learning composition and style, and, in short, how to bring music to life.