Johann Sebastian Bach and his works for solo violin Alois Kottmann
It is a unique feat in the history of music that a composer succeeded in reducing the full expressive force of his major vocal-instrumental works down to just one instrument, without incurring artistic losses; naturally he was helped by the polyphonic compositional form of his time. The 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin which the 35 year old Bach composed show just how all-embracing the overarching plan of his artistic output was, but they also allow multiple parallels to be drawn to his other more elaborate instrumental and vocal works. By definition, this reduction, - i.e. the violin taking on the role of other instruments, including the organ - represents the basic artistic challenge in performing these works. The technical resolution of these pieces to date has been less convincing than for any other in the violin literature. How can the "little fiddle", generally regarded as a soprano instrument, rise to meet this immense challenge? To achieve this we need to release the violin from the shackles of its historical limitations, to bestow upon it the role of the organ or grand piano; to let this singing instrument grow the "wings" of a chord-playing instrument such as the guitar.
