Bach on the Lute

On this page you can find my intabulations and arrangements of selected works by Johann Sebastian Bach for baroque lute.

Some of these works were originally written for lute, while others are transcriptions of pieces composed for violin, cello, or keyboard. My aim has been to create musically convincing and practical versions for baroque lute, while remaining as close as possible to Bach’s musical language and the historical sources.

Alongside the scores you will find brief commentary and links to the primary sources, which may be useful for performers and for further study.

I hope these editions may be of interest to fellow lutenists and musicians exploring Bach’s music on the lute.

S. D. G.

Intabulations and arrangements of selected works by J. S. Bach for baroque lute.
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Well-tempered Clavier
Prelude BWV 846

Works for Lute
Suite BWV 995
Suite BWV 996
Prelude, Fugue & Allegro BWV 998
Prelude BWV 999
Fugue BWV 1000
Suite BWV 1006a

Works for Solo Violin
2. Partita BWV 1004

Cello Suites
1. Suite BWV 1007

Useful Links

Well-Tempered Clavier

Prelude BWV 846:

Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893, is a collection of 48 preludes and fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach, published in two books (1722 and 1742). It consist 24 preludes and 24 fugues written in 24 keys.

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Works for Lute

The works for lute (BWV 995 – 1000 and 1006a) of Johann Sebastian Bach come from diverse sources. They were first grouped together at the end of 19th century by the editors of Bach works. By analysis the sources and the playability on the lute it is obvious conclusion that most of works are not actually intended for lute but rather for some sort of keyboard instrument, probably Lautenwerk; a keyboard instrument that uses gut rather than metal strings trying to imitate a sound of lute.

By that in my mind I try to made my intabulations maximally playable on lute to get the best sound from the instrument and I did some compromises according to pragmatical spirit of lutenists form 18^th century.

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Suite BWV 995

The main source for my intabulation of BWV 995 was a manuscript in Bach hand with title Pièces pour La Luth à Monsieur Schouster par J. S. Bach (Bibliothéque Royale, Brussels. Pressmark: II.4085, Fétis-Katalog No. 2910). It is notated in tenor and bass clef. This autograph is Bach own arrangement of the 5^th cello Suite in c minor. I also consulted an anonymous 18^th century version in tablature (Title: G mol Pieces pour le lut par Sre  J. S. Bach, Musikbibliothek, Leipzig. Pressmark: Sammlung Becker III.11.3.).

The main problem that we have with this manuscript is that it’s lowest note is low G that don’t exist on 13c baroque lute. Some of the common practice on baroque lute is to choose between: transposing it to another key (usually A minor), to play low G octave higher (like in anonymous 18^th century version in tablature), to tune 13 course from A to G, to put two low string on the pegs of 13^th course and tune one to A and another to G, or (very rare) to use 14c baroque lute.

For now, I find that tuning 13^th course from low A to G is more satisfied solution for me (in intabulation I marked 13^th course tuned to low G as 7). I also played it transposed to A minor and from an anonymous 18^th century version in tablature. You can find links for sources below and you can download my intabulation of the whole suite in G and in A (only Prelude).

You can find on line manuscript here.

You can download anonymous 18^th century version in tablature here.

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Suite BWV 996

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Prelude, Fugue & Allegro BWV 998

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Prelude BWV 999 

Prelude BWV 999 C minor:

Prelude BWV 999 D minor:

The Prelude BWV 999 from the manuscript in the hand of Johann Peter Kellner (an organist and composer who know Bach) have the title ‘Prelude in C mol pour la Lute’. It was written in soprano and bass clefs. Today it is housed in Berlin in the Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz (Mus. Ms. Bach P 804).

You can download manuscript here.

Prelude BWV 999 was first published in a nineteenth century collection of keyboard music of ’12 Short Preludes for Beginners’ in the Edition Nouvelle. Association this piece with keyboard was also continued in the Bach Gesellschaft edition, but today may be considered that Prelude was probably written for the lute.

Here you can download my intabulation in C minor and in D minor. Both versions have their own unique beauty. C minor is a ‘bit darker’ and D minor version is closer to the guitar sort of transcription with open strings and more brilliance in sound.

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Fugue BWV 1000

With the title ‘Fuga del Signore Bach’ the Fugue BWV 1000 is an 18^th century arrangement in tablature of the second movement of the first Sonata for solo violin BWV 1001 by a Leipzig lawyer and lutenist Johann Christian Weyrauch. Weyrauch and Bach were friends and Bach was the namesake and godfather of his son Johann Sebastian Weyrauch who was christened on April 18, 1743. The other godfather of young Weyrauch was Johann Christian Hoffman, the famous luthier.

Weyrauch arrangement has some interesting ideas, but also some obvious minor mistakes. I tried to keep with respect everything that was possible and to correct those mistakes. Here are some examples what I consider to be questionable:

measure 14 (first beat) and measures 34 – 36: omission of a middle voice,

measure 63: bass line was incomplete so I used the violin version,

measure 95: (fourth beat) I changed bass note from C# to D and remove the chord.

Also, I changed few bass lines an octave down where I feel that It suites better to the nature of the lute music.

Main source for my intabulation was Weyrauch manuscript but I consulted Bach handwriting of BWV 1001 and also BWV 539, the anonymous organ arrangement of the Fugue, transposed in D minor.

Manuscript BWV 1000 is housed in Leipzig Musikbibliothek (Sammlung Becker III.11.4.) and you can find digital version here.

You can also download all Weyrauch manuscripts in one file here.

Manuscript BWV 539 of organ arrangement of the Fugue you can download here.

Manuscript BWV 1001 from 6 Violin Sonatas and Partitas you can find here.

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Suite BWV 1006a

Suite BWV 1006a is Bach’s own arrangement of the third Partita for solo violin BWV 1006. Both of Bach’s autograph manuscripts are preserved and here are the links on the imslp were you can download it for free:

BWV 1006 manuscript

BWV 1006a manuscript

The suite is unplayable on lute in the original E major tonality. The original title page of Suite has been lost so it is not clear for which instrument originally this arrangement was made. Harp and keyboard can be also reasonable candidates for this arrangement.

I have decided to play Suite in F major, which is a common practice among lutenists today. In F major it is almost everything playable and it sound natural with good resonance of the instrument.

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Works for Solo Violin

Some of Bach’s works for solo violin adapt remarkably well to the baroque lute. The instrument’s ability to sustain harmony and articulate several voices allows the implied polyphony of the violin writing to emerge with particular clarity.

This connection is also reflected in Bach’s own practice: the Fugue in G minor (BWV 1000) is Bach’s lute arrangement of the Fugue from the Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor (BWV 1001). Such relationships between violin and lute repertoire reveal how flexible Bach’s musical textures can be when approached from different instrumental perspectives.

2. Partita BWV 1004

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Cello Suites

Bach’s Cello Suites have long inspired arrangements for a variety of instruments. Their clear harmonic foundation and implied polyphony allow the music to adapt naturally to the baroque lute.

In transcription, the sustained bass and resonant sonority of the lute can bring out the harmonic structure of the music while preserving the flowing character of Bach’s original writing.

1. Suite BWV 1007

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