Partita for Violin No. 2 (Bach)

Lore & Background

Its movements, except for the Chaconne, are dance types of the time: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, and Chaconne. The final Chaconne is written in variation form and lasts approximately as long as the first four movements combined. The performance time of the whole partita varies between 26 and 32 minutes. This theory is controversial. The Chaconne has been praised by musicians such as Yehudi Menuhin, who called it 'the greatest structure for solo violin that exists,' and Joshua Bell, who described it as 'not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history.' Johannes Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann that the piece contains 'a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings.'

The Chaconne has been transcribed numerous times. Raymond Erickson has identified approximately two hundred transcriptions and arrangements. These include versions for organ, harpsichord, piano (including left-hand arrangements by Brahms, Paul Wittgenstein, and Géza Zichy), cello, guitar, orchestra, string quartet, piano trio, voices, pedal harp, and baroque lute. The most well-known guitar transcription is by Segovia. The piece has also been choreographed almost fifty times.

Reader's Guide

Its Chaconne, in particular, has been widely regarded as a pinnacle of solo violin writing, praised for its emotional power and structural perfection. The work's influence extends through numerous transcriptions for various instruments, reflecting its adaptability and enduring appeal. The controversy over its possible function as a tombeau for Bach's first wife adds a layer of biographical intrigue, though this remains unconfirmed. The Chaconne's popularity has led to its use in literature, such as Joseph C. Mastroianni's novel 'Chaconne The Novel' and Arnold Steinhardt's memoir 'Violin Dreams,' as well as in dance choreography. The piece continues to be performed and studied, with ongoing scholarly and artistic engagement, as evidenced by recent recordings and publications. Its legacy is one of profound musical expression and technical challenge, inspiring performers and listeners across genres and centuries.

Did You Know?

• The Chaconne lasts approximately as long as the first four movements of the partita combined.
• Professor Helga Thoene controversially suggested the Chaconne was a tombeau for Bach's first wife, Maria Barbara Bach.
• Raymond Erickson has identified approximately two hundred transcriptions and arrangements of the Chaconne.
• The Chaconne has been choreographed almost fifty times.

Composition and Architecture

Its five movements follow the dance vocabulary of the era, traditionally identified by their French designations: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue. The fifth and final movement, the Chaconne, departs from this dance-form convention entirely, unfolding instead as an extended set of variations. Remarkably, this single movement stretches to roughly the combined duration of the preceding four, making it the structural and emotional center of gravity for the entire work. A complete performance typically spans between twenty-six and thirty-two minutes, a range that reflects the wide interpretive latitude performers bring to tempo, phrasing, and the balance between the lighter dance movements and the monumental closing variation. The partita's architecture thus moves from relatively compact, character-driven dance forms into an expansive, architecturally complex finale that redefines what a single string instrument can sustain.

Critical Reverence and Personal Testimony

Few works in the Western canon have provoked such unguarded, almost reverential responses from performers and scholars. Yehudi Menuhin distilled his admiration into a single declarative sentence, calling the Chaconne the greatest structure ever written for solo violin. Johannes Brahms, writing to Clara Schumann, confessed that Bach had packed an entire world of the deepest thought and most powerful feeling onto a single stave for a small instrument, and that merely imagining he could have conceived such a piece would have driven him out of his mind through sheer excitement. Joshua Bell, in more contemporary terms, has described the Chaconne not merely as one of the greatest compositions in history but as one of the greatest achievements of any human being, praising its spiritual power, emotional depth, and structural perfection. This theory, while compelling, remains controversial among scholars.

A Century-and-a-Half of Transcription

Raymond Erickson has catalogued approximately two hundred transcriptions and arrangements of the Chaconne, a testament to the work's gravitational pull across instruments and centuries. The earliest organ version is attributed to William Thomas Best, followed by contributions from John Cook, Wilhelm Middelschulte, Walter Henry Goss-Custard, and Henri Messerer. On the harpsichord, Gustav Leonhardt and Pieter-Jan Belder each produced solo arrangements. The piano has received the most attention: Ferruccio Busoni, Alexander Siloti, Joachim Raff, and Rudolf Lutz all wrote full transcriptions, while Johannes Brahms, Paul Wittgenstein, and Géza Zichy crafted left-hand-only versions. Mendelssohn and Schumann each supplied piano accompaniments, and Carl Reinecke adapted the piece for piano duet. Beyond keyboard, the Chaconne has been transcribed for solo cello by Johann Sebastian Paetsch in 2015, published by Hofmeister in Leipzig, for guitar most famously in the Segovia transcription, for full symphony orchestra by Leopold Stokowski, and for string quartet by A.M. Herz. More recent adaptations include Anne Dudley's piano trio arrangement, Christoph Poppen's setting for violin and four voices, pedal-harp versions by Dewey Owens and Skaila Kanga, and a baroque lute transcription by José Miguel Moreno.

Beyond the Score: Dance, Literature, and Public Life

The Chaconne's influence radiates far beyond the concert hall. Bach's violin Ciaccona has been choreographed for the dance stage nearly fifty times, a remarkable number that underscores its rhythmic and structural richness as a foundation for movement. In literature, the piece has inspired multiple works: Joseph C. The piece has also entered the realm of public spectacle: Joshua Bell performed the Chaconne busking in Washington, D.C.'s L'Enfant Plaza as a feature for The Washington Post, bringing the work to an audience far removed from the traditional concert setting.