Bach, Johann Sebastian , Weiss, Silvius Leopold: Lute Suite in A Major

The history of music sometimes holds surprises and extraordinary coincidences, making the already rich and fascinating world of sounds even more wonderful. Sometimes these are unusual events regarding the circulation of a work or the struggle for its survival over the years, other times they are exceptional biographical events regarding the composers. In this case, however, it is a piece which is unique in its characteristics, given by its compositional genesis and surprising double paternity. The Suite (“Suonata”) SW 47 for lute by Sylvius Leopold Weiss is unusual since it has a concertante violin part composed by none other than Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s Suite BWV 1025 for violin and harpsichord, once considered of doubtful attribution, in fact has the harpsichord part which coincides perfectly with Weiss’s Suite, as was recently discovered from a comparison of the sources. The violin part, on the other hand – entirely composed by Bach – is set as a melodic addition separate from Weiss’s musical material, almost a free improvisation on the Suite, and recalls the similar intervention made by Charles Gounod in 1859 on the first prelude of the Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846 with his Ave Maria. The only piece which is an exception (published here in the appendix) is the Fantasia, not present in Weiss’s Suite, therefore composed for violin and harpsichord by Bach and not possible to perform without the violin part. The Suite [Suonata] SW 47 by Weiss is a piece of notable musical quality composed for baroque lute with thirteen courses. Little performed by lutenists and guitarists, it possesses all the best characteristics of the compositions of the great German lutenist: compositional refinement, elegance of style and variety of expression. Bach’s “added melody”, composed with his usual supernatural skill, puts the original Suite in a new light, as if it were re-appearing in attire of extraordinary elegance. This violin part comments on the original lute theme without suffocating it, playing with Weiss’s musical elements by extrapolating thematic ideas, imitating them or performing free digressions. Bach’s part also reveals great imagination and variety of expression, although always following the affetti of Weiss’s movements, to which he often adds complex interlocking rhythms and a marked virtuoso spirit. The initial Fantasia embodies the very spirit of this musical form: a free and capricious expression of the composer’s creative flair, in a succession of musical ideas which are always new.