155 Days With Bach and Me

I’ll bet violinists love this stuff.

Compositions for solo violin give musicians a chance to shine.

And shine. And shine.

There’s a Swedish heavy-metal guitarist named Yngwie Malmsteen who plays like the soloist (Mark Lubotsky) does on this CD — fast, bobbing and weaving, flowing in and around a melody, with so many notes that his sheet music must be black with them.

Here’s what I mean:

These solo violin compositions are the equivalent of Yngwie’s shredding — especially Sonate No. 3 in C major (BWV 1005). Lubotsky, a jaw-dropping musician whose mastery of the instrument is truly remarkable (here’s his entry on Wikipedia) turns in an Yngwie-like performance on the Largo movement from Sonate No. 3 in C major.

I wonder what Bach would have thought of Yngwie’s performance of his music?

Next time you see Bach, play this clip for him. Let me know what he says.

On today’s Bach CD, the composition with the most variety is Partita No. 3 in E major (BWV 1006). But the “fastest” one (Yngwie style!) is the aforementioned Sonate No. 3 in C major. It’s not that the guy’s fingers start smoking or anything. It’s just a lot of intricate noodling up and down the neck. It’s a virtuoso performance.

Sadly, these compositions, for all their technical brilliance and masterful performances, leave me cold after a while. Same thing happens with Yngwie’s music. The guy is a certified wizard of the six string. But I can’t listen to solo after solo after solo without growing impatient or nodding off.

A blazing guitar solo is amazing if it’s set apart from everything else. If that’s all one hears, its wonder fades. Sort of like what would happen if you loved eating honey on an English Muffin for breakfast every morning. If you wanted to maximize your honey intake and so you skipped the English Muffin and just drank cups of honey, you’d get sick of it (probably literally!) very soon. Honey is great in small doses. Too much of it is overpowering and overwhelming.

That’s how I feel about these Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. One composition is sufficient. But three? And another CD full of them tomorrow?

There compositions on this CD are:
BWV 1001 – 1720
BWV 1002 – 1720
BWV 1003 – 1720
Bach was 35 years old when he composed these pieces.