Johann Christian Bach, 1735-1782. Concerto in c for Viola and Strings. Scored for string orchestra with solo viola.
Johann Christian Bach, youngest son of Johann Sebastian (the man we think of today as ``the'' Bach), was perhaps the most successful of the Bach children. During his life, it was he, rather than his father, who was well-known on the European continent. As prolific as the rest of his family, he wrote in nearly every musical form during his career.
Towards the end of his life, J.C. Bach became dissatisfied with the concert hall he had been using to present his works in London, and joined with Carl Friedrich Abel (who played the viola da gamba, a predecessor to the modern cello) in a venture to find a new venue. After much searching, they located and purchased an estate in Hanover Square. The decision proved unfortunate, however, for after achieving some initial success, the box-office receipts fell precipitously, and the failure of the hall certainly contributed to the financial ruin that marked the end of Bach's life.
During the Hanover Square period, Bach wrote a number of works for performance in the hall. One of these was a cello (or gamba) concerto in C minor, which was probably premiered by Abel. Since the viola is tuned precisely an octave higher than a cello, it is easy to perform the concerto on the smaller instrument, and the composer's choice of a relatively low register is well suited for bringing out the richest part of the viola sound. The flowery ornamentation of the outer movements, together with the lyrical mourning of the slow movement, serve as excellent examples not only of the Rococo style, but of J.C. Bach's neglected talents as a composer.
© 1997, Geoff Kuenning
SPECIAL NOTE ON AVAILABILITY: Because of the nature
of this work, I often get requests from conductors and violists who
are trying to locate performance parts. As of early 2007, I am told
that the Boosey and Hawkes rental library can supply parts. Thanks to
Dan Larson of Ponca City, OK, for this information.
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