String Ensemble,String Quintet Viola - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.813408 Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged by Regis Bookshar. Baroque,Concert,Instructional,Standards,World. Score and parts. 45 pages. Regis Bookshar #6209851. Published by Regis Bookshar (A0.813408). Viola Quintet - Advanced - Digital Download. This must-have arrangement would be a fabulous addition to any music library and could be performed for concerts and recitals and could also be performed for church services. This brilliant work by Johann Sebastian Bach is an adaptation of Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Four Violins and String Orchestra in B minor. Bach had gotten to know Vivaldi's concertos while he was an organist at Weimar, where he transcribed ten of them for solo harpsichord and six of them for organ. Originally written in B minor, Bach transposed it to A minor and, while preserving the melodic outline as conceived by Vivaldi for four violins, this later adaptation, from around 1730, for four harpsichords and string orchestra, is far more ambitious. In it, Bach has both tightened and expanded Vivaldi's counterpoint, enriched it with lusher harmonies and expanded the solo parts with greater complexity and greater clarity. The result is a composition that actually improves on the original work. Written in the standard three-movement concerto form of the Baroque period, Bach's Concerto for Four Claviers in A minor is a virtuoso piece for the soloists. Regis Bookshar has now rearranged the first movement of this concerto, marked Allegro, for a Viola Quintet, while maintaining the energy and virtuosity of Bach's original work. This arrangement is intended to be performed by accomplished players and may prove to be a huge challenge for many players, but, I think, it will be worth the effort. Included are a score and a complete set of parts (45 pages). In addition to this version for 5 Violas, other arrangements of this selection are also available for a variety of Instrumental Quintets, some of which are in the original key of Concert A minor and some have been transposed to Concert G minor, making it a little easier for some performers, as well as numerous other arrangements in a wide variety of styles. I would encourage you to search for other arrangements by Regis Bookshar. You may find something else which might interest you as well. I'm certain that this exciting arrangement will be a challenge to many performers but will continue to entertain both performers and audiences alike for years to come. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed working on it.
