Sonata en A menor, Wq. 132

Written in 1747 while C P E Bach was in Berlin, probably for his then employer Frederick the Great or for Frederick’s teacher, J J Quantz, it was not printed until 1763. Like his father J S Bach, C P E Bach chose the key of A minor for his only compositon for solo flute but it’s structure is quite different to that of Bach senior.

Like J. S. Bach’s Partita in A minor (BWV 1013), the sonata edited here is considered one of the most important works for solo flute of the eighteenth century. In contrast to J. S. Bach’s composition which still represents the traditional, polyphonic and figurative style, the work of the young Bach displays great sensitivity and, occasionally, an almost romantic expressiveness.

This new edition of C. P. E. Bach’s Sonata in A minor is based on a copy in the anthology “Musikalisches Mancherley”; the editor owes his thanks to the Zurrich Central Library.