Exposition

IN BACH'S FOOTSTEPS: Transcribing Vivaldi for the harpsichord (2025)

Pablo García Valles
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About this exposition

After reviewing the work of the main composers who contributed to the field of harpsichord transcription, one figure stands out above the rest: J. S. Bach. While this may not be an unexpected conclusion, what is truly remarkable is the diverse and imaginative set of techniques Bach employed to transform Vivaldi’s music into new keyboard works. His transcriptions go far beyond a mere transfer of notes from the orchestral score to the keyboard; rather, he enriches the original material to such an extent that the result becomes an independent keyboard composition, making one forget that it is a transcription at all. After analysing and compiling the key mechanisms underlying his approach, this study presents a personal transcription of Vivaldi’s Concerto RV 443, following principles similar to those used by Bach.
typeresearch exposition
keywordsharpsichord, Bach, vivaldi, arrangement, Transcription, arrangements, transcriptions
date20/11/2024
published14/07/2025
last modified14/07/2025
statuslimited publication
copyrightPablo García Valles, 2024
licenseCC BY-NC-ND
languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/3209659/3209660
published inKC Research Portal
portal issue3. Internal publication

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comments: 1 (last entry by Bert Mooiman - 06/03/2025 at 09:23)