Organ Sonata in C minor

At a glance

• What it isthe first movement of Organ Trio Sonata No. 2. Right hand, left hand and feet each take one line.
• Who, when, whyBach bound the six into one collection in Leipzig around 1730. They are said to have been for the practice of his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann.
• What to listen forthe difference between passages where all three parts ring out together and passages where the two hands trade.

Listen for

• The openingover a pedal that walks with clear steps, the two hands present the C minor theme with force.
• Tradingone hand tosses out a short figure and the other catches it and passes it on. The same pattern moves between right and left keyboards.
• The returnthe opening theme reappears and sets up the frame of the piece, much like the passages in a concerto where everyone plays together.

When it was written

Bach studied the Italian concerto closely. As a young man in Weimar he arranged concertos by Italian composers such as Vivaldi for keyboard, learning how they were built. The concerto's way of bringing back the same theme as a frame runs through this movement too.

Trio sonatas are very hard to play. Each hand plays a different melody on a different keyboard, and the feet must tread an independent line as well. Even today this collection is important study material for anyone learning the organ.