J.S.Bach’s Invention 6 BWV 777 arr. violin & cello The realisation plays back at 28 bpm to the minute. Accompaniments are in place allowing string players to participate in ensemble activities as part of practice routines. This is an excellent duo piece encouraging good intonation accuracy in playing and the development of a sense of pulse so essential in ensemble playing. Accompaniments are in place allowing both violinists and cellists to participate in ensemble activities as part of their practice routines. The violin sounds on one side of the stereo channel and cello on the other. There is a four bar count in sounding on the wood blocks. A legato approach to playing is demostrated in the sheet music video but string players may well chose to play pizzicato for this invention. It is a movement that features figuration and an exploration of shapes rather than ornamentation. The two voices are frequently moving in contrary motion. This invention sounds so easy on the ear but it is a challenging to read because of the accidentals. The repeats whilst indicated in the sheet music score are not played in the mp3 realisation or the accompaniments The reading of the notes and accidentals requires attention especially in the second section and note values need to played accurately. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Two Part Inventions and 15 Three Part Sinfonias and many of them provide excellent opportunities for duo and trio playing. When played in an ensemble context there is not much other music that can better prepare players for this type of music activity.
