The Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook

Description

The original Anna Magdalena Notebook was a collection of songs and keyboard pieces written and collected by J.S. Bach (1685-1750) as a gift to his second wife, Anna Magdalena (1701-1760). Many of the compositions were for Anna Magdalena, a gifted singer, while those chosen for this book were probably intended for some of their 13 children.

Bach liked to arrange his compositions for different instruments, according to what was available in a particular place at a particular time, and I like to think that had children played the double bass in the time of Bach, he himself would have arranged some of these pieces for the double bass.

The choice of key for each of these arrangements has been made to align as far as possible the age and stage of learning of a young bass player with that of a keyboard player learning the same pieces. Apart from Musette in Eb major, all other pieces have a maximum of two sharps or flats. The rhythms are not challenging and the bowings are kept as straight forward as possible.

View Download Editions

Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook (bass) ISMN: 979-0-708191-03-2
Anna Magdalena Back Notebook (piano) ISMN: 979-0-708191-04-9