2005 Oct. 26.
At the time, I could not figure out how to attach a music score example, but now I can, so I have added the Prefecture Order.
We are practicing this piece diligently as we are going to play it in our December concert. This piece has already been commercially arranged by Mr. Kitamikado for four altos and a bass from Vivaldi's original. I have practiced with that score a long time ago. That is fine, but the problem that always arises when playing Vivaldi is the “thinness of sound". There are four solos, but two solos will suffice. This is boring. This is where Bach comes in.
Bach's arrangements are truly unique, but the main characteristics are as follows.
1. the addition of melodic accompaniment to the other three solo instruments to the complete solo part of the original piece. Taking the first movement as an example, the method is taken in bars 28 and 59 and below. Especially in the latter, the added melody is working so hard that the original melody line is hidden. In my arrangement, I even added the accompaniment notes for strings. The melody below measure 101 was originally written in four unisons, but I divided it into four melodies.
2. melodicization of the middle and bass clefs. This is also noticeable in bars 59 and below. The bass part is more difficult than the solo part, and the role of the tenor part becomes more important. Most of the notes assigned to the tenor are the left hand parts of the harpsichord, but most of them are Bach's own creations. The end of the tutti has especially careful additions (under bar 9, bar 16, bar 26, etc.).
3. The same harmonic progression appears six times in bars 86 and below. Originally, all of them are repetitions of the same melody, but Bach substituted different ones for all of them and made them into 6 variations. Especially in the alto 4 below measure 93, a melody unexpected from the original appears.
4. expansion of the tutti part. Vivaldi's tutti part is completely silent in the solo part. In his case, it is understandable because he thinks that solo and tutti are “contrast of ensemble and chamber music”, but in Bach's case, he takes the way of “solo in ensemble”, so tutti part also appears in the solo part.
The Bach version inevitably has a lot of sounds because of this. And when there are four harpsichords, they are noisy enough by themselves, so some people criticize “I don't know what I'm doing”. However, having a large number of available notes is not a disadvantage for recorder arrangements. The four solo parts are almost completely transposed, but many of the sounds are brought in from other parts, so the roles change from time to time. The arrangement is different from the original, but you might want to take that into account a little when you play it.