Johann Sebastian Bach
Italian Concerto
in F Major, BWV 971

Using the keyboard to emulate a traditional Concerto with orchestra and soloist, this three-movement work is one of Bach’s most popular keyboard pieces.

ID: 1545
Johann Sebastian Bach

Italian Concerto
BWV 971

Key: F Major
Year: 1735
Level: 8
Period: Baroque
piano sheet music Piano score: PS Urtext Download
piano sheet music Piano score: Bach-Gesellschaft edition Download
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A Concerto for solo keyboard

The Italian Concerto is one of Bach’s most popular keyboard pieces. Using the keyboard to emulate a traditional Concerto with orchestra and soloist, it consists of three movements: a proud and joyous Allegro in F major, a pensive arioso-style Andante in d minor, and an intense finale marked Presto, again in F major. Both outer movements are in ritornello style, alternating recurring sections meant to imitate orchestral tutti with “solo” sections. The forte and piano markings, unusual for Bach, help guide the player by highlighting melodies and recurrences of the tutti themes.

Background

Bach published his “Concerto in the Italian Style”, now known as the Italian Concerto, in 1735. In contrast to many of his keyboard works, which can be played on any keyboard instrument – in Bach’s time, this included the harpsichord, clavichord, or organ – it is clear this piece was composed for a two-manual harpsichord.


Forum posts about this piece:

Please help Presto from Italian Concerto!! by marijn1999
Hi guys, So I have this piano competition coming up in a little under three weeks and I'm freaking out because I chose to play Bach�...

Same Question - Too Old to Start and possible exercise in futility by mbpress01
Hi all and thanks for this great site and for the folks who post here regularly.  Similar story you have read many times as I played fo...

Bach Fantasies,Partitas, and Italian Concerto by chopinawesome
Which piece would you recommend? ...

Italian Concerto technique by alpacinator1
I'm learning the first movement of Bach's Italian Concerto. I've been playing the notes with a more staccato style, but my te...

Italian Concerto by BoliverAllmon
How hard is the Italian Concerto? I have played Bach's a minor P&F book II and his D Maj. book I as well as several smaller pieces....

Difficulty of Bach Italian concerto by schubertiad
I need to prepare a bach piece for an audition in a few months, and have a number of candidates: a P+F english suite no.2 prelude italian co...

Bach's Italian Concerto by uncle_trapspringer
    Hello, this is my first post, though I've been lurking around the forums for a while.  I'll be sixteen in a co...

Italian Concerto recordings by sevan626
Who is your favorite interpreter of Bach's Italian Concerto?  I only have Gould's recording but would like to explore more....

Bach - Italian Concerto by Womble
this is my first post im currently doing my grade 8 piano and have choen the bach italian concerto presto. i have trouble with the left hand...


Member's recordings of piece:

J.S. Bach: Italian Concerto, BWV 971 by swilliams002
[www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjMM7S4tjA][www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjMM7S4tjA/] I'm curious to hear criticisms of my performance of this pi...

Bach - Italian Concerto, BWV 971 by andhow04
the Italian Concerto is beloved by audience, not by Bach scholars, but it shows Bach was willing to venture into every corner of music to ma...

Bach Italian Concerto - warts and all by jimroof
More from my old college recital tapes.  A few notes... This was performed as part of my Junior recital that included three Debussy Pr...


Members who like this piece have also downloaded:

DOWNLOAD Italian Concerto in F Major BWV 971 by Johann Sebastian Bach (published in 1735) . High quality classical piano scores from the Piano Street sheet music library.
Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the prominent composers active in the Baroque era, has written this piece titled Italian Concerto BWV 971 in F Major . The composition is categorized as "Piece" in Piano Street's sheet music library and the level of difficulty is 8.