Trio Sonata from Musikalisches Opfer BWV 1079 | Netherlands Bach Society

The Musikalisches Opfer is a special collection of chamber music within the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, written for Frederick the Great of Prussia. Musikalisches Opfer means ‘a musical offering’, and that is precisely how the collection originated. In May 1747, Bach was introduced to Frederick, who had heard that Bach was a great improviser and asked him on the spot to improvise a fugue on a given theme. According to the sources, Bach made a brilliant job of it and showed such enthusiasm about the ‘royal theme’ that he promised to have the fugue engraved ‘on copper’ and printed. No sooner said than done. Two months later, Bach published a series of compositions: a trio sonata, a three-part and a six-part ricercar and ten canons, all inspired by the king’s theme. In this ’Trio sonata for flute, violin and continuo’, performed by Shunske Sato, Marten Root, Mieneke van der Velden and Leo van Doeselaar, Bach hinted at the royal theme, rather than actually playing it in full. The bass line of the first movement gives a mere suggestion, while the chromatic lines in the fourth movement are reminiscent of the characteristic semitones. It is only in the second, fast movement that the unmistakeable ‘thema regium’ (royal theme) is heard, as a real ‘aha’ moment in the elegantly interwoven parts. Recorded for the project All of Bach on July 6th 2020 at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. If you want to help us complete All of Bach, please subscribe to our channel and consider donating We thank MWH4impact foundation for their generous support of this recording. MWH4impact aims to achieve social and cultural impact and joins the Netherlands Bach Society in their mission Bach for All. This version of the Musikalisches Opfer demonstrates the impact of innovation on our musical experience. It’s a work of art that matches the goals of MWH4impact. For the complete playlist of the Musikalisches Opfer BWV 1079 go to For more information on BWV 1079 and this production go to All of Bach is a project of the Netherlands Bach Society / Nederlandse Bachvereniging, offering high-quality film recordings of the works by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by the Netherlands Bach Society and its guest musicians. Visit our free online treasury for more videos and background material For concert dates and further information go to Shunske Sato, violin Marten Root, traverso Mieneke van der Velden, viola da gamba Leo van Doeselaar, fortepiano Fortepiano (instrument): Thomas and Barbara Wolf, 1997/1998 after Gottfried Silbermann, 1746 0:00 Largo 6:00 Allegro 12:26 Andante 15:38 Allegro