The Solo Lute Works of Johann Sebastian Bach for Guitar – Bach didn’t specifically write any works for the lute, at least not in practical terms. He likely composed the works on lute- harpsichord (lautenwerk), an uncommon instrument, and so they became popularly known as Lute Suites. Bach was familiar with lute players of the day such as Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1687–1750) and so it is not inconceivable that Bach could have imagined a lute performing the work or even loosely intended it. That said, in terms of performance difficulty and suitability, they are keyboard works or at least unspecified instrumentation. Some movements are far easier than others though.
Bach Lute Works from this Site
- Bouree from BWV 996 by Bach, Gr. 6, Free Sheet Music or TAB
- Prelude in D minor, BWV 999 by Bach, Gr.7, Sheet Music or TAB
- Prelude in E Major, Lute Suite BWV1006a – Free Unfingered, Fingered, or Tab edition.
- Suite in E Minor BWV 996 by Bach (Complete), Advanced, Free Unfingered, Sheet Music or Tab
Recommended Books from Other Publishers
The Solo Lute Works of Johann Sebastian Bach for Guitar– This collection edited by Frank Koonce features transcriptions of the complete solo lute works by J. S. Bach in a modern guitar notation. This revised second edition provides a thoughtful combination of scholarship and practical performance solutions. It includes not only historical data, articles discussing aspects of baroque performance, and facsimiles of the original manuscripts, but also authoritative fingerings, interpretative remarks, and convenient foldout pages. This collection is an essential learning tool for guitar students, and a wonderful addition to any professional guitar’s repertoire.
Buy or Learn More via Amazon: Lute Works of Johann Sebastian Bach (Koonce)
Publisher’s Text: “This collection edited by Frank Koonce features transcriptions of the complete solo lute works by J. S. Bach in a modern guitar notation. This revised second edition provides a thoughtful combination of scholarship and practical performance solutions. It includes not only historical data, articles discussing aspects of baroque performance, and facsimiles of the original manuscripts, but also authoritative fingerings, interpretative remarks, and convenient foldout pages. This collection is an essential learning tool for guitar students, and a wonderful addition to any professional guitar’s repertoire.”
More Editions
- The Complete Lute Works of J. S. Bach edited by Jozsef Eotvos – I haven’t actually seen this but a complete edition with facsimiles is always of interest.
- Suite for Lute E major BWV 1006a. Edited by Konrad Ragossnig. Schott Music. – Decent and reasonable fingering.
- There is a Zigante Complete Lute Suites which I liked for comparison but it seems out of print or at least no googlable.
- Opere Complete Per Liuto – Nuova Edizione Critica a cura di Paolo Cherici – BWV 995, 996, 997, 998, 999, 1000, 1006a. By Paolo Cherici. I also have not seen this one but it’s a good publisher so I’m interested.
There are many more for the individual suites and movements. Let me know about your favourites in the comment section below.
