From continuo to obbligato cembalo: A study of the changing role of the harpsichord in J. S. Bach's harpsichord concertos and solo sonatas with obbligato cembalo

One of the most significant and far-reaching musical developments of the eighteenth century was reflected in the changing attitude toward the basso continuo or thorough-bass. Retained as a prerequisite for the performance of all music since the beginning of the seventeenth century, the continuo represented much more than a mere performance practice, for in effect it controlled the very style and texture of virtually all musical composition. So pervasive was this practice that the continuo role became the principal function of the harpsichord in the period, and many tutors were written on the subject of thorough-bass accompaniment. Despite such wide-spread acceptance, however, adherence to basso continuo began to weaken in the mid-eighteenth century, becoming nearly obsolete by the 1770's and 1780's in the face of a growing recognition that its function had become superfluous.;Bach's harpsichord concertos, BWV 1052-58, form the central core of this study and reflect not only the emerging solo cembalo but also the early evolution of the keyboard concerto. Ultimately this development, transmitted further via Bach's sons Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian, was to be of far-reaching import to the shaping of a new genre which would not be fully realized until the keyboard concertos of Mozart and Beethoven.;The shift away from continuo practice was most apparent in chamber music with smaller instrumentation. In the early stages of this transition appeared a number of chamber works by J. S. Bach which not only illustrate the emerging obbligato cembalo but also provide a means of observing the very process of transformation, since the harpsichord part is derived to a considerable degree from what previously had been a continuo part. Parallel versions of both concertos and sonatas permit comparison and shed light on the important process of adaptation. While the concertos generally are more brilliant in execution than the sonatas, there are nonetheless common elements, particularly with regards to the derivation and formation of the cembalo bass part.