Research On Bach’s Violin Sonata No.2 And Its Performance

Violin in its essential quality is to be categorized as a single-melody instrument. Therefore, it requires an accompanying instrument to cover the harmonic part of the music. However, the creativity of J.S. Bach allowed him to compose polyphonic music for an accompanied violin. The second sonata for unaccompanied violin composed by J.S. Bach, creates a harmonic form in its entirety through one single violin.To understand this sonata from a theoretical point of view, one has to analyze it from many aspects. First of all, it is necessary to make research on the Baroque Period Music, in which the music of J.S.Bach belongs to, and also on the unique style of J.S.Bach’s compositions. For example, the second movement of this sonata is in Fugue form, the name of the movement is also "Fuga". The composing technique of counterpoint has reached its peak during the Baroque Period. It certainly is not a simple phenomenon when such a composing technique as the counterpoint, in which more than one independent voice come together to create polyphony, is used on a single-melody instrument. Therefore, it requires quite amount of theoretical research.In regard to the actual performance of the piece, one has to be aware of the performing style of the Baroque Period, and also of the characteristics of the Baroque instruments. After all, there is a 300-year gap between now and the time of J.S.Bach. From the time of J.S.Bach until now, along side the change of the historical society, there certainly have been many changes in terms of the general style of performance and the characteristics of the performing instruments. As in result, today’s performers have to find the most suitable way of performing the music of J.S.Bach on a modern violin.