Piano Sonatas, Selection

As a pedagogue and composer, Johann Sebastian Bach’s second eldest son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, was preeminent in the field of keyboard music during the transitional period between the baroque and classical eras. From his over 150 keyboard sonatas we have assembled a three-volume chronological selection that focuses on attractiveness and variety. Moreover, it makes available many previously unpublished sonatas. After all, sixty of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s keyboard sonatas remained unprinted during his lifetime. This second volume contains twelve sonatas from the period between 1749 and 1758. The available sources for our Urtext edition have been autographs, first prints that appeared during Bach’s lifetime and manuscript copies from Bach’s circle. Darrell M. Berg’s preface provides important performance suggestions concerning the prescribed ornaments. With Berg’s table of the most important embellishments and their correct rendition, the player is optimally equipped to study Bach’s keyboard sonatas.