Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Concertos, BWV 1041–1043, and his six Brandenburg Concertos survive in their original instrumentation. His harpsichord concertos are mostly adaptations of concertos originally written for other solo instruments.
In his early career Bach transcribed concertos by other composers for solo organ (BWV 592–596) and for solo harpsichord (BWV 972–987). Bach's Italian Concerto, composed in 1735, was one of his few works that he published during his life-time: it is an example of an unaccompanied concerto for two-manual harpsichord.
Early encounters with the concerto genre
The earliest documentary traces of Bach's involvement with the concerto genre include: In 1709 Bach helped copy out the performance parts of a concerto by Georg Philipp Telemann Around 1710 or earlier Bach copied the continuo part, BWV Anh. 23, of a concerto included in Tomaso Albinoni's Op. 2, which had been published in 1700.
Weimar concerto transcriptions
Bach wrote most, if not all, of his concerto transcriptions for organ (BWV 592–596) and for harpsichord (BWV 972–987) from July 1713 to July 1714. Most of these transcriptions were based on concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Other models for the transcriptions included concertos by Alessandro Marcello, Benedetto Marcello, Georg Philipp Telemann and Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar.
Brandenburg Concertos, BWV 1046–1051
Violin concertos, BWV 1041–1043
Concerto form in other compositions
Sonate auf Concertenart
The Sonate auf Concertenart ( sonata in the style of a concerto) format appears for example in Bach's organ sonatas.
In vocal compositions
Apart from adaptations of movements of his earlier concertos into his cantatas, Bach also directly composed movements of his vocal works in the concerto form: for example the opening chorus of his cantata BWV 7 has been described as having the format of an Italian violin concerto movement. Another example is the opening choral movement of Bach's Magnificat, the form of which only becomes, in Spitta's words, "thoroughly intelligible" when analysed as a concerto form.
Harpsichord concertos
Concertos for three to four harpsichords and orchestra, BWV 1063–1065
Concerto for two harpsichords, BWV 1061a
BWV 1061a, a concerto for two harpsichords without accompaniment, is Bach's original version of the Concerto for two harpsichords and strings, BWV 1061.
Italian Concerto, BWV 971
Bach's Italian Concerto, BWV 971, was published in 1735, as first of two compositions included in Clavier-Übung II.
Concertos for two harpsichords and orchestra, BWV 1060–1062
Harpsichord concertos, BWV 1052–1059
Triple Concerto, BWV 1044
Concerto as a vocal composition
Bach rarely used the name "Cantata" to indicate a vocal composition. Instead, "Concerto", closer to names of cantata precursors such as geistliches Konzert (spiritual concerto) and Choralkonzert (chorale concerto), is the name he used most often to indicate those compositions which later became known as his cantatas.
Sinfonia in D major, BWV 1045
BWV 1045, a movement in concerto form for violin and orchestra, is the opening of a cantata titled "Concerto" in Bach's autograph ("J J Concerto. à 4 Voci. 3 Trombe, Tamburi, 2 Hautb: Violino ConC. 2 Violini, Viola e Cont."). The music breaks off before the vocalists enter. In the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis it appears as "Konzertsatz in D" (Concerto movement in D major), in the range of the orchestral concertos (BWV 1041–65).
Doubtful and spurious
For organ: BWV 571 – Fantasia (Concerto) in G major BWV 597 – Concerto in E-flat major For harpsichord: BWV 909 – Concerto and Fugue in C minor BWV Anh. 151 – Concerto in C major BWV Anh. 152 – Concerto in G major BWV Anh. 188 – Sonata (Concerto) in F major for two harpsichords by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (BR A12; F 10) For chamber ensemble: BWV 525a (or: BWV deest) – Concerto (or: Trio Sonata) in C major for violin, cello and continuo (variant of BWV 525/1, 1032/2 and 525/3) Orchestral concertos: BWV Anh. 22 – BWV Anh. 155 – Concerto in A major for keyboard, strings and continuo by Wenzel Raimund Birck BWV Anh. 189 – Concerto in A minor for keyboard, strings and continuo by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach