This is a straightforward transcription, with filled-in harmonies, of Bach's third partita for solo violin, BWV 1006, the most "modern" of the three partitas in Bach's choice of dance movements -- the galant forms of Loure, Gavotte en Rondeaux, and Menuet. It's the lightest and most upbeat of Bach's often meditative lute suites, and includes two of his most familiar pieces: the Prelude and the Gavotte. The Prelude, which Bach also incorporated into his BWV 29 cantata, bursts in with a little fanfare motif that punctuates a long, unbroken run of sixteenth notes. It's in 3/4 time, but Bach provides such a sense of forward motion that one never feels the bar lines. Next comes a Loure, a slow offshoot of the Gigue in 6/4; this dance can often seem heavy, even mournful, but Bach produces a particularly graceful example of the form. The Gavotte en Rondeau, as the title indicates, brings back its main theme several times in rondo form. A sprightly tune in duple meter with straightforward phrasing, this is one of the most danceable of Bach's dance movements, which otherwise tend to veer into rhythmic abstraction. The brief main melody appears five times (not counting its initial repeat), separated by equally brief, thematically related episodes. Next comes a pair of Menuets in 3/4 time, the second sandwiched between two statements of the first. Bach closes this partita with two old-fashioned, or at least more traditional, dances. The Bourée, short and quick in duple meter, gives way to the concluding Gigue in 6/8; to provide maximum contrast with the earlier Loure, Bach here offers the Italian version of the gigue, full of fast, flowing triplets. ~ James Reel, All Music Guide
