About this edition
Bach's Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 in D major, BWV 1054 is a masterful reworking of the composer's own Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042, transposed down a whole step to suit the range of the harpsichord. The result is not a mere transcription but a genuine reimagining: the idiomatic string writing of the original gives way to sparkling keyboard figuration, rippling broken chords, and a newly enriched textural dialogue between soloist and ensemble. The buoyant outer movements — with the finale's exuberant rondo — frame a hauntingly beautiful Adagio e piano sempre, one of the most affecting slow movements in the entire concerto repertoire.
This score reproduces the text from the Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, Band 17, published by Breitkopf und Härtel in Leipzig in 1869 and edited by Wilhelm Rust (1822–1892), one of the most distinguished Bach scholars of the nineteenth century. The Bach-Gesellschaft edition, produced between 1851 and 1900, was the first complete critical edition of Bach's works and remains a foundational document in Bach scholarship. Rust served as chief editor for the society for over two decades, and his volumes — including this one containing the harpsichord concertos — are prized for their meticulous engraving, careful source study, and clarity of presentation. For generations of performers and scholars, the Bach-Gesellschaft text has been the point of reference against which all subsequent editions are measured.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score (harpsichord solo with strings and continuo)
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches
- Reproduced from a public domain historical edition
- Source: Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, Band 17, pp. 79–106, Plate B.W. XVII
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
This edition is a faithful reproduction of a public domain historical score, offered to bring this cornerstone of the Baroque concerto repertoire into the hands of conductors, keyboard players, string musicians, students, and scholars. We hope it serves you well in study, rehearsal, and performance.
