Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude from the Suite in C Minor, BWV 997, is a captivating gem from the Baroque era, originally composed around 1738–1741 during Bach’s Leipzig period.
BWV 997 belongs to a small but significant group of works Bach wrote or arranged for lute-like instruments, reflecting his fascination with their delicate, resonant sound. During his tenure as Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Bach was immersed in a whirlwind of sacred music composition, yet he found time to explore secular instrumental works. The Suite BWV 997, comprising a prelude, fugue, sarabande, gigue, and double, is believed to have been composed for a musician in his circle, possibly lute virtuoso Silvius Leopold Weiss, with whom Bach reportedly had a friendly rivalry. Though no definitive manuscript in Bach’s hand survives, the piece’s attribution and dating are supported by copies from his students and contemporaries, such as Johann Friedrich Agricola.
The Prelude itself is a masterful example of Bach’s ability to weave a single musical idea into a rich, flowing tapestry. Its arpeggiated figures and harmonic shifts suggest an improvisatory spirit, a nod to the preludes of the French lutenists Bach admired, like François Couperin. The Prelude reflects the cosmopolitan influences of Bach’s later years, blending German rigor, French elegance, and Italian lyricism. It’s a miniature journey through the musical Europe of the 1730s.
The Prelude is written in C minor, a key Bach often used to convey introspection and intensity (think of the Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582). It unfolds in a continuous, free-form style, with cascading arpeggios and subtle melodic lines emerging from the texture.
This rendition of the Prelude from BWV 997 seeks to honor Bach’s original intent while embracing the guitar’s unique voice. Recorded with meticulous attention to phrasing and dynamics (which gives the polyphony and music an extra quality that Bach would've certainly appreciated.
While cataloged as a lute work (BWV 995–1000 cover Bach’s lute compositions), BWV 997’s range and complexity suggest it may have been conceived for the lautenwerck, a gut-strung keyboard instrument mimicking the lute’s timbre. The guitar adaptation requires careful voicing to preserve its contrapuntal clarity.
The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV) number 997 places it among his miscellaneous chamber works, distinct from his more famous suites for solo violin or cello.
By the 1740s, Bach’s eyesight began to fail, possibly from cataracts or overwork. A botched surgery in 1750 left him blind, yet he dictated his final masterpiece, The Art of Fugue, a testament to his genius. He died on July 28, 1750, in Leipzig, aged 65, and was buried in an unmarked grave at St. John’s Church (later exhumed and reinterred). Initially overshadowed by his sons’ “galant” style, Bach’s music was revived in the 19th century by Felix Mendelssohn, sparking a enduring appreciation.
Listen closely, and you’ll hear Bach’s genius for implying multiple voices within a single line—a technique guitarists relish as they tease out the interplay of melody and accompaniment on six strings.
While Bach never wrote for the modern classical guitar (which emerged in the 19th century), his lute works have become staples of the guitar repertoire, thanks to pioneers like Andrés Segovia, who championed their transcription.
