Double Violin Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1043
Johann Sebastian Bach
Work background
Researched classical background
Bach gives the two solo violins closely interwoven parts rather than separating them into a leader and an accompanist. The slow movement is especially distinctive: one violin begins a long melody that the other takes up, creating a sustained conversation above the ensemble. Faster outer movements set this dialogue within recurring orchestral material and increasingly active exchanges.
A listening guide
Follow one solo line through the slow movement and notice when the other violin overlaps or answers it.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Two solo violins, strings, and basso continuo
Work date: Date uncertain
The exact composition date is not established by the evidence reviewed; later manuscript transmission and arrangements should not be treated as a first composition date.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Date, title and version notes
No exact composition year is asserted.
Concerto for two violins in D minor - Bach
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
Concerto for two violins in D minor - Bach
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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