Musical Offering in C minor BWV 1079

In May 1747, Bach appeared before Frederick II in Potsdam and improvised on a theme proposed by the king himself, playing a Silbermann pianoforte. In all likelihood, the three-voice Ricercar reproduces this improvisation in polished form. The six-voice Ricercar was supplied later in response to the king’s request for a 'fugue in six obligato parts' as Bach only felt capable of improvising such a fugue on a subject of his own choice. This new edition of the two ricercars from The Musical Offering has been revised and enlarged on the basis of the latest Bach scholarship. It contains not only the printed version of the six-voice Ricercar but the autograph version as well. Rounding off the volume are a complete facsimile reproduction of the manuscript, facsimiles of Bach’s dedication in the printed edition, and a preface discussing the work’s origins and performance. This definitive volume was edited by the internationally renowned musicologist Christoph Wolff, currently a professor at Harvard and world-famous for his many Bach discoveries and insights.