Sonata in Eb Major BWV 1031

Sonata in Eb Major BWV 1031 Synopsis

Is it Bach or isn't it? And if so, which Bach? Even Barthold Kuijken, a Bach specialist if ever there was one, can provide no definitive answer to this question. As to the work itself, the E flat major sonata has been "demoted" from the main body of the BWV to the Appendix as a result of its dubious authorship. "In summary", writes the author, "BWV 1031 is untypical of C. P. E. Bach (and W. F. Bach), too thin for J. S. Bach and too good for Quantz.... In the end, we can comfort ourselves with the thought that in spite of all these considerations, the piece remains the same - even though we cannot fail to ignore that BWV 1031 is played much less frequently now that J. S. Bach's authorhship is disputed." "I am very, very impressed by the Breitkopf / Kuijken edition of Bach's flute sonatas that I bought yet another copy when I discovered to my horror that I was en route to a recital abroad without my music. Breitkopf (make sure it's the new edition by Barthold Kuijken you buy) publish each sonata separately, which inevitably works out more expensive, but with the amount of extra information and inclusion of flute and bass parts together this is a bargain. Everyone should have these, even if they already possess other editions." (Pan Magazine)