Harpsichord Concerto in A minor BWV 1065

Only about 20 independent concerts by Johann Sebastian Bach have survived completely. Measured by Bach’s entire œuvre and also compared to other great composers of his time, this is quite a small number. Moreover, half of the concerts are arrangements of works both of himself and others. These include also the Harpsichord Concerto in A minor BWV 1065 which is based on Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for 4 Violins Op. 3/10.

It is believed that Bach wrote his concert music for events of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum whose direction he had assumed in 1729. Bach’s concertos were probably performed several times in this circle of “certain connoisseurs of music” and afterwards fell gradually into oblivion. It was not until their rediscovery in the 19th century that the concertos became (and remained) increasingly popular.