Harpsichord Concerto no. 4 A major BWV 1055

Bach’s harpsichord concertos have proven extremely popular, though several were originally written as concertos for another solo instrument - either violin or a woodwind instrument. But we know nothing about any such preliminary versions in the case of the A-major Concerto BWV 1055. Its enchantingly songlike middle movement inevitably makes one think of the oboe d’amore, though there is in fact no reason to suppose that its idiomatic, spirited harpsichord writing was conceived from the outset for anything but a keyboard instrument.

Ultimately, this music is so fresh and irresistible that all such speculation is irrelevant. For this Henle Urtext edition of the A-major Concerto, we consulted the autograph score and especially the original orchestral parts that presumably contain the musical text of the concerto as Bach himself performed it. You can’t get more authentic than this!