List of orchestral works by Johann Sebastian Bach

Orchestral works by Johann Sebastian Bach refers to the compositions in the eleventh chapter of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV, catalogue of Bach's compositions), or, in the New Bach Edition, the compositions in Series VII.

Concertos

Violin concertos (BWV 1041–1043)

• BWV 1041 – Violin Concerto in A minor
• BWV 1042 – Violin Concerto in E major
• BWV 1043 – Concerto for 2 violins in D minor ("Double Concerto")
• Trancribed from harpsichord concertos (see also below § Reconstructed concertos):
  • BWV 1052R – Concerto for violin in D minor (BWV 1052 is the concerto for harpsichord in D minor; it has been reconstructed for violin as the possible original instrument)
  • BWV 1056R – Concerto for violin in G minor (BWV 1056 is the concerto for harpsichord in F minor; it has been reconstructed for violin as the possible original instrument; it could also have been an oboe concerto)
  • BWV 1060R – Concerto for 2 violins, or violin and oboe and strings in C minor (BWV 1060 is the concerto for 2 harpsichords in C minor; it has been reconstructed for 2 violins or violin and oboe as the possible original instruments; some violin-oboe editions have been transposed to D minor)
  • BWV 1064R – Concerto for 3 violins and strings in D major (BWV 1064 is the concerto for 3 harpsichords in C major; it has been reconstructed for 3 violins as the possible original instruments)

Triple concerto (BWV 1044)

• BWV 1044 – Concerto for flute, violin and harpsichord in A minor (also known as "Triple Concerto")

Opening movement for a cantata, for violin and orchestra (BWV 1045)

• BWV 1045 – Violin Concerto movement in D major, abandoned opening movement (sinfonia) to a lost cantata (?)

Brandenburg concertos (BWV 1046–1051)

• BWV 1046 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major for violino piccolo, three oboes, bassoon, two corni da caccia, strings and continuo
• BWV 1046a, formerly BWV 1071 – Sinfonia in F major (earlier version of BWV 1046)
• BWV 1047 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major for trumpet, oboe, recorder, violin, strings and continuo
• BWV 1048 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major for three violins, three violas, three cellos and continuo
• BWV 1049 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major for violin, two fiauti d'echo (recorders), strings and continuo
• BWV 1050 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major for harpsichord, violin, flute and strings
• BWV 1050a – Concerto in D major for harpsichord, violin, flute and strings (earlier version of BWV 1050)
• BWV 1051 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major for two violas, two violas da gamba, cello and continuo

Keyboard concertos (BWV 1052–1065)

• BWV 1052 – Concerto for harpsichord and strings in D minor (after a lost violin concerto)
• BWV 1053 – Concerto for harpsichord and strings in E major (probably after a lost oboe concerto, also performed as "Concerto in F major for oboe, strings, and continuo")
• BWV 1054 – Concerto for harpsichord and strings in D major (after BWV 1042, Violin Concerto in E major)
• BWV 1055 – Concerto for harpsichord and strings in A major (after a lost oboe d'amore concerto)
• BWV 1056 – Concerto for harpsichord and strings in F minor (probably after a lost violin concerto – this is sometimes recorded as Concerto for violin in G minor)
• BWV 1057 – Concerto for harpsichord, 2 recorders and strings in F major (after BWV 1049, Brandenburg concerto No. 4 in G major)
• BWV 1058 – Concerto for harpsichord and strings in G minor (after BWV 1041, Violin Concerto in A minor)
• BWV 1059 – Concerto for harpsichord in D minor (an incomplete fragment of only 9 bars; various reconstructions have been made of harpsichord, organ and oboe concertos based on this by using cantata movements but they are almost entirely speculative)
• BWV 1060 – Concerto for 2 harpsichords and strings in C minor (after a lost violin and oboe concerto)
• BWV 1061 – Concerto for 2 harpsichords and strings in C major (original version for 2 harpsichords unaccompanied known as BWV 1061a)
• BWV 1062 – Concerto for 2 harpsichords and strings in C minor (after BWV 1043, Double Violin Concerto in D minor)
• BWV 1063 – Concerto for 3 harpsichords and strings in D minor
• BWV 1064 – Concerto for 3 harpsichords and strings in C major (after a lost triple violin concerto)
• BWV 1065 – Concerto for 4 harpsichords and strings in A minor (after Antonio Vivaldi's concerto for 4 violins in B minor, L'estro Armonico, Op. 3/10, RV 580)

Reconstructed concertos

Each reconstructed concerto is created after the harpsichord concerto for the presumed original instrument. Such reconstructions are commonly referred to as, for example, BWV 1052R (where the R stands for 'reconstructed').

• BWV 1052R – Violin Concerto in D minor (reconstructed from BWV 1052)
• BWV 1053R – Oboe d'amore Concerto in D major / Oboe Concerto in F major (reconstructed from BWV 1053)
• BWV 1055R – Oboe d'amore Concerto in A major (reconstructed from BWV 1055)
• BWV 1056R – Violin Concerto in G minor / Oboe Concerto in G minor (reconstructed from BWV 1056)
• BWV 1059R – Oboe Concerto in D minor (reconstructed from BWV 1059 and associated cantatas – the most spurious reconstruction, because there is no more than a 9-bar fragment of this piece surviving)
• BWV 1060R – Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C minor/D minor (reconstructed from BWV 1060)
• BWV 1064R – Concerto for Three Violins in D major (reconstructed from BWV 1064)

Other reconstructions and completions of BWV 1059 have for instance been indicated as BWV 1059, or BWV 1059a.

Suites (BWV 1066–1070)

Further information: Orchestral suites (Bach)

• BWV 1066 – Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major (for woodwinds, strings and continuo)
  • [Ouverture] (no description, two sections), Courante, Gavotte I & II, Forlane, Menuet I & II, Bourrée I & II, Passepied I & II.
• BWV 1067 – Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor (for flute, strings and continuo)
  • [Ouverture] (no description, two sections), Rondeau, Sarabande, Bourrée I & II, Polonaise & Double, Menuet, Badinerie.
• BWV 1068 – Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major (for oboes, trumpets, timpani, strings and continuo)
  • [Ouverture] (no description, two sections), Air, Gavotte I & II, Bourrée, Gigue.
• BWV 1069 – Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D major (for oboes, bassoon, trumpets, timpani, strings and continuo)
  • [Ouverture] (no description, two sections), Bourrée I & II, Gavotte, Menuet I & II, Rejouissance.
• BWV 1070 – Orchestral Suite in G minor (spurious – W. F. Bach)

Sinfonia (BWV 1071)

• BWV 1071, renumbered as BWV 1064a: early version of the first Brandenburg Concerto.

Cantata sections gaining currency as a stand-alone orchestral piece

• BWV 29/1 – Sinfonia for organ and orchestra (3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, strings and continuo), sometimes performed as stand-alone piece for organ and orchestra.
• BWV 35/1, (/2) and /5 – performed as a concerto for organ and orchestra (/2 as an arrangement of an alto aria), inspired by the abandoned sketch BWV 1059.
• BWV 146/1, (/2) and (188/1) – performed as a concerto for organ and orchestra (BWV 146/2 as an arrangement of a choral movement and/or of BWV 1052/2; for BWV 188/1 Bach's version doesn't survive, so the movement is arranged from BWV 1052/3): basically the same movements as BWV 1052, but as organ concerto instead of harpsichord concerto.
• BWV 169/1, (/5) and BWV 49/1 performed as a concerto for organ and orchestra (BWV 169/5 as an arrangement of an alto aria and/or of BWV 1053/2): basically the same movements as BWV 1053, but as organ concerto instead of harpsichord concerto.
• BWV 248^II/1 – Sinfonia opening the second part (cantata) of the Christmas Oratorio.
• BWV 1040, a.k.a. BWV 208/13a – Canonic sonata in F major for oboe(s), violin(s) and basso continuo, belongs to the Hunting Cantata
• BWV 1045 – Violin Concerto movement in D major, opening movement of a cantata that is otherwise lost
• BWV 1071, renumbered as BWV 1046a – Sinfonia in F major, possibly the opening movement of a cantata, e.g. BWV 208 (Hunting Cantata)
• BWV Anh. 198, renumbered as BWV 149/1a – Cantata opening: "Concerto" (incomplete; abandoned alternative start of BWV 149?)

Orchestrations

Further information: List of transcriptions of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach

Bach's orchestrations

Bach transformed pieces for solo instrument or chamber ensemble into orchestral pieces:

• BWV 1006/1 (solo violin), orchestrated as sinfonia BWV 120a/4, then arranged to BWV 29/1, sinfonia for organ and orchestra opening a cantata.
• BWV 1044 – Triple Concerto, adaptation of harpsichord prelude and fugue in A minor BWV 894 (movts. 1 and 3) and middle movement of organ sonata in D minor BWV 527 (movt. 2).
• BWV 1061a (piece for two harpsichords) → BWV 1061 ("orchestrated" version of the same, although there is some doubt Bach provided the strings and basso continuo accompaniment for this concerto for two harpsichords and orchestra)

Orchestrations of fugal works

Several of Bach's organ pieces and other fugal works were arranged for (symphonic) orchestra:

• BWV 537 – Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, orchestrated by Edward Elgar (Fantasia in 1921, Fugue in 1922).
• BWV 540 – Toccata and Fugue in F major, orchestrated by Heinrich Esser (19th century).
• BWV 565 – Toccata and Fugue in D minor, orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski (1927, appeared in Walt Disney's Fantasia in 1940), Stanisław Skrowaczewski (1928), Henry Wood (c.1929), Leonidas Leonardi (mid 1930s), Alois Melichar (1939), Eugene Ormandy (1947), Fabien Sevitzky, René Leibowitz (1958) and Lucien Cailliet (1967).
• BWV 582 – Passacaglia, orchestrated by Heinrich Esser (19th century).
• BWV 769 – Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her", orchestrated by Roger Vuataz (1951, 1958) and Igor Stravinsky (1956).
• BWV 894/2 orchestrated as BWV 1044/3 (second quarter of 18th century): see Bach's orchestrations above.
• BWV 1079/2 – "Fuga (Ricercata) a 6 voci" from The Musical Offering, orchestrated by Anton Webern (1934–35).