by Mary Abbott
Bach's Italian Concerto originally written for the harpsichord, dates from 1735, when the composer was fifty years of age. This concerto is an attempt to apply to one instrument the principles of alternation and of contrast that were observed in writing music for an instrument (or group of instruments) used with some form of orchestra. It is a concerto, but a one man concerto, the only piece so named that Bach ever wrote for one performer. Its title refers to the fact that the Italians established the concerto form as a chain of movements (usually three — two quick ones, with a slow one in the middle).