Partita (also ''partie'', ''partia'', ''parthia'', or ''parthie'') was originally the name for a single-

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

piece of

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

(16th and 17th centuries), but

Johann Kuhnau Johann Kuhnau (; 6 April 16605 June 1722) was a German polymath, known primarily as a composer today. He was also active as a novelist, translator, lawyer, and music theorist, and was able to combine these activities with his duties in his offi ...

(

Thomaskantor (Cantor at St. Thomas) is the common name for the musical director of the , now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, ', describes the two functions of cantor a ...

until 1722), his student

Christoph Graupner Christoph Graupner (13 January 1683 – 10 May 1760) was a German composer and harpsichordist of late Baroque music who was a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel. Life Born in Hartmannsdorf ...

, and

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

used it for collections of musical pieces, as a synonym for suite.

wrote two sets of partitas for different instruments. Those for solo keyboard the composer published as his Opus 1 (known as the Klavierübung I). One additional suite in B minor, the ''

Overture in the French Style The ''Overture in the French style'', BWV 831, original title ''Ouvertüre nach Französischer Art'', also known as the ''French Overture'' and published as the second half of the ''Clavier-Übung II'' in 1735 (paired with the ''Italian Concerto' ...

'' (often simply called ''French Overture'') is sometimes also considered a partita. See ''Partitas'' for keyboard (825–830) and choral partitas for organ. The "Partita" in A minor for solo flute (BWV 1013) which takes the form of a suite of four dances, has been given the title "partita" by its modern editors; it is sometimes transposed for

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

. Bach also wrote three partitas for solo violin in 1720 which he paired with

sonatas Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''canta ...

. (He titled each of them the German ''Partia'', but they came to be called the Italian ''partita'', which was introduced in the Bach Gesellschaft edition in 1879, being the more common term at the time.) See:

Sonatas and partitas for solo violin The sonatas and partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001–1006) are a set of six works composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. They are sometimes referred to in English as the sonatas and for solo violin in accordance with Bach's headings in the autograph ...

. The most prolific composer of partitas for harpsichord was

, whose works in the form number about 57. The first set was published in 1718 and dedicated to his patron

Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Ernest Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Ernst Ludwig) (15 December 1667 – 12 September 1739) was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1678 to 1739. His parents were Landgrave Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt and Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Alte ...

. The last of his partitas exist in manuscripts dated 1750. They are difficult and virtuosic pieces which exhibit an astonishing variety of musical styles.Oswald Bill And Christoph (editors), ''Christoph Graupner : Thematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke (1683-1760)'', Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag, 2005. See:

List of harpsichord pieces by Christoph Graupner The following is a complete list of harpsichord works by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), the German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music. The works appear as given in ''Christoph Graupner : Thematisches Verzeichnis der musikalische ...

. The longest partita ever written so far is Shoah for Solo Violin and Sacred Temple by

Jorge Grundman Jorge Grundman Isla (born 1961) is a Spanish classical composer, musicologist, musician and professor who has helped to recover the music of Robert Kahn and Adalbert Gyrowetz among others through the non-profit music foundation created by him. Mu ...

, which lasts an hour and a half and was finished in 2016.

Examples

Listed by composer: *

Johann Paul von Westhoff Johann Paul von Westhoff (1656 – buried 17 April 1705) was a German Baroque composer and violinist. One of the most important exponents of the Dresden violin school, he was among the highest ranked violinists of his day, and composed some of the ...

: Partitas for solo violin *

; ** Partita for Violin No. 2 (1720) ** Partita for Violin No. 3 **

Partita in A minor for solo flute The Partita in A minor for solo flute, BWV 1013, is a partita in four movements composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Its date of composition is uncertain, though on the basis of its advanced playing technique, which is more demanding than in the flu ...

** Monatliche Clavier Früchte, GWV 109–120. 12 Partitas for Harpsichord (1722) ** 45 Partitas for Harpsichord (1718-1750) *

Luigi Dallapiccola Luigi Dallapiccola (February 3, 1904 – February 19, 1975) was an Italian composer known for his lyrical twelve-tone compositions. Biography Dallapiccola was born in Pisino d'Istria (at the time part of Austria-Hungary, current Pazin, Croa ...

Partita for orchestra William Walton's ''Partita for Orchestra'' is a three-movement work for large orchestra, composed for, dedicated to and first performed by the Cleveland Orchestra and its conductor George Szell. The work was composed in 1957 and premiered on 30 Ja ...

(1932) *

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...

: ''

Partita for Orchestra William Walton's ''Partita for Orchestra'' is a three-movement work for large orchestra, composed for, dedicated to and first performed by the Cleveland Orchestra and its conductor George Szell. The work was composed in 1957 and premiered on 30 Ja ...

'' (1957) *

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', ''Polish Requiem'', ''A ...

: Partita for Harpsichord and Orchestra (1972) *

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

: **Partita for Double Bass (2015) **Partita No. 1 for Solo Cello, "Songs and Poems" **Partita No. 2 for Solo Cello *

** Shoah for Solo Violin and Sacred Temple (2016) *

Stephen Hough Sir Stephen Andrew Gill Hough (; born 22 November 1961) is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. He became an Australian citizen in 2005 and thus has dual nationality (his father was born in Australia in 1926). Biography Houg ...

: Partita for piano (2019)

Audio files

: a choral partita from 'Biblische Historien'. Here it is called 'Sonata 4' (a programmatic title is added). The tune or cantus firmus is the famous

chorale Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the t ...

O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden O, or o, is the fifteenth Letter (alphabet), letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in ...

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20060716075418/http://www.jsbach.org/bwvs800.html contains the BWV listing including the Partitas (with their tonalities). {{Authority control Musical forms