Adagio, Toccata C major BWV 564, transcribed for piano four-hands

The Adagio from the Toccata in C major BWV 564 by J. S. Bach has been adapted for piano four hands, the original having been written for organ. The parameters of melody, harmony, figuration/rhythm, instrumentation, timbre and formal development have not been modified except in those parameters that the adaptation has required and in some specific effects considering the sonority of the instrument for which it was written. Timbre and melody may have been the most affected in this respect, due to a question of pitch and the doubling of voices in order to achieve the organ’s enveloping character. The harmony, on the other hand, although little affected by substantial modifications, has been enlarged in the course of the adaptation with the same objective, to generate a sensation of a wide and enveloping sonority. With all this, in this transcription/adaptation/version, the aim is to transfer a beautiful work to the piano, respecting as much as possible its original character and offering the piano a powerful sonorous protagonism.

Víctor Trescolí Sanz