Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Sonata in g major, BWV 1031
The Flute Sonata in E flat major, BWV 1031, is a work traditionally attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. However, there are doubts about its authorship. Some musicologists suspect that it may have been composed by his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The work contrasts from Bach's other flute sonatas in that it is less contrapuntal and more strongly influenced by the galant style typical of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The harpsichord part is composed obbligato and not just as a continuo.
The uncertainty about the authorship does not detract from the popularity of the work - it remains an important piece of flute literature. As the sonata is written rather low for the flute, I have transposed it a minor third higher. This gives it a “shinier” character.
