6 Suites - Violin Unaccompanied

Unknown until their discovery was announced in 1971 by Péter Várnai in an article in Die Musikforschung, this set of six suites for solo violin, published in 1696, is in all likelihood a second edition of, or second collection to his First Dozen Allemandes, Courantes, Sarabands, and Gigues for Solo Violin without Basso Continuo published in 1682 which are considered lost. Along with his suite for solo violin published in 1683 in Le Mercure Galant, these suites for unaccompanied violin are the first in their medium and undoubtedly served as an inspiration for Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin.

This edition is a modern transcription of Westhoff’s unique notation and provides editorial fingering and bowing suggestions. A facsimile of the only extant 1696 publication, which is housed in the Somogyi Károly Városi és Megyei Könyvtár in Szeged, Hungary, is included in the back of this edition for reference. This edition was created with the intention of making these suites more accessible, and to be used as a pedagogical tool in preparation for the study of solo Bach.