Bach on the Lute | Volume II

Transcriptions and Adaptations for Lute of Bach’s Major Works

This second volume expands the corpus of lute works by offering transcriptions of the renowned Sonatas, Partitas, and Suites for violin, cello, or harpsichord, covering BWV 1001 to 1013, including certain variants in scordatura.

Prepared by Nigel North, an internationally renowned lutenist and leading specialist in Bach’s music, this edition presents faithful and stylistically informed adaptations for solo lute, transcribed in French tablature according to eighteenth-century practices.

These works allow performers to explore, through a plucked-string instrument, the contrapuntal richness and stylistic diversity of Bach’s repertoire. Complementing the first volume, they offer technically demanding and expressive pieces that testify to the deep affinity between Bach’s musical universe and the world of the lute.

Nigel North – Lutenist, teacher, writer

British lutenist of international renown, Nigel North has played the lute since adolescence. He has taught at Indiana University Bloomington since 1999, after holding positions in London, Berlin, and The Hague. Self-taught on the lute, he was inspired by Michael Schäffer, Gustav Leonhardt, and the duo Tuck and Patti. His love for Bach is central to his career. In 1996, Julian Bream declared he was “dazzled by the mastery and musicality” of a Bach recital by Nigel in London. Among his major publications and recordings are Continuo Playing on the Lute, Archlute and Theorbo (Faber), Bach on the Lute (Linn Records), and works by John Dowland, Silvius Leopold Weiss, and Francesco da Milano.

Jean-Daniel Forget – Computer scientist, lutenist

Passionate about the baroque repertoire, Jean-Daniel Forget is a self-taught lutenist who has been copying and sharing ancient manuscripts for nearly twenty years. A computer scientist by profession, he masters music notation software adapted for tablature. In collaboration with Guy Grangereau, he provides tablatures on a dedicated website. He also assisted Miguel Serdoura in preparing his editions and his Baroque Lute Method.

Le Luth Doré Urtext Editions

Le Luth Doré Urtext Editions offer scores faithful to historical sources, optimized for musicians and musicologists. Our editions combine careful engraving, practical layout, durable materials, and detailed critical apparatus in multiple languages.

Each text is meticulously established note by note to ensure an authentic restitution of the works, including original fingerings and ornamentations, as well as relevant stylistic suggestions.

Created by experts, our editions provide clear readability and enlightened interpretation of early music repertoire.

• Editor(s): Nigel North
• Musical period: Baroque
• Instrument(s): Baroque lute 11-course / 13-course
• Instrumentation: Baroque lute solo
• Notation: French tablature
• Modern edition: Urtext
• Publisher: Le Luth Doré Urtext Editions
• Year of publication: 2023
• Collection: Lute and Theorbo Music Collection
• Pages: 296 pp.
• Dimensions: 230x310 mm
• Weight: 1.100 kg
• Binding: Sewn perfect binding
• ISMN: 377-0-0017-8839-5

• Sonata in G minor after BWV 1001
• Partita in A minor after BWV 1002
• Sonata in A minor after BWV 1003
• Sonata in A minor (scordatura) after BWV 1003
• Partita in D minor after BWV 1004
• Sonata in C Major after BWV 1005
• Partita in F Major BWV 1006
• Suite in C Major after BWV 1007
• Suite in A minor after BWV 1008
• Suite in G Major after BWV 1009
• Suite in B flat Major after BWV 1010
• Suite in A Major (scordatura) after BWV 1010
• Suite in G minor BWV 1011/995
• Suite in D Major after BWV 1012
• Suite in C Major (scordatura) after BWV 1012
• Partita in A minor after BWV 1013