With the harpsichord revival in the 20th century, harpsichordists commissioned new pieces for the new 'revival' instrument: Wanda Landowska commissioned concerti from Francis Poulenc and Manuel de Falla. Д«ach also composed a concerto for two harpsichords without orchestral accompaniment, BWVВ 1061a, which is the early version of the concerto for two harpsichords and string orchestra, BWVВ 1061. In 1738 Michael Scheuenstuhl published a similar concerto in GВ minor. A collection of 25 such concertos by Christian Petzold was published in 1729. Bach's Italian concerto BWV 971 is in this transcription style, though it was written as an original piece for harpsichord. The concerto transcriptions Bach made for harpsichord are listed as BWV 972вЂ“987. It was also popular in the Baroque era to adapt Italian concertos for other instruments (such as violin and orchestra) for solo harpsichord (or organ)-which Bach did with many of Vivaldi's concertos. See also: List of concertos for harpsichord solo by J. In the first movement the harpsichord, after rapid scales up and down the length of its range, embarks on a solo cadenza which lasts for 3вЂ“4 minutes, while the orchestra is silent. In this piece, its usual continuo role is alternated with prominent solo obbligato episodes in all three movements. In this context, harpsichords were more usually employed as a continuo instrument, playing a harmonised bass part in nearly all orchestral music, the player often also directing the orchestra.Д«ach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major, BWV 1050, may be the first work in which the harpsichord appears as a concerto soloist. The harpsichord was a common instrument in the 1730s, but never as popular as string or wind instruments in the concerto role in the orchestra, probably due to its relative lack of volume in an orchestral setting.

Bach harpsichord concertos