Fantasia No. 8 for Solo Violin in E major, TWV 40:21

About the work

Telemann published his twelve Fantasias for solo violin in 1735; alongside Bach's Sonatas and Partitas they form the essential Baroque literature for unaccompanied violin. The Eighth, in E major, is compact, alternating dance rhythms with contrapuntal writing that lets a single instrument imply both melody and bass. Where Bach is monumental, Telemann is lighter and more sociable, true to publications aimed at capable amateurs as much as professionals.

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