Goldberg Variations BWV 988 for String Trio
For this arrangement, there is a popular version by Sitkovetsky. This version stays true to the original piece, and there is a wonderful performance by the arranger himself (Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin / Gérard Caussé, viola / Mischa Maisky, cello, 1984). This performance brings out new charm in the piece when played on strings.
However, this arrangement is designed for highly skilled performers, making it technically difficult for others. Also, in variations 7 and 17, one instrument has a full rest (tacet), making them duets. Since these variations were originally written in two voices, playing them with only two instruments makes musical sense. But some players who enjoy ensemble performance might prefer to play something rather than resting.
Therefore, I created an arrangement without tacet sections. To keep the arrangement as faithful as possible to the original while reducing technical difficulty, I carefully adjusted the chord inversions. This involved deciding how to distribute the chords across the different parts. I balanced three factors: overall sound quality, natural flow in each part, and technical ease.
This piece includes many ornamentations. I kept the original markings without writing out a specific realization. This is because I want performers to decide how to play them. Ornaments originally developed alongside keyboard instruments. In fact, a key reference on ornaments from Bach’s time—Walter Emery’s Bach’s Ornaments (1953)—includes 291 musical examples, 90% of which are for keyboard. When playing string arrangements of keyboard music, I believe it is not always necessary to play ornaments exactly as written for keyboards. String instruments have a continuous sound and allow for subtle nuances. In some cases, the music remains beautiful even without the ornaments. Performers should feel free to play or omit ornaments as they prefer.
For more details about these ornament symbols, you can refer to music theory books or historical sources, such as:
Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach by J. S. Bach (1720)
The complete table of ornaments from d’Anglebert’s Pièces de clavecin (1689)
However, for the ornament called Schleüffer, which appears in measures 21 and 23 of the theme, is rarely used and there is little reference. So, I followed Emery (1953) to provide a common realization.