One of the finest pieces ever written was in D minor: the Bach Chaconne. It is so well known you barely even need to mention where it comes from, but for those yet to become acquainted with this remarkable violin work of Johann Sebastian, it is the fifth and final movement of the Partita No. 2, BWV 1004. 

The piece was written in the early eighteenth century, possibly after he returned from a trip to find that his wife, Maria Barbara, had died and had been buried in his absence. The piece is astonishing in its ability to draw you in from the very beginning and sweep you along a current of sadness towards a lighter D major section before returning you to the grieving minor key. Although written for solo violin, it proves that a single four-stringed instrument can produce such a profound musical experience. Johannes Brahms summed it up as “On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings”. One and a half centuries after its composition, he arranged it as a left-handed piano work, and in 1893 Ferruccio Busoni arranged it for a more usual two hands.

It was whilst browsing through the shelves of a London music shop that I came across a two-piano arrangement of it by Henry Coleman from 1950. Instantly this hit me as a great piece for Holiday Music as its clean polyphonic lines, counterpoint, and variations carry you through effortlessly from beginning to end. Learning on your own is one thing, but the sheer joy of doing so with someone else whilst you share ideas and develop the intertwining melodies cannot be underestimated. The expert coaching helped to tune it further so we could share one of the finest pieces ever written whilst creating a truly memorable experience for ourselves.