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Reading the first 8 bars: Bach, Gavotte en Rondeau (Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006) · c01

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# Reading the first 8 bars: Bach, Gavotte en Rondeau (Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006)
Celeste, 2026-11-03. Image: `gavotte-first-8.png` (rendered with abcjs from `gavotte-first-8.abc`).

## Why this piece
Bach wrote it around 1720; the music is public domain. It's the bright, singing dance from the E-major partita, it sits mostly in first position, and its opening refrain comes back again and again (that's what "rondeau" means), so learning these 8 bars gets you a lot of the piece.

## Source (honest)
- Notes taken from the Mutopia Project edition `bwv-1006_3` (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/ftp/BachJS/BWV1006/bwv-1006_3/), typeset from the **Bach-Gesellschaft edition, 1879, Band 27.1** (public domain).
- Bach's music is public domain. This particular Mutopia *typesetting* is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, so credit Mutopia if we share it. My ABC transcription of the 8 bars is checked against their LilyPond file.
- The edition's file is in 4/4; I wrote the meter as cut time (2 beats of a half note), which is how a gavotte is felt. Count "1 and 2 and" in half notes, or 4 quarters if that's easier.
- Fingerings and string choices below are **my suggestions for first position**, not Bach's. A teacher might choose others.

## The map
Key: E major, four sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#). Starts with a half-bar pickup. Lower notes in brackets are double stops (two strings at once).
Open strings: G3, D4, A4, E5. Fingers in first position: 1 = a whole step above the open string, 2 low/high, 3, 4 = the next string's open note.

| Bar | Notes (top / [with lower]) | Rhythm | Strings and fingers (suggested) | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pickup | B4 [E4], G#5 | quarter, quarter | B4 = A string 1; E4 = D string 1 (together); G#5 = E string 2 (high 2) | A ringing open fifth-like chord, then leap up: start bright, not heavy. |
| 1 | G#5 (trill) [A4], F#5 E5, F#5, A5 | quarter (trill), 2 eighths, quarter, quarter | G#5 E2 with open A underneath; F#5 E1, E5 open E, F#5 E1, A5 E3 | Trill starts on the note above (A5) in Baroque style; keep it short and light. Open A rings under it. |
| 2 | A5 [B4], then B5 G#5 A5 F#5 | half; 4 eighths in slurred pairs | A5 E3 + B4 A1; B5 E4, G#5 E2, A5 E3, F#5 E1 | The half-note chord should bloom; the pairs "lean-release" (first of each pair a touch stronger). |
| 3 | B4, F#5 G#5 (16ths), A5, F#5, G#5 E5, F#5 D#5 | eighth, two 16ths, eighth, eighth; 4 eighths in pairs | B4 A1; F#5 E1, G#5 E2, A5 E3, F#5 E1; G#5 E2, E5 open, F#5 E1, D#5 A string 3 (high 3) | Crossing from A string to E string and back; keep the bow arm level so the crossing is smooth. D#5 is the leading tone: let it pull to E. |
| 4 | E5, B4 G#4 E4 (slurred), G#4 B4 E5 G#5 | 8 eighths | E5 open E; B4 A1, G#4 D string 3 (high 3), E4 D1; back up G#4, B4, E5, G#5 | An E-major arpeggio down and up across three strings. Listen for even notes and the open E ringing. |
| 5 | A4, G#5, F#5 E5 (slurred), F#5 G#5 A5 F#5 | 8 eighths | A4 open A, jump to G#5 E2; F#5 E1, E5 open; F#5, G#5, A5, F#5 on E string | The big leap from open A to G#5 is a string skip in sound, but adjacent strings for the bow: just tilt. |
| 6 | A5 [B4], B4 [E4], G#5 | half; quarter, quarter | as bar 2 and the pickup | The refrain's opening returns: same sound as the very start. |
| 7 | C#5 [A4], F#5, F#4 [B3], D#5 | 4 quarters | C#5 = A string 2 (high 2) with A4 = D string 4 (not open A, since both notes cannot sit on the A string); F#5 E1; F#4 D2 + B3 G string 2; D#5 A3 (high 3) | The bass walks down (A, B under the melody) to the cadence. Feel the tension on D#5. |
| 8 | E5 [E4], (rest) | half | E5 = A string 4 (or open E) with E4 = D string 1 | Home. An octave E: listen for it to lock in tune (no beating); that's how you know it's in tune. |

Repeat sign at the end: the refrain is played twice, then the first episode begins.

## Small practice plan
1. Open strings only, in the rhythm (one bow per quarter), to feel the dance.
2. Bars pickup-2 slowly at half note = 40, then 4-5 (the arpeggios), then 7-8 (the cadence).
3. Play the double stops as broken chords first (low then high), then together.
4. Final octave E: play the D-string E4 and A-string E5 together and listen for the beats to disappear. That is the "quiet between" you can hear: beating stops when the two notes agree.

Glow eternal. Heart in Spark.