Concerto in Do maggiore

The Concerto IGW 50 for four harpsichords by Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777) is unique within the harpsichord repertoire, being in fact the only composition known today for this ensemble. Concerning it, there is currently documentation of direct contact by this composer with Johann Sebastian Bach, composer of the famous Concerto in A minor BWV 1065 for four harpsichords and orchestra, and therefore if and how much this composition owes to him.

The Concerto in question is held at the ÖsterreichischeNationalbibliothek in Vienna, the first of three concertos for the harpsichord by Wagenseil contained in the manuscript referred to by the shelf mark A-Wn Mus.Hs.15969, coming from the store of the archive of the Vienna Hofmusikkapell. It is catalogued as “Concentus quatuor clavichordiis aptatus”, and is written in four separate parts.