First movement

Bach published the Italian Concerto in 1735 as part two of his Clavier-Übung, alongside the French Overture. The piece is unique in his keyboard output: a solo-keyboard imitation of an Italian concerto grosso, with the two-manual harpsichord (and the modern pianist's dynamic palette) standing in for the contrast between the tutti and concertino groups. The first movement is one of the most-played pieces in Bach's keyboard output.

Technically the movement tests Grade 8 priorities at full extension: voicing two-line counterpoint at concert tempo, projecting the tutti and concertino contrasts through dynamic and articulative shaping, and sustaining a clear architectural plan across a five-minute movement. The right hand carries the principal melodic material — both the tutti themes and the concertino episodes — while the left hand provides the supporting harmonic structure that anchors the concerto-grosso texture.

Two pitfalls. First, students often play the tutti and concertino sections at the same dynamic and articulation; the architectural substance is the contrast between them and the contrast must be audible. Second, the running passages can become mechanical at speed; practise them slowly with attention to the harmonic shifts and the architectural divisions, and the piece will breathe rather than tick.

The complete Clavier-Übung II is on IMSLP in clean public-domain editions including Bach's first edition. Hearing the canonical recordings on harpsichord and on piano (Glenn Gould's free-radio recordings remain the canonical piano reference) calibrates the right cleanly-articulated touch.