For the purpose of improving the flexibility and accuracy of the fingers and feet of his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, Bach composed six “trio” sonatas for solo organ. The term ‘trio’, as used here, signifies that the organist has three melodic lines to play: one for each hand, played on separate keyboards, and a third for the feet, played on the pedals. The works that comprise this collection of chamber music, in which skill and poetry combine perfectly, can easily be played as “classical” trio sonatas on flute, violin, and basso continuo without losing the essence of their appeal.
