Minuet in C by J.S. Bach for Classical Ukulele

Minuet by Bach for Classical Ukulele

In this video Jeff Peterson performs his arrangement of the C Major Minuet by Bach for classical ukulele. This charming minuet originally appears in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1825). This is a collection of works, some by J.S. Bach, but also of many other composers, many of which are in Anna Magdalena’s hand. The famous “Minuet in G” (BWV Anh.114), previously attributed to Bach but written by Christian Petzold, is also a part of this collection.

The Minuet (BWV Anh.116) we are looking at here is also in the key of G Major in its original form. It has long been attributed to J.S. Bach, but who actually composed it is still uncertain.

Performance Notes

This elegant piece, perhaps by J.S. Bach, flows smoothly across the strings, providing an excellent opportunity to enhance your right-hand arpeggiation technique. Focus on allowing the notes to ring together as much as possible. This allows individual notes overlap and create rich, sustained chords. For example, in the first measure, let the notes of the first two beats resonate together to form a C chord. Then allow the two eighth notes in beat 3 to sustain, suggesting a G7 chord.

Pay close attention to the left-hand fingerings. You wan to ensure that you use different fingers to play notes across strings on the same fret, as practiced in the Aguado Menuet. The piece is divided into two sections: the first section repeats at measure 16, and the second section loops back to measure 17 before concluding.