Bach made a number of transcriptions from Antonio Vivaldi's concertos, especially from his op. 3 set, entitled L'estro Armonico; he adapted them for solo harpsichord and solo organ, and for the concerto for 4 violins in Bm, op. 3 no. 10, RV. 580, he decided upon the unique solution of using four harpsichords and orchestra. This is thus the only harpsichord concerto by Bach which was not an adaptation of his own material. The middle movement has the four harpsichords playing differently-articulated arpeggios in a very unusual tonal blend, while Bach provided some additional virtuosity and tension in the other movements. The final scoring is harpsichord I/II/III/IV solo, violin I/II, viola, continuo (cello, violone), and the whole work lasts around 10 minutes.
Bach made a number of transcriptions from Antonio Vivaldi's concertos, especially from his op. 3 set, entitled L'estro Armonico; he adapted them for solo harpsichord and solo organ, and for the concerto for 4 violins in Bm, op. 3 no. 10, RV. 580, he decided upon the unique solution of using four harpsichords and orchestra. This is thus the only harpsichord concerto by Bach which was not an adaptation of his own material. The middle movement has the four harpsichords playing differently-articulated arpeggios in a very unusual tonal blend, while Bach provided some additional virtuosity and tension in the other movements. The final scoring is harpsichord I/II/III/IV solo, violin I/II, viola, continuo (cello, violone), and the whole work lasts around 10 minutes.