Violin Concerto No. 1 in g minor, Op. 26

• Bruch composed nine works for violin and orchestra, because he had the friendship and advice of several violinists,¹ including Joseph Joachim (1831-1907)² and Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908).³
• Bruch composed his Violin Concerto in g minor, op. 26, in 1868. ⁴
• This has been Bruch’s most famous work since his lifetime, which annoyed him, because he thought it caused his other music to be neglected.⁵

The violin “can sing a melody better than a piano, and melody is the soul of music.”

Max Bruch, on writing for the violin.⁶

1. Christopher Fifield, “Bruch, Max,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed August 12, 2019,  https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000004122.
2. Beatrix Borchard, “Joachim, Joseph,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed August 12, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000014322.
3. Boris Schwarz and Robin Stowell, “Sarasate (y Navascuéz), Pablo (Martín Melitón) de,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed August 12, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000024582.
4. Fifield, “Bruch, Max,” Grove Music Online.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid