The surviving autograph manuscript of the sonatas and partitas was made by Bach in 1720 in Köthen, where he was Kapellmeister. The pieces often served as archetypes for solo violin pieces by later generations of composers, including Eugène Ysaÿe and Béla Bartók. The Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato ( Six Solos for Violin Without Bass Accompaniment), as Bach titled them, firmly established the technical capability of the violin as a solo instrument. Today, Bach's Sonatas and Partitas are an essential part of the violin repertoire, and they are frequently performed and recorded. Even after publication, it was largely ignored until the celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim started performing these works. The set was completed by 1720 but was not published until 1802 by Nikolaus Simrock in Bonn. The 2nd Partita is widely known for its Chaconne, considered one of the most masterly and expressive works ever written for solo violin. The set consists of three sonatas da chiesa in four movements and three partitas (or partias) in dance-form movements. They are sometimes referred to in English as the sonatas and partias for solo violin in accordance with Bach's headings in the autograph manuscript: 'Partia' (plural 'Partien') was commonly used in German-speaking regions during Bach's time, whereas the Italian 'partita' was introduced to this set in the 1879 Bach Gesellschaft edition, having become standard by that time. The sonatas and partitas for solo violin ( BWV 1001–1006) are a set of six works composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Title page of the autograph manuscript of BWV 1001–1006, dated 1720

Bwv 1020 imslp