Davina wrote:

The piece Sherlock is playing on his violin when Moriarty enters his flat, via the stairs is Partita no. 1. Studying Italian at the moment I have suddenly realised that 'Partita' means 'game', 'match' and also 'entry'. I assume that the choice of this piece of music was not a random one by the writers and therefore it has a hidden meaning. Moriarty picks up upon Sherlock leaving it unfinished and that Bach would have been disappointed. Sherlock's choice of this piece is an acceptance of this all being part of a greater game, one which is not yet competed yet. He is aware that this is a head-to-head between himself and Moriarty.

Very interesting Davina, I wasn't aware of what "partita" means in Italian. That would certainly be cool as a hidden meaning in the show; but I'm not exactly sure I'm ready to go along with that interpretation. In musical terms I think partita means a single instumental piece. And a collection of partitas was called a suite. When Moriarty said "Johann Sebestian Bach would have been appalled", I took it as a critique of the way Sherlock was playing it - insulting him as a rank amatuer.  I took it as a 'slap in the face before the duel' kind of thing.  But your idea is interesting too.  I think maybe I need to watch that scene again.....

I'm really sorry to come and say this, Davina, but the piece Sherlock plays in that scene is Sonata nº 1, not Partita nº 1. There you have the audio proof:

Sonata nº 1



Partita nº 1



As the musical nerd I am, I can tell you a Partita (in Bach's time) was more or less the same as a Suite. It's a group of short pieces, mostly dances, in the same key signature. They usually had Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Gigue, sometimes with a Prelude and usually with two short dances before the Gigue (Menuets, Gavottes, Bourrées, etc).
Bach's Partitas are, in fact, Suites in the German style, different from the English Suites or the French Suites.

Now I will shut up...

Davina wrote:

Thanks for the clarification. Someone had posted about it being Partita No1 on another thread an I hadn't bothered to check! 

Anyway, we know the rhythm of the code Moriarty taps with his hands is actually from Partita no 1, so we're not so far from it...

Last edited by Irene Adler (November 25, 2012 9:15 pm)

I'd never heard the Perlman before. Thanks for that link.

The music could still have a link to a lot in Reichenbach, in my opinion. I remember a symphony I went to once where the letters of the main theme formed an acronym that mocked the composer's friend's take on relationships and life and then proceeded to impose his own.

Okay, so after a few tries at Googling, I found it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_cryptogram
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-A-E_Sonata
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._3_(Brahms)
(They were F-A-E, "Free but lonely" and F-A-F, "Free but happy")

I also think that Sinnerman was an unusual choice, although The Thieving Magpie is at first inspection a very obvious one.

Goodness, so I was sort of right...nearly...maybe? Lol!  So the choice of the piece may well be symbolic. Would it already be familiar to Sherlock then? Does he already realise what it is?