This, then, is intended to be a practical performing edition, based on more than thirty years’ experience of conducting the Concertos at public concerts.

These evergreen masterworks have long been known and loved by musicians and concert-goers; yet because of the various problems they present in performance there are numerous orchestras, particularly those consisting of amateurs and students, for whom their production is difficult or impossible.

This, then, is intended to be a practical performing edition, based on more than thirty years’ experience of conducting the Concertos at public concerts. I hope it will not only go far towards smoothing out difficulties of performance for the standard professional orchestras, but will also enable the works to be played by many other ensembles to whom, hitherto, they have been inaccessible.

The string parts have been bowed and fingered, and the ‘war on dots’ will be noted: in one edition of these Concertos I had to erase no less than 768 dots from the first violin part of the first movement only of the third Concerto. To a string player a dot means ‘staccato’ how can any nobility or dignity be imparted to the phrases if they are played almost incessantly ‘spiccato’ or ‘staccato’.

As far as dynamics are concerned, Bach left no indications in his score. I have added expression marks, though more as a general guide than as detailed instruction. In this connection I would add that having had the unique opportunity of playing Bach's Violin Concertos with Joachim, Norman Neruda, Ysaÿe, Kreisler, Menuhin, and others, I always noted that these great string players did not play long series of notes with a level ‘forte’ tone (in ‘terraces of sound’ is, I believe, the official term) without the slightest inflexion or artistic ‘messa di voce’ they all employed a subtle inflection and emphasis, giving a human feeling to these immortal phrases of the master.