Concerto for Four Violins in B minor, op. 3, no. 10, RV580 (L'estro Armonico)

Estienne Roger published L'estro armonico in Amsterdam in 1711 — twelve concertos issued as Vivaldi's opus 3 and dedicated to Ferdinando de' Medici. Printed north of the Alps rather than in Venice, the set travelled fast and became the most influential Italian instrumental publication of its generation. Bach transcribed six of the concertos for keyboard, among them the concerto for four violins in B minor, RV 580, which he rewrote for four harpsichords and strings. The collection fixed the three-movement plan and the ritornello logic that the rest of the century took as the shape of the concerto itself.