Bach’s (1685-1750) Sonatas for Flute and Obbligato Harpsichord were conceived and/or revised in the 1730s, while, distancing himself from his burnout as church Cantor, he enjoyed a year-round venue at Zimmermann’s Coffeehouse as director, performer and impresario for Leipzig’s vibrant young Collegium Musicum. Leipzig was then a powerful, rich, trend-setting city, nicknamed “little Paris,” and Zimmermann’s was a hotspot for public chamber music. The Sonatas give us Bach’s carousing side and profundity together. Sonata in G minor, I. Allegro: the harpsichord’s stormy intro is offset by a noble, defiant flute theme; II. Adagio: a joyous dance of angels; III. Allegro: continuous driving energy, with Italian flavor. Sonata in B Minor – Bach invests the key with religious meaning, conveying human suffering and transcendence, but the final Presto features a leaping dance, and beautiful fugue-like writing, with a skipping theme in the flute and triumphant conclusion. The Sonata in A Major opens with bold concerto-like themes. The Largo e dolce is a meditation, slightly austere. The Allegro is a joyous 3/8 dance with canons (musical) of contrasting character interspersed with the main theme. The Sonata in E-Flat Major contains much sunny, tuneful flute writing. The Siciliano in C minor is an affecting operatic aria over a flowing harpsichord accompaniment. The final Allegro is exuberant.