Like the Italian Concerto for solo harpsichord (BWV 971), the Concerto a due cembali is Bach's only concerto expressly written for two unaccompanied harpsichords. He probably composed it in Leipzig some time around 1733; later he provided an alternative version with a string ripieno in the first & third movements. The original version for two unaccompanied harpsichords appeared for the first time as a scholarly-critical edition in the "New Bach Edition". Two scores are required for performance.