'Two Lines' was written at the request of Peter Bowman and Kathryn Bennets for a piece to celebrate 20 years of their performing together. It is a response to Bach's Two-part Inventions and, like the Bach, is suitable for concert performance or as part of a programme of two-part inventions. As Bach said in his preface to the first edition of his work the aim is '... above all to cultivate a cantabile style of playing and to gain from the beginning a strong foretaste of composition.'