Ivona Kaminska-Bowlby performs Petzold's Minuet in G major, BWV Anh.114 from Bach's Anna Magdalena Notebook
Notes on the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook as a whole:
The minuets from the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook exhibit distinct Affects and thus require varied approaches to tempo and articulation. Treatises by C.P.E. Bach, Johann Mattheson, and Johann Joachim Quantz-all describing the music of their time in the northern Germanic regions-emphasize the importance of analyzing tonality, melodic contours, intervallic content, and dissonances to arrive at an appropriate interpretative choice. There is no single tempo that suits all minuets, for example. Instead, performers should choose from a range of acceptable tempi based on the meter and the dance character. The denominator of the time signature generally indicates an approximate pace for the piece. All minuets in this collection are in 3/4 time and thus suggest a moderate tempo.
Many editors apply long, romantic slurs over larger phrases in these works. However, Baroque articulation always took intervallic content into account-the wider the interval, the more pronounced the articulation and separation-and, of course, the hierarchical strength of beats within the measure. Advocates for a romanticized legato touch in Bach’s works often cite his preface to the Two-Part Inventions, which mentions a “singing style.” However, Bach’s “singing style” would still have adhered to the clear, sharp, and nearly explosive pronunciation of the German language, which is not particularly vocal and lacks long vowels. Additionally, treatises from this period describe the ordinary touch as a well-articulated starting point.
In the Baroque era, the score was merely a framework for interpretation. This style, often called “the Learned Style,” required a great deal of knowledge to interpret its basic notation. As such, the music was expected to flourish during repeats. Performers were encouraged to add or modify ornaments and, when playing on two-manual instruments, could alter the registration (timbre and even volume) by switching manuals. Pieces from the Anna Magdalena Notebook are excellent tools in early piano education, inspiring students to explore ornamentation and variation, especially during repeats.
The March in D Major brings a joyful Affect and is a favorite among students. Despite its straightforward texture, editors frequently add slurs that extend over the bar lines, which disregards fundamental Baroque phrasing principles, particularly the hierarchy within the meter. In most works (excluding the Sarabande), the strongest articulation should precede the first beat, making it inappropriate to slur between the final beat of one measure and the first beat of the next. Similarly, this rule applies to any strong-weak beat relationship, ensuring that weak beats do not slur and thus do not weaken the strength of strong beats.
Many piano literature resources claim that Bach’s Polonaises are entirely unrelated to those by Chopin. However, they do reflect elements of the traditional Polish Polonaise. Musicians in the Saxon court, where Bach worked, were familiar with the Polonaise genre due to the intermarriage between the Saxon and Polish courts. Polonaises traditionally evoke a regal affect, as they were used as opening processional dances for Polish royalty. The strongest beat is always the first one and all should serve the Affekt of pride, nobility and royalty.
15 окт 2024
