Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner What is the correct way to play Bach, musicaly?

Given that most pianists and composer were improvisers during that time and looking at the Urtext editions there are no dynamics or tempo markings.

I believe there are some general rules to playing baroque music and was told that to think of polyphonic music as an interchangeable melody and accompany or call and answer is not the right way to think of it.

Someone also told me to think of this kind of music as the perfect form of communism, each note is respected individually and there is not any one note or sets of notes that get more attention than the others.

Your thoughts?

Listen to a lot of his choral music.

When I studied organ I was taught that each voice needed a specific articulation. On the organ (and harpsichord) you can accent individual notes. The way to make the individual melodies in a contrapuntal texture stand out was to play them differently. For example when Bach has sixteenth note movement with eighth note accompaniment the eighth notes may often be played detached or even staccato. In a four or five voice texture this becomes more difficult but usually some way of articulating the various voices is possible.

Another of example might the c major fugue from Book 1 (WTC). I'll play the ascending part legato but detach the eighth notes after the 32nd note figure. There's no right or wrong in doing this, it's simply what works for you. However, in a fugue it's very important to be consistent in articulation, especially as regards the theme. One last example would be the Eb major fugue from Book 1. The theme has a trill in it. I've found that if I use a short trill I can put it into every entry of the theme.

The good news is that with Bach you get to be creative in developing your interpretation. That can also be bad news.

One "mistake" that students often make in playing Bach contrapuntal works on the piano is bringing out the subject louder than the other voices every time it occurs. This often destroys the flow of the other voices, whether they are (also) playing the subject, or the counter-subject or episodes. Volume is only one way of bringing out the subject; as Steve points out, there are others, among them articulation.

Regards,

Yes, listen to the choral music, AND to all the other non-keyboard Bach you can get your hands on. Listen to keyboard music too, but definitely don't stick to that.

Descriptions about "think of polyphony this way" are always lame and inadequate, only rough guides to the situation.

Cantabile!

Well, yes; depending on context.

Another element to consider is what kind of dynamics to have (both dynamics range and form (terraced, or not)).

I think I may be guilty of some of this. I have been working on English Suite #2. 1st movement. I think I watched too much of Ivo Pogorelich's performance on YouTube and have been trying to emulate the percussive attack he uses. It just doesn't sound right without, among many other things, the tempo, which is at least 18 bmp away for me.

To answer the exact question in the title of the thread:

Yes.

Thanks, David. I was trying to determine the implications of the thread title (e.g. are there other, non-musical aspects to playing Bach correctly, which the OP doesn't want to consider for the purposes of this thread?), but I like your parsing much better.

-J

What is the correct way to play Bach? That's one heck of a question considering the reply space given.

Hi D4v3,

As you will notice ... unless you accurately present the Bach keyboard work which is presently testing you ... most of the membership start vaguely shooting from the hip.

Let’s hope you mention something from the Well Tempered Clavichord I or II.

That's not the issue at all.

Sorry to have to disagree with your comment Mark C ... but without a definite target, you chaps are going to continue to shoot from the hip.

The OP is in dire need of help in picking up on the voices contained in a Bach keyboard work if he (or she) comes up with the outlandish revelation

“Someone also told me to think of this kind of music as the perfect form of communism, each note is respected individually and there is not any one note or sets of notes that get more attention than the others.” (how boring!!)

So far, the other chaps have added

1. Listen to choral music
2. On the organ play each note differently
3. Avoid playing individual notes louder
4. Listen to Bach’s music
5. Play cantabile
6. Consider dynamics
7. “One heck of a question”

Let’s be specific ... Bach’s output is so vast ... we do him a disservice by being vague.

What I meant was that there are other, greater issues about the original post.

My comment was not a shot from the hip. The OP asks for an entirely impossible reply, thus it's one heck of a question.

That's pretty close to what I meant too.

I didn't exactly think it asked for an impossible reply, but that it was confused and unclearly stated.

And in fact, I don't think BTB exactly meant "shoot from the hip" either.

But how is it NOT an impossible reply? Who here can pinpoint such a thing in a clearly defined way without authoring a short novel and even then words only fall short when the subject is art.

You seem to think you know what he was asking.
Which is a pretty good trick, considering that I don't think he did.