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Bit Of Bach


Dirge

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This is the well known air from the Goldberg Variations, as heard played by Glen Gould on the piano while he hums over the top, and Hannibal Lecter's choice for background music in his cell.

 

It was written for harpsichord so the building chords in the bass are not as JSB would have imagined it, and I knew this when I started practicing it. It's the usual warts and all "I can't be bothered to fiddle about with this blasted machine" recording and you'll hear in some places I've been fairly successful at feathering the bass notes; elsewhere the concentration lapses...Listening to it I must watch my bellows work generally.

 

The polyphony needs a lot of changing fingers and picking up melody notes with fingers that are already holding a long note so it's interesting technically and I think this may be part of the reason why I really like playing it; Sal's comment when asked "Whadjerfinkofthat?" was "That's another pretty piece". I think it works. What do you reckon?

Bach Air.mp3

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This is the well known air from the Goldberg Variations, as heard played by Glen Gould on the piano while he hums over the top, and Hannibal Lecter's choice for background music in his cell.

 

It was written for harpsichord so the building chords in the bass are not as JSB would have imagined it, and I knew this when I started practicing it. It's the usual warts and all "I can't be bothered to fiddle about with this blasted machine" recording and you'll hear in some places I've been fairly successful at feathering the bass notes; elsewhere the concentration lapses...Listening to it I must watch my bellows work generally.

 

The polyphony needs a lot of changing fingers and picking up melody notes with fingers that are already holding a long note so it's interesting technically and I think this may be part of the reason why I really like playing it; Sal's comment when asked "Whadjerfinkofthat?" was "That's another pretty piece". I think it works. What do you reckon?

Bach Air.mp3

nice bass :)

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Very nice dirge,

but I do think that JSB had intended the hamonisations for something other than Equal temperament. There are some harsh chords that,perhaps are avoidable or diminishable by adjusting the arangement a little. On a Concertina these strong dissonances are very noticable. On a Harpsichord it would be easy to adjust the tuning to sweeten Bach's intentions.

 

The Piano has the advantage of allowing its player the ability to emphasise some notes over others and the string set up does negate some of the nastiness of ET.

 

Of course the harpsichord has the problem of very limited, or no, dynamic range but the Concertina has another problem where the bellows is the one source of power and dynamics for all the notes thus making it difficult to let the melody notes stand out from the chordal continuo. Perhaps if you could place the 'Zoom' so that it picks up the melody more strongly

than the Bass... I don't know if that is possible but it is certainly more likely with a Duet than with an English.

 

I am very fond of the Goldberg Variations and I did miss you humming along in the fashion of Gould ;)

 

Keep em coming, they are greatly apprieciated and inspiring!

 

Geoff.

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OK Geoff, I know you worry about this equal temperament thing; but I suspect part of it is just my instrument. Just for you a quick run through on the 81 to see if it sounds better to you. The 72 is playing it's usual game and has various dodgy and lazy notes wheras the 81 is in better tune I think. (Having said that it's got a slow valve for starters.) The 81 also gives you ALL of JSB's notes and you can hear how slow to speak those bottom notes are.

 

Incidentally for those who like this sort of comparison this is a std 81; brass reed frames and NP ends. You can hear the difference between it and my alloy framed and ended 72. Both date from the early 20's.

 

David B are you suggesting that I should separate the walking bass notes a bit, in which case that's probably fair, or are you saying I shouldn't build up the bass chords but play a slow arpeggio? I tried that one and it sounded hideously 'blunt instrument'.

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David B are you suggesting that I should separate the walking bass notes a bit, in which case that's probably fair, or are you saying I shouldn't build up the bass chords but play a slow arpeggio? I tried that one and it sounded hideously 'blunt instrument'.

The former. I noticed it right off when I started listening to the beginning of your clip. It's like turning on a garden hose and it all comes out in a steady stream, where most would agree that each note needs to have definition as distinct from the other notes. The same thinking is true, of course, in the right hand, but it seems to have come out better there, perhaps because the phrasing is built into the melody, with its differing note lengths, or because you were paying more attention to the right hand.

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I noticed it right off when I started listening to the beginning of your clip. It's like turning on a garden hose and it all comes out in a steady stream, where most would agree that each note needs to have definition as distinct from the other notes. The same thinking is true, of course, in the right hand, but it seems to have come out better there, perhaps because the phrasing is built into the melody, with its differing note lengths, or because you were paying more attention to the right hand.

 

Most might agree that each note needs to have definition but not Herr Bach; as I said in my original posting he wrote held notes that build into a chord and this is a challenge for transferring it to concertina. You may not like it but it's quite deliberate. I tried playing them separately and it just didn't work at all. Throughout the piece there are long notes from other voices held under the moving parts.

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I noticed it right off when I started listening to the beginning of your clip. It's like turning on a garden hose and it all comes out in a steady stream, where most would agree that each note needs to have definition as distinct from the other notes. The same thinking is true, of course, in the right hand, but it seems to have come out better there, perhaps because the phrasing is built into the melody, with its differing note lengths, or because you were paying more attention to the right hand.

 

Most might agree that each note needs to have definition but not Herr Bach; as I said in my original posting he wrote held notes that build into a chord and this is a challenge for transferring it to concertina. You may not like it but it's quite deliberate. I tried playing them separately and it just didn't work at all. Throughout the piece there are long notes from other voices held under the moving parts.

 

 

Surely this is the type of Contrapuntal writing that we hear throughout Bach's multi-voiced compositions ? This is what it is all about... and tricky to play that is true.

I was working on one piece from Bach's Cello Suites,just single voice writing, and finding it to be quite an exercise, was reminded of the fact that Pablo Cassals spend 40 years working on those Suites before recording them.

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OK Dirge,

yes it definately sounds better on the 81...and thanks for that!

Geoff.

I thought as much.

 

When I eventually collect the 67 from Mike that will probably get used for 'best' recordings too. The 71 is well played in and light and supple but never holds its tune and often doesn't speak well. It's always been a bit frustrating.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 11 months later...

I was working on one piece from Bach's Cello Suites,just single voice writing, and finding it to be quite an exercise, was reminded of the fact that Pablo Cassals spend 40 years working on those Suites before recording them.

 

I am just working on the first Prelude (on treble EC, which means I have to use a transcription for the violin) - with always Pablo Casals on my mind...

The Bourrée anglaise from the Partita in A minor for solo flute (BWV 1013) is another piece of written music which flows very nicely on the EC.

Perhaps I am going to try on a reduced version of the Aria..., hoping to retain at least some conterpoint...

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My curent favorite pieces from the first Cello suite are Menuets 1 and 2.. although I love the Prelude I find myself getting on better with the dance measures. The Baritone /treble allows the use of the Cello partitions... and yes Pablo Casals in one ear all the time.

 

On the Maccann I am currently trying Air from Suite No. 3 ( JSB) for its two voice interplay.

 

Admission of treason; today whilst wandering around the shops I found a secondhand electric keyboard, in a Pawn shop. This one was plugged in and turned on so I had a little try of the available voices... my my this is so much easier than a concertina.. and it is 50 years since I played the piano !

Edited by Geoff Wooff
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