O Cravo Bem Temperado de abordagens pedagógicas e os ... · Figure 1: Prelude in Eb minor, WTC I,...

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CARVALHO, Larissa Paggioli de. (2016) O Cravo Bem Temperado de Bach: abordagens pedagógicas e os diferentes estilos de prelúdios. Per Musi. Ed. by Fausto Borém, Eduardo Rosse and Débora Borburema. Belo Horizonte: UFMG, n.33, p.97‐115. 97 DOI: 10.1590/permusi20163305 SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE Bach’s WellTempered Clavier: Pedagogical Approaches and the Different Styles of Preludes O Cravo Bem Temperado de Bach: abordagens pedagógicas e os diferentes estilos de prelúdios Larissa Paggioli de Carvalho University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado, EUA. [email protected] Abstract: The present article discusses pedagogical aspects aiming to contribute to teaching and learning Bach’s Preludes of the WellTempered Clavier. Section one presents a review of the prelude as a musical genre and the different styles that influenced the WellTempered Clavier Preludes. Then, there is an analysis of selected preludes that will exemplify the variety of styles found in this work of Bach. Keywords: The WellTempered Clavier; prelude styles; pedagogical approaches in the music of J.S. Bach. Resumo: O presente artigo discute aspectos pedagógios que contribuem com o ensino e a aprendizagem dos Prelúdios de O Cravo Bem Temperado de Johann Sebastian Bach. Primeiramente é feita uma revisão do prelúdio como gênero musical e dos estilos que influenciaram os Prelúdios de O Cravo Bem Temperado. Em seguida, é feita uma análise de prelúdios selecionados que virão exemplificar a variedade de estilos presentes nessa obra de Bach. Palavraschave: O Cravo Bem Temperado; estilos de prelúdios; abordagem pedagógica na música de J.S. Bach. Data de recebimento: 03/12/2015. Data de aprovação final: 18/03/2016.

Transcript of O Cravo Bem Temperado de abordagens pedagógicas e os ... · Figure 1: Prelude in Eb minor, WTC I,...

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CARVALHO,LarissaPaggiolide.(2016)OCravoBemTemperadodeBach:abordagenspedagógicaseosdiferentesestilosdeprelúdios.PerMusi.Ed.byFaustoBorém,EduardoRosseandDéboraBorburema.BeloHorizonte:UFMG,n.33,p.97‐115.

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DOI:10.1590/permusi20163305

SCIENTIFICARTICLE

Bach’sWell‐TemperedClavier:PedagogicalApproachesandtheDifferentStylesofPreludes

OCravoBemTemperadodeBach:abordagenspedagógicaseosdiferentesestilosdeprelúdios

LarissaPaggiolideCarvalhoUniversityofNorthernColorado,Greeley,Colorado,[email protected]

Abstract:ThepresentarticlediscussespedagogicalaspectsaimingtocontributetoteachingandlearningBach’sPreludesoftheWell‐TemperedClavier.SectiononepresentsareviewofthepreludeasamusicalgenreandthedifferentstylesthatinfluencedtheWell‐TemperedClavierPreludes.Then,thereisananalysisofselectedpreludesthatwillexemplifythevarietyofstylesfoundinthisworkofBach.Keywords:TheWell‐TemperedClavier;preludestyles;pedagogicalapproachesinthemusicofJ.S.Bach.Resumo:OpresenteartigodiscuteaspectospedagógiosquecontribuemcomoensinoeaaprendizagemdosPrelúdiosdeOCravoBemTemperadodeJohannSebastianBach.PrimeiramenteéfeitaumarevisãodoprelúdiocomogêneromusicaledosestilosqueinfluenciaramosPrelúdiosdeOCravoBemTemperado.Emseguida,éfeitaumaanálisedeprelúdiosselecionadosquevirãoexemplificaravariedadedeestilospresentesnessaobradeBach.Palavras‐chave:OCravoBemTemperado;estilosdeprelúdios;abordagempedagógicanamúsicadeJ.S.Bach.

Dataderecebimento:03/12/2015.

Datadeaprovaçãofinal:18/03/2016.

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1–Introduction

This research proposes a discussion of pedagogical aspects that could benefit students

workingonJohannSebastianBach’sPreludesoftheWell‐TemperedClavier.ThesePreludes

encompass a wide range of styles, being important pedagogical tools when used

appropriately. They offer opportunities for refining basic skills such as phrasing clearly,

voicing, choosing articulation, tempo and the different affects found in the Baroque Era.

Theseworkscanalsobeusedtohelpstudentsdevelopanimportantskillwhichisdecision

making.Thefactthattherearefewindicationsinthescore,ifanyatall,createstheneedto

makedecisionsontheirown.

Thepresentresearchcannotencompassallthestylesavailablefordiscussionintheseworks.

BothpreludesandfuguesoftheWell‐TemperedClavierwerebasedonpopulargenresofthe

time such as trio‐sonatas, concertos, lute pieces, inventions, ariosos, dances and French

overtures.Oncestudentsarefamiliarwiththetypeofmusicthatwasinfluentialinaprelude,

therearemanymorechancestoachieveasuccessfulandconvincinginterpretationofBach’s

preludes.

2–ThePrelude

Apreludeisapieceofmusicthatprecedes“somethingelse”,afugue,forinstance,oritcould

betheopeningortheintroductionofasuite.Itnormallyhasthefunctionofpreparingthe

listeners’earsforacertainaffectthroughthecomposer’schoiceofkeyandtimesignature.

According to LEDBETTER (2014), early instrumental preludes developed from

improvisationworkingasmeanofcheckingthetuningandthetonequalityoftheinstrument

–thelute,forinstance–andwouldalsobeawarmupfortheplayer.Theneedfornotating

these improvisations came to provide models for students but the free style remained

characteristicofthisgenre.

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Thesewere fundamental features of preludes up to the sixteenth century. Later on they

becameamoreorganizedform.Atthetime,apreludeor“praeludium”wasmoreoftencalled

intonazione (tuning), intrada (entrance), ricercare (to search) or even toccata (to play).

Preludesfromtheearlysixteenthcenturycouldlookjustlikeafantasiaorcouldbesemi‐

measured.Sometypesofpreludes,tryingtokeepitscharacteristic“freestyle”couldhaveno

measures at all, being called unmeasured preludes. MORONEY (2014) states that Louis

Couperin, JeanHenryD’Anglebert,NicolasLebègue,GasparddeLeRoux and JeanPhillip

Rameau are some of the most significant composers of unmeasured preludes for

harpsichord.

AccordingtoLEDBETER(2014),thepreludereacheditspinnaclewithBachwhodeveloped

itinbothcompositionalqualityandrangeofstyles,mannersandform.TheWell‐Tempered

Clavierisagreatexampleofhowmuchvarietyispossibletoachieveinthisgenre.Thetwo

setsof24preludesand fugues–Book1dating from1722andBook2 from1742–had

pedagogicalobjectives.Bachusedthesepreludestodemonstratetechniques,fingeringand

composition,exploringthetitle“prelude”sinceitwasusedsofreely.Hewasalsoexploring

theentirerangeofmajorandminorkeysonlypossibleduetotherecentlycreatedsystemof

temperament–asweuseonkeyboardinstrumentstoday.Priortothe“new”system,pieces

couldonlybeplayedincertainkeys.Othercomposersexploitedthisnewtuningsystemand

createdcollectionsofpreludes;JohnWilsonwithhiscollectionoflutepreludes,writtenin

the1640s,andJ.C.FFisherwithhispreludesandfuguesfororganaresomeexamples.Bach,

however,wasthemostsystematiccomposertoexploitthisnewtonalsystem,beingthefirst

onetowriteinall24majorandminorkeys.

3–Influenceofdance

BachwasheavilyinfluencedbydancessinceFrenchculturewasastrongpresenceinmost

placeswherehelivedandworked.LearningFrenchlanguage,musicanddancewaspartof

formaleducationatthetimeforhighbornGermans.AsateenagerhevisitedthecityofCelle

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–aminiatureVersailles–manytimesprobablyencounteringFrenchplays,danceandmusic

performedbyexcellentFrenchartists(LITTLEandJENNE,2001,p.3‐4).

FamiliaritywiththeFrenchmannerswasveryimportantespeciallyforsomeonelikeBach,

whohadbeenintroducedtocourtandparticipatedinitsactivitiesmanytimes.Accordingto

LITTLEandJENNE(2001,p.7),averyspecificbehaviorwasexpectedinsuchmomentand

German courts would hire French dancingmasters to help courtiers on the pathway to

elegance:

Inadditiontoteachingdancingtheyinstructedcourtiersindeportment,such

astheproperwaytobowtoasuperiororaninferior,howtodohonorsin

passing,whattodowhenintroducedatcourt,whattodowithone’shatand

sword,andsoon.Therewerepreciseruleswhich,whenfollowed,resulted

ineleganceandtheappearanceofgentility,theheightofcivilizedbehavior.

Frenchsocialdancewasnotonlypartofcourtactivitiesbutalsopresentatformalballsand

important events of the middle‐class and aristocrats. Student dramas in Leipzig also

incorporatedthisstyle.Placesthatwerebiggerculturalandartisticcenterscouldsupport

events that demandedbigger productions such as theballet andopera. Celle, Berlin and

DresdenweresomeofthoseplacesabletomaintainafullorchestraofFrenchplayersforan

entireseasonandBachundoubtedlysawFrenchdanceswhenheattendedoperasinthose

places–Frenchdancesoraballetscenewouldbetypicallyperformedduringtheinterludes

betweenacts.

LittleandJennealsosaythatBachknewpersonallyorknewtheworkofthreefamousFrench

dancingmastersinSaxony.JohannesPasch,PantaleonHebenstreit,Jean‐BaptisteVolumier

weredancemastersandthelattertwo,Bach’sgoodfriends,werealsomusicians,performing

atcourtandcomposingdancemusic(LITTLEandJENNE,2001,p.14‐15).Itisinterestingto

notehowmusicanddancewerebothpartofthesecomposers’trainingandhowintrinsically

connectedthetworealmswere,tothepointthatonepersonalonecouldteachdance,write

musicforitandstillplaythismusiconaninstrument.Bachwascertainlyveryfamiliarwith

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Frenchdanceandmusicand,morethanthat,thesewerenotonlyimportantelementsinhis

music—theywerealsopartofhisworld.

4–Otherstyles

TheWell‐TemperedClavierencompassesahugevarietyofstylesrangingfromthestileantico,

based onwhite‐key Renaissancemotets, to themostmodern French court styles.When

studyingaparticularpiecefromthesesets,itisveryimportanttoknowwhattypeofmusic

weareworkingwithinordertogiveittherightcharacter,tempo,articulationandstyle.

AccordingtoWATERMANandANTHONY(2014),theFrenchoverturefoundinsomeofthe

preludescomesfromtheLully’sballetoverturesoriginatedinthe1650s.Thisstylequickly

becameapatternalsoinFrenchoperaandballetovertures.Germancomposersincorporated

thestylethatwasalsousedinopeningsofsuites.Thisformcomprisesofaslow,majestic

opening,markedbydottedrhythmsandsuspensions,withalivelyfugalsecondsection.The

toccatastyleoftenfoundinthisworkswasoriginallyapiecethatdisplaysmanualdexterity,

alwaysforsolokeyboardinstrument.IntheBaroque,thesepiecesbecamelargescaleworks

infreeformnormallyincludingoneortwofugues(CALDWELL,2014).

5–SelectedPreludes

RegardlessthefactthatBachonlywrotefewsetsofdancesuitesforthekeyboard–thesix

FrenchSuites,sixEnglishSuites,thesixPartitasandtheFrenchOvertures–otherworkswere

heavilyinfluencedbydancestylesevenwhennotgivendancetitles.SomeofthePreludesof

theWell‐TemperedClavierbasedondancesaretheFminor,Book2(gavotte‐like)andtheC#

minor,Book1(loure‐like).

ThePreludeinEbmajorfromBook1issarabande‐like.AccordingtoTROEGER(2003,p.64),

dotted rhythmic figures, varied harmonic rhythms and full texture are elements

characteristic of the sarabande.Often, there are streams of notes coming out of a chord

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evokingaluteaccompaniment.Inatypicalsarabande,theaccentuationoftenhappenson

thesecondbeatbutcanalsohappenonthefirst.Inthiscase,theemphasisonthefirstbeat

is given through ornamentation in measure 4, arpeggiation in measures 5‐7 and a

combinationofbothinmeasure8.

Figure1:PreludeinEbminor,WTCI,mm.1‐8.Thispreludepresentscharacteristicsofasarabande.

The3/2timesignatureimpliesaslowertempothantheoneswithsmallervalues(2/4,3/4

and6/8).Itisimportanttomentionthatthedottedquarternotescouldbeplayedasdouble

dottednotes,givingamoredramaticcharactertothepiece,whichwouldbeveryappropriate

here.Besidestheperformancepracticeapproachtodoubledotsandtheimportanceofthe

danceelementtothispiece,thispreludewouldbealsoahelpfultoolforstudentswhoneed

toimproveonlisteningandmatchingthesound,especiallyinthiscase.Here,thelongnotes

requirecarefullisteningthroughthesoundasitdecays,inordertomatchthesoundofthe

followingnotes.

A good preparatory piece for this preludewould be the Sarabande inGminor from the

EnglishSuiteNo.3–theconceptofasarabandecanbemoreeasilyunderstoodinthiscontext.

Thisspecificsarabandeisashorterpieceanditstimesignature(3/4),aswecanseeinfigure

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2,ismorecommonlyfoundinlessadvancedpieces;therefore,studentsaremorefamiliar

withthisnotationthanwiththeoneintheprelude(3/2meter).Besides,thissarabandehas

thesametypeofchordaltextureofthePreludeinEbminor,whichwouldalsohelptoclarify

theconceptofthedance.Inthiscase,emphasisonbeatsareachievedthroughlongernote

valuesonthesecondbeatofmostmeasuresaswellasornamentation–trillsandarpeggios.

Figure2:SarabandeinGminor,EnglishSuiteNo.3,mm.1‐12.SuggestedpreparatorypieceforthePreludeinEbminor,WTCI.

SimilartothepreviouspreludeistheoneinEminorfromBook1.Aswecanseeinfigure3,

thisoneismorevocal,in4/4meterwhichimpliesamoremoderatetempo,beinglikeanaria

whereasingerwouldbeaccompaniedbythevioladagamba.Agreatwaytopracticethis

prelude, after learninghands separate,wouldbe toplay the lefthandpartwithonly the

chordsintherighthand(beatsoneandthree).

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Figure3:PreludeinEminor,WTCI,mm.1‐4.Presentscharacteristicsofanaria.

ThePreludeinC#major,Book1,islikeagigue.Itrequiresgreatindependenceinbothhands

sinceitsmaterialexchangebetweenhands.Fastandlight,therearenochordalpassagesin

this piece, but a continuous stream of sixteenth notes. This particular one fits into the

categoryofgigaIIdescribedbyLITTLEandJENNE(2001,p.168)asapiecetypicalofthe

instrumentalstylewithjoyfulaffect,longphrases,imitativetextureandlackofcadences.

Figure4:PreludeinC#major,WTCI,mm.1‐15.ThispreludeisgigaII‐like.

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Rotationisessentialinthispreludeandexercisescouldbedonebyisolatingmeasures3‐5

and10‐13toworkwithhandsseparateonrotationinintervalsoffourths,fifths,andsixths;

theseintervalsarefoundthroughoutthisentirepreludeinbothhands.Thefirstmeasureof

each phrase (mm. 7 and 9) requires rotation in awider interval – the augmented sixth.

Blockingthesemeasuresandthenusingrotationtoplaythenotesaswrittenwillhelpthe

student to achieve a comfortable and secure approach to these passages. In addition,

blockingthehandwiththeeasierpart(lefthandinmm.1‐7andrighthandinmm.9‐15)and

playingitalongwiththeotherhandcangivemoreawarenessofintervalsandmoresecurity,

especiallyinsuchanunusualandsometimesuncomfortablekey.

AnothergigueisthePreludeinAmajor,Book2.ThisonefitsinthecategoryofgigaI,with

consistenttriplegroupingsthroughoutthepieceandimitativecounterpointastexture.The

12/8timesignatureandthekeyofFmajorsuggestsamoderatetempoandanatmosphere

(affect)ofconstancyandgenerosity(SCHUBART,1806).

Figure5:PreludeinAmajor,WCTII,mm.1‐6.ThispreludeisgigaI‐like.

Thispreludeisagreatpiecetoworkoncontrapuntaltextures.Despiteitsthreevoices,itis

notverycomplexsincethecounterpointisimitative,notpresentingmanydifferentsubjects

asinatypicalBachfugue.Furthermore,itsslowertempomakesiteasierforthestudentto

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hear through thedifferent voices. Practicing each voice separately is a good strategy for

shapingthephrasesandespeciallylisteningtothesoundasitcontinuesthroughafterlong

notevalues.

ThefamousPreludeNo.1inCmajor,Book1,isagoodexampleofafree,improvisatorystyle,

aliteral“prelude.”Thispiecerelatestotheoriginoftheearlyprelude,workingasapieceor

“something”thatyouplaytowarmupyourfingers,tryouttheinstrument,itstonequality,

andtuning.

Figure6:PreludeinCmajor,WTCI,mm.1‐5.Thispreludepresentsafreeandimprovisatorystyle.

The arpeggiated chords in figure 6 all fit comfortably in the hand and the same type of

articulation(legato)iskeptthroughoutthewholepiece.Itwouldbeaverygoodpiecefor

beginner or early intermediate students to improve their touch and soundby practicing

legatoandevenness.Wristflexibilityandrotationshouldalsobeaddressedtohelpwiththe

smoothness of legato along with alignment of the forearm and fingers to improve tone

quality.

Another important aspect that would be very useful when working with intermediate

studentsisthechoiceofdynamics.Becausetherearenodynamicmarksinthispiece(and,

overall,inanyofJ.S.Bach’sworks),thestudentcouldbechallengedtochoosehowtoshape

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phrasesbasedontheharmony.Whenworkingonphrasing,studentscanpracticeblocking

thechordstodevelopamoreclearsenseofthechordprogression.Theteachercanhelpby

askingquestionssuchas“wheredoyoufeeltension?,”wheredoyoufeelthemusicrelaxes?,”

or“wheredoyouthinkwegethome?”Listeningand feelingthemomentsof tensionand

relaxationinthemusicisamoreaccessibleapproachforstudentswhoarenotveryadvanced

ordonothaveastrongtheorybackgroundandwillstillhelpthemtomakemoreappropriate

andconsciouschoices.

ThePrelude inCmajor fromBook2 isalsowritten in the same free‐improvisatorystyle,

almostlikeanunmeasuredprelude.TherhythmsBachwritesrightintheopening,measures

1‐5offigure7,notrepeatedinpatterns,suggestanattempttonotate,withmeasures,afree

andimprovisatorypieceofmusic.ThispreludeismuchmorecomplexthantheCmajorfrom

Book1,withcontrapuntalwritingthatneedstobecarefullyaddressedandpracticedwith

eachhandseparatelyandwithaclearideaofwherethemanyoverlappingphrasesbeginand

end.

Figure7:PreludeinCmajor,WTCII,mm.1‐5.Itpresentsfreecontrapuntalstyle.

ThePreludeinBbmajor,Book1,istoccata‐like.Thisisabold,virtuosopiecewithbrilliant

passage‐works/runs in long, continuous lineswith sixteenthnotes. It is a greatpiece for

workingonevenness.Practicinghandsseparateinthiscaseisnotidealsincethecontinuous

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lineissplitbetweenhands,andpracticingeachhandalonecouldcreateunwantedaccents.

Eachgroupoffourthirty‐secondnotes,asinmeasures1thoughthesecondbeatofmeasure

3(seefigure8a),shouldbeblockedinawaytohelpthestudentunderstandtheharmony,

seeinggroupsofnotesinsteadofeachnoteindividually.Afterbecomingcomfortablewith

grouping,andmorefamiliarwiththenotes,thestudentshouldbeabletomakedecisionson

howtoshapethispiece.

Figure8a:PreludeinBbmajor,WTCI,mm.1‐3.Thispreludeistoccata‐like.

Since there are no indications in the score, the student needs to choose dynamics and

whetherornottotakesometimeinspecificplacesbasedontheharmonyandstructural

points of the piece. The short cadenza‐like passages found throughout the second page,

demonstratedinmeasures11‐15offigure8b,ofthispreludearegoodexercisesforlearning

theconceptof“cadenza”.Workingonshapingcadenzasinshortpassageslikethiscanbea

veryusefultoolinpreparationtoplayinglingerconcerticadenzas.

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Figure8b:Cadenza‐likepassagesinthePreludeinBbmajor,WTCI,mm.10‐15.Thispieceisrecommendedinpreparationforconcerticadenzas.

ThePrelude inCminor fromBook2 isanexampleof two‐part invention.Handsseparate

practiceisidealsincehandswillbetradingrolesbetweenhavingthemelodyandproviding

accompaniment. Rotation exercises in thirds would be helpful to apply in each hand

separately.Sinceeachbeatofthefirsttwomeasuresiscomposedofchordswithaneighbor

tone,oneshouldplayonlytherealnotesofthechordwhenapplyingrotation.Alsoimportant

istoworkontherotationandalignmentor“armsupportingthefingers,”isolatingthetwo‐

beatpattern–asinmeasures3‐4.

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Figure9:PreludeinCminor,WTCII,mm.1‐4.Thispreludepresentscharacteristicsofatwo‐partinvention.

It would be good for the student to be familiar with some of the two‐part inventions.

InventionNo.4inDminorwouldbeagreatpreparationforthispreludesinceitinvolvesthe

sametypeofrotationbetweenwiderintervalsandtheexchangeofmaterialbetweenhands

inashorterpiece,asdemonstratedinfigure10.

Figure10:Two‐partinventionNo.4inDminor,mm.1‐15.SuggestedpieceaspreparationforthePreludeinCminor,WTCII.

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AccordingtothegreatpianistandinterpreterofBach,AngelaHEWITT(2002),thePrelude

inBmajorfromBook2soundslikeaconcerto.Itsbrilliantopeninginthefirsttwomeasures

suggestsatuttifollowedbythesoloistinmeasure3.Laterinthepiece,measures12‐15for

instance(seefigure11b),itseemstherearetwosoloistsalternatingwiththetutti,perhaps

aviolinandaflute.Thispreludehasdifferentsections,somesoundinglikelittlecadenzasin

themiddleoftheconcerto,otherssoundinglikesolosortutti.Thestudentshoulddefinitely

takeadvantageofthisaspecttocreatedifferentcolorsandcontrastwithinthepiece.

Figure11a:PreludeinBmajor,WTCII,mm.1‐7.Concerto‐likeprelude.Itsopeningmeasuressuggestatutti(mm.1‐2)andasoloist(mm.3‐7).

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Figure11b:PreludeinBmajor,WTCII,mm.11‐15.Thisspecificpassageshowsatexturethatcouldrepresenttwosoloists(intheuppervoices).

Findingthedifferentsectionswillenablethestudenttoidentifymaindifferencesintextures

andpatterns.Sincethispiecewaswrittenwithmanysequences,itisveryimportanttofind

itsmainpatterns.Forinstance,measures3isamodelformeasures3‐7(seefigure11a)thus,

practicingeachmeasureandstoppingonthedownbeatofthenextoneisagoodstrategy.

Thecadenza‐likepassages(mm.17‐23)shouldbepracticedwithbothhandsasiftheywere

being played by only one instrument. This is a very challenging prelude for its virtuoso

characterandconstantflowofsixteenthnotesinatleastoneofthehands,withtheeventual

additionofathirdvoiceinmeasure12.

AnotherstyleoftenfoundinBach’spreludesfromtheWell‐TemperedClavieristheFrench

OvertureStyle.ExamplesofthisstylearethePreludeinDmajorfromBook2andthePrelude

inGminor,alsofromBook2.AccordingtoSCHUBART(1806),thekeyofDmajorisakeyof

joy,triumphandrejoicewhichenhancestheFrenchoverturecharacter.Inthecaseofthe

PreludeinGminor–keyofdiscontentment,resentmentanddislike–thedoubledotsshould

definitelybeappliedsinceitincreasesthedrama.Acarefulstudyofthevoicesseparatelyis

necessarysincetheyfloatinbetweenhands,aswecanseeinfigure12,beingveryimportant

toknowwhereexactlyacertainvoiceendsorbegins.

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Figure12:PreludeinGminor,WTCII,mm.1‐4.ThispreludepresentscharacteristicsoftheFrenchoverturestyle,characterizedbythepracticeofdoubledots.

6–Conclusion

ThePreludesoftheWell‐TemperedClavierarepiecesthatpresentagreatvarietyofstyles.It

isundeniably important tobe familiarwith thesedifferentstylesbeforeapproaching the

Preludessothatonecanachieveawell‐informedinterpretation.Bach’sLittlePreludes,the

Frenchand(sometimes)EnglishSuites,andalsothetwoandthreepartinventionsofferthe

varietyofstylesthatweneedinordertoplaythesePreludeswithspontaneity,characterand

style.

A student does not need to have played an entireFrench suite in order to understand a

PreludefromtheWell‐TemperedClavier.Learningsomeofthedancesoraspecificonethat

relatestothestyleoftheassignedPreludecanbeahelpfulandclarifyingwaytointroduce

the concept of style to a student. Often, the dance movements from the suites, or the

two/three‐part inventions, are shorter pieces of music and technically less demanding,

makingthemagoodpreparationtothesePreludes.

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InadditiontoteachingstudentsaboutthemanystylesofBach,thesePreludesarefascinating

pieces of music, effective repertoire and performance material. After working on these

Preludes,thestudentwillhaveabetterunderstandingofBach’slanguageandwillbeableto

makemoreconsciousartisticdecisions.

References

1.ALFANO,Donald.(2014).“LearningBach’sShortPreludes:ASequentialApproach”.ClavierCompanion.http://www.freewebs.com/newhavenchapter/Bach_Short_Preludes_JanFeb14.pdf.(AccessedDecember7,2014).

2.CALDWELL,John.“Toccata”.GroveOnline.http://0‐www.oxfordmusiconline.com.source.unco.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/28035?q=toccata&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit.(AccessedDecember7,2014).

3.HEINEMANN,Ernst‐Gunter.Well‐TemperedClavier.HenleVerlag.http://www.henle.de/us/detail/index.html?Title=The+Well‐Tempered+Clavier+Part+I+BWV+846‐869_1014.(AccessedDecember7,2014).

4.LEDBETTER,David.“Prelude”.GroveOnline.http://0‐www.oxfordmusiconline.com.source.unco.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/43302?q=prelude&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit.(AccessedNovember26,2014).

5.LITTLE,Meredith;JENNE,Natalie.(2001).DanceandtheMusicofJ.S.Bach.Bloomington,EUA:IndianaUniversityPress.

6.MORONEY,Davitt.“Préludenonmesuré”.GroveOnline.http://0‐www.oxfordmusiconline.com.source.unco.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/22290.(AccessedNovember26,2014).

7.SCHUBART,Christian.(1806).IdeenzueinerӒesthetikderTonkunst.Wien.http://www.wmich.edu/mus‐theo/courses/keys.html.(AccessedNovember30,2014).

8.TROGER,Richard.(2003).PlayingBachontheKeyboard:APracticalGuide.NewJersey,EUA:AmadeusPress.

9.WATERMAN,George;ANTHONY,James.“FrenchOverture”.GroveOnline.http://0‐www.oxfordmusiconline.com.source.unco.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/10210?q=French+overture+&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit.(AccessedDecember7,2014).

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Musicscoresandvideo

1.BACH,JohannSebastian.(1895).EnglishSuiteNo.3.Ed.ErnstNaumann.Leipzig:BreitkopfundHärtel.

2.BACH,JohannSebastian.(1853).15Sinfonias.Ed.CarlFerdinandBecker.Leipzig:BreitkopfundHärtel.

3.BACH,JohannSebastian.(2007).TheWell‐TemperedClavier.v.1.Ed.Ernst‐GünterHeinemann.Munich:G.HenleVerlag.

4.BACH,JohannSebastian.(2007).TheWell‐TemperedClavier.v.2.Ed.YoTomita.Munich:G.HenleVerlag.

5.HEWITT,Angela.(2008).BachPerformanceonthePiano.DVD(LectureRecital):HyperionRecords.

RecommendedReading

1.BADURA‐SKODA,Paul.(1995).InterpretingBachattheKeyboard.OxfordNewYork,EUA:ClarendonPress.

2.LEDBETTER,David.(2002).Bach’sWell‐TemperedClavier:the48PreludesandFugues.NewHaven,EUA:YaleUniversityPress.

Noteabouttheauthor:

LarissaPaggiolideCarvalhoisadoctoralstudentinpianoperformanceattheUniversityofNorthernColoradowhereshehasworkedonresearchentitled“EdmundoVillani‐Côrtes’WorksforViolinandPiano:AnalysisandPerformanceGuide”.Larissahasgraduatedfromthe Universidade de Brasília in 2008 with a bachelor’s of music degree in piano and ateaching license. At the University ofWyoming, hermaster’s research was dedicated toHeitorVilla‐Lobos’BachianasBrasileirasNo.4.Duringtheschoolyearof2013‐2014,Larissawashiredasadjunctteacherofclasspianoattheinstitutionwhereshecurrentlystudies.Shehasbeenworkingactivelyasasoloandcollaborativepianistandalsoservingasateacherand researcher.Larissahas recentlydefendedherdissertationand, inMay2016,will beconferredherdoctorofartsdegreewhichshehasearnedwiththesupportofscholarshipsfromtheUniversityofNorthernColoradoandCAPES.