Wednesday, February 27, 2013

J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2, Second Mini-Recital, Sunday February 17, 2013, Preludes and Fugues No 5-8

Preludes and Fugues no 5-8
All titles are connected with the link to the youtube recording

The lively, festive D-major Prelude is all you need to mobilize a little extra energy on a gray day. Interestingly, I never liked this piece until I started to practice it - but ever since, it has become one of my favorites.

A trumpet fanfare, a rising melody made up of broken triads opens the Prelude. It’s like opening the shutters in the morning, and the sun pours in. The triads cascade up and down throughout the entire piece, together with “16th note ripple” that opens the piece. An idea for the pianist - even though those ripples form a 5 note pattern, 1-2-3-4-5 may not be the best choice of fingering. The figure becomes much more even if you use 1-2-3-1-2, together with a slight rotation. The Prelude is extensive, an entire concerto on the idea that opens the piece. 

The time signature, 12/8, combined with the alla breve sign, is fairly unusual. The broken triads suggest triplets, a feeling of 3, as in a dance. At the same time, you can feel the larger unit of 2 in each measure, like a steady and solemn pacing. I’m particularly taken by the spots where regular 8th notes break the feeling of the triplets in the second part of the theme ( M2) - Rosalyn Tureck plays a dotted rhythm here, but I think that robs the piece of an interesting rhythmic effect.

If we neglect the fact that Bach does not bring in a second subject, this piece has the form of a Sonata-Allegro that we find in so many classical Sonatas. The first part, which  - up to the double bar at the end of M16 - is the exposition, followed by a development section M 17-40 that leads to the recapitulation in M 41. 

I like to take the repeats of both parts, as Bach suggests - it makes for a long piece, but , as they say, “too much of a good thing is wonderful.”



The very long Prelude is followed by a very short Fugue.  The trumpets begin the subject with three repeated notes that give it a vital energy. Then the melody descends, and with that descent, it seems to mellow. In all, the subject covers the scope of an entire octave. 

In his guide through the Well-Tempered Clavier, Hermann Keller recommends not to split the subject into two parts by playing each motive with a different character. I have to confess that that’s exactly what I do, though, because I feel the music that way. 

Interestingly, Bach increasingly splits the two motives of the subject in the course of the composition, using the second part for extensions and episodes. This results in sections that feel more mellow, a balance to the fanfare at the beginning of the subject. The fanfare is so predominant throughout that it’s hard to miss, even if you’re not following the music. Bach makes extensive use of strettos (overlapping subject entrances), trumpets seem to be sounding from different places all around.

At first, I played the Fugue fairly slow and solemn, like a hymn, but then I liked my teacher’s idea of staying with the upbeat, energetic, attitude that characterizes the Prelude. This approach holds the two pieces together - and apart from that, not all hymns are slow.


The first sketches of this piece go all the way back to Bach’s youth . The perpetual motion of scale passages and broken chords, convey energy, brilliance and determination. It is like a virtuosic improvisation, without adventurous modulations to distant keys. 


The subject reverses the direction of the scale that cascades downward at the beginning of the Prelude. There is some motion in the 16th triplets, but the ascent feels difficult and labored. Immediately after reaching the peak, measured half steps lead back down, like sighs over the effort, it’s all too much.

A countersubject in calmly flowing 16th appears, as if trying to calm down the restless 16th triplets. The tension between the agitation of the triplets and the calmly flowing 16ths, which I find particularly engaging, persists throughout the entire piece.


This charming piece could have been written for a Lute. Its exposed melody lines and transparent texture require the pianist to shape every note; any unevenness will be noticed.


The Fugue has an outgoing, triumphant character, somewhat similar to the Fugue in D-major. The subject is a catchy tune, easy to follow throughout the piece. There are no inversions or rhythmic alterations. In the course of the development, Bach uses strettos twice.


Once again, I don’t agree with Hermann Keller, who calls this Prelude “sachlich” matter-of-fact, realistic, unemotional. I find that there is something slightly haunting, uncanny about the character of this two- part invention, which inspired me to choose the photo of a twilight sky to go with it. Andras Schiff brought out that atmosphere beautifully in his concert at the 92d Street Y, he played the piece like a fleeting shadow.
Formally, the piece follows the plans of a preclassical sonata. It has two parts, which can be repeated. The first part, the exposition has one subject only. It is followed by a development section and a shortened recapitulation. When the subject appears in F-sharp major and A-sharp minor at the end of the exposition Bach begins to add figuration in 32nd notes. At beginning of the development, these figurations expand into an ear-catching, unruly independent motive that accompanies the subject consistently to the end of the piece.



This is a very pleading, pained and puzzling piece, harmonically adventurous, as if the composer was trying to find new ways, but always comes back to the same question. 

After the counter exposition, Bach uses the technique of stretto (overlapping subject entrances) to increase intensity. Shortly afterwards, (M30) the subject appears in major, accompanied by a flowing bass line that conveys a sense of relief. The following subject entrance, however, brings the piece back to minor, confirming the serious, somber atmosphere. Soprano, Alto and Tenor join together for a gentle trio that conveys a feeling of comfort, before the next subject entrance of the bass. It is almost like a solo, to which Soprano, Alto and Tenor respond with chords that fill the space of the long note.  It’s like an outcry - or a confirmation? At the end, we hear the subject in the soprano, accompanied by free counterpoint in the other voices, and ending in a surprising major chord - suggesting that there may be a way out, after all ?

Sunday, February 24, 2013

J.S. Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2, First Mini Recital, Sunday February 3rd 2013, Preludes and Fugues No 1-4


First Mini-Recital Sunday, February 3rd, Preludes and Fugues No 1-4 
(All titles are connected with the respective youtube link)

The Prelude in C-major is a grand and festive opening. In the beginning, a pedal point grounds the harmonies - a long note in the left hand that is held through changing harmonies. This is a typical feature of organ pieces, and one could well imagine this piece played on an organ.
The prelude is a free improvisation over progressions of chords, with fragments of melody passing between the voices. They are not independent melodies, though, as in a fugue or invention. The driving force behind this prelude is  harmony and the harmonic progression shines through the web of moving voices. The music is full of expectation, like spring, or the first page of a story waiting to unfold.

I once got a Christmas Card, showing a little girl in jeans and rubber boots running across the lawn, her face beaming with enthusiasm, her arms wide open, as if she was ready to embrace life. The writing on the card said “Joy to the World.” Unfortunately, I didn't keep it - it would have been the perfect illustration to go with the Fugue in C-major - full of motion and exuberance, as if the joy that appears contained in the Prelude is suddenly left to run free.

The Fugue has three voices. The subject is characterized by a rhythmically distinct motive that is easy to follow against the passages of running sixteens throughout the piece.  

In terms of compositional technique, the Prelude in c-minor is a two-part invention - the melodic ideas are passed back and forth between the two voices. In difference to an invention, the Prelude has two parts, which is a characteristic feature of baroque dances. Some pianists choose a fairly fast tempo for this piece, emphasizing the motion energy of the passage work and the leaps in the accompaniment. I don’t feel this piece has a very outgoing character; the long melody lines that hide in the passage work and the minor key give it something subdued. Harmonic “sunlight” in the form of the relative major E-flat appears briefly at the end of the first part, only to be swallowed up by a cloud in the third measure of the second part.

The descending melody line of the Fugue subject gives it a quiet, solemn character, that becomes even more evident when the augmentation - the subject is twice as slow - appears at the beginning of the development. (For step-by-step listening of the fugue, see lecture in the previous post) It has been my favorite spot in the piece since the first time I heard it, conveying a feeling of a solid foundation. It is one of those pieces in Book 2 that touch the profound, unanswered questions of our existence.

The Prelude is a close relative of the Prelude in No 1 in C-major from Book 1 - interestingly, Bach re-worked an older piece that was written in the key of C-major. 
Four voices constitute three layers of sound: soprano and alto share gentle waves of broken chords, the soprano begins with the upward motion, the alto balances it, going down. The tenor provides the pulse with steadily throbbing 8th notes, accompanied by warm and resonant bass pizzicatos, that give each chord its foundation. The piece concludes in a brief, sprightly “surprise fugue” that brings it home to the key of c-sharp major. 

The calm and clarity of the first part corresponds with picture showing the reflection of trees in the still water of a pond; it disregards the short “surprise Fugue” at the end of the piece. 

The Fugue expresses joy, but it is a different kind of joy than the C-major Fugue. You could imagine the pomp and splendor of a festivity at court, the duke and his following entering in a solemn procession.  

Staccato leaps through the C-sharp major triad open the subject, suggesting humor - a friend of mine once said it reminds her of a fat man’s belly laugh, and instead of the giant-soap bubbles in Central Park, NYC, I could also have imagined one of Arcimboldo’s “Fruit People” as an illustration to the music.


It is difficult to determine where the subject ends exactly, the broken triad remains the predominant motive that bounces back and forth between the voices, inversion and strettos (overlapping subject entries) appear already in the course of the exposition. As the Fugue progresses, brilliant passage work forms the counterpoint of the subject, as if to add splendor and fill in the gaps. Choosing a moderate pace in the beginning serves pianists well who hope to survive all the way to the end.  

The Prelude in C-sharp minor is a deeply moving lament in three-part writing, that has been compared to the third movement of the Trio Sonata from Bach’s Musical Offering. The melody is shared between the three voices, which conveys the feeling that it goes on forever.  

The Prelude is followed by lively fugue, that contrasts the character of the Prelude, as if to break out of the grief. The piece is modeled after a Giga, a quick baroque dance. It is a double fugue, with a second subject that develops from the countersubject - the motive that accompanies the subject in the beginning. 

The music has something of a point of departure, it reminds me of currents of water running under the ice before it breaks in the spring. 

J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 - A Listening Journey - some thoughts about the project



“ I’m sorry I can’t stay the whole time,” an audience member told me shortly before the beginning of the opening lecture. ”I have another appointment tonight, so please, don’t feel offended if I leave after 45 minutes.” 1 1/2 hours later, when the lecture was finished and we were standing together in the hall, talking, he was still there. On Sunday morning, he came back, all the way from Montclair, to listen to the first four Preludes and Fugues.

Two hours before the first mini-recital, I got a call from a friend, who said me she wouldn’t be able to come to the recital, she had some writing to do, and there was a deadline. After I had finished playing, I was surprised to see her in the audience. “ I decided that the music might be more important for me than the time I would gain, and ultimately, the music might inspire the writing.” 

Stories like that make playing for a small audience in an intimate setting so rewarding. I’m sure they happen wherever people come together to listen to music, but in larger venues, the performer hardly ever learns about them. 

Of course, I’ve had similar experiences as an audience member myself. One of the most profound was a series of recitals by pianist Sean Duggan, that presented Bach’s entire keyboard work. He played 15 concerts over a period of several weeks in a small church in Midtown Manhattan in spring 2000, in honor of the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death. After the last event, I found myself involved in a conversation about Bach’s music and what it could do for you with several other people from the audience who I didn’t know. We were a little clueless what to do with our Wednesday-, Friday-, and Sunday evenings, now that the event was over. 

When I heard Duggan play, I wondered whether I could learn and eventually perform the entire first book of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. The task accompanied the process of my relocation from Germany to the United States. The music connected the two countries and gave me something to hold on to while my life was up in the air. Curiously enough, I completed the project around the same time as my Green Card was approved. 

Book 2  accompanied another major change: my relocation from New Hampshire to New Jersey, and the transition from teaching at community music school to working as an independent teacher. 

I started out with one afternoon of teaching in Maplewood, while I still lived in New Hampshire. For an entire school year, I commuted between Concord and New York every week. On the bus listened to Bach’s music. Over time, I started to associate certain pieces with certain places that we passed on the trip. When Youtube put me before the task of combining pictures with my sound recordings (it is impossible to upload sound only) I was reminded of that.

At first, I considered images of the score, but that would be meaningless for people who don’t read music. So I used photos from my personal collection that seemed to resonate with the music in one way or other. I’ve tried to connect the music and life, in tune with the purpose of the project: to encourage people to listen to the music and look for resonance with their lives, experiences and feelings. Of course, my choices are personal and may not appeal to everybody. Disagreement can inspire, and I encourage you to look for your own images, feelings, thoughts, poetry, that the music evokes. 

If you would like to be there for the mini recitals, but can’t make it, I invite you to listen to the pieces by yourself, and join us in spirit. 


List of my Youtube Recordings


No
Piece
BWV
Performance
link
1a
Prelude in C-major
870
2/3/13
1b
Fugue in C-major
870
2/3/13
2a
Prelude in C-minor
871
2/3/13
2b
Fugue in C-minor
871
2/3/13
3a
Prelude in C#-major
872
2/3/13
3b
Fugue in C#-major
872
2/3/13
4a
Prelude in C#-minor
873
2/3/13
4b
Fugue in C#-minor
873
2/3/13
5a
Prelude in D-major
874
2/17/13
5b
Fugue in D-major
874
2/17/13
6a
Prelude in D-minor
875
2/17/13
6b
Fugue in D-minor
875
2/17/13
7a
Prelude in E-flat-major
876
2/17/13
7b
Fugue in E-flat major
876
2/17/13
8a
Prelude in D#-minor
877
2/17/13
8b
Fugue in D#-minor
877
2/17/13
9a
Prelude in E-major
878
3/3/13
9b
Fugue in E-major
878
3/3/13
10a
Prelude in E-minor
879
3/3/13
10b
Fugue in E-minor
879
3/3/13
11a
Prelude in F-major
880
3/3/13
11b
Fugue in F- major
880
3/3/13
12a
Prelude in F-minor
881
3/3/13
12b
Fugue in F-minor
881
3/3/13
13a
Prelude in F#-major
882
3/17/13
13b
Fugue in F#-major
882
3/17/13
14a
Prelude in F#-minor
883
3/17/13
14b
Fugue in F#-minor
883
3/17/13
15a
Prelude in G-major
884
3/17/13
15b
Fugue in G-major
884
3/17/13
16a
Prelude in G-minor
885
3/17/13
16b
Fugue in G-minor
885
3/17/13
17a
Prelude in A-flat major
886
3/31/13
17b
Fugue in A-flat-major
886
3/31/13
18a
Prelude in G#-minor
887
3/31/13
18b
Fugue in G#-minor
887
3/31/13
19a
Prelude in A-major
888
3/31/13
19b
Fugue in A-major
888
3/31/13
20a
Prelude in A-minor
889
3/31/13
20b
Fugue in A-minor
889
3/31/13
21a
Prelude in B-flat-major
890
4/14/13
21b
Fugue in B-flat-major
890
4/14/13
22a
Prelude in B-flat-minor
891
4/14/13
22b
Fugue in B-flat-minor
891
4/14/13
23a
Prelude in B-major
892
4/14/13
23b
Fugue in B-major
892
4/14/13
24a
Prelude in B-minor
893
4/14/13
24b
Fugue in B-minor
893
4/14/13