Abbreviations
A note on terminology
Part 1. General Problems of Interpretation
1: An authentic eighteenth- century performance source: C.F. Colt's
organ-barrels
2: Studies in rhythm
3: In search of the correct Bach tempo
4: Bach's articulation
5: Dynamics
6: Problems of sonority
7: Problems of harpsichord and piano technique, and of expressive
playing
8: The Urtext problem: An imaginary interview
9: Rendering the structure as a whole
10: Prelude in E flat minor and Fugue in D sharp minor, WTC I, BWV
853. An analysis for performance
Part II. Studies in Ornamentation
11: Introduction
12: The development of ornamentation in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries
13: J.S. Bach's ornaments: Some general remarks
14: Pralltriller
15: Appoggiaturas
16: The loner trill
17: Bach's mordent
18: Arpeggios
19: The application of ornaments that are not notated
20: Free embellishments in Bach's keyboard works
21: Epilogue
Appendix 1. Some recommended editions of Bach's keyboard works
Appendix 2. Some textual and interpretational problems in Bach's
Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, BWV 903
Appendix 3. J.M. Gesner, 'Johann Sebastian Bach as conductor,
keyboard player, and organist' (Göttingen, 1738)
Appendix 4. Excerpt from the Article 'Takt' in J.G. Sulzer's
Allgemeine Theorie der schónen Kunste, vol. ii (Leipzig, 1774)
Appendix 5. The Dedication of Partita No. 1 (BWV 825) and the
Dedicatory Poem
Appendix 6. Friedrich Blume and Hans Joachim Moser
Bibliography
Index
Indispensable for all students and performers of Bach's keyboard music
Professor Paul Badura-Skoda is a pianist and scholar.
`A splendid and valuable book - a fitting sibling to the author's
classic work on the interpretation of Mozart. there is hardly an
aspect of Bach interpretation not touched on, and scholarship is
complemented by a lifetime's experience of performing the music
under discussion.'
Elisabeth Sydney, Piano, Jul/Aug 00.
`its lack of a strenuously didactic tone, combined with deeply held
artistic values, make the book a happy springboard to independent
thought on the part of the reader. As such it should withstand the
test of time, offering as much genuinely musical nourishment to the
readers of 50 years hence as it does to those of today.'
Elisabeth Sydney, Piano, Jul/Aug 00.
Once in a while there appears a book whose subject-matter, scope,
thoroughness and readability all make its incorporation into even
the smallest library a self-evident piece of evolution....I
urgently recommend any perfromer who has not already acquired the
hardback (1993) to buy this paperback forthwith...Badura-Skoda's
prose style is lively, witty, well-paced...and always easy to
follow. Considerable credit must accrue to translator Alfred
Clayton, who not
only preserves the elegance and flow of Badura-Skoda's original
German, but even manages the jokes and puns too...a splendid
achievement.If you play keyboard, go out and buy it
instantly...Recommended
without any reservations.
`it is a relief to turn to the passionate advocacy of Paul
Badura-Skoda ... He wants to solve the mystery of Bach's appeal and
to give pointers on how to convey it, and the vigour of the prose
(congratulations also to the translator) gives a heady sense of the
excitement of the unfolding detective story. ... but he is also
able to present detailed evidence on specific issues and to lead
the reader to some genuine insights by deeply thought-out
arguments.
Appreciating the importance of context he points the way to useful
conclusions, marrying musicology with performance to produce a
child which is understanding.'
Gillian Weir
`it is a relief to turn to the passionate advocacy of Paul
Badura-Skoda ... He wants to solve the mystery of Bach's appeal and
to give pointers on how to convey it, and the vigour of the prose
(congratulations also to the translator) gives a heady sense of the
excitement of the unfolding detective story ... he is also able to
present detailed evidence on specific issues and to lead the reader
to some genuine insights by deeply thought-out arguments.
Appreciating the importance of context he points the way to useful
conclusions, marrying musicology with performance to produce a
child which is understanding'
Gillian Weir, BBC Music Magazine
`The most comprehensive and authoritative treatment of its topic
ever attempted. His intimate familiarity with Bach's keyboard music
is evident throughout. This is an important study that deserves an
international audience.'
Russell Stinson, State University of New York
`This impressive book should be a welcome tool to evaluate and
reassess what we have learned about Bach's keyboard style in recent
decades.'
Alfred Brendel
`I found many fascinating and rewarding pages in this very
stimulating and unconventional book. For any lover of the 18th
century, this study should be essential reading, not least because
of its solemn final ending.'
H. C. Robbins Landon
`[In] this big, detailed, and constantly worthwhile study ... a
responsive, experienced performer and industrious reader of the
literature shows us how he understands various of the problems for
the interpreter of Bach's keyboard music; and the responses and
experience of such a musician must be of great interest. The
background work has beed well prepared, authorities are made use of
as required, and there is an attractive impression given by the
book of wishing to share ideas ... It is an imposing book, personal
as opposed to remote, full of musical insights.'
Peter Williams, Notes
'With a wealth of erudition which extends from the classical and
rhetorical foundations of Renaissance culture in Europe to the
theorists of the Postmodern, a rigorous approach to his subject
matter, and boundless energy, Paul Julian Smith has produced a
model of deconstructional criticism. Paul Julian Smith deals with
difficult subject matter with integrity and in a style which is
engaging and direct ... critical work of this standing deserve -
and will
undoubtedly gain - the attention of an academic readership beyond
the confines of the study of the Hispanic world.'
J.A. Drinkwater, University of Leeds, Journal of Gender Studies,
Volume 1, Number 4, November 1992
`an analytical excursion through several aspects of Bach's keyboard
works: rhythm, tempo, articulation, dynamics, the sonorities of
appropriate instruments, and ornamentation. The synthesis of these
findings should contribute to expressive interpretations and clear
renderings of larger musical structures that aim at the fulfillment
of the composer's intentions. This exceedingly comprehensive work
is particularly significant not only as a revelation of the
musical perceptions of one of the foremost keyboard artists of our
time, but also for the sound musicological evidence it presents.
The author's demonstrated ability to convey the composer's
intentions to
present-day performers in the interests of mucial perfection
undoubtedly will enrich the experience and understanding of Bach's
music for audiences for many years to come.'
James B. Hartman, The University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB, Canada,
The Diapason, November 1994
Ask a Question About this Product More... |