Bach’s English Suites 21Oct09 | 0

Two weeks ago we had the second group lesson of the harpsichord class: this time devoted to Johann Sebastian Bach’s English Suites (BWV 806-811). And, as accorded at the beginning of the year, the task was for Claude and me!

Because I had a travel to Spain our last possible week of work (arriving the evening before our presentation), we had to plan so in advance that my well-known last minute stress was absent this time (so good!, I must say… and repeat it), and we got time enough to document ourselves, plan and re-plan the work, search for music to listen and analyze not only Bach’s pieces but others in which we found some similarities.

Departing from something so specific as these 6 harpsichord suites with preludes, we focussed in offering our colleagues a broad overview about the suite as genre in Germany before Bach’s time, and a more detailed analysis of the English Suites, including them in the context of all Bach’s suites in general. We have learnt a lot! Beside, working with Claude has been enriching: we have so different ways of working that all the angles could be covered!

You can read our article. Inserted in the text you will find calls for musical examples (both in score and recording) which you can consult in the list attached at the end (page 19 of the file). The examples are to be found in this pdf of the presentation.

In three weeks we will have Pascal Dubreuil with us for a masterclass, and will play in the montly voorspeelmiddag:

11 November 2009 - 16.00

J.S. Bach: English Suites

Clavecimbel Voorspeelmiddag: Studenten van Siebe Henstra

Conservatorium van Utrecht - Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen (K3.10) [map]

Mariaplaats 27
3511 Utrecht (The Netherlands)

Free admission

An unfortunate statement 18Sep09 | 0

“Much in [J.S. Bach's] music can no longer appeal to the feeling of our time. Bach did not know about the innumerable stages of passion, sorrow and love, and never thought that one could reproduce them in music.”

E. d’Albert (ed.), Preface to Das Wolhtemperierte Klavier, [Theil 1] (Stuttgart, 1907)

Scores archive: 4th Brandenburg 17Sep09 | 0

The basso continuo part I prepared for myself last January, when we performed Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no.4 (BWV 1049). It was a very nice project (appart from the music itself) because I think it was the first one that arose in the kitchen of our house in Utrecht, while having dinner with my roommates: two recorders and a violin…, I suposse it was going to happen, we were the perfect instrumental set for this piece.

A pity our violinist got worryingly sick for the final performance…, and now he is in Brussels. We should definitely recover this music when he’s back next winter.

With this upload, I also inaugurate a section for J.S. Bach!

Brandenburg Concerto no.4, BWV 1049 (after Bach’s autograph, 1721) - basso continuo part

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 15Sep09 | 2

INSTRUMENTAL

Brandenburg Concerto no.4, BWV 1049 (after Bach’s autograph, 1721)

parts: basso continuo

Brandenburg Concerto no.6, BWV 1051 (after Bach’s autograph, 1721)

parts: Violone è Cembalo

<back to the list of composers

Bach, the first 24 02Dec08 | 0

Last Wednesday, Siebe’s students played in our second harpsichord Voorspeelmiddag of this year. The topic this time: Bach’s first book of Das Wohltemperierte Clavier.

I must admit the concert surprised me: I had the feeling of having an extra week to prepare it! But this last month has been quite strange: because of the problem in my forearm I have not been able to play (and have lost three weeks of work and lessons, grrrr)

Nevertheless, I was happy with the experience on Wednesday:

Das Wohltemperierte Clavier I - g-moll BWV 861

who said...

"[Beethoven] went in his usual (I might say, ill-bred) manner to the instrument as if half-pushed, picket up the violoncello part of Steibelt's quintet in passing, placed it (intentionally?) upon the stand upside down and with one finger drummed out a theme of the first few measures. Insulted and angered, he improvised in such a manner that Steibelt left the room before he finished, would never again meet him and, indeed, made it a condition that Beethoven should not be invited before accepting an offer."

F.W. Wegeler & F. Ries, Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven (Koblenz, 1838)

"[...] the king [Charles II of Spain] eagerly asked me if I had heard Matheuchi sing, when he would come, and if he was impertinent or not, and as if there were no army in the world, nor Milanese state, completely forgot such matters, but this is not surprising given that all his ministers, or most of them, have had the same experience [...]"

Letter of Carlos Felipe Spinola y Colonna to the duke of Medinaceli (1698)

"I was in St Alban's Abbey and I was intrigued: they were building a new organ and I went up to - I suppose it must have been - the verger and I said, 'Is the organ baroque?' And he said, 'No, it's in perfectly good order.'"

John Tavener, The Music of Silence, A Composer's Testament (Faber ISBN 0571200885)

"The Second Harpsichordist will go only to the last rehearsal, sending the Third One to the previous, who won't read more high Clef than Soprano, trying to play without using the Thumbs, don't follow the Numbers, play always the Sixth, don't meet up with the Master, and close all the second Parts of Arias with major thirds, etc. etc. etc."

Benedetto Marcello, Il teatro alla moda (1720)