The Pianoforte Sonata: Its Origin and DevelopmentShedlock, J. S. (John South)
History
The Pianoforte Sonata: Its Origin and Development
Shedlock, J. S. (John South)
Sonatas (Piano) -- History and criticism
With all his faults, one cannot but admire the spirit in which Buelow
worked. He felt the greatness of the old masters, regretted the
limited means which they had at their command, also the stenographic
system in which they were accustomed to express their thoughts; and he
sought, therefore, to make use of modern means, and thereby was
naturally tempted to introduce modern effects. The restoration of the
old masters is a difficult and delicate task, and in most cases, one
may add, a thankless one. In the matter of transcription, however, it
is important to distinguish between a Buelow and a Tausig: the one
displayed the intelligence of an artist; the other, the
thoughtlessness of a _virtuoso_.
But what, it may be asked, is the character of the changes made by
Bach? The matter is of interest; by examining these sonatas, we get
some idea of the difference between letter and spirit. However, from
what we have said above, a mere imitation of these changes, in playing
Bach's music, would, in its turn, be letter rather than spirit.
As a rule the bass remains the same, though plain crotchets may become
quavers, as in extract from Sonata 1 given below, or notes turned into
broken octaves--
[Music illustration]
or, at times, some very slight alteration may occur, such as--
[Music illustration]
In the upper parts the changes are similar to those found in the
variations of Haydn and Mozart. An illustration will be better than
any explanation, and we accordingly give a brief extract from the 1st
Sonata: first the five bars of the Allegretto, as at the opening, then
as they are changed--
[Music illustration]
The publication of the set of six Leipzig collections of sonatas,
etc., commenced in 1779; but thirteen years previously, the composer
had published a set of "Sechs Leichte Clavier Sonaten," and these, in
one or two respects, are curious. The opening movement of No. 6 has no
double bars, and, therefore, no repeat of the first section. And
again, it has a coda pausing on the dominant chord and followed by an
Andantino. This second movement, peculiar in form and modulation, ends
on the dominant of F, leading directly to the Presto.
The opening of the Larghetto of No. 2--
[Music illustration]
was probably the prototype of many a theme of the classical masters.
The works by which Emanuel Bach is best known are the six collections
of sonatas, rondos, and fantasias published at Leipzig between
1779-1787. The composer died in 1788. The 1st Collection (1779) bears
the title "Sechs Claviersonaten fuer Kenner und Liebhaber," and, in
fact, contains six sonatas. But "nebst einigen Rondos" (together with
some Rondos) was already added to the title-page of the 2nd and 3rd
Collections; and to the remaining ones, the still further addition of
"Freye Fantasien."
For the sake of reference, the list of sonatas is subjoined--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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