We were given a mission, and I chose to accept it. First of all, I’d like to offer my
understanding of what this is all about.
Inventio is at the heart of
this exercise, so I set out to explore what is in the music itself and
decipher, but only infer at best, what it is that the composer had wanted to
express. The performer’s phrasing,
articulation, dynamics, and ornamentation are tools of expressive
invention. An analysis of the piece’s
structure reveals elocutio, or how
rhetorical figures are represented in the music itself. The performer’s interpretation pronounces,
declaims, projects, enhances, or even alters what is on the page. Memoria
plays an important role, as theorists have written about widely accepted
conventions on how moods and emotions are portrayed musically. We could spend hours poring through writings
by Mersenne, Descartes, Mattheson, etc., to get a better handle on the Doctrine
of Affections; and writings by Quintillian, Tarling, Lanham, Bartel, etc., to
understand rhetoric in music. Some day,
I hope to devote some time to doing just that, but for now, I am grateful for
musicologists, such as Kim Pineda and John Walter Hill, who generously spell it
out for us. For us twenty-first century
musicians, it might be difficult to sift out action-hero film music emotions
from our memoria. But is that such a bad thing? The arias from baroque cantatas, oratorios,
and opera, are another valuable resource for us as their texts provide us a
window through which we can get a glimpse of the musical vocabulary employed by
composers to express Affekt. With that said, the paragraphs that follow
assert what I think is going on.
J.S. Bach, Sonata
in e, BWV 1034
“.m4a” = recording with harpsichord and cello
“.wav” = recording with theorbo, guitar, and viola da gamba.
Mvt I - Adagio ma non tanto
To me, the Affekt
of this movement is that of a sorrowful procession. The abundance of sighing figures suggests
grief, and the constant eighth note pulse depicts forward motion. The opening thesis takes up the first five
measures, and a simple statement of this thesis would have resolved to the
tonic in the middle of m. 4, but instead it continues to a half cadence in m.
5. This could be construed as an
invitation to discourse. The rising
thirds that follow (m. 5 in bass, m. 6 in flute) resemble a reaction to the
thesis, or perhaps a statement of purpose.
We hear an elaboration or development of the opening thesis in m.
9-13. The music in m. 13 (bass) and 14
(flute) is an inversion of the material from m. 5 and 6. I interpret this alteration as an argument (confutatio). The argument builds up and continues through
m. 15 and 16, and on to a cadence in v (b minor), thus ending this portion of
the discourse. A restatement of the
first motif, in the new key of b minor, is expected, but instead we get more
arguments. Confutatio from a different angle continues in m. 17, with a
development of the opening motif in m. 19-20.
In m. 21, we hear an exclamatio,
the most vociferous, vehement restatement of the argument from m. 15. Relentless discourse continues to the end of
this movement.
The .m4a recording has a tone of despair, with the constant
forward momentum that implies urgency, perhaps a longing for something
better. The overall delivery seems held
back by restraint, but I detect a little bit of poutiness in the deliberate
placement of the eighth notes at the beginning of m.3. The build up in dynamics at the sequences,
e.g., from m. 14, project the gradatio
(intensifying groups of words in parallel construction).
By making the most of the sighing figures, the .wav performance
presents this as a sorrowful movement.
The ornaments in m. 4 serve as an amplifying device (the heightened
activity alerts the listener to a continuation of the phrase instead of a
resolution) and in m. 23 (adds intensity, making up for the low register). The deliberate placement of the resolution,
followed by pause, in the cadences at m. 9 and 17, gives weight to what the
listener just heard.
Mvt II – Allegro
The constant quarter note pulse gives this movement a
march-like feeling. The rhythm in the
opening motif resembles flight (beats 1 and 2) deterred by a grave situation
(beats 3, 4, and 1 of the following measure).
From the middle of m. 5, where the opening theme is restated in b minor
and the bass and treble voices switch parts, instead of the flute simply taking
the original bass line, those notes become ornamental. Some new material is added in the flute part,
and this elaboration offers a more explanatory restatement of the opening
theme. From m. 10 to 15 and m. 33 to 39,
an enumerative device is seen in the development of the motifs. The use of pedal tones in the flute part 16th
note figures (m. 12-13, 36-37) and slower harmonic movement in some places (m.
16-24, m. 40-48) suggest a static feeling. The slower harmonic rhythm and the repetition
of arpeggios imply emphasis of a strong idea (commoratio). We hear exclamatio in several places: from the end of m. 13 (A-B D, D#-E G, B!),
from the end of m. 37 (E-F# A, A#-B D, F#!), and from m. 51 (first note of each
beat--A D# F# A; G E G B; F# D# F# A C!).
The deceptive cadence in the middle of m. 68 opens the way for an
epexegesis, additional remarks to clarify what had already been said, via some
quite colorful language (chromatic progression through m. 69).
The lightness in dynamic and tone along with the pointed
articulation project a carefree character in the .m4a performance. It is antithetical to the low spirits of the
first movement, as if to say, “Life goes on.”
The approach to the climaxes of phrases, particularly to the high C in
measures 54 and 69, and the emphasis on the climactic note, by way of weighty
articulation, were very effectively done.
In the .wav recording, the hefty dynamic and sharp staccatos
in the opening theme suggest “anger” as the Affekt
of the movement. The sharp attacks in
the main melodic notes (m. 6 and 7; m. 13 beat 4 to m. 14; m. 51-53) and in the
pedal tones in m. 13 are a continued expression of anger. The substitution (alletheta) of a different sentiment than what was heard in the
original statement of the theme occurs in m. 29-31 (more legato than the
exegesis) and in m. 65-67 (addition of parenthetical ornaments). Did a transformation take place? Is the orator now at peace with what caused
his anger at the beginning?
Mvt III - Andante
The tonality (G major in the middle of this e minor
madness), relaxed tempo, and slower harmonic rhythm in this movement suggest repose,
and the descent in the opening motif seems to express sorrow. The opening theme seems like an example of mempsis, or a declaration of a
grievance. I would dare say that the Affekt of this piece is that of a
peaceful but sad refuge. (I would relate
this to my continuo team to make sure they don’t play anything antithetical in
the first 6 measures.) The sentiment is
amplified through upward melodic movement in m. 14 -15. From m. 21 on, the harmony breaks away from
the ground bass progression to develop the theme, wandering to e minor then b
minor, offering an explanatory dissection of the main musical material (enumeratio). The return of the sustained note, not just in
the recapitulation but also in the developmental section, is always nicely heralded
by a brief ornamental passage (m. 19-20, m. 23-24, m. 26-27, m. 42-43). That treatment tells me that the sustained
note itself is the star of this movement.
.m4a recording: The messa di voce execution of the first note in the flute part gives this movement a plaintive character. The lift placed just before m. 20 and 43 brings out the importance of the sustained note, almost as if the long note is the thesis of the movement. The deliberate articulation of the G in the 3rd measure of the flute part provides a clarifying punctuation to the short theme. The lifts executed at the ends of ornamental figures, such as before the 2nd beat of m. 11, before the high C# in m. 35, and before the G at the beginning of m. 40, have the effect of drawing the listener’s attention to the skeletal melodic notes. The flexibility with the tempo at m. 14 and 15 (slight rit into m. 15 and accel back to tempo in m. 16) results in a buildup that prepares the listener for what is coming next. The ornaments added at m. 37, 47 and beginning of 48 seem parenthetical, although the intent of increasing the intensity of the phrase at m. 37 is apparent. The ornament from the end of m. 48 into m. 49 serves as an epexegesis (addition of words to clarify the sentiment), and it is one of my favorite moments in this performance.
In the .wav performance, the flutist plays with a timbre and legato technique that seems, to me, to wallow in melancholy. That alone makes me like this performance a wee bit more than the other one. As in the other recording, similar emphasis is placed on the sustained notes either through a messa di voce treatment or through the use of flattements. The placement of slight lifts at the ends of ornamental figures (end of m. 8, end of m.18, end of m. 19, and the end of m. 37) seems to put less importance on the figures and focus the listener’s attention to what comes next. Ornaments are added in the same places as in the other recording, and from this I learn that one should identify not just the places that beg for ornamentation but also the reasons why.
Mvt IV – Allegro
This movement opens with a fanfare, as if to announce a
grand event. The motif in the flute part
at m. 3 (rising line, ending with resolved appoggiatura) and its repetition in
m. 4 project the character of a plea, with the music from m. 5 to 12 stating a
justification or an explanation for the request. The agitated rhythms and very active bass
line suggest the presence of conflict.
The use of pragmatographia
(vivid description of an event) is evident in the measures that could be
interpreted as drum calls and artillery at a battle scene (m. 13 ff, m. 56
ff). All these lead me to identify
“heroic” as the Affekt of this
movement. The repetition in m. 36-37 and
82-83 is a form of iteratio (repetition,
with vehemence, to get one’s point across).
.m4a performance: The
perkiness in tone and articulation give it the feel of a rally for a cause or a
petition for something better, thus complementing the sentiment of mvt
III. The tempo changes in m. 36-37 and
82-83 draw the most out of the iteratio.
The .wav performance, through its majestic execution and
forward momentum, exudes boldness and bravery.
The overall legato articulation, with some variation that highlights the
more important melodic notes, gives it a constant forward direction. As in the other recording, the iteratio at m. 36 and 82 is enhanced
though not just through tempo flexibility, but also through varied articulation
and the addition of slurs. The ornaments
added to the flute part in m. 24 and 25, while the bass continues the
“explanation,” serve as a persuasive device.
The buildup in dynamics from measure 57 to 65 is very effective in
portraying the orator’s passion for the cause.
* * *
I would just like to share two things that I got out of this
exercise: 1) I now feel like it is
possible to really appreciate something in a performance without necessarily
feeling the need to copy it; and 2) holy sh*$@, I better get to work on analyzing
my BFBC pieces!
I am dying to hear what other people have to say about the
recordings and am so looking forward to BFBC 2013!!!
