17th and 18th centuries sonatas and concerto

July 23, 2005 at 02:59 AM · There was the evolution of the string player¡¦s equipment from the 17th century to the present.As a string player of the 21st century, how you play sonatas and concertos of the 17th and 18th centuries?

Replies (2)

Nicholas Relyea

August 3, 2005 at 02:28 PM · As true to the period of the music as possible. Being that are many factors that are different with today's instruments (a curved bridge, a different shaped bow, etc.) you have to do your best. Bach didn't write his music for today's style of playing so we must respect that when we perform it.

Ben Clapton

August 3, 2005 at 02:40 PM · There are certain characteristics to each composer which you can try to emulate in your performance.

For example, a major technique in Bach's music that we can employ is that of Terraced Dynamics - subito changes from forte to piano in a repeated section (a small passage at forte, immediately repeated at piano).

Also, for Mozart, a common style of playing is to shorten the second note of slured quavers.

However, you can also choose to say "Since I am playing on a 20th Century instrument, I shall decide not to try and play it as it might have been played when it was composed" However, this is a less common line to take, and is hardly ever taken with Bach (However, I believe Menuhin performed Bach with an enormous amount of vibrato, so take your pick)

This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.