Cut for Bach Double Mvt. 2

November 25, 2022, 4:42 PM · Sacrilegious

November 25, 2022, 4:43 PM · Laurie, someone purporting to be you just asked; "Does anyone have a good cut for the second movement of the Bach Double, to make it about half as long?" I just thought this should be reported to the authority.

November 25, 2022, 6:58 PM · Aww, common guys… What happened to the Christmas spirit?
How many times have you not played the 3rd movement of a concerto?
BTW I don’t think Bach would have given two hoots…

Edited: November 25, 2022, 8:40 PM · Downbeat of 17 to either downbeat or middle of 35?

This is a really tough one since the parts are so entwined all the way through. Alternatively you could start at the beginning and just end at the downbeat of 17.

(I have a great cut for the slow movement of the Mendelssohn, if you’re interested.)

November 25, 2022, 9:50 PM · The old-master composers were continually cutting and pasting and recasting their own material for different purposes.

Another possibility is downbeat of 16 to downbeat of 29. Both locations are in F major. You can clip also from 4th beat of bar 6 to fourth beat of bar 11. Both are key changes out of Bb major. Another cut is from the 3rd beat of 42 to the 3rd beat of 47. The second violinist would want to play the "A" right after the cut and octave higher. I've emailed a score with these cuts marked to Laurie.

The whole movement is 50 measures, I think, and my cut removes only 13. With the extra two smaller cuts it removes 23.

Another large cut is from 16 to 41. You'd want the first violinist to play the F in the first beat of 16 and cut to the 2nd beat of 41 (rests) while the second violin starts the theme at the downbeat of 41.

As Mary Ellen says, with a piece like this, you aren't going to find cuts that you're really going to like. Only that you might tolerate with your teeth clenched.

November 25, 2022, 11:01 PM · Thank you for your ideas everyone! I will let you know what I wind up doing…if I do a cut!

November 26, 2022, 12:58 AM · play it faster?

November 26, 2022, 1:28 AM · Cut away solo violin 2?

November 26, 2022, 9:06 AM · It's an entirely legitimate practical problem. You have a couple of youngsters who adore that piece and want to perform it but the whole program is a certain length and you can't give them that much time. Some of the slow movements of that general era were quite long. Consider the slow movement of Mozart 3 for example, or the slow movement of Bach's A Minor concerto. Just over a page in print, but at a reasonable tempo it's a long piece. I do agree with Buri that the tempo can often be too slow. It's marked Largo, but if it's played at a Largo pace it become a dirge. A slow Andante is fine.

November 26, 2022, 5:18 PM · A propos slow movements that appear to be too long: I believe quite often they are movements that are routinely played more slowly than the composer imagined. The slow movements of both the Bach a-minor and Mozart G-Major concertos are quite likely of this type.

The largo in question here--also one of the type though less distinctly--is in cut time, i.e. the counting unit is a dotted quarter note. Don't count 8ths. It is a siciliano and should have a dance like lilt ins spite of all the slowness. If you play it in a way that the audience feels it that way you will be fine. And if you then measure with the metronome the number of dotted quarters per minute you will find yourself still in largo territory.

Edited: November 27, 2022, 9:21 AM ·
Surely thou doth kid. That movement is a masterpiece.

November 27, 2022, 9:46 AM · The world turns on long slow movements. They’re often the most lasting treasures.

November 27, 2022, 2:27 PM · Aaaaah. Tantric Bach.

Edited: November 27, 2022, 10:32 PM · Agreed with Albrecht.- Baroque era pieces in 12/8 meter are highly likely to be a Sicilienne. It should sound, be felt, as a 4 beat meter with triplets inside each beat. It should roll along comfortably.

November 27, 2022, 11:27 PM · and bows were shorter…