florida state university college of music performance practice

Dynamics
Most scholars and performers believe that the basic default volume in Baroque
music was forte. 387 However, the accord becomes less unified when the topic turns to the
practice of terraced dynamics. 388 Those in favor of terraced dynamics cite the sonic
character of Baroque instruments like the harpsichord and organ as evidence for its
use. 389 Conversely, those who favor utilizing expressive crescendos and decrescendos
point to the fact that the Baroque period was one grounded in the vocal idiom, in which
the voice could demonstrate crescendos and decrescendos. String instruments emulate
this ability. 390 In 1985, Robert Marshall published a comprehensive study of Bach‟s
dynamics markings and found that Bach never indicated dynamics beyond forte but
frequently used a myriad of different shadings of piano. Scholars like Mendel caution
those who personally introduce a number of dynamic expressions like crescendos or
decrescendos because the composition itself organically possesses dynamic shades by
virtue of the thickening or thinning of contrapuntal textures. 391
As will be demonstrated in individual movements many conductors made
decisions to present gradual, long-term gradation in dynamics to increase the dramatic
character of the choruses while others presented a more objective uniform approach to
volume in the music.
Rhythm
Discussions of rhythm have focused primarily on dotted rhythms, over dotting and notes
inégales. These characteristics were more prominent because French Baroque sources
discuss matters of rhythm in greater specificity than other sources. 392 As with other issues
of performance practice, Roland Jackson states that there is no hard evidence that Bach
made use of notes inégales (note inequality). 393 Issues and examples of rhythm can
become overwhelming, often lost in minutiae with trivial implications. Additionally,
387
Fabian, Bach Performance Practice, 1945-1975, 124.
388
Ibid.
389
Ibid.
390
Ibid.
391
Arthur Mendel, (ed.) Bach: St. John Passion Vocal Score, New York: Schirmer, 1951, xxxvi.
392
Fabian, Bach Performance Practice, 1945-1975, 170.
393
Roland Jackson, “Bach and Performance Practice,” Goldberg 34 (June-August 2005),
http://www.goldbergweb.com (accessed August 2, 2007): 10.
100