AHJ, Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 1980

More documents

Recommendations

Info

tinuo, only sonatas for violin with an equal or predominating keyboard part, and it is difficult to believe that Wq 139 ever existed as a violin solo sonata. Hans Zingel has offered an explanation for the puzzling figures in the bass of the harp sonata. 34 The work, he suggests, may have been written so that it could be played as a sonata for harp with continua accompaniment as well as an unaccompanied harp sonata. Zingel's theory is a plausible one; the combination of harp with keyboard was not unusual in the eighteenth century. 35 Thus the harpist would have had two options for performance: the sonata could be played without accompaniment and with the figured bass realized by the performer (who would probably have added chords very sparingly, not only because of the technical difficulty of playing handfuls of notes along with the ornate melody, but because sparse textures were fashionable in the mid-eighteenth century); or the right-hand part could be played on the harp and the bass given to a keyboard instrument. Despite the presence of figured basses in this and other compositions by C.P.E. Bach, his works must not be labelled "Baroque." Figured basses persisted through much of the eighteenth century, long after most elements of the Baroque style had been supplanted by new fashions. The short-breathed phrases in the harp sonata, its thin texture, the predominance of a single melodic line and the rather simple harmonic vocabulary do not belong to the Baroque, but to the period between the Baroque and Classical eras. A number of labels have been applied to this period, but since it was not integrated stylistically, no one label encompasses it successfully. The most satisfactory term for the style of the harp sonata, as well as for much music of the mid-eighteenth century, is one which was used by C.P.E. Bach and his contemporaries: style galant (English: gal' lant style).36 Like many works in the gallant style, the movements of the harp sonata have formal structures which prefigure Classical sonata form. It is obvious from the repeat signs in the two allegros that both of these movements have binary forms; each has a first section which moves to the key of the dominant, a rather long excursion which might be considered a development section, and, to round the binary design, a return of the initial melody in the tonic. Bach ends the first allegro with a "tag" consisting of part of the initial melody, a device which Haydn was to adopt for many of his works. The adagio is also in rounded binary form. Although this movement has no repeat sign to signal the end of the first main section, this important structural point should not be ignored in performance. Measures 18 and 19 should be played with an articulation between them, as if they were separated by a double bar. The style of C.P.E. Bach's harp sonata is, of course, very different from the highly coloristic harp idiom of the nineteenth century. But it also does not belong to either the Baroque or the Classical style; its 16 movements should not be invested with the motoric drive of the late Baroque or the dramatic breadth of the Classical style. The details of Bach's music are generally more interesting than its overall design. Careful attenti(;m should be given to expressive performance of delicate melodic features and interesting harmonic changes. Yet rubatos should be slight and conceived more subtly than for nineteenth-century music. To a great extent, this emphasis on detail is dictated by the music itself; its short phrases with feminine endings and its frequent dynamic changes demand a neatly articulated, but expressive manner of performance. Notes 'Wq is the abbreviation for the standard thematic catalogue of Bach's works: Alfred Wotquenne, Thematisches Verzeichnis der Werke von C. P. E. Bach (1905), repr. Wiesbaden, 1964. A new catalogue of Bach's works, more detailed and more comprehensive, has been completed by Prof. Eugene Helm of the University of Maryland and is awaiting publication. I am grateful to Prof. Helm for sharing with me the •information in his entries for the harp sonata and the Battle of Bergen, Wq 272. 2Among surviving compositions by eighteenth-century composers of the first rank, only works by Handel and Mozart can be cited (see William D. Gudger, "Handel's Harp Concerto," This Journal, VI (Summer 1978), 14-22, and France Vernillat, "Harp Literature in France in the 18th Century,'' This Journal, IV [Spring 1974],13). 3 Harfensonate in G dur fur Harfe, Klavier oder Cembalo, ed. Hans Neeman (Leipzig: Breitkopf und Hartel, 1940); Sonata for the Harp, ed. Lucile Lawrence (New York: Chas. Colin, 1963); Sonate pour harp, ed. Marcel Grandjany (Paris: Durand et Cie, 1963); Sonate G-dur fur Harfe (Cembalo oder Klavier), ed. Hans J. Zingel (Wiesbaden: Breitkopf und Hartel, 1968); Sonata in G Major, ed. Jane Weidensaul (Teaneck, New Jersey: Willow Hall Press, 1979). The first three of these editions have the following sequence of movements: Allegro (C)-Adagio-Allegro (3/8); in the last two, the sequence is Adagio-Allegro (C)-Allegro (3/8). All three movements of Grandjany's edition are in F major. In the Lawrence, Grandjany, and Weidensaul editions, ornaments are written out, but only in the last of these is the interpretation of ornaments faithful to the description of embellishments given in C.P.E. Bach's Essay on the True Arc of Playing Keyboard Instruments (1753) ed. and tr. William J. Mitchell (New York: W.W. Norton, 1949). 4 1 wish to thank Mr. Paul Raspe, Director of the Library of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, and Dr. Jane Weidensaul, editor of this journal, for furnishing materials for the preparation of this study. I am also grateful to several harpists in St. Louis for giving generously of their time and sharing their expertise with me: Frances Tietov, Sue Taylor, Maria Pinckney, Gail Bass Israelievitch, and Ayako Watanabe. 5 Verzeichnij3 des musikalischen Nachlasses des verstorbenen Capellmeisters Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Hamburg: Schniebes, 1790). The contents of the NachlajJ Verzeichnis are reproduced in Heinrich Miesner's article, "Ph. E. Bachs musikalischer Nachl:yl," Bach Jahrbuch, 1938, 103-136; 1939, 81-112; 1940, 161-181. 6 A collection of 37 letters from Bach's widow and daughter to Westphal are presently in a private collection. I am grateful to Frau Lotte Schmid of Augsburg, West Germany for having permitted me to examine portions of this correspondence. 7 J. J. H. Westphal, "Catalogue thematique des oeuvres de Charles Philippe Emmanuel Bach," Royal Library of Brussels, Ms. II 4140. For a more detailed account of the correspondence between Bach and Westphal and the genesis of the two early catalogues, see Miriam Terry, "C. P. E. Bach and J. J. H. Westphal-A Clarification,'' Journal of the American Musicological Society XX (1969), 101- 115; Erwin Jacobi, "Five Hitherto Un- AMERICAN HARP JOURNAL
Publications by Jane B. Weidensaul- C.P.E. Bach: Sonata G Major $6.00 A Scholarly-Performance Edition with Critical Commentary "It's a splendid edition! As far as I'm concerned, what you've presented to your fellow harpists is just impossible to improve upon: an edition that must make harpists' fingers twitch in their desire to get started on it, yet one in which no compromise of scholarly quality has been made. If and when I ever live long enough to see a complete edition of Bach's works produced by somebody somewhere, I only hope it approaches the standard of musicianship you have established." E. Eugene Helm, Ph.D., musicologist-consultant on the edition. Scientific Tuning $4.00 A Manual for Harpists The approach is based on acoustical understanding and the use of the stroboscope as an ear-training device for those who need it. The chapters cover equipment, theory, practical tuning, and pedagogy. Scientific Practice $4.00 A Manual for Harp Students This manual is compatible with any technical method and can be read with profit by teachers and students of all ages. Based on the latest methods in the fields of music psychology and pedagogy, it includes positive recommendations on planning the practice hours, development of habit formation and velocity, mental memorization and ancillary studies. Songs And Carols For Two $4.00 Six easy duets for harps or harp and any melody instrument. Suitable for pedal or non-pedal harps. All orders sent postpaid if accompanied by check or money order. Willow Hall Press 1374 Academy Lane Teaneck, N. J. 07666 Winter/1980 17
Page 2 and 3: o.l INTERNATIONAL HARP CORPORATION
Page 4 and 5: THE AMERICAN HARP JOURNAL The Offic
Page 6 and 7: Zabaleta at four. Zabaleta at nine.
Page 8 and 9: Prague, and Venice. This year he wi
Page 10 and 11: . . m·, · . -. , I • . • .. (
Page 12 and 13: m,. 2. Fig. 2. C.P.E. Bach, Nachlaj
Page 14 and 15: ,. I '1(~ -i~. I x;,c.;_, C. L. Fig
Page 16 and 17: Mrs. G. W. Bethell E lusive U.S. Ag
Page 20 and 21: known Letters from C. P. E. Bach to
Page 22 and 23: Harp Strings: Selection and Care by
Page 24 and 25: Gut Strings Gut strings are manufac
Page 26 and 27: Britten's A Ceremony of Carols by J
Page 28 and 29: 26 Faculty: Kathleen Bride THE MANH
Page 30 and 31: follows a dominant-tonic ostinato d
Page 32 and 33: twice more (mm. 8 and 9), coming to
Page 34 and 35: The Amazing Dorothy Remsen by Carro
Page 36 and 37: now available I ... des Fleurs ( So
Page 38 and 39: Sarah Bullen Catherine White Barbar
Page 40 and 41: The Kathleen Alister scholarship ha
Page 42 and 43: Fredonia 1980 by Pearl Chertok Fred
Page 44 and 45: DANIEL PINKHAM. Company at the crec
Page 46 and 47: PLAN NOW TO ATTI CAUFORNIA HARP WC
Page 48 and 49: 46 TOBE RELEASED SOON MILDRED DILLI
Page 50 and 51: RE QU IRED READIN G FO R HA RPISTS:
Page 52 and 53: VIOTTI, J.B. Sonate pour la harpe.
Page 54 and 55: GERSHWIN, George. But not for me. A
Page 56 and 57: The ideal instrument for all ages.
Page 58 and 59: O'HARA, MARY. Tranquility Mary O'Ha
Page 60 and 61: the Sfiepherd SchOol ofMusic A Dist
Page 62 and 63: Tour: Longstreth* & Escosa. 10: Nap
Page 64 and 65: AMERICAN HARP SOCIETY, INC. 1981 CO
Page 66 and 67: INEZ STAFFORD A WARD The Bay Area C
Page 68 and 69:
66 RESEARCH COMMITTEE WINS GRANT Th
Page 70 and 71:
AMERICAN HARP SOCIETY, INC. EIGHTEE
Page 72 and 73:
and a book, Writing for the Pedal H
Page 74 and 75:
Meet the New Officers. • • Sinc
Page 76 and 77:
Secretary Born in Rochester, Minnes
Page 78 and 79:
1 September 1979 through 31 August
Page 80 and 81:
Mile-High (Denver, Colorado) Presid
Page 82 and 83:
Portland President, Marion Fouse, 2
Page 84 and 85:
~ ~B·~. ~- i ... a ' "TEACH YOURSE
Page 86 and 87:
New England JOAN HARRISON CEO,B.M.,
Page 88 and 89:
PETER E. EAGLE, Professor Chairman
Page 90:
MARJORIE CHAUVEL 4100 Old Adobe Rd.
show all

AHJ, Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 1980

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?