Bach Class- VGO July 6, 2021

Practice Tips for musical style, pulse and shaping:

• Follow the rainbow -Casals (shape with melodic contour, dynamics and amount of bow) Sequences, terraced dynamics to build larger structures

• Harmonic tension (f, slow bow) and release (less, fast bow) • Baroque affect – same emotion/character applies to whole movement overall, same

tempo and rhythmical motives, associations with keys • Find pulse with your feet, character of dance? Speak count in character • More connected for stepwise motion and shorter for leaps • J shaped stroke, swing big arm • Emphasis from beginning of slur (exhale or sink into sound and release)

Baroque period 1600-1750, Corelli, Vivaldi, Telemann, Handel, JS Bach (1685-1750)

Typical organization of the Bach Cello Suites 1. Prelude – improvisatory, toccata-like with dominant pedal and climactic coda Dance types- Binary form AABB or AB: 2. Allemande – German, serious/stately, order, tranquility and contentment, 4/4 with upbeat 3. Courante-triple meter, French, running/flowing, yearning and optimistic, fast notes but slow harmonic rhythm, usually half-note quarter underlying 4. Sarabande-slow, shockingly sensuous, exotic in three with emphasis/musical direction towards 2nd beat 5. Minuet - in 3 elegant, ABA like minuet/trio movement in symphony Bouree/Gavotte in other suites – light, fast, in 2 6. Gigue- compound meter, British Isles; frolic/leap, fiddling, rustic country barn dance

Bach Prelude 1 etude

14

6

1

311 2 2

1

2

Lauren Hodges