I'm learning a movement from one of the Bach Flute sonatas for my grade 6 exam.

The edition I'm using has the phrasing/dynamics etc edited by William Bennett, "to suit modern performance", with the "originals" (though no one knows if they are Bach's slurs etc or not) in the flute part of the piano score.

Now here's the thing: I've been playing with the different slurs etc, and found some ways that *I* think sound good, but really I have no idea how authentic they would be considered/how authentic one should aim to be in an exam...

I wondered if anyone had any opinions as to basic "baroque rules" if you like!

The piece is a Siciliano, which my teacher says is a boat song, so it's in 6/8 and has a nice lilt. Most of my preferred changes are taking out slurs or only slurring parts of a bar to emphasise different notes and create a bit more contrast. I will be asking my teacher next time I see her, but that isn't till the 15th (I don't want to "practice in" anything totally inappropriate!) so I wondered if anyone could give their opinions? I know that a lot of people won't know the piece specifically, but putting a question in here because I know there are a lot of people who are keen on/know a lot about baroque music.

I've actually made a recording of how I'd like to play it (there or thereabouts anyway, I've not been learning it a fortnight yet!) - just about to listen and see if I got everything in that I intended (it's amazing how many mistakes I make/things I forget when I know the computer is "listening") I may get YAP to put it up beside the other one or something just to demonstrate...

Any help would be appreciated!!

Hi Sarah

I have the first seven sonatas in an edition 'edited and realised' by Lionel Salter. In his introduction, written in 1981, LS states that the edition was collated from available printed and autograph sources - an attempt to get as close to the original ms as possible with music composed over 200 years ago.

With regard to some details, LS states:

* dynamics were entirely absent from the originals.
* likewise articulation markings.
* likewise cadential trills (LS offers these, all in brackets to show they are editorial).
* occasional slurs in the original appeared to apply only to the violin - an instrument that plays these sonatas more easily as there is not the need to breath - not the flute\recorder.

All this accords with standard baroque practice that required the performer to interpret the music with no help from the composer. Performers would automatically add cadential trills and heavily ornament repeats, especially in slow movements. Musicians were expected to be independent and improvisatory.

William Bennett is one of the worlds leading flautists. His editing has behind it years of expertise as performer, teacher and academic. Nevertheless, editing is exactly what it is and performers are free to interpret this music in any appropriate style. Try listening to several different performances and you will hear wildly differing interpretations.

Your teacher will help you with this, by guiding you in the 'proper' direction and preventing you from interpreting inappropriately.

Hope this helps

Steve

Thanks for the help, Steve... reassuring!

I shall have to look on Amazon and see if there are any samples of that movement... unfortunately the only copy I have is the old AB CD, (hehe abcd...) the interpretations on there seem generally to be what's on the page, no more, no less, so not very helpful if you want to try things out!

Hmmm... now I wonder if they will have any cds of it in the Music Library in town - has only just occurred to me.

Anyway, food for thought, thank you

Just do as you FEEL, Sarah. When I studied recorder with Piers Adams the best piece of advice he gave me was "now forget everything anyone's ever taught you and just play from your heart". He was right.....I love that Bach movement you are doing but prefer to play it with the repeats in so second time around I can go mad with over the top ornamentation! Hehe, I'm a Rebel Puss! Good luck.

Thanks Baggy

I think if I was playing it in a concert then it'd be really nice to do the repeats, but hiding behind the AB's command "Thou shalt not repeat" does suit me for exams when I'm liable to be shaking with fear and only needing to do it without mistakes once is a big bonus....!

edit: my latest try - please right click and "save target as" if you want to listen to it (my first recording of the same piece is on the forum users' site! seem to be doing this one a lot....) - many thanks to YAP

Just a thought, Sarah. It won't help with your aim to listen to different interpretations, but WIBB's CD of the Bach Sonatas is a real bargain - something like £5 or £6.

I must say I preferred his articulation when I heard it to trying to play it from his edition.

Thanks for the tip, Andante... always good to have new flute music at good prices... I need to build up my library!

Baroque convention was that performers were expected to work out their own articulation, dynamics, etc. in keeping with the style. In a piece such as the one you're playing, various combinations of articulation could sound great - you just need to be CONSISTENT, e.g. using the same articulation in bars containing the same rhythm or identical bits of melody, and not chopping and changing all the time if you have 20 bars of quavers in a row. The only things I can think of which would be totally inappropriate in a siciliano are (a ) a nice bright staccato and (b ) changing your tonguing pattern in every bar. I'm sure someone will be along to disagree with me later, but that's one thing I like about these boards - we're all different, and it's sometimes nice to get a variety of opinions. Good luck.

Thanks for your input elliewelly... I am going to hoard my ideas and suggestions I am given, experiment, and then chat with my teacher at our next lesson