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HINTS FOR GETTING HIP
(Historically Informed Performances)

by Philip Bayles
Coach: Ashland Chamber Music Workshop

Introduction

These remarks are for players who wish to perform early music with more historical accuracy and style. The time period we are considering is from the 1560's (the invention of the violin family of instruments in Cremona) until the late 1780's (the firm establishment of the tourte bow throughout Europe) This time frame includes late Renaissance, the entire Baroque, and the early Classical period. This frame is created more by the use of similar equipment for the string group, and less by textbook style periods.

These ideas are not "rules". This period included great diversity in all aspects of music making. There are certainly exceptions every idea here. These are general observations: a place to start.

What is the historically informed performance movement about?

Historically informed performance, or "period instrument" performances, or performance practice, is is simply an attempt to perform music as it would have sounded when written. This may involve the use of period instruments, ornamentation, and interpretive and performance techniques based on historical and analytical study of the music, the instruments, and the times. Early in this century a few musicians began to play older music in an authentic manner. This included Albert Schweitzer (organ), Wanda Landowska (harpsichord), and Arnold Dolmetch (recorder). (oddly, Arturo Toscanini was also influential by inspiring a whole generation of performers this century to be very very scrupulous to score accuracy, and not violate it with their own interpretive additions) Today a significant number of players and groups world wide have adopted this approach.

For virtually all instruments, the history of the development of old instruments into new instruments involves the increase of power range, and facility, at the expense of color. The seeking of lost color is a fundamental goal for HIP instrumentalists.

Composers in the 17th and 18th centuries put much less information in their scores. An early piece is likely to have only notes and perhaps a title and tempo: very few dynamics, articulation, bowings, fingerings, accents, and other expression marks. This means that there is much more responsibility for the player to make interpretive decisions if the music is to come to life.

How fast should it go?

In general not quite so fast or slow as modern notation, and more related to the heartbeat than to the tyranny of the metronome.

In general USE the meter given, meter should be clear, and the bar lines should actually be heard. Articulation, emphasis, note length, and even rubato can be used to bring this to life. Metrical clarity and and audible bar lines are VERY important to the interest of this music. (And incorrect for much later music)

If you have doubts (4/4 or cut time? say) then gauge the tempo so that both work.

How loud ?

Echo is nice but not mandatory. A gentle following of the tessitura (range) can be a very nice effect. Some slight crescendo into major cadences, and a corresponding easing of the dynamic after can be helpful. Tone should be "transparent" in polyphonic textures so all can be heard clearly.

Most period instruments are softer than modern counterparts, and most developments in instrument involved increasing power (at the expense of color) so it is safe to assume that period players tried to get as big a sound as they could.

Most of the writer/teachers of the period put great emphasis on interesting dynamic shapes in longer notes. Quantz writes about stressing dissonances.

What about quick notes?

In general keep the meter clear when playing quick notes (so you can hear the bar lines) Notes on strong beats are stronger (the first of each group of eights, or triplets, or sixteenths) There was much emphasis on making note groupings clear, (downbow always on bar lines and strong notes, and the idea that up-bow and downbow are NOT to sound the same) (note that this rather "lazy" approach to bowing running notes creates a very attractive and engaging swing to the music ...inegales...).

... and slow/long notes?

Long notes got lots of dynamic shape , often cresc. then dim. (called mezza da voce) more emphasis on bow speed than vibrato. Slow notes are a good place to ornament.

What is all this about "affects" ?

17th and 18th composers believed that different keys had different structures (they did) and all have differing expressive affects. They made lists of the specific meanings of each key (and in some cases each meter and tempo also) Unfortunately there is very little consistency in the various lists. There is also very little consistency in the very very many tuning systems that were in use.

It is however quite useful to remember that in general individual baroque movements are "about" the expression of a single affection or passion. (long unwinding phrases of similar material "fortspinnung") This is distinctively different to the classical (sonata allegro) structure which is specifically "about" the dynamic contrast of several different passions or emotions (primary and secondary themes and many short contrasting phrases)

Music of this period has earned a very unfortunate reputation as mechanical. ("motor rhythm, sewing machine music", etc.) It should instead be viewed as a highly emotional and expressive period. Fast music is usually based in dance, and slow music is based on highly expressive vocal models.

Remember the idea that each movement was intended to be the expression and expansion of a single affect or emotion. If a performer or ensemble will decide as specifically as possible what affect it wishes to portray and intensify in a movement it then has a consisitent and coherent basis for making further decisions on tempo articulation, dynamics, and the like.

Making the meter and rhythm structure very clear (bar lines audible), and stressing the proper notes (inegales <---> swing) enlivens the music a great deal. Ornamentation is quite enlivening.

Who's got the tune?

It seems to me highly useful simply to identify primary themes and motives and determine which voice has them at any particular moment. It seems to me that a good player not only plays out the theme when he/she has it, but also hears exactly when someone else has it. This may take more attention than in more modern music, first because the texture is likelyto be thick and complex, and second, because the composer is not likely to give many helpful dynamic guidelines.

Should I to add ornaments? embellishments? improvise?

In slower movements many ornaments are basically mandatory. In the 18th century, if you were to play a slow Corelli movement with no ornaments you would have been considered a musical dolt with absolutely nothing to contribute to the music. It can be learned. There are only a few types, and each can be studied separately. (trills, mordents, turns, appogiaturas, passing tones... a few others)

Bach, Telemann, Couperin and many many others wrote ornament charts. Telemann Quartz and Tartini wrote specific examples of ornamented movements. Bach's "doubles" in the suites are superb examples.

I suggest the following exercise: take a simple slow movement: play it through adding trills every place you can manage. Some will sound good and others will not. Learn from that. Repeat the movement, this time with mordents all over the place. Learn. Then appogiaturas.... and so forth.

Be aware as you do this that you are developing both your skill in performing ornaments and in choosing when to add them. You are also dealing with issues of taste. It is very very easy to add too much and end up with ornamentation that is boring, tiresome, showoff and shallow.

After doing this with all the ornaments you know, go back and repeat the movement, and only put in the ones you really liked.

My own opinion is that the highest form of ornamentation takes places when 2 or more players embellish live, and interact ornamentally with each other, yet tastefully not so much that the original music is obscured. I fancy that this is an informed opinion.

Should I use vibrato ?

Geminiani (1740's) recommended vibrato on every note just like many modern teachers. Leopold Mozart (1750's) said for heavens sake don't vibrate all the time, and made a joke about palsy.

There are numerous references that vibrato is an ornament and therefore NOT used all the time. There is also great disagreement (Geminiani and Tartini) about whether to use vibrato on mezza da voce (long shaped notes). I suggest practicing some of the time COMPLETELY without to develop more deliberateness of vibrato as an ornament. A somewhat narrower than usual vibrato can help produce an clear and transparent tone in which all parts can be clear.

Philip Bayles:   home   bio   writings   images   links