A New (Old) Approach to Bach
John Gibbons
The last time I taught a Bach class there were raised eyebrows when I used recordings of the major choral works conducted by Furtwangler (Matthew Passion), Klemperer (Matthew Passion as well) and Karajan (b minor mass). There may even have been a few smirks. Why did I use these recordings? Am I so out of touch?
I used them because they are better than the recordings by Harnoncourt and Gardiner.
I’m not saying that the original instruments and an informed scholarly attitude toward this repertory hasn’t done a great deal for Bach, if it has done less for Berlioz or Brahms. I keep a library of both old and new Bach recordings, and I carefully read the books and essays written by Harnoncourt and Norrington, for instance, and have profitted a great deal from their ideas. And although there is some truth to the notion that the period instrument boom was a gimmick to sell new cds of old works for commercial purposes, on the whole it was a sincere and possibly necessary attempt at a corrective of old performance modes. But the romantic and subjective interpretations mentioned above do greater justice to Bach’s intent, which was to make spiritually sublime music.
Like an obedient little boy I used recordings of these works by Harnoncourt and Jon Eliot Gardiner in all my previous Bach classes. This fall I’ll probably use a mixture of different recordings (both big romantic approaches as well as period instrument versions) for the orchestral and choral works (the keyboard works I’ll attempt to play myself, for the most part).
I refuse to be intimidated by the early music crowd. Harnoncourt, et al. reveal more about the late twentieth century than they do about the eighteenth century. And old instruments don’t need to be used…they are simply not as good as modern instruments. And play Bach’s keyboard music on the piano, for heaven’s sake, where the player can control articulation and dynamics, and by all means use the pedal!
Reader Comments (6)
I hate to have to tell you this, but there's a very eminent harpsichordist in Boston with exactly the same name you have.
I don't know if he'd agree with your comments about Bach, but he'd probably enjoy them.
I'm very well aware of my eminent namesake! I hope my post doesn't give the idea that I'm closing the door on the authentic movement, or the harpsichord as an instrument, even. But my honest opinion is that the modern piano and the resources of the modern orchestra are indeed appropriate for Bach, on the whole.
Remember Joshua Rifkin and his idea that the chorus in Bach ought to be taken by soloists? I believe that Bach used soloists for his choral pieces by necessity if he didn't have the choristers available, but would have welcomed more singers.
The concert pianist Jeffrey Siegel said during a concert-lecture some years ago that if Bach had had the modern piano available to him, he would have kicked the harpsichord down the stairs. Maybe. I am well aware that there is indeed a legitimate culture of harpsichord lovers. It puzzles me, I admit, but then, I don't have to know everything. Vive le differance!
I'm glad you wrote that about Jegrey Siegel, but I heartily disagree. I suspect that Bach would not have lasted 5 minutes on a Steinway without getting some serious tendonitis.
First of all, I think this partly because this is what used to happen to me when I tried to play continuo on one. (I myself am a harpsichordist, and I am also that rarest of all creatures in the 21st century, a harpsichordist without a real piano background). Also, Bach objected to the very first piano that Silbermann showed him, because its touch was too heavy.
Second, eighteenth-century clothes, except for the those meant for the roughest laborers, were cut in such away as to provide for maye some some hand, wrist, and forearm weight, but absolutely no shoulder weight. This goes for men as well as women.
Third, we have several first-hand accounts of Bach at the harpsichord, and they all say that he almost didn't even move his fingers while playing; chances are, he was using finger _leverage_ rather than any sort of weight at all.
Also, I once heard a performance of the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue on piano and harpsichord back to back. I will admit that the Fantasy sounded wonderful on piano, but I could not follow the voices in the piano fugue performance by ear. This problem disappeared on the harpsichord. Go figure!
Beth
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