Bach Partita No.1 Analysis [PDF]

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Lien Nguyen Dr. John Latartara Analysis II April 25th, 2020 An Analysis of Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major BWV. 825 - Prelude The first movement “Prelude” from J. S. Bach’s Partita No. 1 in Bflat major evokes a serene and poetic atmosphere. Bach’s masterful craftsmanship in this piece manifests in its through-composed structure, simple yet beautiful melodic lines, stately rhythmic pulse, straightforward harmonic scheme. In this essay I will discuss how these elements work together to create an overall timberal design for the piece, as well as how its musical timber is treated in selected interpretation.

! Figure 1: Two melodic motives The opening motive (yellow) shows Bach’s deliberate choice to include all pitches of the B-flat major scale. (m. 1 to m. 2, b. 2) By using some simple yet effective treatments, Bach turned a conventional idea of a diatonic scale into a beautiful melody. First, the pitches are arranged in ascending motion with a spiral turn (C - D - Eb followed by D - Eb - F) in the middle of the phrase. Once the scale reaches its highest notes Bb, the direction changes. The descending leap at the end of the phrase sparks a surprise after the scale builds up. Second, the pitches are guided by the rhythm of not only the top but also the middle voice. While the

quarter notes (long) of the middle voice support the trills on the tonic Bb of the top voice, the eighth notes (short) help ground the pitches of the Bb major scale, creating a sense of stately yet flowing motion. The use of chromatic pitches in this piece is intrinsically tied to its harmonic design, which is demonstrated in my analysis chart. The piece opens in Bb major, goes to the F major, modulates to g minor, back to F and eventually Bb major. (I-V-vi-V-I) Bach makes full use of secondary dominants every time he modulates to a new key, whether that happens as a momentary tonicization (V/V at m. 4; V7/IV at m. 19) or transition to a new section or phrase (V/vi at m. 9; V/V at m, 10). Because of these modulations, all twelve chromatic pitches are present.

! Chart 1: Overall analysis of structure, texture and harmony
 


Like many of Bach’s preludes, this movement is throughcomposed. Without a specific form and clear division of sections, the cohesion and coherence of the piece are maintained by its polyphonic texture, rhythmic and melodic motives and harmonic progression. The analysis chart demonstrates the three-voice texture throughout the piece, with an exception from m. 19 b. 2 through m. 20 which will be discussed later in this essay. The two melodic ideas (yellow and blue) are first

stated in the top voice, then restated in the bottom voice in dominant. From measure 9 to 13, a fragment of the first melodic ideas appears in the middle voice in V/vi, bottom, top and middle voice in vi, and back to top voice in V/V, followed by a prolongation of the second melodic ideas in V. The prelude concludes with the returning of the first melodic idea in tonic, restated in bottom voice and top voice before the final cadence.

! Figure 2: Two rhythmic patterns/motives carrying two primary melodic ideas This prelude is a prime example of rhythmic motives being used to create a sense of unity. On one hand, the piece can be said to have a

static rhythmic design resulted by exchange of all rhythmic motives in all the voices. This steady pulse really makes way for the two melodic ideas carried by the two rhythmic motives (Figure2) to come to life. On the other hand, one can argue that the piece accelerates towards the middle and decelerates towards the end. Evidently, it starts out stately with mostly sixteenth notes in the top voice grounded by the long-shortshort-long pattern in the middle voice. Afterwards, the thirty-second notes appear more and more frequently in the center of the piece, specifically measures 8, 13 and 16. To demonstrate how these elements work together to create the piece’s overall timbre and how they vary from one interpretation to another, I would like to discuss three recordings by Tobias Sing on the harpsichord, and Andras Schiff and Glenn Gould on the piano. The spectrograms of all three recordings show the through-composed structure of the piece and the increasing resonance and gravity. Both Sing’s and Schiff’s recordings have a lot of overtones as a whole, however, Schiff has more overtones and they are more distinct or

“sharper” than Sing’s. This is due to the difference between the piano and the harpsichord as an instrument. The modern piano, which uses hammers on thicker strings, is capable of wider dynamic range and much more touch-sensitive; while the harpsichord, using plektra to pluck the strings, produces brighter or more brittle sound. Because of this timberal nature of the harpsichord, I believe that the added voices and chromatic pitches at measure 19 through 21 is Bach’s attempt to increase the fullness and the resonance for a more grandiose ending. The ending, as a result, is amplified when played on the piano as seen on Schiff’s and Gould’s spectrographs. Glenn Gould’s recording has the least overtones of the three. Every single note and its overtones, though barely audible, are crisp and distinct; every trill is perfectly timed and stands out visually on the graph. My favorite recording of the three is the one by Andras Schiff. His playing is the most varied in expressions from carefree and lighthearted to very romantic and sentimental. The way he treats the piano brings out both the brilliance and resonance it is capable of.

Bach’s collection of Six Partitas is a monument in the vast keyboard repertoire, and the Prelude from this first partita is a gem. Consisted of only 21 measures with no extremely virtuosic writing, the challenge of this piece is to express the romanticism in each subtle gesture while preserving its nobility and simplicity. Analyzing the piece in multiple aspects has not only helped me understand more about its technicalities but also opened up more possibilities for interpretation.

Recordings, spectrographs and charts: Graphs and charts: https://drive.google.com/open? id=1fBZHTqK8CZqG6DPQsN5InK431GbT6yLb Tobias Sing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LGMAFgp4bM Andras Schiff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4FgsVhP9GM Glenn Gould: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idqJ13mB9hg 95 Outstanding Work! Terrific observations and wellwritten. Great performance comparisons also.