"Sheep May Safely Graze"

[alzado]

Let me start this by quoting from an earlier thread--

"It's a germ of a thought that came to me as I heard on the radio Piers Lane play a transcription of "Sheep May Safely Graze" from the Bach cantata; a beautiful sound but every phrase was executed in the same way.  It made me think that although the sound was beautiful, it was not actually a "vocal" performance, or vocally inspired, because if you were to sing words, you consider those words also when placing inflection, and not just meter.  Leading me to another thought... that the pianists of the past, if it can be said they were more creative in placing inflective accents, are therefore much more poetic as pianists, since this variety of placement gives a more vocal impression - the impression of a text, of poetry.  And on top of that they had a beautiful sound.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness.  but I would love to hear more thoughts on the subject.

Walter Ramsey"

I would like to turn this a bit more toward the piece discussed, namely "Sheep May Safely Graze."

First, it is very difficult to discuss a piece like this if you don't know what transcription he is talking about.  I am currently playing a transcription by Fabrizio Ferrari, which is available on virtualsheetmusic.com.  I have just heard a piano transcription by Leon Fleicher in his CD entitled "Two Hands."  Different transcription, different effects.  All in all, transcriptions put you into a kind of no man's land.

As for lack of variety or changes that add interest -- pointed out above by Ramsey -- I find that transcriptions are difficult to sustain interest because in the original there are so many additional resources to ADD interest -- instruments plus vocal, plus a background chorus. So the composer can easily create much variation and interest by shifting the melody line between various parts.  With the piano, there's just the piano, and thus there's always a risk that a transcription will seem unduly repetitious.  The pianist can use dynamics and tempo, but that's about all he or she has at his disposal. 

The repetition in some of these transcriptions may not necessarily be boring since there are many key changes.  Seldom does the main theme repeat exactly.  The interest for a musically sophisticated listener may lie in these key changes and other changes.  For the unschooled listener, for whom key changes or chord changes just "go over his head," the impression left by such a piece is of excessive repetition.  (What I am saying of "Sheep" can also be said of "Jesu.")

Who of you are currently playing "Sheep May Safely Graze" out there at this time? What transcription are you using?  Any comments on the piece?  Any suggestions on adding interest despite the repetitive nature of the piece?

Frankly, I like it.