CPE Bach - Sonata in f minor, Wq63 no.6

[andhow04]

this three movement sonata is "in f minor" only because the first movement is in f minor.  the second is a-flat major, and the third in c minor.

it is the last of a set of six sonatas published with his famous treatise on ornamentation and figured bass, Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments. the sonatas as a whole were called "Probestücke," or practice pieces.

the three movements here illustrate different aspects of keyboard technique; the first is an etude or toccata like movement in binary form reminiscent of scarlatti. the second movement is a stunning, gorgeous, amazing sarabande which you have to do yourself the great favor of listening to. at the end of the movement, bach abandons barlines, and lets the performer drift away in a sort of nostalgic reverie.

the third movement was very famous in bach's time, and is his first essay in the free fantasy style that eventually more or less came to define him as a musician. written also almost entirely without barlines, it veers wildly in harmony and any melody is pretty much fragmentary.  a lot is left to the keyboardist to decide how to play it. it was composed for the clavichord, as evidenced by the Bebung symbol he devised for his notation, but i think verty well adaptable to the modern instrument, and also the modern concert stage.

this was the opening piece in a program of cpe bach, haydn and beethoven.  i personally feel he fits in better aesthetically with those high viennese composers than mozart does, maybe because of the slightly wild or untamed quality of his music, and the intense experimentation. i hope you enjoy this sonata.

[49410enrique]

oustanding playing and interpretation of really fine music. a great combination. i love the piano (and orchestral) music of CPE Bach and it is refreshing to see this reperoire represented here in the audition room (beyond the commonly played Solfegietto...).

you have a really nice sense of how to apply appropriate contrasts in stylistic/traditional common performance practice ways.

i really enjoyed listening to this and downloaded the music for my audio archives for future reference to the pieces and style of playing in general.

thanks for sharing

[andhow04]

oustanding playing and interpretation of really fine music. a great combination. i love the piano (and orchestral) music of CPE Bach and it is refreshing to see this reperoire represented here in the audition room (beyond the commonly played Solfegietto...).

you have a really nice sense of how to apply appropriate contrasts in stylistic/traditional common performance practice ways.

i really enjoyed listening to this and downloaded the music for my audio archives for future reference to the pieces and style of playing in general.

thanks for sharing

so glad you liked the piece. you mention the style element, in a way i find cpe bach closer in style to the music that most pianists play these days: ie, 19th century romantic music.  he has moments of freedom and ornamentation that in principle wouldn't be out of place in the music of chopin or liszt, but also anticipated some developments of beethoven.  there is a lot of keyboard music to sift through but this one has always jumped out at me. thanks again