tempo question

[BoliverAllmon]

I am relearning Bach 2-part invention 8 for school auditions. I cannot remember what the final tempo should be. Can someone help me out? All I remember is when I played it before. i was under tempo.

boliver

[xvimbi]

Baroque music does not have tempi associated with it. Therefore, there is no such thing as under-tempo or over-tempo for the Two Part Inventions. You are completely free. Just look at the speeds different performers choose; they vary often by a factor of four (and that is between Andras Schiff and Glenn Gould; Gould is not necessarily always the faster one).

On the one hand, a lot of Bach's music has certain structures larger than a theme and a counter theme that only come out when played fast enough. Well, at least I think I can perceive such structures; they are almost like overtones or resonances. In other words, one will often not get the whole picture of a Bach piece when it is played too slowly. It's like stepping back when viewing a painting.

On the other hand, I found that many Bach pieces sound absoluetly majestic when played very slowly. It's up to you.

[faulty_damper]

I'll agree with xvimbi about indefinite tempo.  You are going to have to decide on it depending on how the piece is structured, the timbre of the piano, the amount of sustain of the piano, and how well you vary the dynamics.

Here's an example of improper tempi using what I hope is something you have heard before:

Gould's two recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations, opening theme.
First recording, he played it too fast.  He did not allow the piano to sound before playing the next notes.
Second recording, he played it way too slowly.  He allowed the piano to sound out before playing the next notes.  Unfortunately, this is worse than his first recording because there are extreme moments when the sound of the piano is so diminished that the effect is laborious to the ear; you are heavily anticipating the next notes.

The proper tempo is one that allows the notes to sound out just enough.

Here is a very general guide for playing music at a good tempo.
If you play loudly, the tempo can speed up as the sounded notes are more audible and it dies out relatively fast.
If you play softly, the tempo can slow down as the sounded notes do not die out as quickly.