Bach 2 part Invention 11 - bar 8 and 9 - the e (flat or natural)

[elizasays]

Bar 9 has a lower mordent on the second note in the treble (F) - I've got the Henle urtext edition, where there's no indication that the E in the mordent should be played natural, yet it sounds bad played as a flat (which is in the key signature)

The bass preceding the E in the lower mordent has an Enatural...I'm thinking I should read this lower mordent as having an Enatural too instead of an Eflat, and have seen recordings which do this and some which don't have the mordent at all.

Would appreciate it if anyone can clarify this..

[j_menz]

Henle apparently copies Becker. Busoni and Czerny both give standard mordents, which solves your problem. If you wish to do the lower one, I'd go for E natural.

The Groenland mss has no ornamentation. The Darnkoehler one doesn't either. I'm guessing ones in later editions are editorial - certainly ornamentation is desirable, but you can adapt as taste dictates.

[themeandvariation]

Hi.
In the editions i have, none of them indicate to play e natural for the auxiliary note in the mordent…  Also, i have a facsimile of the autograph manuscript, and there is a reverse mordent, but there is no natural sign indicated...  Of the recordings I've heard, when the mordent is employed there, e natural is used… In one edition, the Schirmer's.. (questionable) they have the mordent going up  instead to g ….
Although Bach can be chromatic and harmonically complex, e natural has been used consistently in the previous 3 measures, and continues to be employed for 3 measure past that spot in question…  So if it indeed is played as e flat, it would stand out …. and being an auxiliary note, there is not enough weight to shift the harmonic tide…  
I would play it e natural.