Bach Partita Number 1: Trills in the prelude

[scandenavius]

I just started working the prelude from bach's partita no. 1 in b flat major. I'm wondering what would be the best way to work on executing the fast trills. any unique fingering suggestions that might make it easier or practice tips ?

[adodd81802]

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[brogers70]

I think the important thing about those trills in the prelude is that they all have to sound the same; they are a key element of the theme. So look through it and find the most difficult one. Based on the tempo you are aiming at and the awkwardness of the most difficult spot where the trill occurs, decide how many repetitions you are going to use in those trills. Then go back and work out the fingerings. When I learned that piece I just did 4 note trills and fingered them, for example, 3232. Since then, my teacher has convinced me that wherever possible it's better to use alternate fingers within a trill, so you might do 3132 for a four note trill. And when you have enough free fingers in a hand to do that, I do think it works nicely.

[gustaaavo]

Tureck's interpretation of the trill (as a sextuplet including the following notes, A and B (CBCBAB)) is quite interesting:

As for lack of loyalty to the score, I think no one plays the trill in one 32nd note (it is mostly the trill and the next note, that's 5 notes normally, in a 16th). So, unless there's here a notational convention from the baroque that I don't know of, nobody is being 100% accurate with regards to the score. With this in mind, Tureck's solution seems pretty reasonable and, for me at least, it works beautifully.

There is one exception though, Nikolayeva, but I don't understand how she does it. It appears to be something as a grace note sometimes and others as an inhumanly fast trill. The important thing is that one can hear the actual melody as written (B-BAB-C...) rythmically.