Bach Praludium -- dynamics

[JimDunlop]

BWV 846-1  (Praludium I Das wohltemperierte Klavier I)

Yes, I know it's a really easy piece....  But I'm thinking of using it for exactly its intended purpuse -- a prelude in a church service.... It's a lovely little piece though, isn't it? 

Anyway,  my question is this: does anyone have any recommendations on how to tackle the dynamics in this piece?  There are really no markings whatsoever except for the "rit" on the final chord.  :-)  I don't want the piece to be boring and yet, the only recording that I have of this piece is rather flat, dynamically speaking.  I also don't feel comfortable venturing out and "interpreting" the piece in some strange way.....



Thanks,

JD

P.S.  Can this forum handle foreign characters... like umlauts?

[quasimodo]

I'm not quite sure this prelude's purpose has anything to do with religious/church matters ...

Neither do I think there's any rule for dynamics for this piece and Bach's WTC in general. Just let the music breathe... Play with your heart.

[JimDunlop]

Wasn't trying to imply that it did...  Other than the fact that many churches usually play a "Prelude" or a "Processional"  prior to the service or sometimes during the service when something else is happening, eg. prayer or passing a collection plate, etc....

Well, thanks for the tip though.... As long as no one figures my interpretation is strange.... :-)

JD

[quasimodo]

Tone changes and rubato are not forbidden in Bach's music but must be used with taste (this statement is obviously true for any music but particularly for Bach's  )

Richter played it absolutely even and flat tone and it's quite nice.
Keith Jarrett uses a lot of pedal and a lot of rhythm/tone nuances.
Glenn Gould played it "bizarre", slowly and with the right hand almost staccato, tone up and down and up an down.
Lately I heard Hélène Grimaud's interpretation from her last recording ("Credo"). It's even slower but "hyper-legato" with a very ample crescendo progression (almost inaudible in the beginning and at full power of her Yamaha Grand in the end, like the Ravel's Bolero, except the last chord ppp). Interesting but not my favorite.

There's another thread about this piece on this forum ("pedal or not pedal?").

But I think the bottom line is "Play it as you would like to hear it!" Which is probably the most useless piece of advice to a musician 

[bernhard]

Have a look here:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2180.msg18518.html#msg18518

Also remember that in Bach’s time articulation was the main expressive device, not dynamics or time. Music like language was regarded uppermost as a form of meaningful communication, so – as in speech -  tempo, is not so crucial (some people talk faster, some slower) neither is dynamics (some people talk louder, some softly) when compared to “articulation” (which in speech is the most important consideration: that evry syllable is given its proper stress and the why the sentence is phrased, that is punctuated, will give it meaning).

So make sure you truly understand what is going on in this prelude, so that whatever dynamics you add to it (by all means do add dynamics to it) furthers the meaning rather than confuses and hinders it.

Above all be aware of the Aesthetic/sentimentality/subjective trap/fallacy: “If it sounds good to me, and if I feel good about it, then it is correct for me”. Consider for a moment the game of chess. What would you say of a player who moved the pieces in any way he pleased and then justified his moves by saying that the bishop moving in straight lines was far more pleasing to the eye than diagonally?.

Just like the game of chess have rules to be followed, so does the performance of Baroque music. If you want to know more, have a look here:

https://www-personal.umich.edu/~siglind/wtc-i-01.htm
(which incidentally has a very nice dynamic program).

Best wishes,
Bernhard.