Ascoltare Newsletter #1

The Bach Review

Welcome to the first issue of the Ascoltare Newsletter. I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and dive in!

If you’re here from Thomas’ newsletter, welcome and thank you for your support!

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(TL;DR Listen to this first, then this. Less than 20 minutes)

I decided to begin with Bach because all music begins with Bach.

It’s impossible to understand the big picture without dedicating a big part of it to the German musician.

A prolific composer, he marked the Baroque era with his unmatched ability to produce music at the highest level possible, consistently.

I should make it very clear that you’ll see a lot of Bach in this newsletter. Today, we’re only going to scratch the surface. Or rather, softly tickle it…

Specifically, we’re gonna talk about the Sinfonia from his Partita no.2.

In contrast with his argumentative, counterpoint fugues, “Sinfonia” offers an unprecedented lyricism and flow of raw emotions, always in the framework of Bach’s pattern disentanglement.

See, most composers will try to express a melody in different structures and motifs.

But Bach will create different patterns to reconstruct the dominant melody. Inside this dynamic wave of seemingly unrelated harmonies, you can always hear an isocratic melody penetrating the partita.

The piece is divided into three parts, roughly. Each one is essentially a diminution (shortening of the note values; faster) of the previous one, serving as “plot devices”, that allow the composer to test different ideas.

The 1st Part

From 0:00 to 0:50

You’re hearing chords that “trap” a fleeting melody. It’s almost a howling of notes that splash into a very needed resolution.

It happens more than once and every time, it’s a new attempt to escape the marching chords.

At 0:35, the alto escapes with an upward cascade of harmonic intervals and finally, every element agrees to a lyrical intermission.

The 2nd Part

From 0:50 to 2:40

We’re listening to a singer sing in the voice of a piano. The lyrics are implied as they’re so accessible.

Don’t be afraid to hum along!

(Glen Gould was notorious for doing this. So much so you can hear him in every recording (listen to 1:48). He understood that Bach wrote songs. This video showcases how Gould practiced, mouthing the implied lyrics)

There are thoughts, pondering, and many questions in this section of the Sinfonia.

They’re gentle and introspective in the beginning but slowly become persistent.

At 1:15, we hear a phrase repeated back to back, asking different questions each time.

But they’re never answered. You’ll notice that there’s no “aha!” moment until the end. We’re always chasing the resolution.

At 1:30, there’s optimism and argumentation.

The right hand is dominating, while the left hand is accentuating the phrases.

Until 2:16. The latter had enough and tries to steer the main theme towards resolution. But…

The Final Part

From 2:40 - End

The crescendo “fails”, the melody tricks and escapes the composer.

He tries to bring it back but the composition breaks free into an informal fughetta, a varied repetition of the theme.

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Pay attention to the exchange between right and left-hand. The right hand introduces a melody, solo, and then the left hand repeats it

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At 3:13, a specific pattern is exposed a few times. It’s a premonition of how the Sinfonia is going to end. There’s a negotiation between the different melodic lines. Which way? Which one will give space to the other?

And at 3:50, there’s one last confrontation as Bach is finally able to lead his creation to the coda and then reconcile the argument.

Different Versions, Different Music

I usually prefer to listen to Gould’s version first when it comes to Bach. There’s a reason he’s considered the best soloist to perform the composer’s work.

But there’s an immense value at listening to different musical perspectives.

This version from Marth Angerich is very interesting.

And of course, it’d be criminal to not include a recording played on the original instrument the partita was written for: The harpsischord

In this album, Richter (a phenomenal musician who stands next to Gould) is using a Neupert revival harpsichord with a metal framing, so it sounds “crispier” and lighter than usual.

You can listen to the rest of this partita in this recording. It’s 13 minutes long.

It’s how many people fall in love with Bach.

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CODA

(You can skip this part)

Thank for reading (and listening) the first issue of the “Ascoltare Newsletter”.

I decided to spend a whole issue on one piece because I consider this the proof of concept. I wanted to test whether I could deliver something meaningful and it was easier to do so without delving into an anthology of music pieces.

On the other hand, Bach requires examination and repeated listening to get familiar with his “sound”.

Also, exposing yourself to different interpretations and recordings of one piece should become a habit of yours as we’re diving deeper and deeper into the music.

I hope you enjoyed this as much I enjoyed writing it.

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