Bach's use of the single-note ornament in the Goldberg Variations. (19th May 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Booth, Colin
• Is Part Of: Early music. Volume 42:Number 2(2014:May)
• Page Start: 259
• Page End: 272
• Publication Date: 2014-05-19
• Subjects: J. S. Bach -- Goldberg Variations -- ornaments -- C. P. E. Bach -- J. J. Quantz -- appoggiatura -- grace-note -- Nachschlag; Music -- History and criticism -- Periodicals; 780.9
• DOI: 10.1093/em/cau030
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-1078

Abstract

Abstract: The single-note ornament was indicated by German composers of Bach's time neither as often, nor so specifically, as by French composers of the period. Among German authorities, both C. P. E. Bach and J. J. Quantz emphasized the fact that single-note ornaments were to be found expressly indicated far less often than a good performance would demand. C. P. E. Bach detailed numerous contexts where they ought to be applied even when not written. J. S. Bach's Goldberg Variations present an example of a composer being more prescriptive than was normal in his use of this type of ornament. Some of the Variations are consciously and more-or-less fully ornamented, a process which was pursued further by Bach in his annotation of his own copy of the first edition. Study of the work as a whole, and of these movements in particular, can assist players to achieve a suitably stylish performance not only of those Variations where Bach's indications remained incomplete, but of pieces in comparable styles where ornaments were indicated only sparsely or not at all. The single-note ornament itself is liable to a variety of interpretations, even when indicated in the score. This article surveys the principal musical uses of the ornament, with reference to the Goldberg Variations . It concludes by discussing the suggestion that Bach differentiated between two types of single-note ornament in his notation of this work—a practice that may have been gaining ground among leading composers from around 1730, in more than one country.