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Playing Bach at the piano

22K views 30 replies 25 participants last post by  Mandryka 
#1 ·
This is an old controversy, but remains unsolved. In playing Bach my current russian teacher commands: No pedaling, no dynamics. Other teachers would add: no legato.
She explains that such resourses were strange to Bach's keyboard compositions, that they are unnecessary to play well such a music, and that he didn't composed for the piano, but for harsichords.
Of course I obey my teacher, as an exercise of self-discipline, but in spite of my own current opinion. I'd support the use of all the piano resources in playing Bach because:
i) I think that Bach didn't composed for the piano simply because there was no good pianos at his time. It was a recent invention and remained underdeveloped during his life.
ii) Bach had clavichords at his disposal, which allowed to use dynamics.
iii) My guide and goal is beauty. If the music sounds enriched at the piano and the result is beauty, what is wrong with it?
iv) The piano must sound as a piano, not as a hapsichord. The piano has its own dignity.
v) The tradition of playing Bach at piano began immediately as soon as good pianos were manufactured. If great composers and artists as Chopin, Liszt and Busoni gave his approval, why to be contrary?
vi) Great pianists, for example, Joseph Hoffman, declared in favor of pedaling, in order to get organ sonorities, and provided that the clarity of the voices were preserved. My teacher protests "That was not Bach's music then, but Hoffman's".

What do you think?
 
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#30 ·
In the end , to me , Bach SINGS. I am a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists,and have learned the complete organ works. Have given up trying to make that instrument sing. Am now working on Book 2 of the "48" . I'm sorry, but the wonderful F major prelude can only reveal its full potential on a modern piano.
 
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