Ask Augustin 47 - Arpeggio passages in Bach

In this episode of Ask Augustin, I talk about the two arpeggio passages in Bach's Chaconne. It's important to ask the question of why the arpeggios are there: these are extended passages in 3-4 voices. In order to follow all the voices simultaneously, it was a common technique to start playing in arpeggio. The arpeggios aren't there just for their own sake and I find that the greatest danger in this passage is that it can sound too regular, like an etude. These are not that kind of arpeggio - this is in my opinion actually one of the most expressive parts of the Chaconne!

Bach did not actually write out the notes of the arpeggios - if you look at the manuscript (https://imslp.org/wiki/6_Violin_Sonatas_and_Partitas,_BWV_1001-1006_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian) or any Urtext edition, you see that Bach specifies how to start the large arpeggio passage (groups of four) and then writes "arpeggio" and writes chords for the rest of the passage, and leaves each one of us to figure it out. The way these arpeggios are written out in most editions is an example, a suggestion for how to execute them.

The only thing we know for certain is that at some point you have to switch into sextuplets -- or chords, or groups of 8 notes -- because 4-voice chords appear. But the rest is up to you.

The most important aspect is the voicing, bringing out the important lines and the notes that have tension and need to resolve. You can overlap certain notes in the arpeggios to make us hear the harmonies more clearly; and should also think of the structure of each variation, and how they gradually build towards the end the arpeggio passage, so that it has a large overall arc as well. The possibilities are endless, and there are many ways to play it well, but also many ways to play it badly! Your own judgement has to be your guide, as you balance all the different things that have to be achieved -- it needs to sound good, be expressive, allow the listener to understand and follow all the voices, and show the structure of each variation and of the whole arpeggio passage.

Видео Ask Augustin 47 - Arpeggio passages in Bach канала Augustin Hadelich