IMO, Bach's music can be played on any instrument a performer chooses. Taking into account that his music as with ANY composer's works can be & have been arranged/performed on/for just about any kind of instrument or group of instruments. All or at the very least very many composer's works have been transcribed/arranged from their original intentions that the composer himself would have been familiar with. The idea that Bach's keyboard works, in particular, should only be played upon a harpsichord, is in its own way artistically restrictive. This however doesn't mean that I personally don't care what instrument is used: for historical accuracy & the attempt to "recreate" what Bach himself might have heard, I prefer an historical or copy of same instrument. If the goal is to recreate or at least come close to what the 18th Century sounded like, then there is no question that such music must be performed on instrument(s) contemporary to the period. But for the sheer enjoyment, artistic interpretation or personal expression, a relatively "modern" keyboard can be used. It depends upon what the performer(s) are attempting to accomplish. Even with 17th-18th Century North German organ works, they don't come across the same when played upon an 18th Century French organ as when played upon something like an Arp Schnitger instrument or modern copy. I've heard both: bad performances on harpsichord & good ones on piano & vice versa as well. I think more really depends upon the ability/knowledge/talent of the performer when it comes to any specific composer's works than the actual instrument he/she has chosen to perform them on.
> On June 10, 2018 at 8:40 AM Philip Kimber <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
> An important point: When I was in the 6th form (Year 11-13) in 1964-1965 Bach as performed by The Swingle Singers and Jacques Loussier was the ultimate in coolness. We transposed the "Air on a G String" to make it singable (this was decades before IMSLP, I no longer know where we got the sheet music from; we had almost no access to recordings)) and sang it under the trees at Sandown Grammar School, Isle of Wight, Great Britain. Bach was the way forward, out of the anthologies of cloying piano music ("Golden Hours" is one name I remember and a French 19th century guy called Godard(?)). I recently threw out my dog-eared copies of the 48 (Edition Peters) which I had bought as a student about 1966-1967 after my Grade 8 exam) and bought new ones. I still play Bach almost every day, now on my spinet, trying to observe what I learned during my harpsichord lessons. My (English language) students are amused by the internet phrase "Just saying" - but it's exactly right in this context: For me, Bach has always been the way forward.
>
> ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> Note: opinions expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the individual con-
> tributors and not necessarily those of the list owners nor of the Uni-
> versity of Iowa. For a brief summary of list commands, send mail to
> [log in to unmask] saying HELP .
> ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Note: opinions expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the individual con-
tributors and not necessarily those of the list owners nor of the Uni-
versity of Iowa. For a brief summary of list commands, send mail to
[log in to unmask] saying HELP .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
|
