• Store
  • Sign-up
  • Sign-in
Menu
Practising the Piano
  • Home
  • Resources
    • Multimedia eBook Series
    • Online Academy
    • Video Lessons
    • Annotated Study Editions
    • Repertoire Resources
    • Piano Technique Resources
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Online Events
    • London Piano Courses
    • Practice Clinics
    • Online Performance Workshops
  • Blog
      • Practising
      • Learning Pieces
      • Technique
      • Performing
      • Teaching
      • Archive
  • About Us
    • Help & Support
    • Contact us
HomeLearning PiecesBach Partita in B Flat Video Walkthroughs

Bach Partita in B Flat Video Walkthroughs

By Graham Fitch, 2019-02-28 Posted in: Learning Pieces

Even though they were among the last keyboard suites Bach wrote, the six Partitas, BWV 825–830, appeared from 1726 to 1730 as Clavier-Übung I, the first of Bach’s works to be published under his direction. 

The format follows the typical recipe for a suite, the mandatory allemande–courante–sarabande–gigue framework expanded by the addition of an opening movement, and then the galanteries (chosen by Bach from a pool of optional extra dances) towards the end of each suite. 

The Partita in B flat, the first of the set, is the lightest and most intimate, and to my mind the most charming. The gigue even ends in mid air!

The ABRSM has set the Menuets I and II for Grade 6. They make a beautiful contrasting pair of dances – the first sprightly and elegant, the second more solid and sustained. 

Menuet I

Make sure to add your own dynamics (probably between a range from forte to piano) as well as articulations (a range of touches including legato, staccato, tenuto, leggiero, slurs and short phrasings, etc.). If you look into the score you will discover most of this is implied by the structure of the music – its shapes, designs, modulations, and patterns. Remember there is no one right way of playing this music, but many possibilities.

Menuet II

Menuet II is only 16 bars in length, and thicker in texture than Menuet I. This texture implies a stronger dynamic, more legato cantabile – a more solid approach in general. If you play the repeats (not required in the exam) you might play them softer and more reflectively; experiment too with the left pedal (una corda) on one of the repeats. The soft pedal can be effective in baroque music if used very occasionally on a repeat – not necessarily to change the dynamic but to change the timbre of the sound (akin to a change of registration on the harpsichord). If you use the sustaining pedal for resonance, take care not to blur the shorter notes (quavers) or the appoggiaturas (which must come on the beat, together with the left hand).

Gigue

The Gigue, currently on the ABRSM Grade 7 syllabus, is unusual among Bach’s gigues – much lighter in texture, and rather delicate in character. The movement requires considerable LH skill in controlling the jumps and shaping the line, and also keeping the RH light and very close to the keys to achieve the right sound. The big G minor cadence in bar 28 might be enhanced with a touch of pedal, and a stronger dynamic. Later, from bar 32 to 40, Bach’s design gives us an opportunity for a long diminuendo to a very soft dynamic. The final phrase begins in bar 41; the most natural way to play it is with a crescendo to the end. Decide whether you want to end strongly, or with a sudden diminuendo through the final bar.

Links

For the Online Academy’s full video walkthoughs, follow these links:

Menuet 1

Menuet 2

Gigue

Tags: ABRSMjs bachpartita

Related Posts

The Baroque Urtext Score – Articulation (3)

The Baroque Urtext Score – Articulation (3)

By Graham Fitch, 2011-11-05
Posted in: Practising

Articulation in music is understood to mean the way notes are connected or grouped - this involves accentuation and, to some extent, rhythmic inflection. While François Couperin was an obsessive control freak in this regard, it was only from Beethoven onwards that composers routinely marked articulations into the score. Open a score…

Read More

Tags: articulationbeethovenexpressionjs bachtonetouch
The Baroque Urtext Score – Articulation (3)
Chopin and Bach

Chopin and Bach

By Graham Fitch, 2015-07-04
Posted in: Learning Pieces

We know that Chopin began his piano practice every day with some preludes and fugues from Bach's 48. It is said this is the only score he took with him to Majorca in 1838, where he completed his own set of 24 Preludes. There is nothing purer for the mind…

Read More

Tags: ChopinEvgeny KissinFantasie-Impromptujs bachprelude and fugueSviatoslav RicherWell-Tempered Clavier
Chopin and Bach
Learning New Pieces From the Ground Up

Learning New Pieces From the Ground Up

By Informance, 2018-03-06
Posted in: From the Ground Up, Practice tools, Practising

One of the most common questions my readers ask is how they can learn new pieces more effectively. As it turns out, one of the most popular posts of all time at www.practisingthepiano.com is “But It Takes Me Ages To Learn A New Piece!”. Therefore, I’m very pleased to announce…

Read More

Tags: From the Ground Upjs bachlearning a piecepractice toolsSchumann
Learning New Pieces From the Ground Up

Previous Post

Why Perform? Resources for Pianists

Next Post

The Pitfalls of Mechanical Practice

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

Sign-up To Our Mailing List!

Sign-up to our email newsletter for free resources, news updates and special offers!

TOPICS

  • Practising
  • Learning Pieces
  • Technique
  • Performing
  • Teaching

LINKS

  • Online Academy
  • Informance
  • Help & Support
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Practising the Piano All Rights Reserved

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Privacy Policy
  • T&Cs