RE: [F_minor] Keith Jarrett's Goldberg Variations

["Houpt, Fred" <fred.houpt@rbc.com>]

Hi Bob,

I think you might be in error regarding one statement you wrote: "But
what I can't shake myself out of is the knowledge that Bach and his
contemporaries composed for the harpsichord, and in the composer's
"ear-mind," the sound and mechanical characteristics of the harpsichord
were what the composition was "supposed" to sound like and reflect."

I did some searching and from this site here: 

http://www.geocities.com/threesixesinarow/oldgrove.htm

I note this paragraph:

"We must now revert to the fact of Koenig's translation of Maffei's
account of Cristofori's invention, published at Hamburg in 1725, an
invention recorded and attributed exclusively to its author in Walther's
'Musikalisches Lexicon' (Leipzig, 1732). It was thus early made public
to show that Gottfried Silbermann followed Cristofori rather than
Schroeter when he began to make pianofortes. He is said to have made two
as early as 1726 (the year after Matheson's publication of Koenig's
translation) and to have shown them to J. S. Bach, who condemned them
for the weakness of their trebles and their heavy touch. This adverse
judgment so much annoyed Silbermann that for some years he made, or at
least showed, no more. Some time after this he seems to have made an
instrument for the Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, which Schroeter
happened to see in 1753 ; but, before that, two had been made, admitted
to be copies of it, by Lenker of Rodolstadt, and had met with great
praise. We may therefore assume the success of the original. In
connection with this it is not surprising that Frederick the Great
(especially when we remember that he had C. P. E. Bach, who owned a most
beautiful Silbermann clavichord, in his service) should have acquired
and placed in the music-room in the New Palace at Potsdam, a pianoforte
by that maker. He is indeed said to have had more,1 but no musical
anecdote is better known than the visit of J. S. Bach, and his eldest
son, to Potsdam in 1747 ; his warm and almost unceremonious reception by
the King, and the extempore performances which took place, in which we
may be sure that the pianoforte would not be neglected. In 1773, our own
Burney (Tour, ii. 145) published an account of his visit to the same
palace at Potsdam. In His Majesty's concert-room he saw the Silbermann
piano-forte ; in other rooms the Tschudi harpsichords of 1758 and 1766.
Thus the pianoforte had not yet prevailed over the harpsichord, these
London instruments being of later date. But what is now of supreme
interest is that the same pianoforte is still in Frederick's music-room
(1880). True, the instrument bears no inscription or date, but since
everything in the room remains as it was at the time of the King's
death, there is no reason to doubt its genuineness ; and it has the
whole weight of local tradition in its favour. A recent examination,
made through the kind permission of Count Seckendorff by Herr Bechstein,
the well-known pianoforte-maker of Berlin, reveals the Cristofori
action!"

It has long been rumored or talked about that the old Bach might have
owned more than a few of the earliest Italian pianofortes.  Did they
sound like a bunch of hurdy-gurdy squeeze boxes stuffed into a suitcase
and thrown down the stairs?  Probably.  But, he knew of them and what
was to come in the future.  I am not saying I know how this knowledge
affected his writing styles.  I am saying that he was not unaware that
the harpsichord was soon to have a new sibling rival.

Cheers,

Fred Houpt
Toronto


 

-----Original Message-----
From: f_minor-bounces@email.rutgers.edu
[mailto:f_minor-bounces@email.rutgers.edu] On Behalf Of Robert Merkin
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 1:57 PM
To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU
Subject: RE: [F_minor] Keith Jarrett's Goldberg Variations


Yeah, Fred's and Brad's e-mails really highlight two questions: 

* Is a particular performance great, good, or neither, and 

* would anyone in our lifetimes be able to break through our
unfamililarity with pre-piano keyboards and have fair aesthetic and
emotional responses to anyone's harpsichord performance?

"Fair" meaning as compared to how prepared and willing we are to give a
hearing to a piano performance of the same composition.

My wife noted that the first thing she thought of when the Jarrett
recording began to play was Lurch playing the harpsichord in Morticia
and Gomez' parlour. (I may be misremembering this, but I think Lurch
hummed while he played.) Most of us have a lot of modern associations to
free ourselves from before we can fairly listen to pre-piano
performances. Like the retro use of black and white in a modern movie to
subconsciously convince us we're in Olden Times, our ears often
encounter harpsichords as a retro cliche to convince us we're in Olden
Times.

Lucky are the few moderns whose training and listening offered lots of
pre-piano experiences.

But what I can't shake myself out of is the knowledge that Bach and his
contemporaries composed for the harpsichord, and in the composer's
"ear-mind," the sound and mechanical characteristics of the harpsichord
were what the composition was "supposed" to sound like and reflect.

So to a big extent, it's we and our accidental moment on the calendar
that prejudice us against pre-piano keyboards. The harpsichord (clavier,
spinet et al) was all the baroque composers knew; the piano is almost
the only keyboard we know.

===============
Brad Lehman wrote: 

I'd say Jarrett's performance on that recording is above average, but
monochromatic. He plays it like an excellent musician (which he is) who
unfortunately doesn't understand the instrument's range of expressive
techniques.
===============
 
Maybe Brad could be coaxed to say a little more about the
characteristics of the harpsichord he feels Jarrett wasn't able to
access or produce.

Bob

Fred Houpt wrote:

> Subject: RE: [F_minor] Keith Jarrett's Goldberg Variations
>
> Hi there Bob. I must admit that my ears have been spoiled and 
> corrupted by the sounds of a modern grand piano.  The dynamic reach 
> and depth achieved even by an amateur clod still can produce more 
> "oomph" and expressive power than any harpsichord can.  Frankly I have

> always been convinced that had Bach been alive to hear the roaring 
> power of a monster grand he would instantly take leave to compose and 
> enjoy it as we do.  He lived to hear the first pianos, from what I've 
> read, but the sound quality would have been very unsatisfying by our
standards.
>
> As a matter of fact, I have a question back for you and the group: has

> anyone heard a recording done by any pianist on either an exact 
> replica or the original of those earliest of pianos? I cannot say that

> I recall hearing what they sound like?  There are lots of people who 
> have made recordings on pianos from Mozart-Haydn-Beethoven's day and 
> so we know what they sound like.  But, from Bach's day? That I am
curious about.
>
> As for Jarrett's Goldberg, have not heard it.  I have a recording of 
> him at home doing Handel stuff on a harpsichord and it is quite nice.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Fred Houpt
> Toronto


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