Re: GG: keyserlingk's variations

[Hannah Lang <hannah@dionysia.demon.co.uk>]

In message <199804081839.OAA24528@moon.jic.com>, Kris Shapar
<shapar@moon.jic.com> writes
>
>
>What a fascinating story! I for one would love to learn more about
>this.
>
>Kris Shapar

There is a very convincing evidence presented by Alan Street which
points to a specific extra-musical intention on Bach's part which I
think Glenn Gould would have liked.  Bach's final creative stage
corresponded with his membership of the Korrespondierende Sozietat der
musikalischen Wissenschaften - a society which dedicated itself to "the
musical sciences, not merely  what concerns history, but also what
pertains to them in philosophy, mathematics, rhetoric and poetry".
Telemann and Handel were also members.  The Canonic Variations on Vom
Himmel Hoch and the Musical Oferring were both composed to meet the
membership requirement of one musical or literary contribution per year.
More importantly one of the society's foremost duties was to defend any
member who might be criticised in print.  Johannes Scheibe made two such
attacks on Bach in 1737 and 1739 which would have been of offence to
him.  Two members of the society replied but it seems that Bach's own
defence was not a literary one rather a musical one in the form of the
'Goldberg' Variations.  Alan Street shows that the 'Goldberg' represents
Bach's definitive defence of Scheibe's criticisms, concieved according
to the rules of oratory and taking its ultimate inspiration from
Quintilian's 'Institutio oratorio'.

The content of Scheibe's criticism was basically that Bach's music was
turgid, old fashioned, taxing the performer unnecessarily with its
perverse difficulty and confusing the listeners with its complex
polyphonic textures.  He also criticises Bach for a) failing to
distinguish between principle and subsidiary voices. b) Excessive use of
technical facility and a corresponding lack of sensitivity to the
limitations of the voice and non keyboard instruments. c) Stylistic
confusion resulting in turgidity of expression. d) Excessive use of
counterpoint. e) Over-ornamentation of lines.

WHY VARIATIONS? 
According to Quintilian when dealing with any form of oration, coherence
must take precedence over elequence.  Therefore Bach's first task would
be to make sure that he had structural logic on a purely musical basis.
Forkel had stated that up to the composition of the 'Goldberg' Bach had
considered the composition of variations "an ungrateful task on account
of the constant sameness of the fundamental harmony".  However
Quintilian suggests that "the best words are essentially suggested by
the subject matter" and that, "today we hunt for these words as though
they were always hiding themselves......and thus we fail to see that
they are to be found in the subject of our speech".  We can see that
variation technique fits Quintilian's words quite naturally.

STRUCTURE and MUSICAL CONTENT
Quintilian describes the forensic kind of oratory as "the bringing and
rebutting of charges.  Most authorities divide the forensic speech into
five parts: the Exordium (a brief prelude), the Narratio (statement of
facts), the Egressus (proof), the Argumentatio (refutation) and the
Peroration."

EXORDIUM - Aria

Exordium - Quintilian - "....we must content ourselves with a brief
prelude.  A most attractive form of exordium is that which draws its
material from the speech of our opponent....it should not be prolix or
continuously ornate.  We shall derive some silent support from
representing that we are weak and unprepared.  Although we should not be
too abrupt in passing to our Narratio, it is best to do nothing to
conceal our transition.

Exordium - Bach - Aria acts as a brief prelude.  It also acts as a
concession to Scheibe being 'galant' in style i.e. drawing its material
from the opponent's speech. It is not prolix (32 bars long), it is not
continuously ornate.  The lack of preparation is emphasized by the use
of a borrowed theme (Sarabande, Clavierbuchlein II for Anna Magdelena
Bach 1725).  The transition to the Narratio is smooth yet distinct.
(Very distinct in Glenn Gould's later recording!!!)

NARRATIO Variations 1-15

Narratio - Quintilian - "The accuser has made a statement of facts.  Are
we to restate the same facts?  Yes, if question turns on the nature of
the act, ....but we must restate them in a different way, alleging other
motives and another purpose and putting a different complexion on the
case.  Let us consider therefore whether under such circumstances the
statement should not be somewhat longer and fuller than usual, since we
shall require to make some preliminary remarks and to introduce certain
special arguments,.....while it will add greatly to the force of our
defence if we assert not once nor twice what we shall say is true.

Narratio - Bach - Variations 1-15 make up almost half of the 'Goldberg'
therefore this is larger ("longer and fuller") than one may anticipate
given the fivefold division of forensic speech.  The canons of the
narratio (with the exception of variation 15) function as repeated
assertions and the "special arguments" are included among the remaining
variations.

Variations 1 and 2 act as the preliminary remarks.  

Preliminary Remarks - Quintilian - The followers of Theodorus divide
invention into two parts, the one concerned with matter and other with
expression.  .....no small portion of our task lies in imitation, since,
although invention came first and is all important, it is expedient to
imitate whatever has been invented with success.

Preliminary Remarks - Bach - Variation 1, a two part invention with 2
motifs (of different character) and invloving figural variation
represents the "matter and expression" of the High Baroque while
variation 2 relies on canonic imitation of its principle figure i.e.
"imitating whatever has been invented with success".

We now get to the restatement of Scheibe's criticisms by Bach in musical
terms.  I will quote each criticism (some of which were written in the
form of a satire with Scheibe writing as if he were Bach i.e. in the
first person) and then follow it with Bach's restatement as Quintilian
suggests.

SCHEIBE - "Listening to my pieces makes people quite bewildered.
Everything is intermingled.....one cannot tell one voice from another,
nor can one ever recognize the principle melody."
BACH - Variation 3, Canone all'Unisuono.  No principle melody exists as
the upper voices are identical.  The "different complexion is achieved
through the emphasis placed on imitation. 

SCHEIBE - "I could prove by the testimony not only of all the
inhabitants of the town that has the honour to contain me within its
walls, but also of all the cheifs of musical Capellen in the surrounding
villages and hamlets, that I am the greatest of all artists in the
citern."
BACH - uses figural descriptions of the opponents characters.  Fanafare
motifs in var.4 to represent the civic witnesses and oboe/bassoon style
in Var.7 to depict the rural station of the Capellen.

SCHEIBE - "Since he judges according to his own fingers, his pieces are
extremely difficult to play; for he demands that singers and
instrumentalists should be able to do whatever he can play on the
clavier."
BACH - Deliberate use of violinistic scales and broken chords (Var.5)
and flute-style arpeggiation (Var.8).  These variations are toccatas and
therefore represent Scheibe's objections to extreme difficulty.

SCHEIBE - "He takes away the natural element in his pieces by giving
them a turgid and confused style."
BACH - Variation 6 Canone alla Seconda and Variation 9 Canone alla
Terza.  Entries at second and third in canon give rise to a rather
congested texture (turgid and confused).  Repeated use of syncopation
and crossing of parts add to the confusion.

SCHEIBE - "This great man would be the admiration of whole nations if he
had more amenity."
BACH - Variation 9 - the pyrrhic rhythms (i.e. strict groups of 4
quavers) suggest majesty.  This variation has a certain regal quality.

SCHEIBE - "All voices work with with each other and are of equal
difficulty, and none of them can be recognized as the principle voice."
BACH - Variation 10 - Fughetta - 8 entries in total at regular 4 bar
intervals states Scheibes criticism but somewhat undermine the charge of
confusion.


This is getting rather long.  The proof continues in the same sort of
vein.  I hope some of you find it of interest.

Peter Hewitt