Is there a right way?

: Performing Bach
in the 21st century.
By Joshua Tooley
The topic of performance practice is abundant in books, essays,
papers and discussions around the world today. There are a vast
number of opinions on how certain composers music should be
played, and as a violinist, I for one have heard many an argument
on why a certain way of performing Bach, Mozart or Ysaye for
example is the right way in doing so.
When performing a piece of music by a composer who is deceased, I
feel it is important for us to do everything we can to make sure we
respect the composer and his or her original intentions, whilst still
making the performance of the particular work our own. We cannot
simply contact the composer with queries on their works, so we
must do our own investigation as an integral part of learning a piece
of music. Admittedly, there are a great number of resources
available, from manuscripts to letters, books, recordings, essays
but we have no solid evidence that can prove that one method of
approach is exactly how the composer would have wanted the
piece to have been performed.
Robert Donington (1977:8) for me puts it very simply in his book
String Playing in Baroque Music:
How can we be all that sure of what went on centuries ago,
and what has been long forgotten or much distorted on the
way down?
The performance practice issues surrounding J.S Bachs music, in
particular his chorales, is one of the most discussed (and one might
say one of the most important) topics of discussion in music today.
One of the most talked about opinions is that of American
musicologist, professor and conductor Joshua Rifkin. His paper on
Bachs performance practice presented at the meeting of the
American Musicological Society in 1981, suggested a new, almost
avant-garde approach, stating that only one vocalist to a part is in
fact the correct format in which the chorus parts of Bachs vocal
compositions should be presented. However, others insist having
three or four singers per part is right also. This is just one example
of many arguments that can be investigated in relation to the topic
of performance practice with Bach.
I am going to explore the different factors that arise when
discussing performance practice, using Bachs intimate solo cantata
BWV 199, Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut as an example for this

investigation. BWV 199 was his first solo cantata, written for
soprano, two violins, oboe, viola and basso continuo. Written in 1714
in Weimar for the 11th Sunday after Trinity, it was first performed on
August 12th of the same year.
Earlier that year, Bach had been appointed as the director of music
or Konzertmeister at the court in Weimar, and according to many
sources, this led to his salary being doubled. Whether this new
position and income affected his access to musicians, both
instrumentalists and singers, is unclear.
The fact that BWV 199 is a solo cantata with only a handful of
musicians indicates to me that this was a decision based on Bachs
intended character and textural qualities of the piece, rather than
the resources available at the time.
With that in mind, one of the biggest topics of discussion is
ensemble. The baroque orchestra was really what we would deem a
chamber group, with strings and continuo at the core. A standard
baroque orchestra didnt really exist; rather players formed the
necessary group required for the piece that was to be performed;
that only being if there were any available to the composer at that
time of course.
BWV 199 is written for a very small group of musicians, these being
two violins, viola, oboe, bassoon and continuo. With it being a solo
cantata, I believe that Bach specifically chose this small ensemble
so as to balance with the single vocal line, giving space for the
soprano to soar in the texture, but with great harmonic support from
the ensemble. Furthermore, I think that Bachs choice of ensemble
relates very closely to the character of the work. The small,
transparent, yet warming support from the strings especially,
attributes extremely well to the intense, intimate feeling of this
cantata (it being entirely sung in the first person). There are
opinions surrounding this point, suggesting that the small number of
parts in this work may have been to do with a restriction in access
to musicians for Bach. I, however, am not entirely convinced by this
idea. One might say that as this was his first solo cantata, his choice
of small ensemble may have been a direct effort to create the
intimate character that is so clearly created with this sparse texture.
Perhaps the acoustic of the performance location was considered?
We know that with Bachs new appointment as director of music in
the same year, he was given the task of composing new works on a
monthly basis to be performed in the palace church or Schlokirche.
After researching the church in question, it looks as though the small
ensemble may have been enough in such a large space, that from
my experience as a violinist seems like it would carry a soprano
voice and strings especially well.

After listening and also watching some recent performances of this

work, such as the English Baroque Soloists with Magdalena Koen
and Sir John Eliot Gardener at the helm, it seems that larger, more
expansive ensembles have been used. Even though I feel like the
choice to use these larger forces does perhaps damage the delicacy
of the work I feel a smaller ensemble achieves, many of the
performances do still maintain a very delicate, intimate feeling. This
seems to be achieved by using antique, period instruments, as well
as a high level of technical skill by the musicians in question.
This takes me to another topic for discussion, the musicians
themselves.

Today, we live in an age of musical wonder, where the standard of

players is extremely high. Not just the grand soloists of Vengerov
and Perlman fame, but also the outstanding level of playing at which
orchestral musicians, teachers and all sorts of professions reach is
incredible. Of course, there are some outstanding players who are
clearly in the spotlight for their ability to perform with almost
magical ability and wonder, but there are also a lot of others, who
out of choice choose a different career path. The skill and abilities of
musicians at the time of BWV 199s composition was very different
to what we have today. Speaking to many professionals who are
active in the industry, the competition for seats in orchestras in
recent times is tremendously tough, with hundreds of applicants
applying for single positions. This, I believe, has a direct correlation
with the high amount of players that reach amazing standards of
playing after studying at colleges all over the world.
This consistency in ability levels appears to have been rather
different however in baroque period
the mere gap in technique between average orchestral
players and brilliant virtuosi was very wide. (Donnington,
1977, p.43)
We also know that rehearsals before performances of chorales such
as BWV 199 were pretty much non-existent. There is lots of
evidence to support this statement parts were not prepared until
just before the performances were due to take place and rehearsal
markings made by the performers are rarely ever seen in parts.
Furthermore, errors in the parts, such as excess bars or wrong
notes, often show no sign of correction.
On the basis that only a handful of musicians were necessary for the
performance of this piece, and the fact that the music it self as far
(as the orchestral parts) are not virtuosic, one could say from this

that these matters not would have affected the performance of BWV
199 as Bach seemingly would have been able to gather able
performers to perform this work.
This leads me on to the matter of instruments. The use of period
instruments today in performances of music from the baroque and
classical era is very important I think in preserving the original
intentions of composer in question, in terms of a more accurate
representation of what an original performance of a work by a
composer such as Bach may have sounded like. After all, Bach and
his contemporaries were writing with these instruments in mind, and
there fore made compositional decisions based on their tonal
capabilities, dynamic range and other such factors. The
developments of stringed instruments, in particular, the violin, are
particularly notable. The type of sounds made today on more
modern made instruments, and also the ways in which they were
played, are very different to the sounds produced on their distant
relatives hundreds of years ago.

Again referring to Donnington, he goes into some detail about the

way the development of the string instrument has affected the
sounds created, stating that the bigger sound created by later
instruments creates more massive but less free vibrations (1977:
pg.13).
With BWV 199 having such an intimate and free character, one
might say on the basis of this that the transparency and more open
sounds of period instruments suit a performance in a much better
way. It seems that in every recording I have listened to, a baroque
ensemble have been used with period instruments.
One could say the reason for this is that it has been commonly
established in recent times that to use such instruments in the
performance of cantatas such as this one is a necessity, as using
standard instruments can affect both the sonority and articulation.
Choice of tempi is another frequently debated issue that is often
discussed and debated by musicologists and musicians alike.
Leopold Mozart is said to have written that tempi must be inferred
from the music itself and that this is what fallibly shows the
quality of a musician (Donnington, 1977, p.77). In an essay by
Joachim Quantz from Berlin in 1752, he is said to have stated that
the performance should be easy and flexible, without stiffness and
constraint (Donnington, 1977, p.81). The practiced tempi of BWV
199 seem to all be very similar, in many performances and
recordings I have watched and listened to. One could say the most
important thing in BWV 199 is that a sense of freedom for the

soprano is created, and that she is allowed to portray the intimacy

of the text of the cantata with soft but also very supportive playing
from the orchestra.
Of course, when this church cantata was first performed, the idea of
a conductor on a rostrum waving a white baton around would have
been an alien one. Musical directors often led ensembles from an
instrument, often a violin or harpsichord, as well as giving gestures
in between playing passages of music. Alfred Drr, a German
musicologist who John Butt is said to have described as Bachs most
faithful servant, suggested in his almost biblically regarded book
The Cantatas of J.S Bach, that we:
imagine Bachs activity as director not merely in rehearsals
but to a large extent in the performances themselves. (Drr,
2006, pg. 52)
This idea is still used today, in many concerts with orchestras such
as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment being led from the
gestures of the principal violinist or soloist. However, one might say
this is a lot more difficult with a vocalist involved in a performance,
with timing and balance issues arising.
It could be argued that, considering the instrumentation of the
piece, a conductor beating time or guiding the piece along in the
performance of this cantata is certainly helpful and almost, one
might say, essential. Certainly in Magdalena Koens beautiful
rendition directed by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, a sense of unity
between the soprano and the accompanying ensemble is felt for the
entirety of the piece in an extremely organic way, even with time
being beaten from the podium.
As well as decisions made on ensemble, players, instrumentation
and tempi, we also have to consider the matter of pitch when
performing music from this era. When the words baroque pitch are
mentioned, one almost certainly thinks of everything being brought
down a semi-tone lower, or the tuning a = 415 hertz.
However, before the 19th century, there was really no set standard
pitch that was used. The pitch that instruments were tuned at was
often determined by location, and was even often different between
two churches in the same city. These two different pitches were
referred to in Bachs time as Cammer-Ton and Chor-Ton - meaning
chamber pitch and choir pitch respectively.
Peter Holman (2002: pg.24) tells us in his chapter on Notation and
Interpretation in A Performers Guide to Music of the Baroque
Period, that Handels tuning fork sounds a = 422.5, while wind
instruments used in Purcells London.. play at about a = 405. One
can take from this evidence that there was not one standard pitch

for tuning by any means. It seems that the blanket term baroque
pitch used for the tuning a = 415hz, is more of a modern
convenience pitch, to make it easier for transposing instruments to
match easily tunable string instruments when performing. After
having listened to many recordings of BWV 199 at baroque pitch,
and having played solo violin works by Bach at this lower pitch
myself, there is definitely a different feeling and mood created when
particular works are played at these lower tunings. It could be
argued, as there was no standard pitch at its time of composition,
that Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut could be performed at any
sensible practiced pitch. However, it does seem that performing
cantatas such as BWV 199 at the tuning a = 415 is the popular
choice.
Another thing that one must consider when choosing to perform this
work is Bachs conscious decision to create two versions of this solo
cantata the Weimar version in C minor and the Leipzig version, in
D minor. Another noticeable change with the Leipzig version is that
there is a change in instrumentation, this being the obbligato
instrument changing from a viola to a cello. One might deduce from
this change that Bach later felt that the viola was not the right
instrument of choice, or perhaps the change was because of a
particular musician Bach wanted to include in the performance. On
this basis, the performance of BWV 199 in either version seems to
be a matter of choice, or rather personal preference of the orchestra
and director choosing to perform this work.
Performance practice then, is a clearly complex issue, especially
with works such as BWV 199. The most important aspect of
performance practice with this cantata, or for that matter any of
Bachs works, seems to be to respect his original intentions, but to
also have freedom in the performance it self that one might say is
integral to performing music from this era.
In Bach, the vital cells of music are united, as the world is in
God
Gustav Mahler
Bibliography
Braatz, T. (2010). The OVPP Controversy. Available: http://www.bachcantatas.com/Articles/OVPPControversy.pdf.
Last accessed 20/04/2014.
Donnington, R. (1982) Baroque Music Style and Performance.
London: Faber Music

Donnington, R. (1977) String Playing in Baroque Music. Plymouth:

Faber Music
Drr, A (2006). The Cantatas of J.S.Bach. Oxford: Oxford University
Press. pg.49-54.
Gordon, D. (2002). Great Thinker's Opinions on Johann Sebastian
Bach.
Available:
http://www.spiritsound.com/downloads/handouts/bachquotes.pdf.
Last accessed 03/05/2014.
Greentree, M. (2001). Cantata BWV 199. Available:
http://www.jsbchorales.net/199.shtml. Last accessed 01/05/2014.
Holman, P. (2002) Notation and Interpretation. In: Burton, A. A
Performers Guide to Music of the Baroque Period. London: ABRSM
p24.
Koster, J. (1995). Weimar 1708-1707. Available:
http://www.let.rug.nl/Linguistics/diversen/bach/weimar2.html.
Last accessed 01/05/2014.
Mendel, A. (1955). On The Pitches In Use In Bach's Time. The
Musical Quarterly. 41 (3), pg. 335-336. Available:
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/739796?
uid=3738032&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21103740582981.
Last accessed 01/05/2014
Mincham, J. (2012). Chapter 14 BWV 199 Mein Herze schwimmt im
Blut. Available: http://www.jsbachcantatas.com/documents/chapter14-bwv-199.htm.
Last accessed 01/05/2014.
Sartorius, M. (date unknown). Baroque Music Performance:
'Authentic or Traditional'. Available:
http://www.baroquemusic.org/barperf.html.
Last accessed 01/05/2014
Unknown Author. (2013). The Story of 'A': More about Baroque pitch.
Available: http://www.philharmonia.org/the-story-of-a-more-aboutbaroque-pitch/.
Last accessed 01/05/2014.

Discography

Bach, J.S (2003). Bach BWV 82 and 199, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
(Soprano), Emmanuel Music, Craig Smith (Cond), rec. Boston,
Emmanuel Music, May 2002.
Bach, J.S (2000). Bach Trinity Cantatas II, Magdalena Koen
(Soprano), English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner (Cond), rec
Hamburg, Deutsche Grammophon, 2000.
Bach, J.S (2007), J.S Bach Sacred Cantatas for Soprano, Siri Thornhill
(Soprano), Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Cologne Bach Vocal
Ensemble, Helmut Mller-Brhl (Cond), Cologne, 2007.