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Bach C
Bach C
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3. George J. Buelow: and suspensions. The smallest note value normally permitted is the crotchet; if
Thorough-hass accompaniment a few quavers appear, they are beamed together in twos.3 In contrast to the old
according to Johann David
alia breve that Walther described, more crotchets can now appear.
Heinichen (Berkeley, 1966),
P-I35 In Johann Georg Sulzer's encyclopedia of the fine arts (1771) alia breve is
5- Walther: Lexikon, p.27: The 'Confiteor' in <' from Bach's Mass in B minor (ex.ia) is a genuine
'Allegro [...] bedeutet: alia breve, for it contains few quavers. A closing section of 26 bars is marked
fröhlich, lustig, wohl belebt
oder erweckt; sehr offt auch: 'Adagio', implying four beats per bar. Then, without a pause or change of
geschwinde und flüchtig: signature, the next section, 'Et expecto' (ex.ib), is headed 'Vivace e Allegro',
manchmal aber auch, einen
a reminder to return to a more rapid tempo after the Adagio section. Its many
gemässigten, obschon
frölichen und belebten Tact.' quavers remove it from the category of the genuine alia breve. According
6. Kurt^gefasstes musicalisches to Walther, an allegro can be either animated or of moderate tempo.5 While
Lexicon, 2nd edition (Chemnitz, he does not have an entry for 'Vivace ', a later music dictionary defines it
1749), p-418: 'Vivace [...]
bedeutet so viel als freudig,
as 'joyful, vigorous, and with fuller voice' — which is more a mark of ex
frisch, und mit heller Stimme'. pression than tempo.6
Sopranoi iCon
Soprano Con" "" te
" te - or,con-fi
- or, con-fi
Lh -- J
J »[ J-
J- J
J IJ
■ IJ ■
c
Soprano
Soprano 2
1 r t1J Ir'rr
Con -fifi- -te
Con
r
2 I
te--or,
|
or, con
con -- fi
Alto
Con - fi
j, i,
J- » M
N't r r r 11* rp Jir rrJ'J
B.C.
mm -r
Ex.ib: JS Bach: B minor Mass, 'Et expecto'
Vivace e Allegr
\j> h J J 1 j=n~~j
3=^ ~~jJ0<
J J| |r
r §=—
» — i—-j
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r "" JJJ1J1
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Soprano
£=f r1 ^=f*' ff tj
tj r to, ex - pec - to
Et ex - pec - - to, ex - pec - - to, ex - pec - to
bars 1—5
Tenor
Tenor jj jj ,, J.-"
J.-" ** "jJ
"il J.
r—
r Bass
r |r
'r r r 'r
ir lJ
cj
B.C. j""
B.C. 'Y Et ex - pec - to, ex - pec - to re - sur - rec
ii
p. iA-men, Alto ' tLir
CXU"zlzj cib"LLC
A
bars 88—91
A men, A
Tr"",r
Tenor
examples that are barred in 4/2. According to Bach's former student Johann
Adolph Scheibe, 4/2 is used mostly for contrapuntal, vigorous choruses.
It proceeds seriously, slowly and magnificently - thus in strong and lofty
solemn steps. He applies this description also to $ (2/2) in its genuine form.7
In 1802 Heinrich Christoph Koch, like others, still associates alia breve with
a serious expression, used particularly in fugal works and church music of
a contrapuntal nature.8
7- Johann Adolph Scheibe: The slowness of the genuine alia breve is apparent also when Scheibe says
Ueber die musikalische
that 3/2 is to the triple-metre signatures what 2/2 is to the duple - that is,
Composition (Leipzig, 1773),
p.199: 'Er [4/2] [...] tritt denoting the slowest and most weighty execution.9 The Berlin court flautist
ernsthaft, langsam und
Johann Joachim Quantz (1752) offers a similar comparison: 'A slow piece in
prächtig, und also in starken
und hohen pathetischen 2/4 or 6/8 is played a little more quickly, and one in alia breve or 3/2 more
Schritten einher.' Also
slowly, than one in C or 3/4.'10
pp.202f.
In both 3/2 and the genuine alia breve, the large values of minims and
8. Heinrich Christoph
Koch: Musikalisches Lexikon crotchets, which connote a restrained pace and serious expression, form the
(Frankfurt, 1802), 'Alla prevailing motion. Unlike the varied usages of the signature (below), 3/2
breve', p.129. almost always designates the slowest tempo for triple metre, unless modified
9. Scheibe: Ueber die by a tempo mark. This is seemingly unknown today, for many pieces in 3/2
musikalische Composition,
p.206.
are performed with extraordinary rapidity - for example, George Frideric
Oboe, strings . , , ,
r r F
|wiiir
hiiür r r i^r r^rirr
r^pirr rfr irr ri*r ir jfrnr <rrrir m
w
tL v ..
r»r
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•' ir
ir J
J rr JJ i"p
\t
In Je
Je -- su
su De-
De-mut_
mut_kann
kannich_
ich_
Trost,
Trost,
in in
sei sei
- ner_
- ner_
Ar-Ar-
mut_
mut_
Reich
Reich
- tum
- turn
fin - fin
den - den
f»r
r»r rr jJ1 1r rJ irrj J
itc&rr "r iir|[rv ir
i'clcJ" r er
'r ir ri jir
The aria 'In Jesu Demuthkann ich Trost' (ex. 3) from Bach's Cantata 151
exemplifies these writers' definition of 0. Because it moves predominantly
in quavers with a few ornamental semiquavers and is marked 'Andante', it
can have the four beats of C, but at a somewhat faster pace.
In true alia breve style, the chord cannot change more frequently than
i^5]iW'rTV J -^»J-—r^JPJ7)fr7T'
izftsir iXS£& f i' 'r 'lU Lg
m
bars 1—3
$i j j j
Allabreve,
Allabreve, ma
ma Presto
Presto
bars 21—24
te
the musical times Summer 2014 91
values or half again faster: 'The first case is a Grave 2/2 and the second,
a lighter 2/2. In the sphere of the Grave or serious 2/2 belong cha
connes, and overtures in French style [...] To the light 2/2 belong the
26. [Unsigned]: 'LXVII. alia breve, gavotte, rigaudon, bourrée, tambourin, and march.'2"5 The 'Grave
Brief', Kritische Briefe über
2/2', in which the notes retain their usual value, corresponds to French
die Tonkunst (KBT), ed. FW
Marpurg 2 (Berlin, 1761): descriptions of a four-beat C barré, as in the beginning of the overture.
p.23: 'In dem Zweyzweytheil The discrepancy among writers concerning the degree of tempo increase
müssen die Noten entweder
nach der Zeit ihrer with the second form of 0 probably results from the semantic problem of
ordentlichen Geltung, oder stating what must in practice be a variable amount of increase.
um die Hälfte geschwinder
An earlier writer in the same journal observes that it had long been
gespielet werden. Wo das
erste geschieht, da ist ein customary to use $ for varied pieces in 2/2, whether fugues, overtures or
schwerer Zweyzweytheil,
gavottes, etc., and C for pieces in 4/4, whose tempo likewise is slow or quick.
und wo das leztere geschieht,
ein leichter Zweyzweytheil Often even great composers exchange the two signatures, either from haste
vorhanden. [^[] Ins or error, and copyists frequently err in notating the C and 0 signatures. With
Gebiet des schweren oder
ernsthaften Zweyzweytheils
the latter sign, a standard strongbeat caesura can occur only on the first beat.
gehören die Chaconnen, und If there is one in the middle of a bar, the signature should be C. Thus he
Ouvertüren im französischen
advises replacing these signs with numbers. He also calls it incorrect to use
Geschmack [...] Zu dem
leichten Zweyzweytheil the alia breve designation with a piece written in common time, because it
gehört das Alia breve, die
requires four beats, not two.27
Gavotte, das Rigaudon, die
Bourrée, das Tambourin, der This brings to mind the opening chorus of Bach's Cantata 4, 'Christ lag
Marsch, u.'. in Todes Banden', whose signature is C, 'Allegro'. Its contrasting closing
27. 'XIV. Brief, KBT 1 section has no change of signature, but is marked 'alia breve' (ex.6). Yet
(i759),pp.l°8f.
the texture becomes more complex and filled with syncopation (a feature of
28. Beverly Jerold: 'The the original alia breve style). Moreover, the harmony continues to change at
French time devices
revisited', in Dutch Journal
the crotchet level, an unsuitable setting for the genuine alia breve. Today's
of Music Theory vol.15 conductors sometimes beat the first section in a rapid four per bar, and
no.3 (November 2010),
double the rapidity at the alia breve. Then Bach's intricate contrapuntal
pp. 169-89; 'Maelzel's role
in Beethoven's symphonic texture and syncopation are lost to the listener, and the serious, weighty
metronome marks', in The
character associated with alia breve disappears. All indications point to
Beethoven Journal vol.24
no.i (Summer 2009), considerably slower tempi in the 18th century.28 If the opening section of
pp.14-27; 'Hummel's this chorus were taken at a more moderate tempo, the alia breve's tempo
metronome marks for Mozart
and Beethoven', in The
could increase slightly (but still in four beats per bar), thereby retaining
Beethoven Journal vol.26 no.2 the serious, vigorous style associated with alia breve, and highlighting the
(Winter 2011), pp.14-17;
syncopation. Or perhaps alia breve simply refers to adopting the 'strong and
'Eighteenth-century stringed
keyboard instruments from a lofty solemn steps' of this form.
performance perspective', in An alia breve in 3/4 appears in the middle of the 'Molto Adagio' aria in
Ad Parnassum 9 (April 2011),
pp.75-100.
C, 'Es ist vollbracht', from Bach's St John Passion, where it accompanies
a passage with semiquavers. In 1763 Marpurg observed that alia breve
29. Marpurg: Anleitung,
pp.74f.: 'In uneigentlichem formerly was found also in triple metre. In the word's true meaning, he
Verstände wird durch alla
says, note values are cut in half, but it also designates a fugal piece written in
breve ein in dieser Bewegung
gesetztes fugirtes Tonstück an alia breve tempo.29 A recent edition of this work has substituted 'Vivace'
bezeichnet.'
(from the string parts) for the score's 'Alia breve'. As noted above, vivace
alla
aliabreve
breve
rji
Soprano
§*r
^ r *
* 1 " 1"
!" 7
7 r
r v
ja. Hal
Alto
ja. Hal - le - lu
tfc
tfe
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r s rpr r
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r "M -Vp"
Tenor
Bass
mja.
j'7§Hal8
I- t7 ir r~p
leHal
- lu
p i' iJ
- le
- -ja,
lu hal
j j1Ji'J1
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r p
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em
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if
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M ^ j 11
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p PF "MP
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''F p
pppf
p
ja, hal - le - lu
lu -- ja,
ja, hal
hal -- le
le -- lu
lu -- ja,
ja, hal
hal -- le
le -- lu
lu -- ja,
ja, hal
hal -- le
le -- lu
lu -
do the same. For example, the first 'Air' in Georg Philipp Telemann's
Ouverture in D major with a signature of C, 'Tempo giusto' (TWV 55:
Di; ex_7a), is often converted from four beats per bar to two.31 According
to Marpurg, Tempo giusto means 'in the right tempo, not too fast or slow'.32
Some performances of this work's third Air, with a signature of C, 'Presto'
(ex.yb), depart still further from four beats per bar by condensing the notes
into one beat per bar. Telemann's 'Presto' does not mean to play as fast as
possible, but denotes a rapid tempo that permits comfortable hand-beating
four times per bar. If he had wanted today's tempo, he would have written
the crotchets as semiquavers, and changed the time signature to 2/4. These
pieces are entitled 'Air', which implies a song-like expression.
Other instances of well-known pieces performed today at a tempo
greatly exceeding the bounds of the C and 0 signatures include additional
movements from Handel's Water Music in D major: the four beats of its
majestic opening movement in C (ex.8a), which should retain this sign's
serious character, are compressed to two beats, and the $ signature of its
'Bourrée ' (ex. 8b) is reduced to one beat per bar.
\JLH ^ J J J J J"3 j J J *
(<Y " ^ E g »=' p r p== r r1 r f r r
0. «
j> j i> fijf *
Ex.7b: GP Telemann: Ouverture in D major, 'Air III'
1^*11JJJ. . #3= jj jj Jj
1^*11J
^$1 '■
p f1
t f4=
F= t r r {
=1=1 J JP
* * P ri~
r^
^ F r
f
£=
r r j= r iî
r f
Allegro Trumpets
Allegro Trumpets I,I, IIII
=$=
2= 4 4 .4
Oboe, strings
Bourrée
Bourree
This
This Air
Airto
tobe
beplayed
played3 3
times
times
over
over
Tutti
Tu« , n j -g
fT
r
pj fpp
W
dulum device to indicate the desired tempo and a music director who is
sceptical. After the composer observes that the words allegro, andante,
adagio, etc. are vague, the music director responds:
Unfortunately, all too true! This is particularly noticeable with the older music. As
everyone knows, musicians of the first half of the preceding century understood the term
allegro to be only approximately what we now call andante, and all the remaining tempo
marks were thus understood to be slower than those of more recent composers. When
performing works of the older masters now, how difficult it is to guess the correct tempo
as the composer wanted it!
Ex.9: JS Bach: Well-tempered clavier, book i, Fugue in Al> major, bars 44—45
'•'■h g
« m«0 r—
L_;
r f ~r *" '*
tempo indication. When semiquavers form the prevailing motion, four slow
beats will produce a moderate tempo.
Without metronomes, establishing tempo or writing about it was no easy
matter for 18th-century musicians. Undoubtedly some of the discrepancies
between various accounts (concerning the degree of tempo increase with 0)
result from individual perception and the difficulty of expressing in words
a concept that has to be adjusted on an individual basis. While Heinichen
called C the model for all the other signatures, its tempo is not easily
determined. According to Marpurg, the ordinary value of notes in C has to
be learned through experience, for the pulse beat is as little an infallible rule
as a man's walking pace.35 For us, hand-beating may provide a more reliable
guide. Thus a piece written in C should allow four comfortable beats per bar
with the hand, and eight in a slow tempo or intricate texture. Consider ex.9
from Bach's Fugue in A\> major from book 2 of the Well-tempered, clavier, in
which the harmony changes with each quaver, implying eight beats per bar
(EX.9). Since much of his music is characterised by similar complexity, it
benefits from a performance that enables the ear to grasp the extraordinarily
inventive harmony and counterpoint.
Thus we can let the the harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic structures
determine whether beat subdivision is appropriate. The true alia breve,
which is limited to large note values and a change of harmony per bar,
35- Marpurg: Anleitung, persisted through the century and should be distinguished from other uses
p.74. His statement concerns
Quantz's pulsebeat system of the $ sign. Its strong, weighty expression is most apt to be found in sacred
and Saint-Lambert's pace of music and fugal composition. While quavers may appear, they should not
a walking man. That neither
of these was intended to be form the prevailing motion. Only this type conforms to our conception
applied as literally as done of the 0 signature in two beats. The alia breve spurium, on the other hand,
today is discussed in my
is used in a wide variety of composition (sometimes erroneously), and
article 'Numbers and tempo:
1630-1800', in Performance implies a somewhat more rapid tempo than would the same notes in C. If
Practice Review vol.17 no.i, a piece's harmony changes more frequently, the 0 signature needs four
article 4 (2012), available at:
http:// scholarship.claremont.
(and occasionally even eight) beats per bar, with the tempo adjusted to the
edu/ppr/ voll y / issi/4. musical content and the composer's indications.