Telemann Lesson 2
Common mistakes with performances of Telemann's F Dorian (F Minor) Sonata. Terry B. Ewell discusses the best edition, using accompaniments, and common mistakes by pianists. Music by Terry B. Ewell, Eva Mengelkoch, and Frances Borowsky. BDP #302. www.2reed.net.
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Common mistakes with performances of Telemann’s F Dorian (F Minor) Sonata. Terry B. Ewell discusses the best edition, using accompaniments, and common mistakes by pianists. Music by Terry B. Ewell, Eva Mengelkoch, and Frances Borowsky. BDP #302. www.2reed.net.
The original transcript is available here.
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Captions are unavailable. The complete transcript follows.
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Transcript
00:00Introduction
0:01 <music: Telemann F Dorian Sonata, 3rd movement by Terry B. Ewell, bassoon, Eva Mengelkoch, 0:09 harpsichord, and Frances Borowsky, cello.> I have listened to many student performances 0:16 of the Telemann F Dorian Sonata as an adjudicator for solo competitions in Maryland and West 0:24 Virginia. Year after year I come across mistakes that are common to many performers. It will 0:33 be helpful for you to avoid these mistakes as you study the Sonata. 0:40 The first and in some ways the most serious mistake is to read from a poor edition of
00:41Choosing a Reliable Edition
0:47 the Sonata. There are many editions of the work available. Here, for instance, are some 0:54 of the editions that I have in my personal library.
00:59Problems in the Popov Edition
0:59 However, some of the editions create problems for the performer by adding dynamics, slurs, 1:07 and even changing notes that were not in the original part. For instance, see this version 1:13 from Russia that is available on imslp.org. The editor of the bassoon part is Valery Popov, 1:23 one of the greatest bassoonists ever seen in Russia. 1:29 I have highlighted in yellow here some of the departures from the authoritative edition 1:34 of the work. First off, there are four flats in the key signature instead of three. There 1:40 is a forte put in the first measure that is not in the original edition. Now, I do indeed 1:46 follow that and I play forte, but I am alerting you to changes. The parentheses are put around 1:54 the piano where Telemann does indicate that. In the next measure, measure 3, there are 2:01 parentheses around the forte where again Telemann puts those in. 2:08 You will see that there are even changes of notes. A little lower down you will see that 2:15 there is a C3 in the part when in the authoritative edition it is a C2 that is the low C on the 2:23 instrument. Now, the International Music Company edition
02:27International Music Company Edition
2:27 of the Sonata takes even more liberties. Let’s just examine the first line. 2:30 The authoritative edition of the work can be found for free on imslp.org. Since the
02:31Authoritative Edition
2:32 authoritative edition is free for anyone who has access to the Internet, there is no excuse 2:33 today for any bassoonist to be performing the work without reference to the original 2:34 composition. I discussed the unusual features of this authoritative edition in the last 2:35 video. If you did not see it yet, please refer to it. There is a change in the key signature, 2:36 there are added dashes on notes, there is a mf given, crescendos and diminuendos, added 2:43 slurs; all of that. Now, as a performer you might indeed want to play those, but first 2:51 you need to know exactly what Telemann wrote and then you can make the changes. So, it 2:58 is quite important to find the authoritative work to read first.
03:05IMSLP and the Amadeus Edition
3:05 If you looked at the last video, you will know that I have made reference to this. Here 3:08 again is the website where you can find the work on IMSLP. This authoritative edition 3:18 that was taken from a collection of works by Telemann. If you are seeking a modern edition 3:26 of the work, you need to consult this. The authoritative version of the work is also 3:33 reprinted in the Amadeus edition. If you are seeking a modern version of the work, this 3:39 is the only version that I recommend. Practicing without an accompaniment is a common
03:46Practicing with Accompaniment
3:46 problem for many students today and particularly for this COVID-19 period. 3:54 This problem is quickly remedied by visiting my website 2reed.net. The greatest variety 4:01 of files are available in the MIDI format. As you can see there are older files by others 4:09 and me and then in December in preparation for these videos, I created some new files. 4:17 The mp3 files are here. You can just click and play them from the website. Notice that 4:27 most of the movements here have accompaniments in multiple tempos. At the bottom there are 4:33 links music at imslp.org. In the future I will include the links to these videos here 4:41 as well. Let’s select one of the newer files and
04:46Cello and Harpsichord Accompaniment
4:46 listen to it. You can hear two instruments a cello and harpsichord. Although many students 4:54 only have experience with a piano accompaniment this version is actually closer to Telemann’s 5:01 intensions. The piano was not yet used as an accompaniment instrument at the time of 5:06 the composition. Since I have provided these files to you for
05:13Benefits of Accompaniment Practice
5:13 free, there is no excuse not to practice with the accompaniments. This will help you to 5:18 learn the piece and better understand the relationship between the solo part and the 5:23 accompaniment. If you practice quite frequently with these files, then it will be an easy 5:29 matter to rehearse with your live accompanist at a later time.
05:34Baroque Keyboard Performance
5:34 Accompanists, however, often do not understand how to perform Baroque keyboard parts. 5:43 Here is a page from the International Music Company edition of the work. Pianists are 5:49 trained to bring out the melody by playing the top notes the loudest. Most pianists would 5:56 then play these notes louder than the bass part. However, this is entirely incorrect.
06:04Authoritative Continuo Part
6:04 Let’s look at the authoritative version for this movement. Notice that only the bass 6:11 notes are given for the keyboard player. The numbers indicate what would be in the right 6:17 hand of the harpsichord. So, the entire right hand given in the piano here is not in the 6:25 original music at all. Rather it is a realization of the music.
06:32Emphasizing the Bass Line
6:32 The real melody given by Telemann to the accompanist is in the left hand, the bass part. Normally 6:37 this would be doubled by another instrument and thus louder. The upper notes on the harpsichord 6:45 are quieter in any case. So, the accompanist should emphasize the bass notes and lightly 6:52 play the upper notes. For more information on this please see the
06:58Baroque Accompaniments on Piano
6:58 video titled “Baroque Accompaniments on Piano” BDP #42. 7:04 The next video will introduce the subject of ornamentation and provide examples from
07:05Next Video: Ornamentation
7:11 the Telemann Sonata. Furthermore, I will point to some additional resources that can aid 7:18 your performance of the Sonata. <music: Telemann F Dorian Sonata, 4th movement 7:25 by Terry B. Ewell, bassoon, Eva Mengelkoch, harpsichord, and Frances Borowsky, cello.>
Credits
- author Terry B. Ewell
- composer Georg Philipp Telemann
- performer Terry B. Ewell
- performer Eva Mengelkoch
- performer Frances Borowsky