Bach Prelude

[brook-boddie]

Thank you so much, Gretchen and Emily. I found what I think is the Kroll arrangement. I really appreciate your help!

[balfour-knight]

Stimulating discussion, my friends! I learned the Prelude on the piano from the old Schirmer edition years ago, and it accompanies the Gounod “Ave Maria” perfectly. I also own the Urtext version, supposed to be Bach’s original, and know all about the “missing measure.” There was also another blog about this a while ago that someone may remember and direct us to. That was also a very enlightening discussion with plenty of music history thrown in!

But, Andelin, going back to your original questions—I tune my lever harp in C Major, therefore, no actual “flats” are possible. I changed all the flats in this Prelude to sharps because I had to with this tuning. Before you begin the piece, sharp the lowest E on the harp to make F natural, and sharp the lowest F to make F sharp, as you will need both in the piece. (You will get to the place where this occurs and realize you need this!) I also play this Prelude with only sharps on the pedal harp, since sharps can be held down with the foot, not latched (or hooked) in their slots, until you don’t need them anymore and they will go back up by themselves, as the pedal springs return them. If you use flats, then your foot movement is more difficult when you need to change, as you have to move down to latch a natural or sharp.

When you play the Ave Maria with your son, Grant, either on lever or pedal harp, I believe you will find the “extra measure” works out perfectly. If your lever harp is tuned in F, B flat, or E flat, then you will need to rethink all this. Maybe some of the arrangements folks have suggested will do the trick!

Thanks everyone, for these wonderful postings! Have a great day.

Harp hugs,
Balfour

[brook-boddie]

Thanks for your insight, Balfour! As always, I find it to be quite helpful and spot on for helping me. You are a wonderful harpist with a great deal of experience, and I always learn something from your posts. Probably like you, I had choir rehearsal tonight, but I’m going to start on the Kroll arrangement tomorrow. All the best to you, my friend!

[balfour-knight]

Brook, thanks for all your kind words! Good luck on the Kroll version of this Prelude. I remembered after I posted on here, that Rhett Barnwell has a dandy version of this Prelude in his book Basically Bach (Seraphim Music). It is the original Bach version, but Rhett made it LOOK very simple, just for harpists! He is a genius at this, so check it out. It also includes the “extra measure” which will accompany the Ave Maria perfectly. If you desire to play the “original Bach,” just leave out that measure when you play it.

Hope his helps!

Best wishes to you all,
Balfour

[balfour-knight]

Andelin, have you tried the Prelude on your pedal harp with just using sharps? I have been playing it all week that way and it is extremely convenient! There is not any place where you have to use two pedals with the same foot, either at the same time or in quick succession. It is remarkably spaced out for the feet when you just use sharps. Rhett Barnwell wrote it this way, too. His version can be played on both lever and pedal harps. He and I both love the lever harp C tuning, ha, ha!

Let us know how you are progressing.

Harp hugs,
Balfour

[emily-mitchell]

If the Prelude in C is performed at tempo, circa 112=quarter, then the pedals need to move swiftly where it seems they are being moved at the same time by both feet, or in swift succession by one foot.

I don’t teach this piece to beginner or moderate students because I believe students are better served to work on repertoire that will prepare them for this piece so they are not stuck in that quasi learning “hell” of never being able to play w/o mistakes and never achieving tempo. On the pedal harp, usually one foot progresses better than the other that causes an imbalance when attempting repertoire that is too advanced. I appreciate the efforts of others to make simplified arrangements of the classics, but I wonder if the student ever attempts the original. The proof of progress is for the student to learn on-level repertoire so the student advances fully equipped to handle the difficulties of advancement. This also reduces greatly the effects of tension and stress from trying to do something one is simply not ready to do.

[balfour-knight]

Thanks, Emily, for these good points! I do want to add something about the tempo of this particular Prelude in C. 112=Quarter is specified at the top of the Schirmer (Czerny) Edition, and in my old copy, a wonderful former teacher of mine has marked that out and written “60—80!”. In my educated opinion, shared by many others I am sure, 112 is much too fast for this beautiful piece. It would just sound like a Czerny exercise, which I have played many of, ha, ha! I perform this Prelude on both lever and pedal harps frequently, and many have told me after hearing my rendition, that it is more beautiful on harp than they have ever heard it on piano or other instruments, so I must be doing something right, don’t you think? 🙂

In my Urtext Henle edition, there are no tempo markings of any kind on any of the preludes and fugues. I quote from the Preface: “The present edition, which refrains from all editorial directions that hamper the player, restores to the Well-tempered Clavier the freedom of interpretation proper to the music of the Baroque period. Johann Sebastian Bach also hardly ever specified expressly the tempo and dynamics of his works but left this to the intelligence and stylistic sense of the performer.”

Reading further: “Since recent Bach research has shown the so-called Volkmann autograph to be the most authentic source, a number of readings that stemmed from other manuscripts have been altered in the present edition to accord with this source.”

Andelin, you are certainly an accomplished-enough harpist to play this Prelude very well, so I wish you all the best in perfecting it. Don’t go too fast but enjoy the beauty of it, and use plenty of expression. Even though Bach obviously did not play or write for the harp, he certainly did for the very expressive Clavichord, but I believe this piece is more beautiful on the harp than even on the clavichord! (I own a beautiful clavichord, so I know first hand, ha, ha!)

Best to you all,
Balfour

[emily-mitchell]

“Proper to the music of the Baroque” is key. 16th notes need to sound like 16th notes regardless of interpretation.

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