Demonstration - Bach Invention in C minor, BWV 773

Dr. Ivona Kaminska expanded her pianistic knowledge under such Bach and Baroque performance practice experts as Dr. George Ritchie, Dr. Quentin Faulkner, and Dr. Gregory Butler and performance on harpsichord and organ. This fascination led her to publish her dissertation on applying such techniques to the modern piano.
In this clip, Dr. Kaminska presents Bach's Invention No. 2 in C minor, BWV 773 on a modern Steinway model D.
Notes:
Many aspects of Baroque performance practice are possible on the modern piano. These aspects get us closer to the way Bach heard, understood, and performed the music himself.
* Baroque treatises emphasize the hierarchy of the beat structure on all levels
* The phrasing is always subservient to the "superior regard" given to strong beats - as a result, romanticized slurring prevalent in modern editions goes against the principles of Baroque performance practice
o for example, legato slurring connecting weak beats to the strong beats is incorrect, as well as legato slurs that cross over barlines
* Many Baroque scholars also clarify that the "superior regard" supports the idea, except in the case of recitativo style or improvisatory style, all other music was adhering to Baroque dance rhythms and meter
* Traditionally, all inventions are an imitation and dialogue between two voices
* Even though the harpsichord and organ did not have the ability to "bring out" a particular voice, dynamically, they could make use of different manuals, registration, and articulation to make each line distinct and clear
* The 4/4 meter suggests a moderate tempo and similar affect of an allemande dance
* The C minor tonality suggests a darker and more somber Affekt
* Affekt is further emphasized in this piece by frequent appearance of expressive appoggiaturas in counterpoint
* Two-note appoggiaturas are some of the most expressive rhetorical gestures in the baroque style, and should always be played in a slurred, legato style and emphasize of the first, dissonant note.
* Ornaments are always interchangeable - one should remember that the musical score was merely a starting point, and that the informed performer understood how to interpret or ornament as needed