Demonstration - Bach Invention in A major, BWV 783

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. 12 in A major, BWV 783 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.
* clarity and pearl-like articulation
* understanding the music message, encompassed in the meter
* 12/8 meter here contains a triplet division of the four main beats - always suggesting a dance-like quality
* projection of the strong (first and third) and weak (second and fourth) large beats enhances the dance-like quality
* projecting the lilt of the triplet figures, one may emphasize the first of three in a "strong - weak - weak" nature, as shown in this performance; other articulations are possible as well, including the slurring of eighth notes 1 and 2, detaching the third
* Bach himself indicates in m.19 a slurred approach to 1 and 2; this opens the possibility for a contrasting approach elsewhere
* no metronomes were available, nor did he include tempo indications in most of his works - the greater the value of the denominator (8 in this case), the faster the tempo, but not specifically quantified
* when choosing the speed, one must take into consideration for the possibilities allowed by the acoustics and clarity, the instrument, Affekt, and dance-like quality
* even though Bach rarely assigned dynamics in his keyboard works, he indicated a wide variety of dynamics in his vocal and instrumental music
* according to C.P.E. Bach, his father's favorite keyboard was the clavichord, which was capable of producing dynamic shading
* doubtless, given the opportunity or ability, the modern pianist can and should enjoy dynamic and tonal variation possible to bring the music to life
* it is customary on piano to bring out the main motive; however, this was not the case on harpsichord or organ, so such shading was not possible