Feb 5 (Var 4)

OK, this one is definitely a little easier, and a little shorter. And maybe I'm getting a little better at practicing, too. I got distracted a couple of times tonight because I was thinking about what I was going to put into this post! I don't know if that's a good thing - I enjoy it, but I need to focus! Anyway, here are the things I thought of:

Two places in this first half a curious thing happens: I play the same note twice in a row, but to my ear they sound distinct. It's because the first time they're part of one melody line, and the second time they're part of the other. The two lines that are happening together just need the same note at about the same time, is all! What I love about this is that Bach intended it that way, since this variation is marked for 1 manual, that is, a harpsichord with just one keyboard. There are others that are designed for an instrument where each hand has its own keyboard, and I gather those can get super tricky. Not looking forward to that. Anyway, here are the two places I mentioned:

In the first, it's pretty obvious what's happening. We play that D in the bass clef twice in a row, but the first time it's coming from the G above, and the second time it's coming from the B below. And what's amazing to me is that I don't hear the repetition at all, I just hear the two lines that happen to have the same note in them. But I've been listening to this piece for years already; do you hear it that way too? Here's the second place this happens:

It's a little less obvious, but the B in the treble (marked with a 2) is the same note as the B in the bass clef (marked with a 1, right after it). Same deal as above. Remarkable! What's even cooler about this occurrence is that both times it's played in the same hand, but with different fingers. And that really helps the performer bring it out. Another cool thing happening here is that wide arpeggio in the treble clef is split between two hands. You can see why Bach's pieces are considered to need a virtuoso technique (which I don't have, sorry). Making all of this sound like it's supposed to is harder than it looks. In fact, that's more or less true by definition since the manuscript is written in a way to highlight the melody, rather than to make it easy to play. Putting the first B in the treble clef and connecting it to the G-C above it is a prime example of that.

Two other notes. One, I have big hands:

The last note in the bass clef there is intended to be played in the right hand, because the stretch of a 10th is more, apparently, than the editor expects from a normal human. But it's really comfortable for me! So I'm playing it in the left hand, and feeling good about it every time.

Lastly, my teacher in grade and middle schools would be annoyed with me based on how I'm playing the following:

The right hand, along with the top note of the left hand, is supposed to be completely silent during the last note of this measure. It's clearly marked. I'm not doing it; go back and take a listen and see if you notice! I guarantee that Ms. Moore would have noticed. People complain about the Suzuki method, but if you want to grow up and play Bach, it's definitely the way to go!