J.S.Bach :: Partita n°3, BWV 827 :: Wim Winters, Clavichord

[@romulo-mello]

It's impossible to stress too much the beauty of Bach's music. I've literally become a slave to it, spend the whole day thinking about it and when I listen it's a portal to another world. Very good playing!

[@andraszempleni1503]

I absolutely love this performance. And the sound of the clavichord! Simply fantastic. :)

[@AuthenticSound]

A happy New Year to all of you! One of the highlights of keyboard music to start 2015 with: Bach's third partita in A minor. Thank you for the wonderful support and contact I had with many of you in 2014. All best wishes, Wim

[@therealzilch]

One of my favorites. Thanks for all these wonderful performances, Wim.

[@wolkowy1]

I love all the parts of this partita, as heard by your wonderful performance on this clavichord, but especially the burlesque. Bravo! I wonder if now, on 2021 - you would play it with different tempo choices? Thanks for uploading.

[@douglasdickerson5184]

I agree with wolkowy1. Another performance with a different choice of tempo would be lovely!

[@donaldaxel]

@wolkowy, yes the Burlesque is particularly charming. Also note the Gigue, played without (pianoforte-) pedal so that he has to hold the notes and it is finger-breaking! :LOL: It is actually a Fugue à 3. Regarding tempo I had to practice 1.mvmnt slowly and it gives it much more expression, and especially with piano (or perhaps clavichord) whith dynamics it can be tauntingly beautiful. That breaks the common concept of 3/8 being allegro moderato without tempo variations, but I have to say this about playing it in a much more sensuous, romantic way: it works! That is what matters to me. I wish I could record it without errors.

[@eskatee]

Goedemorgen, al vroeg op! Veel Heil en Zegen in het Nieuwe Jaar! met vriendelijke groeten uit Amersfoort, Gert Stamkot

[@90221385]

I absolutely love this performance. Thank you so much!

[@rasohatskiy_andriy.]

Bravo !!!!!

[@andresisaac5557]

Magnifico, simplesmente Incrível... minha favorita é sem duvidas Courante... é Divina

[@douglasdickerson5184]

Wonderful music!!

Beautiful beyond words! My favourite performance of this incredible piece. But can you please add "BWV 827" to the title of the video, so it can be searched for more easily?

[@AuthenticSound]

+Krešimir Cindrić Done! KZbin is being lazy with the comment sections, I used to get them all through mail, but not any more, luckily I can check them all here. So that's the reason of the late reply! Thanks for your compliment!

[@dgomezc33]

That was delightful. Wish to see you performing the bwv 826.

[@AuthenticSound]

+David Gomez Thank you David (I saw you found the BWV 825 ;) ). The sixth partita is being recorded probably next week. And then, I'll rerecording all six partitas on tape (Studer) for release in a box with 3 vinyl discs, CD, hires download, a book with articles, ... If you would like to follow that -besides here on YT- I'm about to start a newsletter for which you can opt-in (no pressure!) via this link: authenticsound.leadpages.co/join/ best wishes, Wim

[@EarlyMusicinadifferentway]

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

[@AuthenticSound]

Early Music in a different way ;) Thank you for listening!

[@bachplayer13]

bravo! tres bien joue!

[@AuthenticSound]

+bachplayer13 Thank you very much for letting me know!

[@VonBlargh]

Lovely performance as always.

[@AuthenticSound]

Thanks!

[@OttosTheName]

Very beautiful. Not tuned to perfection, but that actually gives it a lot of character. I imagine it was even harder to keep it in tune when the clavichord was just invented and a lot of concerts must have sounded a little messy half way through. Or was it just because of intonation that some pieces sounded more in tune then others?

[@AuthenticSound]

Thanks for your reaction, OJJVZ ! Well, tuning is a big question, an unequal temperament, gives character, but at the same time -it is in the name- adds an unequallity especially to the fifths. In a two voiced countrapunctal piece, one can hear this clearly, and it is neither something that I especially like. But in equal temperament, certainly an option, also in the 18th century (but one should not say this too loud :-)) you flatten the differences between keys. Anyway, contrary to what one could think, a good built clavichord is a very stable instrument. It must be tuned much more often than a modern grant, of course, but in general, when the instrument stays in the same room, it can hold for weeks, even when playing Beethoven! Moving it to a concert location influences the stability rather much. It is a matter of experience to handle this, but sometimes it happens that the tuning will be lost a bit. If not too much, this is not much of a problem, if it is much, well... you have to retune a bit. I guess that in the 18th century, instruments were not always tuned to perfection... !

[@herrickinman9303]

Uh, there were no clavichord concerts in Bach's time. In his _Musical Dictionary_ of 1740, James Grsssineau observes that the clavichord "cannot be heard at any considerable distance; hence some call it the dumb Spinet; whence it comes to be particularly used among the nuns, who learn to play, and are unwilling to disturb the dormitory." They didn't have microphones, amplifiers and loudspeakers in Bach's time. Hence, the clavichord was suited only for private entertainment, not concert performances.

[@barakvesh]

Your channel is wonderful! Is there any repertoire that you cannot play on clavichord because of space limitations on the instrument?

[@AuthenticSound]

Thanks for the compliment! In general, keyboard music from the German speaking areas (roughly present Germany and Vienna) from 1715-1800 is meant to be played or very well possible to play on the unfretted clavichord. Music from before is for the fretted clavichord (more or less). In Bach work and tradition, you could say that all solo keyboard music, as there are preludes & fugues (also the two books of the WK), the partita's, suites, ... are meant to be played on the clavichord, not on the harpsichord as is common use today. There is a logical explanation why musicians like Leonhardt focused so much on the cembalo, but that is a whole story apart. The orchestral music was played with the harpsichord, in public concerts. The other music was to study, or the be played in very small settings, for the 'Liebhaber und kenner". In Vienna, the modern city of that time, the pianoforte came on the foreground more dominantly from the late eighties on (so not earlier!). The clavichord was very much present, and Mozart (who's father sold instruments by Friederici), Haydn and Beethoven, all had strong connections to the clavichord. Haydn is perfect on clavichord, as Mozart is often also (also on the piano, but it is not so very clear on what instrument he performed before he bought his Walter in 1782). Beethoven would change everything, but his first book of sonata's all fall in the range of 5 octaves. Once he starts with a obligate use of the piano pedal, the clavichord says "no". You see that the chords and grips are getting more and more complicated, and that is technically rather impossible to realize on the clavichord. So, the sonata's of Beethoven I've played on the channel, play very well on the clavichord, others will follow, but here you see a clear tendancy towards the pianoforte as a main choice of instrument, whereas earlier music, also Mozart, is not that clear on that. Thank you for supporting this channel! Wim

[@vicenteharpantiqua]

Again, what a delight! Love itDo you have record Cds that i can buy ?Thanks

[@AuthenticSound]

1 December, we will release the first production, 3 cds - a selection from the 100 music I've made on KZbin, with a free e book containing all blog posts, an index new articles. I'll update here on the channel soon, and the dedicated webpage- ready in a few days- will be on www.authenticsound.be/yourselection !

[@vicenteharpantiqua]

AuthenticSound Thanks! will keep an eye! would love to have the 3 cds... Thanks

[@nicholasrees1838]

The clavichord sound is a little of an acquired taste - it is so plunky and stilted! But it has it's fans. Not sure about the viewpoint that much of Bach's work was written for it vs the harpsichord as propounded by the musician in the comments - probably it was dual purpose with an emphasis of practice on the clavichord and performance on the harpsichord. As well as the plunkiness the instrument struggles at times (around 10:15) to project the material so I think that you'd have to be pretty contrary to think that it sounds better on the clavichord than the harpsichord but that is really a matter of taste. I think that the rationale for the instrument was that it is cheaper and smaller than the harpsichords of Bach's day and therefore more practical as a practice domestic instrument. Well, fair enough, but I think that this music sounds better on the harpsichord with it's superior projection and clarity. So it's interesting to hear this but I will continue to listening to it on a decent harpsichord recording. Nothing against the musician who is probably here getting the best out of the instrument.

[@AuthenticSound]

Thank you so much for the suggestions, I really appreciate! Of course, at the end it is a matter of taste and probably also of habits. And certainly since the sixties, people are constantly fed with the idea that a clavichord only was a practice instrument, on a way to the harpsichord. Which is factual not true. Reading the sources, one would very rapidly see that the clavichord was the preferred solo instrument, and that the harpsichord, in the areas around Bach was certainly present, and of course in Bach's live, but not at a scale as we see today. There will be published soon a new article in Clavichord International and later in my vinyl recordings of the partitas, with lots of sources lined up and newly read, and the evidence of Bach and the clavichord (as Forkel stated in direct line with CPEBach), is overwhelming. But again, it is also a matter of habit and taste, so don't read this as a defense, I don't feel that need, really, just to give you some background! And let's enjoy the music (always) first...!

[@erutuon]

Hmm, not as satisfied with your playing of this partita, as with the C minor one. The Fantasia, Allemande, and Sarabande leave me disappointed: they should be sharper, wilder, more brilliant. None of the movements are slow, mournful, and pensive, at least in my reading. When I play it, I take the mood with which you play the Corrente, Burlesca, and Gigue and give it to all the movements. Perhaps this is a novel interpretation; I've never listened to other performers or seen a version with added tempo and articulation markings. However, it makes the most sense to me.

[@AuthenticSound]

+erutuon O that hurts... no serious, it is very difficult, also to me, if you know and play a piece long-time, to listen to a different interpretation. Strangely enough, this recording is one of my favourites,... but that is no problem, it is good to hear reactions, and certainly the most critical ones! So thank you for that, really appreciate that, best wishes (leaving in an hour for a one week holiday with my family...and do... nothing ! So returning next week completely reborn (or ruined by the children, that's a possibility as well :-) ) w.