Posted by Klaus on March 30, 2002 at 13:18:16:
In Reply to: Re: Legato and Slurred Etudes posted by Chuck(G) on March 30, 2002 at 11:59:27:
A very important point!
Some advanced level teachers of Baroque music demand, that their students are able to play their solo lines with the underlying harmonic foundation represented as arpeggios at each shift of chord. Not for the purpose of performances, but for establishing of an understanding of the music. An understanding on which phrasing and embellishments are founded.
Many vocalises are wordless arias composed not with specific dramatic or poetic purposes, but for working with a smooth technique everywhere in the register. To make them musically productive one should integrate an analysis of their harmonic structure in the work with them. As Chuck says, that often will need the presence of the piano score. Which in turn would allow for some "ensemble" training with piano students.
Some pieces are composed mostly single lined. Among them the cello suites by Bach. These lines contain all the information there is to be had. I have found it productive to "harmonise" them while reading them. It is also interesting to imagine how they could be arranged for 2 or 4 parts. One will at almost any point be able to deduce the chord structure, that Bach had in his mind, while writing these pieces. That will teach one how dissonant even a single musical line can be. There are lots of tensions between the played line and the imaginary bass line.
This attitude also applies to lots of other musical styles. It can be most interesting to put imaginary chord symbols under boring two-beat bass lines. Also helps shining them up with some walking lines.
What I have written here of course would be redundant to most of you.
Klaus
PS: There is one sort of pieces, where I very often have not been able to deduce the harmonic structure: the introductions to the themes in Arban’s Themes with variations. That makes me dislike these pieces. But then I never saw the piano scores for them.