Analysis of the Allemande

This Allemande, while perhaps containing expressions of sorrow, strongly emphasizes beauty. Judging from the ornamentation on the left-hand sixteenth note on the third beat of measure 6, the tempo should by no means be fast. Above all, one cannot help but feel a strong desire for this Allemande to flow horizontally.

Challenges to Horizontal Flow

However, there are obstacles to achieving this horizontal flow. Many notes are written on the beat. Since it is fundamentally composed of 3 to 4 voices, there are many passages, especially in the first half, that inevitably sound vertically segmented. For example, in measure 7, two notes in the right-hand inner voice fall on the beat. Playing these notes naturally causes the beat to be emphasized, leading to a vertically segmented sound.

Techniques for Horizontal Flow

• It is essential to play inner voices that emphasize the beat as softly as possible (pp).
• Furthermore, a key to achieving a horizontal flow is to focus on resolutions (notes of resolution) and never accent them.

• As a simple example, the last note in the left hand of measure 1, G#, is the leading tone of A minor, which resolves to A in measure 2; therefore, absolutely no emphasis should be placed on this A.
• Additionally, even if they are in different voices, pay attention to voices that sound like resolutions. In measure 8, the quarter note D# on the second beat resolves to E, but another voice in the bass clef becomes E on the third beat. Although it is indeed a separate voice, playing the E on the third beat softly will alter the perception of the sound.