Bach, Johann Sebastian : Sonate Allemande
Work Overview
Genre:sonata
Total Playing Time:2 min 30 sec
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (1)
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Last Updated: October 6, 2023
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Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Dynamics in Allemande
I would like to offer the following as a reference for determining the dynamics of this Allemande. I will use measures 1-14 as an example. I will extract notes that the author personally considers important, focusing on the right-hand soprano line.
- Measure 1: Beat 3 A and Beat 4 G
- Measure 2: Beat 1 F, Beat 3 E, Beat 4 D
- Measures 3-5: Beat 1 C in Measure 3, sustained until Measure 5
- Measure 6: Beat 1 D
- Measure 7: Beat 1 E
- Measure 8: Beat 3 F
- Measure 9: Beat 3 E
- Measure 10: Beat 3 D
- Measure 11: Beat 1 C
- Measure 12: Beat 1 B (H), Beat 3 A
- Measure 13: Beat 1 G-sharp (Gis), Beat 2 A, Beat 3 B (H), Beat 4 A
- Measure 14: Beat 1 G-sharp (Gis)
When extracted in this manner, these notes beautifully form a stepwise A minor scale.
For sections like measures 3-5, where the C is sustained, let's observe the bass movement. If we assign scale degrees to this movement as well, we can see that it also moves smoothly in stepwise motion.
Fundamentally, aligning with the right-hand soprano, a natural flow can be achieved by increasing tension as the notes ascend and decreasing volume as they descend. Of course, this is not the only factor; chord types and other elements are also relevant. However, this guideline should generally be helpful.