Händel, Georg Friedrich : Suite Prelude HWV445
Work Overview
Genre:suite
Total Playing Time:1 min 20 sec
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (1)
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Last Updated: September 16, 2024
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Author : Ooi, Kazurou
First, let's understand how the chords progress from measures 1 to 18. For example, from measures 1 to 5, C is sustained as a pedal point, and chords progress above it. In measure 4, there is a suspension, with G from measure 3 being sustained, and the soprano can be considered a descending passing tone.
Up to this point, since C is a pedal point, there is less concern about the bass. However, beyond that, for instance, in sections where the bass descends chromatically, there are points to be careful about. In patterns where these chords are played as arpeggios, broken from bottom to top, and then descending back down after reaching the top note, measures 6, 7, and 8 do not have duplicated bass notes. Therefore, the bass is played only twice per measure (at the beginning and end). If these are not played clearly, the audience will lose track of the harmonic progression here.
As mentioned above, pay attention to measures where the bass note is written only in the bass part and is not duplicated (it is important to play the bass clearly, sometimes slightly longer).
Furthermore, if a passing tone is written on a strong beat, as in measure 13, the next note will be the resolution, so it should be played weaker than the non-harmonic tone. In this way, aim for a performance that considers the harmonic progression.