Händel, Georg Friedrich : Suite Allmande HWV 426
Work Overview
Genre:allemande
Total Playing Time:3 min 40 sec
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (1)
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Last Updated: July 15, 2024
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Author : Ooi, Kazurou
This is a beautiful four-part Allemande. Throughout the piece, one is often led to ponder whether a passage constitutes a modulation or merely a simple harmonic sequence, or if it is a cadence or not. This is because the piece does not remain in a single key, but rather, through the frequent use of accidentals, rapidly evokes associations with numerous keys.
However, for pieces of this nature, it is often more comprehensible for both performer and listener if one somewhat forcefully establishes cadential points and divides the piece into several sections. For instance, the third beat of measure 4 evokes a Picardy third cadence in F-sharp minor; we shall consider this a cadential point.
While the musical contour from the beginning to this point is gentle, observing the notes from measure 1 reveals a gradual descent towards the third beat of measure 4. Subsequently, the soprano B on the fourth beat of measure 6 becomes the highest note in the first half of this Allemande. Considering comprehensively that the music progresses in an ascending manner towards this peak point, and that this part of measure 6 reaches a key reminiscent of E minor, it becomes clear that this is the peak point of the first half.
In the second half, the highest note is A, which appears in three places. However, the A on the first beat of measure 19 is elevated in tension by the preceding ascending figures (measures 16 and 18), and thus we designate this as the peak point. Performers should approach these peaks in both the first and second halves with a sense of direction, varying dynamics accordingly.
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