Bach, Johann Sebastian : Englische Suiten Nr.6 Courante
Work Overview
Genre:courante
Total Playing Time:2 min 20 sec
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (1)
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Last Updated: February 19, 2024
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Author : Ooi, Kazurou
This Courante has a time signature of 3/2, making it a French-style Courante. The author has listened to performances of this Courante by at least 10 pianists and harpsichordists, and most of them played it at a tempo of approximately 90 for the half note.
However, among these, only two pianists were found who played at a slow tempo of 50-60 for the half note. While French-style Courantes are generally not played at a fast tempo, for this particular Courante, an overwhelming majority of pianists and harpsichordists choose a fast tempo.
Now, the Courante from the French Suite (BWV 812) in the same key of D minor is also written in 3/2 time. However, in the case of that Courante, there are quite a lot of ornaments, making it technically challenging. I imagine that this technical difficulty might be the reason why that Courante is played at a slower tempo.
However, did Bach expect the tempo to be determined by the difficulty of the piece? Of course, we cannot know now, but it would not be strange at all for this Courante from BWV 811, which shares the same time signature and key as the calm Courante from BWV 812, to be played at the same tempo.
Therefore, I have a task for all of you: First, clear your mind and try playing this Courante at both a fast and a slow tempo. Do not jump to conclusions immediately; instead, try to bring out the good aspects of both tempos. While the final tempo decision is up to you, please experiment with various approaches beforehand.
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