by Anna Reichhold
In Chapter 14 of his music treatise, the Versuch, J.J. Quantz presents the flute part of an Adagio in two versions: a plain version with no ornamentation and a superimposed highly ornate version, where he provides explicit instructions on how to approach this kind of movements.
In doing this, he illustrates the ideal dynamic shaping of an extensive vocabulary of interval-based embellishments, while exploring the art of ornamentation in a juxtaposition of the French and Italian styles of composition, what Quantz himself calls the "mixed style".
First, a number of possible variations are explained in the book through the examples found in Tables IX to XVI.
Then, in Tables XVII, XVIII, XIX, some of those variations are combined to ornament a sample Adagio, with numbers beneath the ornamented part indicating the figures in the preceding tables, while the letters above show the position of the variations in each figure.
Dynamics nuances are finally explained in much detail in the following paragraphs, almost note by note, with the recommendation that these indications "must not be taken in their extreme degree: you must proceed as in painting, where so-called 'mezze tinte' (or half-tints), by which the dark is imperceptibly joined to the light, are employed to express light and shadow."
With this background, Anna Reichhold has tried to interpret Quantz's indications with colors, as in the picture below.
While following the explanations in the text below, you can click on the numbers in the score to appreciate Anna's analysis and colorizing process, where the detailed points are circled in blue, and listen to audio examples [for a better experience you should use the full screen option].
In doing this, he illustrates the ideal dynamic shaping of an extensive vocabulary of interval-based embellishments, while exploring the art of ornamentation in a juxtaposition of the French and Italian styles of composition, what Quantz himself calls the "mixed style".
First, a number of possible variations are explained in the book through the examples found in Tables IX to XVI.
Then, in Tables XVII, XVIII, XIX, some of those variations are combined to ornament a sample Adagio, with numbers beneath the ornamented part indicating the figures in the preceding tables, while the letters above show the position of the variations in each figure.
Dynamics nuances are finally explained in much detail in the following paragraphs, almost note by note, with the recommendation that these indications "must not be taken in their extreme degree: you must proceed as in painting, where so-called 'mezze tinte' (or half-tints), by which the dark is imperceptibly joined to the light, are employed to express light and shadow."
With this background, Anna Reichhold has tried to interpret Quantz's indications with colors, as in the picture below.
While following the explanations in the text below, you can click on the numbers in the score to appreciate Anna's analysis and colorizing process, where the detailed points are circled in blue, and listen to audio examples [for a better experience you should use the full screen option].
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Both numbers and individual letters are presented in the text as reference points, and can also be found in the score.
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There are mainly four different indications for these numbers and letters in his text:
In paragraph §25 of Chapter XIV, Quantz writes ‘with increasing strength of tone’ for the word growing, which I have interpreted as crescendo, and similarly, the word diminishing described as ‘diminishing strength of tone’ as decrescendo. In order to have an immediate visual overview, I have marked each of these corresponding dynamic signs in the musical text with a different colour, according to Quantz’s specifications. |
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As the ability to control dynamics and phrasing is critical to ensure that each note contributes to the overall expressiveness of the piece, the dynamic indications have also to go together with the proper articulation, stressing each note more or less with suitable tongue thrusts.
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Further information can be found, for example, at m) 25), where Quantz writes ‘strongly and hard pushed’: here I have placed a staccato dot over the note.
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There are also some notes that receive two different instructions from Quantz: in this case the note c (strong and diminishing, that means for me forte and diminuendo).
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In this case, this is particularly remarkable because this ornament resembles a tierce coulée, which is normally played weakly and unaccented.
This raises the following question: does Quantz really mean the French type of tierce coulée? Or is it simply three different tones with different volumes? There are other examples of this (see picture). According to Quantz, the second eighth note should be played forte and emphasised, although this type of ornamentation is usually played unaccented and piano in French. |
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Then there are further special features: at i) 19) and e) 11), Quantz writes sehr leise, i.e. very weak, which I have translated as pianissimo.
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There are sections where Quantz has not defined each note individually, but has provided a group of notes with one dynamic indication.
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And two further special features, wehre Quantz uses two different words in his text: ‘schmeichelnd’ (flattering) and ‘gezogen’ (drawn). The word gezogen refers to the articulation with a dense bond (i.e. a legato bow stroke) and the word schmeichelnd describes the affect of this passage, and incidentally appears once again.
My explanation of the term ‘schmeichelnd’ can be found in Chapter 14, §5, where Quantz writes: ‘A true Adagio must be similar to a flattering petition’. |
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This approach allows for a clear and systematic application of ornamentation, guiding the performer through the process of embellishing the melody.
Despite the extensive instructions in his book, Quantz stresses that embellishments should be executed with taste and musicality, arguing that the performer’s understanding of the piece's emotional context is crucial for effective ornamentation. He also discusses the concept of "affect," which refers to the emotional expression conveyed through music, and how embellishments can be tailored to enhance this aspect.
I believe that this Adagio is a very special piece by Quantz, which cannot necessarily be transferred to other Adagios of his works and outside the Berlin/Potzdam style. The many different ornaments provide an illustrative material for the student of the transverse flute with regard to French and Italian ornaments of the 18th century and the good taste associated with them.
As a matter of fact, Quantz did not write out any further ornaments in any of his 200 sonatas. It is therefore up to the player's abilities and wishes to add his own ornaments to his early Dresden sonatas in the Italian style, for example.
Despite the extensive instructions in his book, Quantz stresses that embellishments should be executed with taste and musicality, arguing that the performer’s understanding of the piece's emotional context is crucial for effective ornamentation. He also discusses the concept of "affect," which refers to the emotional expression conveyed through music, and how embellishments can be tailored to enhance this aspect.
I believe that this Adagio is a very special piece by Quantz, which cannot necessarily be transferred to other Adagios of his works and outside the Berlin/Potzdam style. The many different ornaments provide an illustrative material for the student of the transverse flute with regard to French and Italian ornaments of the 18th century and the good taste associated with them.
As a matter of fact, Quantz did not write out any further ornaments in any of his 200 sonatas. It is therefore up to the player's abilities and wishes to add his own ornaments to his early Dresden sonatas in the Italian style, for example.
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And here is the final result
(click on the video to listen and follow the score or on the picture to see a larger version ). |
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Hello, my name is Anna.
I am a professional Baroque flutist and passionate teacher from Germany. Twenty years ago, I studied the modern flute at the University of the Arts in Berlin with Annette von Stackelberg with my final diploma. I took masterclasses with András Adorján, Laurence Dean and Christoph Huntgeburth. During my studies, I had three children, who are now grown up. This gave me the opportunity to specialize in historical performance practice. I have been studying with renowned artists such as Benedek Csalog, Marc Hantai, and Barthold Kuijken. I give concerts and work with different chamber music groups as a freelance musician, and I have been enthusiastically teaching musicians of all ages from around the world for 23 years. My specialty is Baroque music from the 17th and 18th centuries, which is my greatest passion and something I am eager to share. My first CD will be released before Christmas 2024 this year: A collection of 6 sonatas and the famous Adagio by Johann Joachim Quantz! I am looking foreward to share this wonderful music with you! Anna's website Learning traverso online with Anna |
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