How can a flutist create that magics? The proposals of Quantz revolve around this question and are condensed in the concept of “good execution”.
This is conceived not merely as producing simple sounds from a score, but as the brilliant public presentation of musical ideas—those of the composer, the performer, and those the audience anticipates. |
Quantz links these ideas to the expression of Affects or Passions, which he considers the ultimate purpose of music. Rather than their modern psychological acception, Quantz’s Affects refer to the dramatic contents of Baroque musical theater, which the listener could recognize in the heroes, lovers, and shepherds who starred in the opera, paralleled to literature rhetorical contents. Moreover, the concept of "taste" of those times was not far from the word usage in cooking.
The idea that music is a physical material having direct influence on us through the sense of hearing is key in Baroque music, even that we today consider most spiritual or abstract. In the physiological theories of the time, each Affect corresponded to a certain displacement of fluids and changes in temperature within the body, depending on the characteristics of each organism and each mood. Composers, singers, and instrumentalists strove to tickle their audiences ears, on top of that they were always hungry for novelty and surprise. According to Quantz, the flute can express the range of Affects you can see here, being the highest in the range quite unusual. A piece contains one principal Affect but can move temporarily to other ones. We can recognize them observing four indicators: the tonality, the dissonances, the amplitude of the intervals and the movement indication that presides at the beginning of the score. |
Tonality
Can carry a symbolic value, especially in the German tradition of Affektenlehre: D major is associated with sun, triumph, victory, while E minor evokes melancholy and G minor sadness. This tradition peaked at the beginning of the century, as seen in the music of J.S. Bach, and was somewhat obsolete by the time of the Versuch. However, it remained part of composers’ training and can be traced even in Mozart. The alternation of tonalities in harmonic progressions also suggests internal changes of character within the one expressed by the main tonality. |
Consonances and dissonances
Consonances are pleasing to the ear, they express rest and relaxation, while dissonances add interest, "flavor", instability, and tension. Quantz also establishes a graduation from less to more in dissonance, which masterfully connects with the dynamics. The dynamic evolution of a phrase depends on its degree of consonance-dissonance and should affect both the flutist and whoever accompanies him. |
It is advisable to annotate all our ideas on the score, to collect and improve, and to detect errors. As Quantz shows in his Adagio, use two or more staves on top of the other to write your options keeping control on the whole thing.
Try to start from very simple schemes (often they are the best ones) to more complex ones, adding figures to previous inventions, or even re-ornamenting the ornamented previous line. A creative and natural approach is to start from a pure rhythmic formula, without melodic content. This can be done by humming it in context informally, without yet deciding the exact notes involved. The choice of notes among the harmonically available will relate to the character you wish to express at each moment. Obviously, you can combine different rhythms and add syncopations to add interest and fancy. For example, in his tables Quantz uses rhythmic formulas such as those seen here in the picture. |
Typical Italianate diminuzione speed stepwise runs.
Observe crossed melodic directions (contrary motion). Continuous one-direction scales to connect intervals are a somewhat primitive way of ornamenting. This can be useful for providing momentum and energy at certain points, but it should not be the only method available. |
Final Thoughts
We have reached the end of our navigation along the shores of the Quantz's Versuch deep ocean. It would be great if at least we've kept some useful tools, like a small compass or a little field glass, and a long list of places to explore for tomorrow. I am grateful to boatswain Francesco Belfiore for the original idea, the inspiration he gave me to write it and his skillful patience to board the whole thing on this treasured website. |