  Et misericordia a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.
(And his mercy is on them that fear him: throughout all generations.) Here's the "Et misericordia" from J.S. Bach's Magnficat. Amanda Markwick and I talked about how Bach used some similar compositional devices here which he also used for the opening of his Matthew Passion - the 12/8 time triplet figures with a pulsating bass give a flowing musical gesture, perhaps reflecting the concept of "the flow of mercy throughout all generations”. The suspensions over the bar lines don't resolve in an obvious way, which also support the sensation of continuity. We can use the slurs to direct our air in a way that highlights both the small shapes of the triplet figures as well as the overall structure. This will mean there's a slight release of sound in each slur, doing a very subtle diminuendo but at the same time being conscious about directing the line further until the appropriate cadence. It's just like the bw image, which shows the fine details that make up the entire sculpture. We need to be conscious of both the small and large elements. This technique of subtly releasing the sound is one that's very crucial to baroque flute playing. It also simply works very well on the instrument and in this repertoire. We can use very little air to generate a sound on the traverso and the smaller instrumentation of earlier music makes these nuances noticeably audible. Try letting go of the air each time, it may feel like we're losing control at first, but that's ok. Adapting to this can take awhile but the more we do it, the more our body will internalize it and at the end, we'll be able to have a sound that's effortless and free-flowing!
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 This is the main flute aria in J.S. Bach's Magnificat, scored for two flutes, alto voice, and pizzicato continuo. It's quite a special aria in the entire work due to a number of compositional devices Bach uses to portray the text. I'd like to focus on the first two bars, which give us an idea for the rest of the piece. The aria begins with a curious rhythm in the flutes, with ties from beats 1 and 3 which roll over to beats 2 and 4. There are also these staccato marks. Altogether, these characteristics raise a couple of questions, and a variety of solutions can be heard in different interpretations. How do we shape this motif? Should the 16th note on beat 2 (A in Fl.1, C# in Fl.2) be emphasized, like the melody goes towards it? What kind of "shortness" do the staccatos mean and should we apply them everywhere, including notes which don't have staccato marked? I'd like to begin by drawing attention to the text - there's an emphasis on "emptiness" in different contexts, represented by the words hunger and empty (perhaps empty-handed). Esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes. He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent away empty. This leads me to think that a kind of light and airy way of playing would help illustrate the idea of emptiness. Notice also Bach chose using a pizzicato bass, which also contributes to the overall "aerated" expression. Thus I don't think it's necessary to play the staccatos in a dry, literal sense, but rather Bach is just telling us to play those notes with light separation, separated from the next beat. In measure 1, since these staccato notes are the 8th notes of that "short-long" rhythm, it's a way to prevent us from playing them really to their full value. In measure 2, the staccato is again an indication for us to somewhat clip that note lightly, which will also help us to place the trill nicely and start the trill clearly. (a nice example of where we'd stop the air gently with the tongue) We can also use the bass pizzicato as our reference – a short note with a bit of ringing resonance. In this piece, this would be my general treatment of all notes which need to be light. Now, Bach uses another way to show "emptiness", which is with that opening rhythm mentioned earlier. Beats 2 and 4 are “missing” due to the tie from the previous note. Some interpretations choose to accent that off-beat (notes with asterisk marked above). If we look at the harmonies though, these notes are perfect examples of “escape notes”, which are non-harmonic notes that are first approached by step and then resolved through a leap. It’s a short “escape” before the resolution. Escape tones are generally unaccented. OK, so who says that? Can we just slap on a general rule to explain this case? Let's look at where the important dissonances are. Looking at the first flute part, the held G# creates a 6-5 suspension with the B natural in the bass on beat 2, the resolution being the F#. The same pattern applies afterwards – the held over E creates a 4-3 suspension, resolving on a D#, again against the bass B natural. Accenting the escape tones (A and F#) would not create a release of tension, which is necessary in order for these suspensions to be effective. Also, not all dissonances are created equal. In this case, the suspensions are in the foreground of the harmonic structure and are supported by the escape notes (but they're not less important, it always takes two to tango). Having the escape tones sound just slightly after the beat and in diminuendo is Bach's ingenious musical response to the concept of "emptiness", and it would be a pity to miss out on that. With these points in mind, I hope they shed light on how we can effectively shape this motif! Happy Halloween!🧡🖤 Easter Season is in full swing and that means playing passions in Germany. This season I've got only J.S. Bach's St. John Passions, which has allowed me to look at the work in closer detail. Compared to the St. Matthew, the St. John is really "action-packed" and has a lot of rewarding passages for the flute. One of which is the famous (or infamous) 16ths which often accompany the crowd scenes in the storyline:   I believe amongst flutists, you're either in the camp of finding Nr. 16d (the longest of this kind of passage) really exciting or you loath it. I happen to find it exciting, but then again maybe it's because with the greatest luck so far, I haven't felt challenged by the tempo wished by the conductor (fingers crossed!!!). Listen on YouTube and you'll find a wide range of tempi, as well as tempi differing within the various moments that these 16ths appear in the entire work.
I find it exciting because beyond the fact that the 16ths go on forever, it's such a great moment for getting your sound, breath work, and articulation right in line with each other. In my opinion, I don't think this should be super fast, because it would be such a pity to not be able to hear and be astounded by what incredible harmonies Bach has embedded here. Hence, it should be at a tempo where one could still single tongue, with lots of variety to create a wonderful light and shadow effect. I could easily write many entries about this passage, but let me get to the reason why I wanted to post today, which is about using the alternate B-natural fingering in the second register. It's fingered as such: xoo xxx x An x means the finger is down. (and remember on the traverso, that means the key hole is open instead of closed) The reason why this popped into my mind is because at our recent Matthew Passion workshop, we talked about how useful this fingering is, especially if one wants to have a very piano B-natural that blends well and is in tune with the others. In this particular passage in the St. John, it's useful because it's similar to the fingering of the neighbor note C-natural, notice how many right-hand notes can stay put between those two fingerings, including going on to the next note D-natural. One aspect about finger technique to keep in mind is that anything involving the 4th finger can be a little challenging. This would be a great spot for the application of that B-natural fingering, and I just discovered it this season! However, understand also that using alternate fingerings is a very personal choice, what works well for one person won't necessarily mean the same for another. There are other times when I prefer to use the regular, perhaps somewhat more cumbersome fingering, because it helps me to slow down and not rush. Mostly, technical problems occur because we rush with our fingers. When making fingering decisions, whatever you decide, make sure you commit to your decision unless you have a very good reason to change it again. Don't confuse your fingers with too many options! What's a favorite alternate fingering you like to use in this passage?  As I'm preparing for our upcoming Bach St. Matthew Passion workshop, here's a little music analysis which I feel is exciting to share:
Besides the solos in this monumental work, there are these many seemingly "easy" chorales to play. However, these chorales were very important as they would have been well-known to the congregation. They brought everyone spiritually together, including the layperson who might not understand the meanings of the big arias. Conveying the text through the albeit simple melody is the key in playing them. Take a look at this excerpt from "Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen". (Dear beloved Jesus, how have you transgressed) from his St. Matthew Passion. There are 3 things that are happening around the word "Schuld" (guilt in the legal sense, or crime): - It's an important word in the text - the "d" in "Schuld" is more like a "dt" in German pronunciation which gives the word a definite closure - There's a comma afterwards So all these things make the end of that "Schuld" note slightly detached from the rest, the sound has to close before going on, creating an "articulation silence", in order to reflect those same nuances in the text. In baroque flute playing, it is common to use the technique of closing the sound with the tongue. Going on directly or making the sound legato with the next note will degrade both the literal and emotional intent of the passage. The concept is simple and yet it can have such a profound effect on us players as well as on our listeners. This is just one of many, many instances in the endless connections between music and text, and it's a whole lot of fun to discover them! Playing chorales this way will then become meaningful and create a defined musical presence in the performance.  In my recent talk together with Amanda Markwick, we delve into the question of what makes the music of J.S. Bach so challenging.
For me, it's definitely the amount of stamina needed, mentally and physically. Playing Bach's music can feel like a test of how well we can coordinate all of our techniques to function together. We first need to have a concept about the music, then arrange all what needs to happen physically: breath work and management – how we regulate our air to produce sound, just like singers do. In addition, Bach's music is notorious for us flutists because we're struggling to find good places to breathe! The question is - where and how to breathe? Articulation – Having our articulation contribute to the affect of the passage. Knowing early articulation methods is a key to that. Navigating difficult keys – Navigating through difficult keys is related to our breath, our embouchure, and coordination with the fingers. Bach wrote some of his greatest works for the flute in the worst keys for us. Think about “Zerfließe mein Herze” from his St. John Passion, or the E major flute sonata. (we don't even get a break in between - no comfort in C# minor!) So all these physical elements need to function together, at the same time, on command to carry out our interpretation. That's a tall order! It IS a challenge but I also see it as motivation. Flute-playing is a physical activity and the practice of it (whether 'practicing' or performing) makes me feel strong and builds confidence in my body. I do enjoy feeling that physical aspect of the challenge and the reward it brings. Another challenge I see with Bach's music is simply finding those important clues which help us in our interpretation. It's like solving a jigsaw puzzle. Because of the common practice back then, things like dynamics and phrasing were mostly not given by the composer (unlike in later music). But that's Bach's trust in us that we're able to nevertheless understand his intentions. Or perhaps we can think of it like a game we play with Bach – he gives us some clues, can we get what he's talking about? |
ABOUT THE BLOG:I got inspired to document my own observations in flute-playing and music-making. Also, I thought it's important to pass on the teachings of the great Wilbert Hazelzet, as well as many other mentors who have influenced my artistic visions one way or the other. Enjoy this potpourri of tips, inspirations, and musings. ✨CONTRIBUTE!✨Yes I love the writing that I do! If you love them as well, how about consider showing your appreciation with a personal contribution? 
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