Always Shaping

I'm currently revisiting J.S. Bach's violin sonata in B minor with obbligato harpsichord, BWV 1014 for an upcoming program. Today in my practice I was reminded again of the golden rule - the first note after a tie or long note is most often light. You still have to look at context of course, and suspensions would be an exception, but this is a small detail which can be easy to miss. Take a look at the first two bars of the "Andante" above, which is the second movement of the sonata.

​Apparently, the slur between the A and G is not in the original, but the editor put it in as there are many inconsistencies regarding the articulation grouping of two's. It IS a good suggestion, but one could also tongue lightly and play the G in diminuendo from the A. The "in diminuendo" concept is more important than whether it should be slurred or tongued. This will then set off the B nicely, let it "pop" a little, like just a touch of light on the edges of some clouds. ​In fact, the entire movement is doing just that - the motifs are like wispy layers which keep rising, descending, floating.

With just 3 notes, we can already create an acoustical layering or texture, making our sound 3-dimensional.

We might think of this kind of phrasing as having more priority in lyrical movements, but this is just as important in fast movements! By doing so, the fast will sound even livelier, without us actually playing faster. Watch out when articulation becomes "stodgy", when the air sounds inflexible.

Always lifting, always shaping.  It's a bit of a paradox of course, that we have to work to sound not over-worked. But it's no different than what singers have to do.