Thinking "Baroque"

Many thanks to those who came out to our NFA talk last night! And for those who had to miss it, I'll share the YouTube link when it's up.

Here's a snippet of my part of the presentation, where I talk about not being afraid of irregularities in baroque music:

Let's go back to the original meaning of the word "baroque", which has French and Portugese roots referring to an imperfect pearl. Although symmetry was important, baroque art also liked to celebrate a certain bizarreness. Take a look at that extravagant chalice from the Dresden royal treasures.

We can find this parallel in music too. So for example, towards the end of Bach's Bourrée Angloise in his A minor Partita, I would recommend separating the E from the 16ths and make it a pickup to the next bar. This may sound odd and abrupt at first, and goes against how it's visually presented on the page (notes barred together), but it's actually more reflective of the harmony. You'd be actually showing Bach's humour and also enhancing the character of a bourrée.

Compare playing this passage with that separation and without, and let me know what you think!