Yu. Drobot
Free fantasia in the theoretical heritage and clavier works by C. Ph. E. Bach (to the problem of theory and practice correlation)
The article is devoted to the issues of the free-improvisational manner of Baroque clavier performance and its manifestation in the genre of free fantasia. The clavier fantasias by С. Ph. E. Bach are chosen as the material for analysis, which are considered in the light of the main points of the musical-theoretical treatise “Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments” (1753, 1762), in particular, the chapter “On Free Fantasia” published in the second part. This chapter contains practical tips on mastering the skills of creating fantasia as an art of free improvisation on the clavier. It is noted that C. Ph. E. Bach turned to the genre of free fantasia in the Berlin (1738–1768) and Hamburg (1768–1788) periods. It is established that his fantasias of Berlin period are written in greater accordance with the theoretical guidelines of the treatise and to a greater extent resemble didactic pieces. The fantasias of Hamburg period are expanded compositions of a virtuoso concert repertoire, with contrasting sections, complex texture, modulations to distant keys. The performance of such fantasias creates the impression of free improvisation, although the whole piece is notated, and the connection with the art of the Baroque is replaced by anticipation of the emergence and development of piano music of Romanticism. The result of our observations is that the genre of free fantasia has received a more diverse embodiment in clavier music than in the theoretical heritage of C. Ph. E. Bach. The ideas of the theoretical treatise are left in the past, while the composer’s music rushed into the future.
Key words
Western European Baroque, theoretical treatises, clavier music by C. Ph. E. Bach, free fantasia, bar-less notation, bass voice, harmonic framework, improvisation.
For citation
Drobot Yu. Free fantasia in the theoretical heritage and clavier works by C. Ph. E. Bach (to the problem of theory and practice correlation) // South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2023. No. 3. Pp. 93-103.