J. S. BACH GENERAL BASS RULES. Adapted from Niedt's Music Handbook Leipzig Edited by N. Schmidt Lausanne 2003

Transcription

1 J. S. BACH GENERAL BASS RULES Adaped rom Nied' Muic Handbook Leipzig 1 Edied by N. Schmid Lauanne 200 1

2 Table o Conen Inroducion Baic Rule Harmonic Triad Wha o play when nohing i wrien over he Ba Rule or Common Figure Example in Word and Muic Common Final Cadence 1 Exercie rom he Chorale Hymn Collecion 1 2

3 bai or oundaion. Oher race i back o he old Lain word Bau, which i he euivalen o proundu, deep. When he word ba i conidered alone, i igniie he boom voice or ba line o he muic, ha i, any noe which ake he lowe pich, regardle o wheher he noe i ung or played on a ba inrumen. Inroducion The word Ba i derived rom or may be raced back o he Greek word baiv, meaning When one reer o general or igured ba, hen ba uch a i played wih boh hand on a keyboard inrumen i mean. Thu, all or mo o he voice o he muic are played and ounded ogeher. Figured ba i alo called bau coninuu, or wih he Ialian ending, bao coninuo, becaue i play coninuouly, while he oher voice paue here and here. Today however, he ba alo paue here and here, epecially in kilully compoed muic. Figured ba i he mo perec oundaion o muic. I i played on he keyboard in uch a way ha he le hand play he wrien noe, while he righ hand rike cononance and dionance, o ha hi reul in ull-ounding harmony o he Glory o God and he deligh o he oul. The ulimae goal o all muic hould be nohing bu he Honour o God and he renewal o he oul. When hi i no aken ino conideraion here i no rue muic. Baic Rule Rule 1 The wrien ba line i played wih he le hand alone, bu he oher voice, wheher indicaed by igure or no, are played wih he righ hand. Rule 2 The hird i played wih mo igure, excep when prohibied by he econd and ourh being exprely indicaed. Rule Two ih and wo ocave mu no ollow one anoher, or hi i no only a deinie error bu alo ound bad. To avoid hi, here i an old rule ha he hand mu move conrary o each oher a all ime, o ha when he le hand goe up, he righ goe down; and when he righ goe up, he le goe down. Rule In order o avoid wo conecuive ih and ocave, he be choice i o ue he ixh and hu obain a rearrangemen o one. Rule Figure wrien above one anoher are played ogeher, bu when hey ollow one anoher, eparaed by a pace, hey are played one aer he oher.

4 Harmonic Triad Harmonic riad are ued in compoiion and will be dicued here becaue igured ba i a aring poin or compoing and can be called an improvied compoiion wih ull ounding cononance and dionance. Triad are creaed when perorming igured ba. Furhermore, i he eager learner underand hem well, and commi he ollowing o memory, he may be ure ha he ha graped a large par o he whole ar. Harmonic riad are ormed by joining he hird and ih o he undamenal noe. Thi may be done or all one, major and minor, in all welve key. Wha o play when nohing i wrien over he Ba I nohing i wrien above he ba play only cononance, namely he rd, h, and ocave. For example, he ba line could be wrien... and played hi way by adding riad wih he righ hand: However, one i no obliged nor reuired o play he ame way all he ime. Inead, he lowe voice (or alernaively he middle voice) may be made ino he highe or main voice. For example, he preceding ba may alo be played in he wo ollowing manner: The ollowing example how how ih and ocave, where wo or more ollow one anoher, do no i well ogeher. Inead, hey ound bad even hough hey are perec cononance. Thi i no o good Thi i beer

5 Rule or Common Figure Rule 1 When he ign appear above a noe, i igniie he major hird. The ame applie o harp ign which occur in he key ignaure nex o he ba cle. For example, i a i wrien above he A, hen he major hird, namely, C mu be played. I nohing i wrien, hen C hould be played. The ame applie o he ign. Where a i wrien above a noe, he minor hird mu be played. Thi hould be careully oberved. Rule 2 Figure marked wih, +, \ or / are raied one chromaiue imione, uch a 2, +, or. Figure marked wih or occaionally / are lowered by one emione, uch a,. Rule Where he igure appear above a noe, i igniie he inerval o a ixh; i.e. couning rom he ba noe, he noe above which he appear, and playing he ixh noe. Wih hi, eiher a doubled hird or a doubled ixh would be added. Someime he ocave i played, epecially when he nex noe i marked wih he igure a in hi example: Rule When a and ollow one anoher, he ih hould alway be prepared, he hird and ocave are hen added o he ih, and he ixh i played aerward. Bu i i i he revere, wih he appearing beore he, hen nohing i prepared, bu raher i i played a wrien; ha i, one play he ocave, he hird and he ixh; hen he ih i played aerward. The ixh may alo be doubled, and wih hi arrangemen only he hird i added o he chord. For example:

6 When Rule appear above a noe, he ih mu be prepared; he hird and ixh are hen added. e.g.: Rule When a and are wrien nex o each oher, he ourh mu be prepared. The hird i played aerward wih he ih and he ocave, wheher wrien ou or no. By "prepared" i mean ha he noe ha been played previouly and i uained over he nex ba noe. Rule When 2 appear over a noe, he ixh i generally added even i no already wrien. are played ogeher when he ba noe ha been prepared and reolve o 2 i he ba move down a hal-ep a hown in he ollowing example. 2

7 Rule The mu alway be prepared when noaed. The hird and ixh mu be played wih i wheher noaed or no a hown in he ollowing example. d Rule Where cadence are wrien, uch a, he igure are inerrelaed. Someime hey are imply wrien bu hould be played ou ully a ollow: Rule 10 Walking-ba, which occur reuenly, doe no reuire a new chord on all he noe. Only on he hal or uarer bea.

8 Rule 11 Where a i noaed alone, i mu be prepared beorehand, and he hird and ih, or he hird and ocave are o be added o i. Someime he hird i doubled. Rule 12 Where a and appear nex o one anoher, he evenh mu be prepared. Eiher he hird or he ocave i added. Somime he hird i doubled. Finally, he ixh, which may be major or minor, i played aerward. o o Rule 1 When a and appear nex o each oher, he ninh mu be prepared and he ocave played aerward. The hird and he ih may be ruck along wih he ninh and he ocave. Rule 1 Where appear, he evenh and he ninh mu be prepared. The hird mu be played hroughou. The ixh and ocave are hen played aerward. Rule 1 Someime he igure alo appear. A ih i added o he ourh and ninh, boh o which mu be prepared. The hird and ocave are played aerward. The remaining, which can no be clearly decribed wih word alone, may be deduced rom example. Several example in word and muic are hown in he nex ecion o ha all he aoremenioned may be beer impreed upon he memory.

9 Example 1 Example in Word and Muic When no igure appear over a noe, a imple chord wih he hird, ih, and ocave i played. Generally peaking, when he righ hand goe down, o mu he le hand go up; and when he one can avoid having many conecuive ih and ocave. le hand goe down, he righ hand mu go up. Thi i called modu conrariu. In hi way,

10 Example 2 When a ourh appear above a noe, i mu be prepared in he previou chord. The ih and he ocave are played wih i. Then, he ourh reolve o he hird. d 10

11 11 Example When a evenh and a ixh appear above a noe, he evenh mu be prepared in he previou chord. The hird and he ih, or he hird and he ocave are played. Someime he hird i doubled. The prepared evenh reolve o he ixh. d d

12 12 o å d Example When a ninh and an ocave appear above a noe, he ninh mu be prepared in o he ocave. he previou chord. The hird and ih are played wih i and he ninh reolve o d d o

13 1 o å Example When appear above a noe, mu be prepared and reolve o. The ih he hird, he elevenh he ame a he ourh and he welh he ame a he ih. hould be added. Noe ha he ninh i he ame a he econd, he enh he ame a d d d

14 Example When, or 2 appear over a noe, he ba hould be prepared by he 2 previou noe. i played in he righ hand and reolve mo o he ime o 2 when he ba move down a hal-ep or a whole ep o

15 1 Example ruck one aer he oher. Then eiher he ocave i added, or he hird or he ixh i doubled. I, however, hey appear one above he oher, hen he hird i played and ounded ogeher wih hem. When a ixh and a ih appear nex o one anoher above a noe, hey are o be d d

16 1 Example mu alway be played, wheher noaed or no, unle he cadence i modulaing o anoher key. For example, in he key o C, a ix mu alway appear above an E. In he key o A, a ix mu appear above a C. When he ba noe happen o be he hird o he onal chord o a piece, he ixh

17 1 Common Final Cadence Johanne Brahm I i acred o me and i he olid oundaion upon Vienna, February 1h 1 o i new melodie, I creaeó. ÒFor me, almo only he ba i o any igniicance. ba line I ruly dicover omehing original, I give which I ell my orie. Wha I do wih he melody i only a game, a pirual game. For over a given