OK, finally the next lesson:
I'm not sure whether to post the sarabande lesson or the melody lesson first. You seem to be gaining more melody-awareness, so I think...
THE SARABANDE
(Sorry, I like big fonts.)
History
with many listening and viewing examples and commentaries
I hope you can view PDF files; many of the examples I will present are on the Werner Icking Music Archive, a site with quality, public domain PDF editions of mostly Baroque and Renaissance Music. I have also entered into Finale passages from sarabandes I could not find on the internet; these are attached.
The sarabande apparently began as a spanish dance brought over from the new world (sarabanda or zarabanda). Lore of its early history is not particularly relevant to our discussion, but you might be surprised to hear it was a fast, lascivious dance so popular that the church attempted to ban it.
Clearly it survived and somehow transformed into the slow triple meter dance we are familiar with. Dance music was obviously secular and thus was performed chiefly by consorts and the harpsichord or lute rather than the organ. As the consorts died out, they were replaced, of course, by the string orchestra with basso continuo.
Among the first composers to cultivate the sarabande was Chambonnieres, the "father" of the French harpsichord style.
Listen to tracks 3 and 5 of Hanneke van Proosdij: Harpsichord suites of Chambonnieres
You see in track 3 that the sarabande was not necessarily a slow dance yet. French treatises of the early Baroque sometimes asserted that the courante was a slower dance than the sarabande!
The first sarabande (track 3) has a memorable melody, lightly ornamented, accompanied by subtly light (never distracting!) brisee arpeggios. I will discuss the
style brisé in detail below. Essentially it is a careful way of notating overlapping arpeggiations and suspensions, extremely beautiful and idiomatic to the harpsichord. In this first sarabande, the focus in entirely on melody, and thus presents a sophisticated yet simple example for you to emulate.
The second Chambonnieres sarabande (track 5), however, is more typical of the paths the sarabande would take in subsequent generations. Instead of using the
style brisé, tall majestic chords are rolled across the keyboard and more emphasis is placed on harmony. (Notice that if entered into Finale this would sound harsh and percussive. Almost all chords are rolled on the harpsichord: Do not be afraid to write tall and dense harmonies; they will sound lush and expressive when played by a harpsichordist. If this really becomes a problem I could perhaps record your pieces on my harpsichord.) Slower than the other example, this sarabande is majestic and noble. Notice how emphasis on harmony and melody is carefully balanced. You should also attempt this chordal style.
Neither of these examples are particularly contrapuntal. In fact, sarabandes were usually the most homophonic of the suite dances. That said, contrapuntal effects are added here and there to add depth; the bass might, for example, imitate the melody at the end of a phrase. I also recommend listening to other dances on this CD; try some of the courantes, my favorites.
d'Anglebert was Chambonnieres's replacement at the court of King Louis (the Sun king? not sure...).
Play through and analyze http://icking-music-archive.org/scor...-Sarabande.pdf
This sarabande is particualrly rich in expression and varied techniques. Just looking at the first four bars, we see d'Anglebert uses a charactertistic rhythm with simple
style brisé accompaniment. The next four bars abandon the
style brisé and place the melody in the bass, with descending chords in the upper voice. Notice that in the first section there is no second beat accent. Melody and harmony are alternately emphasized. You should emulate all these textures, maybe just experimenting for a few bars, expanding your familiarity with the styles. By the way, this score comes with a midi file, but keep in mind that it simply plays the written notes without expression, ornaments,
inégal, or arpeggiating the chords:
http://icking-music-archive.org/scor...-Sarabande.mid
(You do know about
inégal, right? Just in case, you should know that the French performed the predominant small note value (in the example above this would be the eighth note) with a lopsided rhythm emphasizing the strong beats, much like swing rhythm in jazz.)
Just for fun,
listen to track 6 of
James Edwards: Canarios
You see that in Spain the sarabande remained closer to its faster roots.
Once again, I would like for you to
listen to track 6 of
Trevor Pinnock: Rameau - Les Cyclopes
and
play through and analyse it at
http://icking-music-archive.org/scor..._Sarabande.pdf
Our two examples from the early and mid Baroque can be contrasted with
Rameau's sophisticated late Baroque piece. Particularly interesting are the novel arpeggios Rameau carefully writes out; naturally all the notes are meant to be sustained. The dotted rhythm and full chords lends majesty to the style; the second beat is accented almost everywhere. Unlike Chambonnieres, the harmony is never modal. These textures are also worth experimenting with. Of course finale will not play these ornaments and arpeggios properly; don't let that limit your creativity! Work at the piano when you want to find out if a particular texture works.
France dominated the suite tradition, but other composers around Europe emulated the style. (I
do regret not having the time to include examples by Frogerger or L. and F. Couperin.)
Haendel was more influenced by the Italians than the French. In this piece he shows little trace of either's influence. It is very German.
Play through and analyze http://icking-music-archive.org/scor...de_D_minor.pdf
In fact, this piece is hardly a sarabande except for its triple meter, accenting the second beat. The style is severe and the textures not at all harpsichord-like. The piece is in fact very suited to the organ because it keeps a fairly consistent number of voices. The three sections are variations on a harmonic progression similar to but not quite
La Folia. The first variation focuses on the unadorned harmonies, with a melody appearing only at the cadence. The next section is not particularly melodic either, but hints at counterpoint by animating the harmonies with little figures in all the voices. The final variation finally has a long melody in the lowest voice, though it is mostly simple sequential figuration.
Even though it abandons the traditional binary sarabande form, it is majestic and very expressive; given some
inégal and improvised ornaments (and of course arpeggiation) it would be nice on the harpsichord too. You might want to try this style too, since the texture is very straightforward. There is an organ midi:
http://icking-music-archive.org/scor...de_D_minor.mid
Bach was of course also involved with the suite. One of my favorite Bach sarabandes is from his French Overture. I have not found it notated or performed online, so I have attached the opening of the second half of it in a Finale file.
Play through and analyze the attachment.
Like with Haendel, on gets the feeling that Bach with his counterpoint fetish begins to abandon the traditional suite (and thus I am uncomfortable with Bach's French suites and partitas in particular). The counterpoint, however, is masterfully done. The sixteenth note motion is not very characteristic of the sarabande rhythm, but the second beat is subtly accented. Notice that Bach also includes homophony, accenting his always favorite diminished chords. Melody is often compound and sometimes subservient to the imitations he uses. It would also do you well to imitate this contrapuntal style with a few bars of experimentation.
Next I will post some tips on writing your own sarabande. For now, listen and play all the examples above very carefully, noting what effects you enjoyed and then writing a few bars of your own in the same textures and rhythms. I am interested to hear your thoughts on some of the above examples. Don't worry about writing or posting your own music just yet; in the next lesson I will describe all these techniques from the standpoint of the composer. In the meanwhile, really do analyze at least some music. Listing out chords is important, but also qualitatively analyze textures and rhythms. Notice which beats are accented and where the composer uses chords versus the
style brisé. Do not fear that this sort of analysis will destroy your individuality. If you know to write like Bach and d'Anglebert and Couperin, you will only understand better the harmonies and gestures and craftsmanship that you prize the most. You will combine your favorite ideas with ideas of your own to eventually write like Mark.