Barking

Some interesting insights on Bach, from Mauricio Fuks (American violinist, formerly of the Menuhin School) and violist Hartmut Rohde (from the Berlin Hochschule fuer Musik), to both of whom I played some of the Bach A minor sonata this week. I'm using Menuhin's personal fingerings - incredible resources given to me by Hu Kun, who talks at length about the detail that Menuhin took in order to voice the bass and other voices correctly. Bafflingly, people often reject Menuhin's manuscripts immediately - possibly because it can seem quite idiosyncratic if taken at face value - but I do understand that people get frustrated with some of his bowings. The style of his recordings (he taped the Bachs three times during the course of his life) is too deep a subject to go into here, but it is fair to say, however, that his interpretations are markedly more strait-laced than many more modern players.

The comments therefore, both professors being acquainted with the historical Menuhin documents, are a pleasant suprise. A 'middle way' is proposed almost; an application of the fingerings and technical ideas, but in combination with total respect to the baroque school in terms of phrasing. Little gestural changes, such as bowings that hook notes together, create an onward flow that is more free-flowing, remains true to baroque style, and moves forward in a more subtle and less austere way. Combine that with modern technology of course (by which I mean the modern day violin setup), and you have something considerably more powerful than Bach's musicians would have done. It's encouraging to see the same parallel here with the philosophy upon which we are building Court Lane Music. Technology has a broad meaning.

Lots of Bach study to come. It's an endless pilgrimage which I'm still only at the beginning of, and as subjective a musical subject as you will get. Still, as Tesco would say, Every Little Helps.