Bach - Organ Trio Sonata No. 1, for piano and bass

Indeed Bach's trio sonatas are rare masterpieces of the organ repertoire (as is everything else Bach wrote for the organ). With their 3 fully independent and developed parts, they are so difficult to realize that organists are often advised not to take them on until they have 10-15 years experience. I foolishly produced a recording after playing for (I think) 2 years or so, on a totally unsuitable organ, and even had the temerity to put it on PS. Boy was that bad. Last year I finally saw the light and scratched it, along with a lot of other old bad stuff. Whether I will ever return to it, I don't know.

Even though I am an austere puritan, I'm not at all against these sonatas performed by a trio or duo of persons, provided that they are equal partners yet with their own distinctive voice. Here, despite all good intentions and good playing I don't think this is the case. It very much sounds like a piano concerto with obbligato bass accompaniment. The bass playing is too soft, grainy and slurred to make much of an impact. It's not the ideal instrument for this perky music - a bassoon or bass oboe would perhaps be better. It also seems (but I could be wrong) that he misses quite a few notes. Your playing is very good as always, but the piano can't provide the necessary contrast between the upper voices. The transpositions did not bother me, and I well understand why you had to do it (as well as I understand why you just had to play this magnificent piece).

 

These are now on the site.

 

Lounge Sound System, eh... Would be that I had a lounge, or even a sound system. The PC with cheapo headphones it is for me. I could just about hear the bass. It's not enough, I think, so it may be good if you can boost it up somehow.

 

I have to agree with Chris. Even through a tolerable pair of speakers, I still feel that the bass is a junior and somewhat distant partner to the piano. I do hear three voices, but it requires some concentration. The bass probably makes itself heard most in the third movement, which I think is quite a success despite a few little smudges. As to the quality of the arrangement, I'm afraid I'm not remotely knowledgeable enough regarding the original to comment.

 

The balance sounds fine on my headphones (but not so good on medium-sized speakers).

 

Hi Francois,

I'm having toruble with my internet as I can only seem to download a short 15 second segment of the first movement, though what I heard sounded rather good. My dr. beats headphones picked up the bass well, though I think, with this type of pairing matching a piano with a double bass, you have the issue of tuning. The phrasing sounded artistic and it had the 'chamber music playing' aspect that I like and rarely hear here on PS. So the issue of tuning. Even though both are concert pitch instruments and "string instruments" :lol: the double bass can't issue with the same precision Bach's notes that a modern piano can. Chris said that the bass would be better boosted up. I agree. There are some successful experiments with Duke Ellington playing piano with (albeit jazz) with Jimmie Blanton on double bass, and where the piano sounds like its in the background, merely accompanying the double bass (but very good, of course!).

Enjoyed hearing this, now if only I can get the full three mvt.s!

 

The bass may be a bit more audible now but it's still nowhere near a real voice in the trio. I just don't think this soft-grained and grand-fatherly instrument lends itself for bright and chirpy music like this. It also seems that the bassist is not always in tune.
It's better than it was, anyway.

 

No, we should not do that, although it's already happened in the links in this topic.
These tempo indications are not original and don't appear in the manuscript or in any Urtext edition. Bach seldom wrote any tempo indications. Do these appear in some French edition perhaps ? They make perfect sense, but are a bit arbitrary, it could just as well have been Allegro, Andante, and Presto.

 

Generally yes, but I did hear some places where his pitch was a bit too low. Of course that is wont to happen with string players unless they are really extremely good.

 

Yes you're right. In fact he wrote tempo indications for all trio sonata movements except the very first, so we should do it the same if only to be politically correct

Yes, that is what I meant. I collaborate(d)
with different string players and it's very hard for them to be always exactly in tune. We should not bitch at them too much, they are doing their best

 

It means pretty much the same thing. It's fun to see someone using "wont" accurately.