Use of original instruments in Bach performances
The prefering for original instruments in Bach’s performance is now accepted as a matter of course. The use of harpsichord for the basso continuo, flauto traverso instead of flute, and baroque oboe instead of modern oboe in the orchestra is now common sense. Not only wind instruments, but also stringed instruments use bows from the time of composition and instruments that have been restored to their original condition. The use of theorbo for the basso continuo section was the slowest of all, but in recent years it has finally become a common practice. talking about vocal section, this is the biggest bottleneck for Bach’s vocal music. We use flauto traverso, baroque oboe, and natural trumpet, and the pitch is 415hz, but the parts that should be sung by boy sopranos are sung by adult women. Thus, in today’s Bach performances, unfortunately we are often listening to a “compromise”. It was Gustav Leonhardt and Nikolaus Harnoncourt who, averse to such compromises, accomplished the great feat of compiling Bach’s complete cantatas. Now that they are gone, is this “great project of the century” being carried on? To me, it seems to have stagnated.
You may think that I am a misogynist. But of course I am not, and I must say that this is a completely different matter. In other words, Bach’s church music should use “boy” soloists in exactly the same way that it uses flauto traverso. So, why is it so difficult to make this a common practice in the modern world of ancient music? First of all, there is the problem of the huge cost of training boys. Another problem is the time limit peculiar to boy sopranos, which female sopranos do not have. For example, let’s say you have discovered a boy’s talent. When he is finally ready to be a soloist, it is not impossible that his voice will suddenly change. The question is whether this is worth the cost or not, a question of “market principles” in conclusion. The “Tölzer Knabenchor” and the Hanover Boys Choir in Germany and the Vienna Boys Choir in Austria have overcome such difficulties. Thanks to these musically advanced countries, I am now able to listen to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in both name and reality, in its original performances. However, if I were to pursue my argument, I would end up saying that Italian baroque opera should be sung by castratos. I have to say that I don’t agree with that at all, Just for the record. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
” The classical symphony orchestra, however constituted, really has nothing to do with Bach’s colourful orchestra, and the modern choral society, how- ever virtuosic it may be, has nothing to do with the transparent boys’ and youths’ choir of the Bach cantatas. We do not in the least regard this new interpretation as a return to something that has long since passed, but as an attempt at releasing this great old music from its historical amalgamation with the classical-symphonic sound and, by means of the transparent and characteristic selection of old instruments, at achieving a truly modern interpretation. ” (Nikolaus Harnoncourt)
