Historia y contexto
Lesson time: (1min 48sec)
El trasfondo del Air on a G String de Bach: un arreglo de su Suite Orquestal en re mayor, con el bajo continuo llevado por la mano izquierda.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Aprende clásicos favoritos al piano
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Lesson transcript:
Music Lesson: Understanding "Air on a G String"
This piece, Air on a G String, is much more complex than you may think at first approach.
Background
It is an arrangement of Bach's original Orchestral Suite in D Major, which was orchestrated for:
- Three trumpets
- Timpani
- Strings
- Basso continuo
Basso Continuo
The basso continuo is particularly important to mention because it's a continuous bass line, often played by:
- A continuous early cello
- In this piece, it is represented with the left hand
This bass line is crucial as it:
- Keeps the harmony
- Maintains the movement in the piece
Structure of the Piece
The piece is an air, the second movement of Bach's orchestral suite. The term air means an "aria," which is derived from Italian and translates to a "song-like" composition.
- We always want to maintain the purity of a song, a melody.
- It's important to think about breath support so we don't run out of breath.
- The piece has a total of 19 bars and is played very slowly.
Continuous Support
We want to achieve continuous support, much like the breath support of a singer, in the bass line, while highlighting a beautiful, refined soprano quality in the right hand.
Historical Context
The piece was transcribed by the 19th-century violinist August Wilhelm. His transcription was for violin and harmonium (an organ or a piano) with an idea focused on:
- More romanticism
- A romantic sound
Interpretation
His transcription is characterized by depth of sound, not necessarily driven by rhythmic freedom (rubato), but rather by a rich, full tone.
In future lessons, we'll delve deeper into how to create a really refined tone in performance.
About the instructor
Reconocida como una de las pianistas más versátiles y carismáticas de Gran Bretaña, Annabel Thwaite disfruta de una carrera diversa como solista, música de cámara, artista de grabación, docente y examinadora, y ha ganado todos los principales premios de acompañamiento, incluidos los prestigiosos Kathleen Ferrier, Gold Medal y Richard Tauber Piano Prizes. Ha colaborado con artistas de renombre como Roberto Alagna, Bryn Terfel, David Kempster y "Only Men Aloud!" Annabel ha grabado para Universal records con el "Scottish Tenor", cuyo álbum fue nominado a un Classical Brit Award y suena con regularidad en Classic FM. Dos veces acompañante del Festival of Welsh Male choirs, sus actuaciones en el Royal Albert Hall fueron grabadas por Sain y emitidas en S4C. También es pianista de sesión de cine, habiendo grabado en Abbey Road la música de la película "Awake", la serie de la BBC sobre Jane Austen "Emma", "The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister" y, más recientemente, ha aparecido tanto en Blue Peter como en "The Rob Brydon Show". "...sin duda ayudada por los acompañamientos de piano evidentemente brillantes de Annabel Thwaite... sumamente disfrutable." En sus cursos de MusicGurus —Learn Christmas Classics on Piano, Learn Classical Favourites on Piano y Growing Chamber Groups and Small Ensembles— Annabel comparte la musicalidad que hay detrás de esa carrera versátil. Aprenderás a dar vida al piano a piezas navideñas y clásicas muy queridas, a desarrollar tu toque y tu fraseo y, apoyándote en su experiencia premiada como acompañante, a descubrir cómo escuchar, liderar y tocar en conjunto al hacer música con otros músicos en grupos de cámara y pequeños conjuntos. read more