Date of Award
2010
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Music Honours
School
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
Faculty
Faculty of Education and Arts
First Supervisor
Dr Jonathan Paget
Abstract
Throughout the 20th century, the performance practice of baroque music has undergone many stylistic changes. Moreover, the rich resources of primary source material available to us in musical recordings of the period have only recently been realised. Bruce Haynes, in his book The End of Early Music, suggests that the twentieth century saw three principal schools of performance: romantic, modernist, and historically-informed. This study investigates Haynes' hypothesis through a comparison of fourteen recordings of Bach's Solo Violin Sonata in A minor BWV 1003, ranging from 1933 to 1999. Focus is made on eight predetermined observation criteria: tempo, tempo fluctuation, rhythmic alteration, accentuation, articulation, portamento, vibrato, and ornamentation. Each criterion is discussed with reference to the secondary literature and observations of each recording are compiled in a systematic fashion. Each of the three schools (romantic, modernist, and historically-informed) is profiled, and an attempt is made to compare and categorise each recording, where possible. The results are used to test the validity of Haynes tripartite model and also to shed further light on the ways that performance practices have changed across the century.
Recommended Citation
Yeo, A. (2010). A study of performance practices in recordings of Bach's Violin Sonata BWV 1003 from 1930-2000. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/1403