| This study and edition of J. S. Bach's acknowledged flute sonatas is the first to combine historical research with the practicalities of performance. All of the performance suggestions in this edition are based on the following sources: historical treatises written by Bach's contemporaries, the autograph and early manuscripts of Bach's music, and secondary sources relating to Bach's music and time. The performance suggestions were also applied to Bach's flute sonatas by playing these pieces on both a modern flute and a copy of an eighteenth-century flute.;The specific areas of performance practice chosen for this study and edition are tempo, articulation, and ornamentation. These three areas are discussed in terms of their historical context in relationship to Bach's music and their specific application to Bach's music. Several tables are presented in this discussion which include the following subjects: meters and their general tempos; common, eighteenth-century dances, their general tempos and rhythmic characteristics; Bach's ornaments, their symbols, and interpretations; and Bach's improvised ornaments and the musical situations where each can be added. Specific examples of common, eighteenth-century articulation patterns and their application to Bach's music are also included in this discussion.;The four sonatas chosen for this edition are the Sonata in B Minor, BWV 1030, the Sonata in A Major, BWV 1032, the Sonata in E Minor, BWV 1034, and the Sonata in E Major, BWV 1035. A performance guide prefaces the musical edition of each piece. These performance guides can be used separately from each other and include specific instructions for the tempo, articulation, an ornamentation of each movement of these sonatas. The editions of the B-minor and A-major Sonatas contain the written ornamentation and articulation markings from Bach's autograph manuscripts of these works. The editions of the E-minor and E-major Sonatas contain the written ornamentation from their respective early manuscripts and no articulation markings. |
