Suite 15
Alternative readings of the text of the complete Göttweig edition
Suite 15
Nov. 26, 2016
Vol. 3 page 36
Entre. Many movement titles end with a period. I do not know what this might mean, maybe, like the 'z' like symbol at the end of gigz in the manuscript, it is a way of indicating an abbreviation.
This work is one of several in d minor, in which the manuscript key signature has no accidental, no B flat. Where a Bb is needed in the music, the composer writes one in, in both the basso and solo part. In the edition modernizing this practice in the real notation part to one flat in the key signature has caused some confusion, which I will mention as I go through the work.
Bar 13 basso beat 2 Although the edition’s notes say d was the original note, in the manuscript the second beat looks like an e to me. Dotted quarter e, eighth note e are original, and will work.
Bar 30 vda parts: a good example of the confusion caused by modernizing the key signature: In manuscript vda part does not have a flat. Basso suggests a G major chord by default, as there is no flat in the key signature.
Rondeaux/basso, Rondaux/vda part
This movement is unusual in the large number of figures in the manuscript basso part. It is also unusual in the large number of couplets, and their variety, esp. in length.
Bar 39 vda part. There is an interesting error in the original manuscript. It looks to me as if the copyist is notating a unison f’/f’ as if the vda were in the F major tuning, that is, with a fourth c’ string instead of a d’. If you are reading the scordatura part, change the lower note of the chord to a b flat, i.e., low second finger.
Bar 52, 55, vda parts: In manuscript the b’s do not have a flat.
Bar 56 vda parts. in the manuscript the first note is an f’’ in real notation.
Bar 57 scordatura part. in the manuscript the second note is on the top line of the staff, sounding e’’, the b’s are natural.
Bar 59 vda parts. in the manuscript the second note is in the top space, and sounds d’’.
Bars 60-62, viola d’amore parts: the Bb’s suggested in the edition are not in the manuscript, but are correct, in my opinion.
Bar 80 vda parts. In the manuscript the second note of the bar is a sounding g’’, and beat 1 is not slurred.
Bar 82 vda parts. in manuscript beat 3 is not slurred.
Bar 85 vda parts. In the manuscript the four 16th notes are slurred.
Bar 89 a little scrunching up of the fingers makes these double stops possible. try 1 3 for beat 1 and 2 4 for beat 2.
Bar 91 basso in the manuscript the A is a dotted quarter.
Bar 109 vda parts. in the manuscript the four 16th notes are slurred. I suggest doing the same slur in bar 116.
Between bars 112 and 113 a bar in the manuscript has been omitted from the edition. Let’s call it bar 112.5. The basso part bar 112.5 is three eighth notes, f, bb, g, the last with flat as a figure, and the next basso bar 113 is quarter note a with # figure, followed by an eighth note g. In the vda part I propose that bar 112.5 is eighth d, two 16th d#c, eighth d. bar 113 is an eighth c# followed by the two a’s that are in the edition. The way I understand the manuscript, the copyist forgot bar 112.5, went back, and, to fix the missing bar, added repeats to bar 112, leaving the player to work out that the notes in the following bar needed to be a step higher, as the musical line rises logically in the 4 bar sequence. Not unlike what happened in the Folia of the previous work.
Bar 119 basso, in manuscript no tie to next bar.
Sarabanda./basso, Sarabande./vda
Bar 5 vda parts. in the manuscript the b’ is natural in both solo and basso parts
Bar 14 vda parts, in the manuscript the second eighth note is a sounding g.
Bar 16 vda parts, in manuscript b natural.
Bar 19 vda parts. I suggest changing the notes in this bar to sounding f’’ quarter, eighths e’’d’’d’’e’’.
Gavotte.
Bar 3 vda parts In manuscript beat 2 all notes are beamed together
Bar 21 beat 2 in the manuscript b natural in both solo and basso parts.
Bourree
Bar 8 does sound peculiar in manuscript, too. I suggest slurring the 3rd beat to the fourth, and changing the rhythm of the fourth beat to dotted eighth sixteenth.
Bar 10 vda in manuscript b natural
Bar 18 vda in manuscript b natural
Bar 26 vda in manuscript b natural.
Aria
Bar 34 vda parts: beat 1 I suggest quarter note double stop g b flat.
Bar 35, basso, in manuscript the notes are f e a
The sequence that starts in bar 39 in the manuscript has a series of 7th chords on the even numbered bars.
Bar 40 vda parts, in manuscript half note double stop g b flat in real notation.
Bar 42 vda parts. in manuscript half note double stop f a in real notation, i.e., concert pitch.
Bar 44 vda parts in manuscript half note double stop sounding e g
Bar 46 I suggest that a bass clef is missing in the manuscript, as well as the edition, at the beginning of the bar. This is account for there is an alto clef in the manuscript at the end of the bar. In the vda part the dotted half notes should sound a e.
Bar 47 vda part. in manuscript b is natural.
bar 49 in manuscript vda part is d’’/d’’ unison.
Bars 49 - 52 These bars curious. They are difficult to harmonize, with the notes as they are in the manuscript, as least if approached in the usual way. I find they make more sense if the harpsichord player plays tasto solo for these three bars. The way I hear these 4 bars, is as a kind of a dominant prolongation without a pedal A in the bass.
Bar 50 In the manuscript the first note does look like a sounding g'. I suggest changing it to an f', but it is also ok to think of the g as a neighbor tone.
Guigz/basso, Gigz/vda
Bar 18 vda part. I suggest playing beat 2 a 3rd higher.
Bar 22 basso. in the manuscript first quarter note is c
Bar 22 vda part. to adjust the solo part to the original harmony of the basso, I suggest changing the notes to eighth notes g a bb ca d
Bar 30 vda part in manuscript b natural
Bar 39 vda part no tie in manuscript.