Bach and the Art of Improvisation: Volume Two

Simultaneously revolutionary and realistic, Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra resuscitates historic improvisation from relevant treatises and documentation of Bach’s improvisation pedagogy in counterpoint with tried and true applications. She incrementally guides the reader from improvising cadences, chorales, partitas, and dances in Volume One to improvising preludes, fantasias, and ultimately, fugues in Volume Two of Bach and the Art of Improvisation. The chapters on continuo playing alone beckon reform of current practice. According to Edoardo Bellotti, "In BACH AND THE ART OF IMPROVISATION, we are guided step-by-step to discover the "fil rouge" that spanned centuries, reached Bach and now reaches us. And we cannot help but be surprised by the amazing consistency and effectiveness of this route." David Yearsley attests, "This book combines two attributes—erudition and warmth—rare in studies that engage with Bach’s often-daunting legacy. Bach and the Art of Improvisation is both scholarly and welcoming, theoretically grounded yet vigorously practical, broad in its purview while full of specific insights and exercises. Ruiter-Feenstra’s valuable work is an invitation to explore the richness of the past in the service of creative music-making in the present.” Table of Contents: *VOLUME TWO: Free Works and Continuo 8. Interludes and Cadenzas 9. Preludes 10. Fantasias 11. A Thesis on Continuo Playing by J. S. Bach 12. Concerti, Cantatas, and Continuo Playing 13. Chorale Fugatos and Partimento Fughette 14. Bach for a Lifetime: Fugues Read more