Kim,
As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, things like this happen
fairly often in the cantatas, and is called "Bassetchen" or "little
bass" notation by Quantz. Your excerpt is the classic case of the Bc
dropping out temporarily and being replaced by strings (usually
violas, but it can also be violins) playing a bass line written in
bass clef but played an octave higher. String players were apparently
used to this tradition and understood it as a "heads up" to the fact
that they were playing the bass line (with or without the real bass).
_Why_ it was so important for violists/violinists to know this is not
completely clear to me but could possibly have to do with some aspect
of style of performance, just as "tutti" indications in a vocal part
don't necessarily mean more singers on the part but sometimes that
the part in question is not the _only_ vocal line sounding (as for
example in a solo vocal quartet), which would not be the case in
"solo" episodes, which were possible sung in a different style (as
any choral singer today can testify ...).
By the way, I talk about some of these problems in the article in the
Telemann Conference Report XIII that I told you about.
Eric
On 23.02.2009, at 02:12, Kim Patrick Clow wrote:
Gutten Tag:
I am working on a performing edition of Telemann's "famous" A minor
suite
for Flute/Recorder (TWV 55:a2). I'm working on the next to last
movement(s):
Passepied 1 & 2. The 2nd Passepied modulates to A major, and I'm
not sure
what's going on with the 1st and 2nd violin. I have uploaded a
screenshot
that you can view here:
http://www.bytenet.net/kpclow/finale/passepied2.jpg.
The staves are from top to bottom: Flute/Recorder (using the French
violin
clef), 1st Violin, 2nd Violin, Viola and Basso continuo. What has me
scratching my head, why are the violin parts notated with a bass clef?
That's beyond the range of a violin, no? Any suggestions greatly
appreciated. I don't have a modern edition of the score (I rather
not look
at one to prevent it from clouding how I approach my edition).
Thank you very much
Kim
--
Kim Patrick Clow
"Early Music enthusiasts think outside the Bachs!"
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