J. S. Bach, cantatas featuring a solo for violoncello piccolo - part 5
BWV 85, a great solo with no C string needed!
15 of April 1725, Bach is using a Violoncello piccolo obbligato for the fifth time. This was the cantata for the second Sunday after Easter, previously we had the Easter Monday cantata BWV 6, so this is the second time in only two weeks.
There are several common details between these two cantatas.
Both of them are great prominent solos, requiring a good musician
They make no use at all of the C string
They are allegro parts (time and character) and very jumpy, clearly the G string didn’t have problems here
This part is in violin clef, written on a free double-folio (the previous one was in alto clef but in he part of the first violin).
In writing this part Bach shows more confidence than ever: not only he uses jumps (even from first to fourth string on 16th notes) but he also uses a middle range texture when the continuo is on a higher register, so confident he was that both of them were to be heard clearly.
There are several beautiful recordings of this aria.
This is from Sir John Elliott Gardiner and David Watkin at the cello piccolo
This other by Masaki Suzuki, Dmitry Badiarov at the Violoncello da Spalla (1,00’12”)
And this by La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken at the Violoncello da Spalla (3’13”)
You may have noticed that Sigiswald plays his Violoncello da Spalla with four strings. Actually, he plays two different Violoncello da Spalla, both of them with four strings. I believe that one is tuned as a cello C2G2D3A3, it is bigger (48 cm scale) and old, from the mid of 19th century. The other is the first Badiarov, tuned as a tenor, G2D3A3E4, slightly smaller (43 cm scale approximately). I didn’t ask him why, because it seemed very natural to me, as so much of the repertoire doesn’t require for a C string.
Updates from our workshop
About our video of last week, I didn’t tell you two most important things!
1. It features the Wagner model, which has a completely different idea of proportions and thicknesses. It seems to have a small sound, but it has a powerful projection, such that it always get complimented by the other players and the audience. They like the quality of sound, the moving voice, the fact that it melts well with the other instruments but it is always clearly distinguishable.
2. Despite being even shorter than the usual models, with a scale of less than 40 cm., it is strung with all single wound basses, silver on gut made by Eliakim Boussoir. As Jun Keller, 1st violin of Wiener Philharmoniker, stated: “The strings were surprisingly easy to play, and had individual color.”
Last week we went to Innsbruck to meet Whenan Jiang, wonderful violist and talented musician, now on try for principal position at the Belfast Orchestra 🤞✌️🤞, who asked to try our cellos. His wife is a soprano who sings also baroque music and they’d like to tour as a duo, so the Violoncello da Spalla looks like the perfect choice for them!
Featured video of the week
Goldberg variations for two spallas!
Does a fifth string add a lot of tension to the instrument? Are there special measures to deal with any extra tension?