My project compares timing and style in recordings of the Sarabande from the Sixth Bach Cello Suite from 1910-2012. I compare both unaccompanied performances, as we are accustomed to hearing today, and arrangements for cello and piano and piano trio, which reflect the 19th-century performance tradition of the works.The recordings are presented (only through the first musical period), compared, and compiled in a wave file, in two channels (see below for more information).I have also used spectrogram analysis to make conclusions about timing and style.
For each entry in the wave file I have included the artist, year recorded, position in seconds, what the recording represents in terms of analysis (i.e. historical accompanied recording, etc.), instrumentation (in parenthesis), channel in the wave file, and analysis when applicable.
*Costanza(2012)(0:04-0:35) (31 sec) contemporary rendition (unaccompanied) (left channel)
*Klengel(1927) (0:39-1:12) (33 seconds) representative of 19th-century renditions (with piano) (left channel)
*Casals (1939) (1:13-1:46) (33) cellist who brought the works to concert halls; recordings after his prime (unaccompanied) (right channel)
*Costanza and Casals (1:48-2:21) unaccompanied comparison--contemporary vs. historical (left and right channels respectively)
Analysis: from the very beginning timing is quite different--Casals is slower, more glissandi and portamenti.*Klengel and Casals (Casals is rendered more prominent for ease of comparison) (2:23 -2:57) accompanied version vs. early unaccompanied version (left and right channels respectively)
Analysis: surprisingly similar in the ways they are expressive, interpretation, and timings despite the instrumentation difference (and correlated polyphonic, i.e. chordal nature of the writing in the unaccompanied version). The tuning also matches surprisingly well considering the recording technology and decade separation.*Klengel and Casals (Klengel is rendered more prominent for ease of comparison) (3:00-3:35)
*Klengel reiterated (3:38-4:10) (left channel)
*Renard Trio (1910) (violinist)(4:12-4:39) (27 sec)
Representative of 19th-century renditions (arrangement for piano trio) (right channel)*Renard Trio cellist (4:40-5:08) (28 sec) (right channel)
*Renard Trio violinist and Klengel (5:09-5:43)--comparing two arrangements (right channel and left channel respectively) Analysis: Similar styles of playing with glissandi but Renard is much faster.
*Renard Trio cellist and Klengel(5:44-6:19) (right channel and left channel respectively)
*Costanza and Renard Trio cellist (6:20-end) (right channel and left channel respectively)
Analysis: Costanza rendition is slower--chords seem to necessitate a slightly slower performance.
