Second Probstück Annotations §. 1. This test piece can be used as a Toccata or at least like a good Toccatina. Already in the first measure the two quavers and their rests show that what the bass has already played before can be repeated in the treble. The second, fifth, eighth, 16th, 17th, 18th, 21st and 29th measure have the same meaning, and one only has to see what either precedes or succeeds in the bass, then one has found what the right hand can play, if one wants to be heard with it. §. 2. Whenever there are passages such as in the fourth measure, one always goes along in leaps in the right hand according to the chord, starting from the third. In the sixth measure it should be noticed that arpeggio mentioned on p. 307 See the annotations of Probstück 1, last example. with sixths in the right hand, could be applied in the following way: This way of syncopating is very easy and makes a great effect, as if it was fair, which is why one can use it many times, with peculiar advantage and little effort. §. 3. There is a similar occasion in the ninth measure, where the same arpeggio can be used again. Where the low discant clef occurs and further on, where the bass starts the same motive transposed to G, the process is the same. §. 4. At the beginning of the other part of this test piece, after the fermata 𝄐, one arpeggiates the chords and the figures placed above in a modest, or slow and staid manner, just with sixteenth notes, and proceeds for three measures that way. Should I reveal my opinion more clearly with notes? §. 5. Just as one mainly has to observe the already mentioned quavers for its placement of the main subject in the treble, it seems to be necessary to do a little reminder of that in the following 16th, 17th and 18th measure. The motive appears three times: the first one begins on f, the other one immediately thereafter on b, and the third begins, when the bass has finished, on a g. For my terms, this can be said to be instructed clearly enough. §. 6. As for the quavers in the 23nd to the 26th measure, it is easy to conclude that with such a colourful way of playing, one cannot be idle there. But there are innumerable variations and arpeggios to be mentioned, which all to record one would need a separate volume. If one wants to practise them in the present manner, the benefit can be great. For these exercises are not only colourful in themselves, but they contain general teachings which one must learn to apply to all kinds of different cases. §. 7. In the last half of the 30th bar Mattheson probably meant measure 31. the right hand can follow along in sixths; this is also the case in the first half of the following 31st bar. 32nd accordingly. . The last half of the same measure however is to be played in octaves in both hands and then alternates with sixths and octaves until the three last measures which all can be played in octaves. I can already see in advance that some particularly old and stubborn ones will strongly shake about those octaves, for they think that this way of playing is completely against the etiquette. But they may think what they like, if they only believe, that I am concerned about nothing more than a good effect in playing and accompanying, and that I have not learned by mere contemplation, but from a long time of manual exercise, and that I experienced not through meditation but through long former exercise, how well such octaves fall into the ear, especially in powerful pieces. But I have also found that many who were unaccustomed to it, even though they were quite capable of playing the keyboard, it appeared Spanish to do the same thing in both hands, and they were stumbling quite a bit. I am inclined to say that it takes a great deal of practice to bring everything out cleanly in this way, with the quick notes. However, this type of playing is only suitable in certain places, and it must be done with great care. Sometimes the basses of arias tolerate this quite well, sometimes not at all. But this can never be placed where a single voice is supposed to stand out, which a bright person can guess easily and take this test piece as an example. §. 8. I have drafted this example quite conveniently on two little quarto leaves facing each other, not considering that it might take twice as much space in print and that it causes the hated trouble of turning pages in quick runs. Meanwhile, it is obvious that there was no other way to deal with the printed notes, since the demisemiquavers take up so much space below them, that sometimes just a half bar fits on a whole line. I lament the bulky shape of the notes a lot, since they do not only appear clumsily, but they also cause one to interrupt something that actually belongs together due to turning the page. This caused me to patch in a little in the end on p. 309 m. 19. by making a cadence and a rest that otherwise would not have come to my mind. A reasonable person will easily notice it and will excuse me. I did my best with it.