Probstück 8 · English translation

Eighth Probstück Annotations. §. 1. Since in the common way of playing the thorough bass only few embellishments are added, despite in them being the greatest sweetness rather than in the quickness of the hand, I have, for the sake of variation, incorporated a little melody here, where a lover can not only make use of his principles as a keyboardist, but can at the same time show how one, who wants to be accompanied well, has to sing. It is true: the essence of thorough-bass lies in accompanying a singing voice; here one may easily see, how judicious and discreet one is, if he only wants to be heard alone or if he will give precedence for the singer? It can hardly be done well to back off in the right time, to help, to hold back, to embellish and to fill the harmonies where necessary, if he does not put himself in the singer's position and therefore will conceive and know from experience where a singer would keep back, add an embellishment or where he will rush over or break off. Those who accompany their own singing know best, how it has to be done, yet it is not given to everybody. Although there are a lot of singers nowadays, male and female, who pretend to accompany themselves, it often comes out so affected and sounds so poor and penurious as if the school-master has to be a barber or the pen-maker a glazier and an ensign at the same time. It requires much art to sing and to play the thorough bass for oneself, without defection in either part. But whoever masters it, has for the most part reached the top in music regarding its execution. I know a lady of this kind in Upper Saxony that surpasses many men in that. Whether the person is blonde or black may easily be guessed. §. 2. But nobody should think of this aria as a solo piece, since that would have to appear very differently. A student of art may compare a Suite of the Capell-Meister Graupner's so called Partien for keyboard or from my Harmonisches Denckmahl or the Partite of the Capell-Meister Bach and he can easily tell the difference. Solo works need to be practised and whoever dares to play them ex tempore, is acting very foolhardily and intends to bamboozle the listener with his juggler's tricks even if he was the arch-harpsichordist himself. This piece is arranged so that a fully trained player must play it straight off, or else he may as well take his leave. Even if for the first time it is not as flourishing and galant as it should be, it will get better the second and third time. This can be used as a test. It happens quite right to us Germans when from time to time the giddiness is expelled from us. Other peoples do not insist so much on their ex tempore, on their sight-reading, on their à livre ouvert; and when to one of the Frenchmen is given the praise that he can play an Ouverture à livre ouvert it really means something and he is admired among his fellows as much as the children admire a box of curiosities. But here we think that all glory consists in sight-reading; whoever cannot sight-read is good for nothing. When a foreigner comes he will immediately be asked: Does he sight-read? Answer: so, so! Then one turns up the nose or shrugs the shoulders which means that the one who just arrived was banished already. My dear people! Sight-reading has its merits, its great merits; but there are other merits too, which, if not to be preferred, are at least to be valued equally with them. I cannot despise one who is diligent and first studies whatever he wants to play; it will come out even better. The best sight-readers often read worst. They entirely rely on their lucky birth and saunter about everything as if it was not worth the effort. They are permanently proud of themselves as if they were born with wisdom and had to be thankful to nobody. The fine and pure essence of music is entirely neglected. The judgement with which grace something needs to be played, the good taste, the emotion while playing and singing mean almost nothing to such brazen sight-readers. There is stumbling and juggling all the time and as soon as a thing is brought to an end it shall be called played right. Can you really sight-read? Well! Here is something to sight-read: just turn the page.