TORMOD DALEN Zum Spielen und zum Tantzen A Kinaesthetic Exploration of the Bach Cello Suites through Studies in Baroque Choreography Critical reflection and documentation Norwegian Research Fellowship for the Arts Programme The Norwegian Academy of Music May 2013 PREFACE ................................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION Personal background .......................................................................................................................... 3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND METHODS The research questions ....................................................................................................................... 5 Methods ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Practising .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Learning by teaching ......................................................................................................................... 6 Collaborations ................................................................................................................................... 7 Theoretical background ..................................................................................................................... 7 Artistic research ................................................................................................................................. 7 Tacit knowledge ................................................................................................................................ 8 Historically informed performance (HIP) ......................................................................................... 8 Literature .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Inspiration ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Artistic results .................................................................................................................................. 11 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Body paradigm ................................................................................................................................ 13 Instrument hold ............................................................................................................................... 15 La belle danse ................................................................................................................................... 16 The relationship between music and dance ...................................................................................... 17 Dance and Bach ............................................................................................................................... 18 The cello suites ................................................................................................................................ 19 The dances ....................................................................................................................................... 20 The menuet .................................................................................................................................... 21 The sarabande ................................................................................................................................. 23 The bourrée .................................................................................................................................... 25 The gavotte ..................................................................................................................................... 26 The gigue ........................................................................................................................................ 27 The courante ................................................................................................................................... 28 The allemande ................................................................................................................................ 30 THE PROCESS Learning to dance ............................................................................................................................ 33 My body ......................................................................................................................................... 33 Dance classes ................................................................................................................................... 34 New insights ................................................................................................................................... 35 Music and dance .............................................................................................................................. 36 Concordances ................................................................................................................................. 36 Dance tempos and how to play Bach............................................................................................... 36 A special case: the sarabande ............................................................................................................ 39 Tempo variation ............................................................................................................................. 40 Simplifications ................................................................................................................................ 41 Menuet 1, BWV 1007 .............................................................................................................................. 42 Gavotte 1, BWV 1012 .............................................................................................................................. 44 Sarabande, BWV 1007 .............................................................................................................................. 45 Courante, BWV 100 ................................................................................................................................. 48 Sarabande, BWV 1011 .............................................................................................................................. 49 Dance caracter ................................................................................................................................ 49 A plaine and easie introdvction ....................................................................................................... 50 THE ARTISTIC RESULTS The dance performance .................................................................................................................... 51 I – The Exploration ........................................................................................................................ 53 Prelude ...................................................................................................................................................... 53 The Sarabande Sequence I ......................................................................................................................... 53 The Arm Bourrée ...................................................................................................................................... 54 The Sarabande Sequence (II) ..................................................................................................................... 54 II – The Dance Suite ....................................................................................................................... 55 Allemande, first suite (track 14). ................................................................................................................ 56 Courante, second suite (track 15). ............................................................................................................. 56 Gavotte, sixth suite (track 16). ................................................................................................................... 56 Menuet, second suite (track 17). ................................................................................................................ 57 Bourrée, fourth suite (track 18). ................................................................................................................. 57 Sarabande, fifth suite (track 19). ................................................................................................................ 58 III – The Cello Suite ....................................................................................................................... 59 Lessons learned from the dance performance ................................................................................... 59 The recording .................................................................................................................................. 61 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 63 Perspectives ....................................................................................................................................