D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 803, Georg Simon Löhlein, and Surroundings. Part II

Abstract

The Clavierschule (1765) by Georg Simon Löhlein, musical director in Leipzig, and renowned music teacher, was recognized by many musicians, especially due to its thoughtful pedagogical target. The Clavierschule has served as a model for many instrumental practical educational publications dedicated to keyboard instruments. It becomes logically clear why the anonymous musician wanted to make a handwritten copy of this particular work, which was included as a second attachment in the well-known manuscript D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 803. Namely in this manuscript Löhlein’s table of ornaments with such compound ornaments as Der Pralltriller oder Abzug (The Pralltriller or Abzug) and Der Abzug mit dem Nachschlag (The Abzug with suffix) is duplicated. The present work is devoted to the consideration of these ornaments. The term Abzug in history of music performance is not so well investigated. It attracted the attention of the authors of this paper when it was found to be used in the anonymous manuscript mentioned above pertaining most probably to the year 1779. A systematically based examination of the research literature (E. Dannreuther, 1895; L. Landshoff, 1933; W. Mitchell, 1949; E. Hays, 1976; D. Wilson, 1979; E. Reilly, 1966; R. Donington, 1992; K. Palmer, 2001; I. Ahlgrimm, 2004, and others) was undertaken with special emphasis on the word Abzug. An examination of these sources has shown that they do not contain a historically integral study of the concept Abzug. It became clear that it was necessary to turn to historical materials. Thus, the study of the named topic is based on the research of early treatises and music dictionaries published by J. J. Quantz (1752), C. P. E. Bach (1753), Fr. W. Marpurg (1755), J. Fr. Agricola (1757), G. S. Löhlein (1765), E. L. Gerber (1790), G. Fr. Wolf (1787), D. G. Türk (1789), and others. The research showed that historically the term Abzug was very closely associated with the term Pralltriller, and that, on the other hand, these two terms often were understood interchangeably. Originally the definition of the term Abzug was treated as a special dynamic expression together with an articulation technique (Quantz). In subsequent development, the term became mainly associated with ornamentation (Pralltriller, Schneller, Prallende Doppelschlag, etc.), and in this direction the views of C. P. E. Bach had a great influence. The study of sources pertaining to the second half of the 18th century showed that Bach’s Pralltriller had been realized in the publications of other musicians in all three manners: in some according to his Versuch published in 1753, in others according to the second edition of 1759, and lastly — departing from his initial instructions. In result, it has been the case that a wide variety of definitions of the term Abzug and its performance solutions in the field of ornamentation were present during this period and that when studying the sources concerning this term (as many others too) it is necessary to approach the solution of the problem contextually.

Keywords:

D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 803, Georg Simon Löhlein, Clavierschule, Pralltriller, Abzug, ornamentation in German keyboard music