From Alamy.com
What is the story the player wishes to convey to the listener?
The title is obviously the starting point for the interpretation of this piece. The foot notes provide a few clues by stating ‘French and Italian forms of the dance type known as gigue were common in Telemann’s day, but here he attempts a “Gigue in the English Style’ to quote the title – an imitation of the older English jig’. The gigue was a popular Baroque dance that had its origins in the United Kingdom. From there it became widespread in the aristocratic circles of Europe. There are many examples on youtube where couples are demonstrating the dance and these show its relation to a formal ballet style. The gigue was often used as the last movement in the stylised dance suite and these are written in a fugal style and in time signatures where there are groupings of the value of three quavers. Some gigues commence with an upbeat.
In this piece, the player can imagine each hand as being one of the dancers. The player could imagine the spotlight being on one or other of the dancers according to the movement in the melodic part of that hand.
What is the structure of the music?
As would be expected, this piece is in binary form, with both sections of equal length. Here is an excellent opportunity to discuss with the player about modulation. By the end of the first section the music is in D major, the dominant key.
Phrasing
There are four phrases in this piece, all four bars long. All of the phrases commence with an upbeat and the player should consider how the upbeat contributes to the character of the music.
Metronome mark, time signature and rhythm
The metronome mark of a = 88 is perfect to convey the character of the dance. If played too fast, this character will be lost and may sound a little too motoric. And, if played too slowly, the music will not have the lively and energetic character that it requires.
The player must ‘feel’ the compound beat, how the music is in two-dotted crotchet beats in every bar. A small emphasis can be placed on the first note of every three quavers to make the listener aware of this. And, the player must feel these beats before commencing the piece, as the first two semiquavers must move fluently to the first beat of bar 1.
Some players may find playing the two semiquavers a little difficult in that these notes may be played unevenly. Using the time names and playing with well-curved fingers will help in this regard.
Beginning and ending
This piece should sound as if it can stand on its own without adding into any music that is happening at the same time. The player will need to prepare very carefully before commencing this piece so that there is energy and vitality right from the start. It would be advisable for the player to think through the upbeat and the first bar and then to count the two dotted crotchets before starting to play the music.
The ending of the piece is majestic and triumphant, so the player’s body position should convey this. A slight easing of the tempo at the end of the piece is appropriate however it should not result in the quavers being doubled in length, thus becoming crotchets. At the end, the player should wait one quaver longer before lifting both hands with an strong gesture and then placing the hands back in the lap.
By Unknown artist - http://resolver.sub.uni-hamburg.de/goobi/PPN663950325, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90554017
Details and considerations
Musical period and composer
Baroque period, Georg Philipp Telemann. The footnotes at the bottom of the page state ‘Georg Philipp Telemann, an immensely prolific composer, was city music director at Frankfurt (1712 – 21), then at Hamburg (1721 – 67). As a composer, he was versatile enough to turn his hand to all the different styles and genres of his day’.
Telemann was completely self-taught and his compositions are an important link between the late Baroque and early Classical styles. His music shows influences from French, Italian and German national styles.
Touch
The player will need to employ a range of touches throughout this music. Considering that both hands contain melodic material and at other times are the accompaniment, they should be played in a similar way when playing the same material. The longer notes, such as the dotted crotchets and crotchets should be played with resonance with more or less weight from the shoulder according to the dynamic situation. The fingers are both hands will need to be well curved and there should be energy played into the keys along with some weight from the shoulders to a greater or lesser extent according to the context.
Balance between the hands
As stated before, this piece has a fugal style with the hands imitating each other. Therefore, the player will need to make constant adjustments to their playing in regards to the balance according to which hand has the melody at a particular time. However, at the end of the two sections the two hands should blend together at the end of the penultimate bar and following this, play in unison in the final bar of the section.
Tone-matching
This is not so much of a concern in this music as it would be in other pieces. In bars 10 and 12 the player should ensure that the low LH D is played at about the same dynamic as the last note in the RH. It would be inappropriate for this note to sound significantly louder than the RH at this point, however it does need to be played with resonance. And, the player also needs to play the quaver note after the crotchet with care so that it does not sound significantly louder than the crotchet note.
Phrasing
Although the phrases are quite clear-cut in this piece they do need to be conveyed to the listener through the use of lifts at the end of them. In bar 4 for example, the hands should lift a little early so that the anacrusis is played in correct time. Each phrase should be started with an appropriate gesture.
By Unknown artist - http://resolver.sub.uni-hamburg.de/goobi/PPN663950325, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90554017
Articulation
As with all music of this period, attention to the details of the articulation is important in conveying the energy and character of the music. And, as is always the case, consistency is the key when applying the articulation that has been decided on. One feature of this music in regards to the articulation is the use of two-note slurs at the beginning of the three quaver patterns. The player should apply a little weight to the first note when playing it. The listener should be aware of the detached quaver notes as part of the two-note slurs. The fingers should stay in contact with the keys as the key is lifted so that the lift is not too abrupt. This will need to be contrasted with the detached third quaver of the group, which should be a little more detached but certainly not played very staccato. There should be a slight separation between the dotted crotchets and crotchet notes, which must be carefully judged so that the dotted crotchets and crotchets are nearly held for their correct lengths.
Dynamics
The dynamics that are shown on the music are editorial suggestions only. And considering this music is from the Baroque period the dynamics should not be as loud as those that would be used in the later music such as the Romantic period. Perhaps it may be advisable to start a little quieter at mp level, considering the use of an f dynamic should be left until the end of the piece. As suggested, the second section should commence a little quieter at mp level and the repeat in this phrase should be quieter at p level. The final phrase should start at mf level reserving the f dynamic for the climax of the piece at the start of bar 14. The final two bars should remain reasonably loud, overall at an mf level. There is a danger in this music that the f could be played too harshly so the player must ensure that this does not occur by using a supple wrist and fluid arms and elbows.
Rubato
There should be a very slight hesitation before the start of the final phrase. And, there should be a small rallentando in the final bar but certainly not at the expense of the rhythmic values.
Use of the LH and RH
Both hands have equal roles in this music so there should be constant changing between one hand and the other in relation to their melodic role. Nevertheless, the other should not drop too much in dynamics otherwise it will be played considerably louder than its previous note when it takes over the melody. In bars 10 and 12 the LH has a melodic role when playing the second D of these bars. When playing the final bars of each section, the player must ensure that both hands are played together with no notes splitting and that they are played in unison in regards to the dynamics.
Additional considerations
· There is a danger that the player may become confused when playing the LH of bars 2 and 3 in comparison with bars 6 and 7 in regards to the fingering. Here, the player should concentrate on the finger numbers saying these numbers in their head as they play.
· When the hands haver to move to a new position such as the beginning of the third phrase both hands must move together as it looks untidy to have the hands moving at different times.
· The music should sound as if it has a ‘motoric’ feeling and that it relentlessly ‘drives’ to the end of the piece.
By Karlderkahle - Von Karlderkahle am 2. Juni 2011 in die deutschsprachige Wikipedia geladen., Copyrighted free use, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15468820
Bars 1 – 4
· Start this phrase at mp level.
· Let the peak for the phrase occur on the second beat of bar 1 at mf level.
· As with the second and fourth phrases, this phrase has two parts in which the LH ‘answers’ the RH’s part that played at the beginning of the phrase.
· The player should notice how the LH ‘drives’ the music throughout the phrase.
· The LH contributes considerably to the overall dynamic level of the phrase.
Bars 4 – 8
· Start this phrase at p level, so at a quieter dynamic level than the beginning of the music.
· Let the peak of the phrase occur on the second beat of bar 2 at mp level. The player should ensure that this level of dynamics is maintained until the end of the section.
· Even though this phrase commences in the same manner as the first phrase, its melodic material changes in the penultimate bar of the phrase. The player should be aware of the change of the fingering in the LH at the start of bar 7 as this signals the change in melodic material.
· The listener should feel as if there is a little more momentum gaining in bar 7, as if the trumpet players are standing up ready to play bar 8 in unison.
· There should be no slowing down at the end of this phrase.
Bars 8 – 12
· Start this phrase at p level, which will be a little quieter than the end of the previous phrase.
· Let the peak of the phrase occur on the first beat of bar 9 at mp level.
· Even though the LH has more of an accompanying role in this piece it nevertheless has an important role to play. The LH notes must be played with resonance and the LH Ds played on the second beat in bars 10 and 12 have a melodic role to fulfil.
· The sudden change of dynamics at the end of bar 10 is necessary because the player should not play the repeat with the same dynamics as those used in the first part of the phrase.
Bars 12 – 16
· Start this phrase at mf level, which will be a sudden change from the dynamics at the end of the previous phrase.
· Let the peak of the phrase occur on the first beat of bar 14 at f level. This dynamic level should be maintained until the end of the piece with the final bar a little quieter than the climax of the piece.
· The player should feel as if they are using bars 13 and 14 to gather energy to be able to play the final bars.
· There is a danger that the repeated RH Ds could become a little harsh in tone, the player will need to use a supple wrist and a fluid arm and elbow to ensure that this does not happen.
· Some players may find that the changeover in the LH to playing semiquavers and quavers at the beginning of the final phrase a little difficult. The player will need to spend considerable time working on this part so that they feel comfortable when playing it.