John Smyth writes:

>The big question is, would composers like Bach embrace instrumental
>improvements and demand that the instruments of his time to be thrown in
>the trash can? Of course we don't know what went on in the composer's mind,
>but we do have hints.
>
>Take the Well Tempered Clavier--(the research wasn't hard, found it on
>page 1) One of the only directives is that these works are to be played in
>a cantabile, or singing style.  With this in mind, would Bach choose the
>harpsichord, clavichord, the forte piano, or the modern piano? Come now,
>you know what the answer would be.....natural selection isn't just confined
>to living things!

To me, this clearly implies that Bach thought it absolutely possible,
indeed natural, to expect a singing style from any of the instruments
in his arsenal, whether it be harpsichord, clavichord, organ, lautenwerk,
or fortepiano.  He wasn't merely longing for the advent of the Steinway
family in writing what he did.  A cantabile style is not really dependent
on which instrument has the best sustained sound.  As all organists and
harpsichordists know, it actually has a great deal to do with questions of
timing in attacks and releases.  It's unfortunate how few modern pianists
realize this, and I must confess that I've learned more about it recently
with more exposure to early pianos and harpsichords.  Furthermore, one
cannot possibly play in a cantabile style if it is not a part of one's
musical imagination.

As for Bach's dealings with the instruments of his day, the Badura-Skodas
have written provocatively about them, suggesting that Bach was far more
familiar with a wide variety of instruments than has often been supposed.
Bach seems to have been Silbermann's agent in Leipzig, perhaps selling a
few fortepianos.  They even suggest that there was a concerto performance
at one of Bach's coffee-house concerts on a fortepiano in the early 1730's
(!!!).  His ambivalent reactions to early fortepianos have been commonly
reported, but many commentators believe that the two keyboard Ricercari
from "The Musical Offering" were specifically designed for Frederick the
Great's fortepianos.  I don't think it was a question with Bach of throwing
one or another class of instruments into the trash, but of constantly
exploring all available possibilities.  It's what I've been doing lately in
switching back and forth between modern and period pianos.  I grow in my
playing and general musicianship by learning from both, and can't dispense
with either.

DPHorn, all keyed up.