#AskVidasAndAusra 108: Andrew - I Struggle With Early Fingering And Ornamentation

Vidas: Let’s start Episode 108 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Andrew, and he writes:

“Dear Vidas, thank you for your email particularly since you must be very busy judging by all your posts! In reply to your question, I’m currently working on Franck's Final, and hoping to move on to Stanford’s “Rheims” from the second organ sonata, hopefully in time for Armistice Day 2018.. I visited Rheims last year.

What do I struggle with? Early fingering and ornamentation, particularly making Early English music sound coherent and fluid. Andrew”

So, early English music--that’s probably John Bull, Orlando Gibbons.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: Redford, Tallis...

Ausra: William Byrd...

Vidas: Byrd, yes. These things. Basically… Fitzwilliam collection. The collection is enormous--it has 2 gigantic volumes--

Ausra: Wonderful collection, yes.

Vidas: And I don’t even know how many hundreds of pieces there are from the time of before Purcell, I think--16th century, end of 16th century, late Renaissance; right, Ausra?

Ausra: Yes. And I think this collection also includes music by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.

Vidas: Yes.

Ausra: The only one, I think, non-English composer.

Vidas: Exactly. So, all those wonderful English composers have a lot of passage work and runs with each hand sometimes, and many many ornamentation instances.

Ausra: Yes, you have to be a virtuoso to be able to play these pieces. But there is also a good side about this music: it almost doesn’t have pedal. So you can play it not only on the organ, but also on the harpsichord, and also on the clavichord or virginal.

Vidas: Exactly. A virginal is a smaller version of the harpsichord, like a spinet, sort of.

Ausra: Yes, it’s really small. Tiny.

Vidas: And it works well on the organ, too, I would say.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: I played, a few years ago, in our long recital based on this collection which was devoted to English composers, and I sort of liked it, because then of course, I had to figure out my registration, because it’s not written in the score (because it’s really not for the organ); but I had some imagination with this, and our church organ at Vilnius University St. John’s Church was quite colorful.

Ausra: Yes, and what actually helped me to be able to play early music better was the clavichord. Actually, basically the clavichord was the instrument that showed me, really, how to play early music well.

Vidas: What’s so unique about the clavichord, Ausra?

Ausra: Well, it’s sort of an instrument that teaches you. Teaches you to use correct fingering, then to use the right touch on the keyboard. And if you would be able to play a piece of music on the clavichord well, it will sound good on the organ, too.

Vidas: Historical clavichords have shorter keys and very narrow keys; and the touch is so light. And it seems like it’s very easy to play; but it’s not, because you have to use all the big muscles of your back, basically, to give some weight on the keys.

Ausra: Yes, yes. And because it’s different from the organ and harpsichord. Because on the organ or harpsichord you can make the sound louder or softer only by adding or omitting stops; but while playing clavichord, you can do actual dynamics just by touch.

Vidas: Yeah. And remember, you can do vibrato.

Ausra: Bebung, so-called Bebung.

Vidas: In German, Bebung, yeah--by gently pressing the key up and down, giving this constant pressure--up and down, up and down. And that’s what the vibration comes from.

Ausra: Yes, and then playing on the clavichord, you understand what the meaning of the early fingering is. Because it’s impossible to play early music well on the clavichord while using modern fingering.

Vidas: Exactly. So it’s very well suited for English music from the late Renaissance and early Baroque, especially because as we said, the key are very narrow, and the touch is very light, but you have to avoid thumb glissandos.

Ausra: Yes, use position fingering. And by position fingering I mean you cannot use the thumb under…

Vidas: Under--crossing the thumb under, you mean.

Ausra: Yes, crossing the thumb under.

Vidas: When you play a scale, for example, from C to C, then in modern fingering we do 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4.

Ausra: And then 5-1-5.

Vidas: So on the note F, we press with 1. And this thumb…

Ausra: Goes under.

Vidas: Under your palm.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: And crosses.

Ausra: So you cannot do that while playing early music?

Vidas: You have to keep positions.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: And shifting the entire palm into the new position.

Ausra: That’s right. And also use a lot of the paired fingering. So if you have a passage with your RH, then the good fingers would be 3-4, 3-4, 3-4.

Vidas: Yes.

Ausra: If you are playing with your LH, the good fingering would be 2-3, 2-3, 2-3.

Vidas: And it depends on the region and the country. Sometimes 1-2, 1-2, with Sweelinck, for example. But I wouldn’t worry too much about the differences between the countries--it’s too advanced detail. In general, use paired fingering for passages that remind you of scales.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: And keep position fingering for everything else.

Ausra: And if you don’t have access to a clavichord, then practice on the harpsichord, or practice on a mechanical organ. Because if you only practice on an electrical organ or pneumatical organ, it will not do good for such music as early English music.

Vidas: Well yes, it will sound unnatural for these modern instruments. And quite boring.

Ausra: Yes, it will sound boring on the pneumatical or electric instrument.

Vidas: Exactly. So then, another point is about ornamentation. Which fingers do you make ornaments with?

Ausra: Well, if I’m playing a trill with my RH, I could do either 2-3 or 3-4. It doesn’t make much difference for me.

Vidas: Mhm.

Ausra: And actually, with my LH, I could do a trill with 3-2 or 3-1 sometimes even, maybe not so often 3-4 with the LH.

Vidas: Mhm, mhm.

Ausra: But I could do it.

Vidas: For a long time I was amazed how you can do a trill with 3 and 4 with your RH, and I kind of avoided this myself; and only now I’m getting better with 3 and 4. My technique is getting better, I mean.

Ausra: Good! I’m glad to hear it.

Vidas: So, we’re all making progress, right?

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: So guys, keep practicing slowly, especially on mechanical action instruments.

Ausra: And you know, if you are struggling with ornaments, I would suggest you learn to play the pieces without ornaments first. Because what I have encountered while working with other people, or remembering the early age of my practice, is that if I tried to play ornaments right away, I would never play them well; and I could never keep a steady tempo in the piece.

Vidas: Mhmmm.

Ausra: So, you need to learn your music right rhythmically, without ornaments first. And when you are fluent with the music score, with all the musical text, then add ornaments.

Vidas: Strange, I kind of forgot how I first learned music. And nowadays I’m learning with ornaments, of course--everything at once; but this is today, after 25 years of experience. So maybe other people need to simplify things at first.

Ausra: Yes. And you know, if there are some ornaments that you are not able to play well, then just avoid them. Because nobody ruins a piece so well as playing ornaments in a bad manner, or you know, too slowly. Because they need to sound graceful. They are ornaments. And if some of them are just too difficult for you, then just don’t play them. That’s my suggestion.

Vidas: Good. I agree. Please, guys, practice like we suggest; it really makes a difference in the long run. And keep sending us your questions; we love helping you grow. This was Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.

Vidas: And remember, when you practice…

Ausra: Miracles happen.