Performance Practices in the Baroque Era, as related by primary sources.
Justice, Andrew
Performance Practices in the Baroque Era,
as related by primary sources.
By Dennis Shrock. Chicago, IL: GIA, 2013. [xii,
462 p. ISBN: 978-1-57-999963-6. $54.99]
One of the primary tenets of studying historical performance
practice is the significance of primary source accounts to assist in
formulating either a technical or interpretive approach to the music,
and, aside from Johann Joachim Quantz's 1752 treatise Versuch einer
Anweisung die Flote traversiere zu spielen, the most general access
points to primary sources regarding Baroque-era performance practice may
be Carol MacClintock's Readings in the History of Music in
Performance and Oliver Strunk's Source Readings in Music History.
However, where MacClintock and Strunk appear to organize their excerpts
according to the "feel" of the content (A Gentleman's
Recreation, On Singing, Expression and Sensibility, Principles for
Performance, etc.), Dennis Shrock employs categories for practical areas
of performance: Types of Solo Voices, Vibrato, Dance Tempos, Messa di
Voce, Triplet Conformity, etc. This main difference makes the volume
more directly usable to the performer wishing to explore fundamental
topics of Baroque performance practice, as they can quickly access
specific concepts without having to read around more loosely-paired
excerpts like those often presented by MacClintock and Strunk, which can
help create more of a context if not provide the same amount of
physically applicable value.
As he is a respected choral scholar who has also published a
Classical-era volume in this vein, Shrock presents a fairly impressive
selection of excerpts, ranging from the pithy ("It is at all times
a very good thing to play legato, in order not to interfere with the
vocal part." Lorenzo Penna, figured bass treatise (1672) in
Articulation and Phrasing: Keyboard and Lute Articulation (p. 230) to
the extensive and detailed (Georg Muffat's entire section on
"The Manner of Bowing" from Florilegium Secundum (pp.
239-246)). Depending upon the subject in question, the reader is
sometimes supplied with what could be considered more information than
is necessary, some of it entertaining, most of it enlightening but all
of it potentially useful, in the end. Although many of the selections
are familiar to those with experience in performance practice, the
breadth and depth of focus occasionally surprises even the most wizened.
Shrock also regularly provides accompanying text throughout the book,
usually to introduce or solidify a concept to modern musical eyes
(especially when it may be somewhat foreign, like rhythmic alteration),
almost always in a palpably pragmatic voice.
In fact, these brief moments of commentary may be one area where
the book misses an opportunity: part of the value of studying primary
source accounts is the importing of those concepts into a modern
performance aesthetic, and Shrock's explanations sometimes seem to
consciously avoid entering into the gritty details of physically
applying certain ideas in the playing of one's instrument. However,
most of those occasions are in areas not specifically within his choral
experience (string bowings, instruments, keyboard and lute articulation,
etc.) and his commentary for issues specific to the voice, conducting or
general artistic execution are proportionally stronger. Also, there is
something to be said for the contextual approach afforded by MacClintock
and Strunk's presentation of excerpts, as it requires the performer
to delve more deeply into the primary resources themselves: although one
may have to dig around for information that could prove to be
meaningful, treatises like Quantz's and Mersenne's do contain
a wealth of hidden gems that may provide more insight than a single
extract, however intelligently selected and organized it may be.
But that remains outside of the scope of what Shrock apparently
aims to accomplish: a volume which presents interested readers with
thoughtful, efficient primary source content for exploring practical
approaches to Baroque performance practice. For that goal, it succeeds
and will likely prove to be a valuable addition to any student, teacher
or library collection supporting the study of this discipline.
Andrew Justice
University of North Texas
