On the Performance of Keyboard Allemandes

Author(s): Natalie Jenne

Source: Bach, Vol. 10, No. 2 (APRIL, 1979), pp. 13-30
Published by: Riemenschneider Bach Institute
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41640079 .
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On the Performance of Keyboard Allemandes*
By Dr. Natalie Jenne
Concordia Teachers College
RiverForest,Illinois

Allemande, whichgracedthemajority of eighteenth-century

key-
THE boardsuites,hasbeenexaminedin detailfromthepointofviewofits
historicaland stylistic
features.1
Verylittle,however,has been written
its
regarding performance. Specificinformation is sparsenot only in
modernwritings but in seventeenth-and eighteenth-century as
literature
well. The following can be gleanedfromthestandard
observations sources.
As earlyas 1636, accordingto Mersenne,the Allemandewas per-
formedas a purelyinstrumental piece,dancedonlywhenit occurredin a
ballet.2Even thispracticeseemsto have been modified, foralthoughthe
name"Lully"is synonymous withdancemusic,hisworkscontainonlyone
piece designated"allemand."This piece was not danced,however,since
it was one of a groupof concertpiecesentitledTroispourle coucherdu
Roy? A dancefora manand a woman,entitledl'Allemande , does appear
in Feuilletdancenotation,4 but theexistenceof one suchchoreography is
of no help in determining the natureof highlystylizedkeyboardAlle-
mandes.More significantly, the eighteenth-century Allemandeappearsto
have lostthemostimportant characteristicsof dancemusic,even though
writersof the periodalmostalwaysincludeit underthisclassification.
It is stillcastin a two-reprise formand sometimes retains,at leastin the
initialphraseor two,theeight-beat (four-minim) patternof thesixteenth-
century alman. OtherBaroquedancesare characterized by cleargroupings
of beatswhicharearranged in a hierarchy of motionand repose,and these
constitute particular dancepatterns.As in all dancemusic,rhythmic pat-
ternsare notrandombutof a prescribed lengthand shapeand recurwith
a frequency capableof delineating a particulardance type.5While it is
truethata highlystylized danceoftenincludesextensions andover-lappings
of theserhythmic patterns,it also containsenoughclearpatterns of beats
to distinguish it as a particulardanceand to enablethelistenerto recog-
nize it. Nevertheless, thereare alreadymanyAllemandesfromthemiddle
and latterpartsof the seventeenth centurythatdo not satisfythesere-
quirements.
The Allemandes of Denis Gaultierand JacquesChampionde Cham-
bonnières,forexample,were characterized by a pseudo-polyphonic
style
brisé in which the homophonicfolk-likefeatureof earlydances was
rejectedin favorof a texturein whichthemelodicline was brokeninto
smallmotives,and these,in turn,wereworkedout in the lowervoices.

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The factthatLouis Couperin,Nicolas Le Begue,and GaspardLe Roux
gave varyingtempoindications Allemandessuggeststhatthe
to different
Allemandewas notso mucha fixedtypeas a broadstyledesignation
which
couldappearin manyforms.Thisfreedom oftempo,alongwitha prelude-
like texture,is typicalof manyeighteenth-century
Allemandesand sets
themapartfromall otherdancesin thekeyboard suite.How then,should
theybe performed?

Althoughmostsourcesare of littleor no help in thisregard,two

eighteenth-century F. W. Marpurgand J. P. Kirnberger,
theorists, shed
somelighton theproblemofperformance. The following the
description,
mostcompletein theseventeenth or eighteenth is fromVolume
centuries,
II of FriedrichWilhelmMarpurgsCiavierstücke mit einempractischen
UnterrichtfürAnfängerund Geübtere(Berlin,1762).6 The quotation
of the Allemandeas an instrumental
firstpresentsa generaldescription
piecein 4/4 time,whichbeginswithan upbeatand is workedout in short
pointsof imitationthroughout. Marpurgssucceedingeightpointsthen
deal withthesubjectin detail:

1) The mainobjectiveof an Allemandeis a succession of

changingharmonieswell-worked-out in variousways; and no
voiceshouldbyvirtueof itsmelodyparticularly standout above
another.It is good whenall of thevariousvoices,especiallythe
highestand the middle,workagainsteach otherwithapproxi-
matelythesamestrength, thus,it is notthemelodywhichis the
chiefconsideration in Allemandes.One cannot,however,limit
thephraseto a specificnumberof voices. The three-voiced tex-
turemustprevail;however, one can occasionally utilizenotonly
fouror morevoices,but in certaincircumstances, at
particularly
thebeginningof a shortimitation, one can even use onlytwo
voicesagainstone another.Withregardto thecharacter of the
three-or four-voiced phrases,it is not necessary thatsuch be
organizedaccordingto thestrictness of a regulartrioor quartet,
butin accordwiththeclavier'sown idiom,in whichthevarious
of a basicchordcan be introduced
intervals one afterthe other
aftera proportionately smallpause,hence,brokenor dismem-
bered.

2) For imitative figuresone takesonlyshortformulas of

threeto fournotes. See the FischerAllemandefromthe first
partof theseclavierpieces,7wherethe four-note motiveused
immediatelyat the beginningappears sometimesin similar,
sometimesin contrary,motionand furnishes the materialfor
imitationand transpositionthroughout the entirepiece (see

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Example1) . Basedon a similarformula Allemande
is a beautiful
in A majorin thefirstsuiteof Händel'sEightSuites,published
in London.
of theAllemandethat
3) It was statedin thedescription
the styleshouldbe formal - thatis, the dissonancesmustbe
properly handlednotas a freestylebutas
preparedand resolved,
in thestrictstyle.
4 ) It is goodwhenan Allemandeis characterized bya spe-
cificcommonrhythmic ] in respectto the move-
unit i Metrum
ment- e.g.,by an eighthnotewithtwo immediately following
et cetera.In theFischerAllemandementioned
sixteenths, above,
sixteenthnotesdominatefrombeginning to end,whereby sixteen
sixteenthsappear in each measuredistributed in variousways
amongthevoices. As one can see,thisrhythm resultsfromthe
movement ofthemelodicrhythmic units,suchas thoseillustrated
underpointtwoabove.
5) One needs no more than two sectionsfor an Alle-
mande;otherwise it wouldhaveto be verylong. Still,one might
modulate,utilizinginterruptedor evadedcadences,even if the
melody in the course of the modulationin the middleof the
secondsectionshouldhave giventhe opportunity fora perfect
cadence.
6) The Allemandeis writtenin 4/4 time,and generally
thenumberofmeasures in bothsectionsis thesame.Eachsection
mustconsistof at leastsix measures.Generally, however,they
consistof eightmeasures,and seldomdo theyexceedsixteen.
It is not alwaysa mistakeif one sectionconsistsof an uneven
numberof measures, . Varietyin the
e.g.,sevenor nine,et cetera
rhythmical numberallows suchan opportunity.
7 ) As faras theperformance ofan Allemandeis concerned,
one can readilysee thatsinceitsmelodyis earnest(serious),the
movement oughtnotbe exaggerated in theleastbutplayedin a
moderate tempo,nottoo fastand nottoo slow. One mustexam-
ine the natureof therhythmic and harmonicstructure of each
Allemande.Somemustbe playedsomewhat others
faster, some-
whatslower.
8) Particularlyin recenttimes,one can findvariouscom-
"Allemande"
entitled
positions in whichmerelythespiritof the
Allemandecan be recognized.Those are not the Allemandes
fromwhich the precedingdescription was derived. Genuine

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 examplesof theAllemandestyleare to be foundmainlyin the
six Frenchsuitesof the late Kapellmeister
Bach, in the eight
suitesof Händel,whichhave been published,and in theworks
of Joh.Casp. Fer.Fischer.
The Allemandeitselfis a majorformof composition,but
comparedto each there
other, of lesser
are, course, and greater
Allemandes,(pp. 21-22.)
In pointone,Marpurgemphasizesthe singlemostimportant struc-
turalfeatureof theAllemande.Interestinglyenough,he omitsanyrefer-
ence to theAllemandeas a dance. Rather,he definesits objectiveas "a
successionof changingharmonies," regardlessof the numberof voices
employed.8 Thesevoices,he adds,oftenresultfromthedismembering of
chordalstructuresand maybe handledin a freelyidiomaticmanner.Mar-
purgs descriptioncouldfitthefreeprelude,
wereitnotforhisqualification
in point3, thatdissonancesmustbe properlypreparedand resolved, as in
the strictstyle. Nevertheless,
thereis a texturalkinshipbetweenthe
Allemandeand theprelude,as can be seenin Example1. This kinshipis
emphasized byMarpurgin points5 and 6, wherehe refersto interrupted
or evadedcadencesand theunevennumberof measures whichresultfrom
"varietyin the rhythmical number."(This may be translated to mean
irregulargroupingsof beats.) Bothof thesefeaturesare commonin the
freeprelude.Not onlyis therea textural butMarpurgimplies
similarity,
a rhythmic kinshipbetweenthesetwo typesresulting froma close inter-
relationshipbetweenrhythm and harmony.He cautions,in point7, that
the natureof the rhythmic and harmonicstructure of each Allemande
mustbe examinedin orderto determine thetempoforperformance.
It is important forthe performer to note the significant
role that
Marpurghas accordedto harmony.The theorist has beenreferring,
in the
main,to musicof the firsthalfof the eighteenth century.One cannot
overemphasize thefactthatcomposers of thisand thepreviousera struc-
turedtheirideas on harmonicprogressions stemming froma thorough-
bass,and it is of thisharmonicpracticethatMarpurgis speaking.Johann
David Heinichen,themostimportant earlyeighteenth-centurytheoriston
thorough-bass, states:
No musicconnoisseur willdenythattheBasso Continuoor
so-calledthorough-bass
is, nextto [theart] of composition, one
of the most importantand most fundamental of the musical
sciences.Forfromwhatsourceotherthancomposition itselfdoes
it springforth?And whatactuallyis theplayingof a thorough-
bass otherthanto improviseupon a givenbass the remaining
partsof a fullharmony,
or to composeto the [bass]?9

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 An understanding of harmony and its relationship
to rhythmin the
Allemande, then,appearsto be thebestmodusoperandiforanalysisand
thesurestwaya performer can determine an Allemandesinnerstructure.
In thisrespect,
JohannPhilippKirnberger, one of thegreatest
eighteenth-
century theoristsand a student of S.
J. Bach,providesthemostvaluable
information. He not onlydescribedharmonyin termsof thorough-bass
practicebut also fromthepointof view of rhythm.

Kirnberger s discussionsof harmonyand its relationship to good

performance are foundin Die wahrenGrundsätzezum Gebrauchder
Harmonie 10and Die Kunstdes reinenSatzesin der Musici Recentdis-
cussionsand practicalapplicationsof Kirnbergers conceptsof harmony,
thefundamental bass,and dissonancecan be foundin threearticles:Put-
namAldrich'sindispensable studyon rhythmic JoyceMekeel's
harmony,12
comparative studyof Kirnberger and Marpurg,13and thepresentwriter s
articleson theanalysisof dancerhythms in fugues.14
Beforeproceeding withtheessentialpointsof his argument, it must
be madeclear thatthe most difficult
aspectof Kirnbergers theory
to grasp
is his assumption
thatthemusicalear hearstonesthatare notpresentin
thescoreand arenotactuallysounded(explainedin thesucceeding points
5-8). This assumptionis the key to Kirnberger's theoryand the main
factorthatdistinguishesit fromthoseof his famouscontemporaries, Mar-
purgand Rameau. When a performer acceptsthispremise,he will allow
to be guidedbyboththeintellect
his interpretation and theear- theear
in somecaseswill be thefinalarbiter.
Kirnbergerbelievedthatinherent
in theharmonies
of a composition
arerhythmicqualitiesofmotionandrepose.Harmony, hasrhythmic
itself,
The mainpointsofhismethodmaybe summarized
significance. as follows:
1) The wholeofharmony restson twofundamentalchords:
triad,whichmaybe major,minor,or diminished, and theseventh
chord,whichmay take any of fourforms(Example 2). The
majortriadis themostperfect; theminoris lessperfect;
and the
diminishedtriadis least perfect,
or mostdissonant.The four
formsof theseventhchordprogressin likemannerfromNo. 1,
to No. 4, themostdissonant.(Notice,there
theleastdissonant,
is no diminished-seventh
chord.)
2) The inversions of thesetriadsand seventhsprogress
The rootpositionis mostperfect;
similarly. thesucceedinginver-
sions becomeless perfect.One mightsay thata root-position
majortriadis mostperfectand,therefore, mostconsonantand
the thirdinversionof seventhchordNo. 4 is leastperfectand,
mostdissonant.
therefore,

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 3) These harmoniescontaingreateror lesserdegreesof
rhythmic activity A root-position
or inactivity. triad,particularly
if it is majoror minor,represents repose;any of the seventh
chords (consideredprogressively fromNos. 1-4) represents
activity.In otherwords,theear ascertains, by virtueof thetype
of chordand inversionthatit hears,the rhythmic contentin-
herentin thatchord- harmony itselfis rhythmic.
4) The fundamental bass,or chordroots,of a composition
- thatis,byfourths
shouldmovenaturally and fifths,withocca-
sionaldescending
thirdsand risingseconds.These are thebest
butnottheonlyones. The occurrence
progressions, of a modula-
a in a
tion,or chordmissing progression, can accountforalternate
rootmovement.
5) The root of a true diminishedchordmovesup by
fourths (Examples3a and b). If therootdoesnotmovein this
manner, it is unecht(unauthentic), and thetruerootbelowthe
bass mustbe imaginedor suppliedby the ear. In Example4,
therootsof thediminished chordsdo notmoveup by fourths.
Example 4a shows a three-voicedprogressionas it mayappear
in thescore;Example4b presents thesameprogression plus the
supplementary tone which the ear
cultivated hears (shown in
The this
parentheses. figureindicating tone,(6), appearsunder
thebass (also in parentheses).This chordstandsfora seventh
chordwiththeroot (a thirdbelowthebass) omitted.Example
4c is thesamechordin itsfirstinversion.Note thatin thiscase
the "imagined"tone is a fourthabove the bass and the funda-
mentalbass is a fifthbelowthebass,as shownin Example4d.
Sincetheprocedure is thesameforthethirdinversion, it is not
to
necessary give the details to
here,except point out thatthe
"imagined" toneis a second above the bass and thefundamental
bass is a seventhbelowthefiguredbass.
6) Thereis no suchthingas a diminished-seventh chord
(see point1). Kirnberger onlyan unauthentic
recognizes dimin-
ished-seventhchordin whichthetruerootis notpresentin the
chordand mustbe suppliedby theear. As in thepreviousEx-
ample4, Examples5a and c showthechordas it appearsin root
positionand firstinversion, and Examples5b and d,
respectively,
the same with its supplementary tonesand figuresgiven in
parentheses.
7) Althougha preciseand definitive
harmonicanalysis
dependsupon there
beingenoughnotesin the scoreto definea

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 continuoussuccessionof harmonies, thereare instanceswhere
theharmony is notcomplete thescore.When a triadis repre-
in
sentedbyonlytwonotes,thereis a choiceto be madeas to what
thethirdnoteshouldbe, sinceit is neitherwrittennorsounded.
The choice is necessarilyconjectural.It may be decidedby a
musicalear. Which notesoundsbetterin the context?But in
Kirnberger s system theconjecture
ofanalysis, maybe enormously
strengthened motionsof the fundamental
by thealterative bass.
Example6 showsthe harmonies of measure19 of Bach'sAlle-
mande fromPartita6. The chordmarkedby an asteriskis
represented onlyby an octaveE overa bass noteC. It maybe
a C majortriador thefirstinversionof an A minortriad.That
is, the fundamental bass maybe C or A. But the nextfunda-
mentalbass noteis B, and sincea risingsecondis a betterfun-
damentalbass movementthan a descendingsecond,A is the
betterchoice,and a "(6)" is added as a figureunderthe bass.

8) A chordmaybe missingin a progression, in whichcase

an elision has occurred.When this happens,the ear uncon-
sciouslysuppliesthemissingchord.Example7a showsthefunda-
mentalbassdescending bysecondfromD to C. Thisundesirable
fundamental bass movementsimplyshowsan elisionin which
a properresolution of the seventhchordon D is missing.Ex-
ample 7b shows how theear suppliesthemissingchordshown
in parentheses.

9) Dissonancesare eitheressentialor non-essential.Sev-

enthchordsare essentialdissonances becausetheydo not take
the place of consonancesbut maintaina place of theirown as
chords.Seventhchordscannotresolveuntila changeof harmony
occurs.Theypreventtheear fromrestingon the presenthar-
monyand propelit to theharmony of thenextroottone. Orna-
mentsand passingtonesare non-essential dissonancesbecause
they can be omitted fromanyprogression withoutcausingambi-
A
guities. suspension, unlike a seventhchord, must be resolved
beforethefundamental bassmovesto another harmony.Although
suspensions are notessential
dissonances,theirrhythmic function
is vital.Theyhavetherhythmic capacityforleadingtheear from
one harmonyto the nextand, therefore, mustbe indicatedin
thefigures.

Keepingin mindMarpurgspoint"7" that"One mustexaminethe

natureof the rhythmic of each Allemande,"an
and harmonicstructure
analysisby means of s
Kirnberger method should reveal the rhythmic

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qualityof harmony and,thereby, an accurategroupingof thebeats.15Ex-
ample 8 presentssuchan analysisof one of Bach's mostcomplexAlle-
mandes,thatfromPartita6 in E minor.16Here,the highlyornamented
originalhas been reducedto a successionof harmoniesin whichall non-
harmonic toneshavebeenremoved.The figures belowthereduction show
the constructionof each chordand all suspensions,withparenthesesen-
closingimagined tones. The bass line below the figurescontainsthe
fundamental bass,whichultimatelyconsistsofonlyrootsof triads,
thefour
typesof seventhchords,and suspensions.
The performer'sfirsttaskis to establishthecadencesand determine
theirrelative
weightorqualityofrepose.The fundamental bassis a helpful
guide becauseit clearlyshowsroot movement(which is certainly not
obviousin theoriginalscore),triadsand seventhchords,and theduration
of harmonies.For example,in measure2, the thirdand fourthquarter-
notebeatsforma perfectcadenceon thetonic"E." (Cadentialmovement
is markedby an oblique line,and the pointof reposeby an "R.") In
measure4, beatthree,thereis a cadencetone,thistimelocatedon thesub-
dominant "A" and re-inforced
byan appoggiatura in thetreblelineof the
score. Even thoughthe eighthnoteon beat threeof measure5 is tech-
nicallya cadencetoneon the tonic,the succeedingsequentialmovement
and thefactthatthenoteitselfis onlyan eighthnotetendto negateits
importance as a cadencetone. Perhapsthisis whatMarpurgmeantby an
"interruptedcadence."In thefollowing measure,however, thereis a brief
cadenceon thesecondquarter-note beat,"B,"whichforeshadows thestrong
dominantcadenceat the end of the reprise.There is another,weaker
"touch"on thedominant in theseventh measureon beattwo;however, this
cadenceis weakenedbythefactthatin thescoreit is in rootpositiononly
on thesecondhalfof thebeat (circledin theexample). This procedure
is continuedin thesecondrepriseof Example8, wheresignificant points
of reposeare markedin theanalysis.
We can now see clearlythegroupingof beatsas shownby thenum-
berswithinthe staff;thosethatare in bracketscoincidewithpointsof
repose. Wherenumbersoccasionally overlapeach other,the end of one
phrasemay be consideredthe beginningof the next. Bach beginsthe
Allemandein a straightforwardmannerwiththenormaleight-beat pattern
but thereaftervariesthe patternsto an amazingdegree,even thoughhe
retainsan 8+12 measurestructure. We are reminded of Marpurg s refer-
ence to "varietyin the rhythmical number."The resultinggroupingof
beatsis 8+7+7+10: : 6+4+12+5+10+5+9.
How can theperformer makethesegroupsclear? By articulating the
cadences.There are a numberof waysin whichcadencescan be high-
lightedand made audibleto the listener:by meansof (1) a ritardando

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beginningseveralbeatsbeforethecadencetone,(2) a separationof one
or morevoice partsthatimmediatelyprecedethe cadential
characteristic
figure All to or , (3) theaddition
of an ornament to thecadentialleadingtone (commonlya tremblement
or trill), (4) the additionof an ornamentto one of the notesin the
cadentialchord (commonlya pincé or mordentor a portde voix), or
( 5 ) bylengthening thedissonance of thecadence.
theresolution
preceding
Severalof thesesolutions
can be appliedto Example8. The cadences
thatoccuron measure2, beat3; measure6, beat2; and measure15,beat3;
can all be articulated
best by eithera simpleseparationin the soprano
line (indicatedby a breathmark) precedingthecadenceor by insertion
of a portde voixon thecadencenote. It wouldnotbe wise to interrupt
theflowofthebassline,becausein eachcasethefundamental is descending
bya fifthor ascending by a fourthto thecadence.In measure 13,beat4,
thecadentialfigurecan be alteredto prolongthetrillon "B" and shorten
thesixteenth-note"A,"whichheightens thetensionbeforetheresolution.
The cadencetone itselfcan be ornamented in measures17, beat 4; and
measure18, beat 4. In both instancesa mordentis appropriate because
thecadencenoteis approachedby leap frombelow.
Even thoughnot all notesin a stylizedpiece of musicare of equal
importance, we all too oftenheara piece like thisBach Allemandeper-
formedas if everything in the notation,
particularlyin the uppervoice,
were"melody."This kindof performance dull becausethe
is necessarily
notesare all playedalike- nothingstandsout. This studyhas made it
clearthatharmony shouldbe thefirstconsideration.
A harmonic reduction,
likethatin Example8, showswhichtonesactuallybelongto theharmony
and whichdo not. By separating harmonynotesfromnon-harmonic tones,
theperformer can see whichnoteshouldbe emphasized and whichshould
be subordinated.

The prelude-like qualityof manyAllemandes, impliedby Marpurg

and clearlyevidentin themusic,leadsus to anotheraspectof performance
- rhythmic freedom or,moreprecisely, fluctuationof thebeat. This tra-
dition,stemmingfromthe sixteenth and
century clearlyspelledout by
Frescobaldi,was stillalive in the worksof J. S. Bach,especiallyin the
toccatasand fantasies.17

It is significant
thattheuse of rhythmic freedomin theperformance
of Allemandes was alreadyin evidenceat thetimeofFroberger.18
Whether
some or all of the kindsof rhythmic freedomdescribedby Frescobaldi
applyto Allemandesis an open questionand shouldbe treatedwithdis-
cretion,butKirnberger'smethod(and he claimsit to be Bach's) can be a

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helpfulguide concerning whereto alterthe beat,if one so desires.By
referring to the harmonic reduction,the performercan plot the relative
of
degrees rhythmic tension bynoting position thechords(whether
the of
they are in root position inversions)and thetypesof seventhchords
or
thatKirnberger describes.In thepresentstudy,thesehavebeen indicated
in Example8 by circlednumbersoverthe harmonies.Number1 is the
leastdissonant, and number4, themostdissonant(reference, Example2).
BecauseKirnberger directlyrelatesdissonanceto rhythmic activity,the
performer can discernthe varying of
degrees rhythmic tensionthroughout
thepiece. It shouldbe noted,forexample,thattheauthentic diminished
fifth,the most active in in
triad,appears thesequence measure12, along
withthemostdissonant seventhchord.Also,in measures3 and 14, a dis-
sonantseventhchordoccursimmediately aftera cadence.
How can thisinformation aid theperformer? It can suggestto him
wherea rigidbeat mightbe abandoned.Rhythmically activechordscan
be emphasizedeitherby lettingthedissonancelingerin the listener's ear
by prolonging it or by shortening the durationof a dissonancein order
to emphasizeits resolution.The choicemustbe theperformer's. In the
former case,perhaps an accelerandoin the courseof the sequencewould
be effective.In the latter,the seventhmightserveto propelthe move-
mentforward aftera slightritardforthecadences.While it is truethat
therelationship of consonanceand dissonanceis explicitin thenotation,
theamountof tempofluctuation thatit impliesrestswiththegood taste
and judgmentof theperformer.
In summary, Baroquedances,withtheexceptionof the Allemandes,
have clear and distinguishable dance patternsand relatively prescribed
tempos.Thus,all Sarabandeshave distinctive rhythmic featuresthatset
themapartfromall Bourrées, and so on. Allemandes, on theotherhand,
are not onlydifferent fromotherdancesin the suitebut are distinctive
one fromtheother.A musicalexecutionof an Allemandedependschiefly
on theperformer's examination of itsbasic chordalstructure. Fromthis,
he can ascertainthe rhythmic qualitiesof its harmony, which,in turn,
help to determine its cadences,theirrelativeweights,and whetherthey
are internalor are locatedat keypointsin thestructure; its phrasestruc-
tureand whetherit is regularor irregular; and the rhythmic flexibility
necessaryforan effective performance.
Althoughno two performers need arriveat thesameconclusionfor
a givenAllemande, they will,on the basisof theapproachjustsuggested,
make thoughtful decisionsregardingits performance and gain insights
thatshouldcarrythemfroma merely"accurate" readingof thescoreto a
musicalinterpretation
sensitive, whicharticulates forthelistener theinner
structureof thepiece.

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 Footnotes
* Forgrants underwhichresearch forthepresent study wasmade,thewriter is
indebted totheAmerican Council ofLearned Societies andtotheAmerican Philo-
sophical Society. Thispaperis an expanded version ofan essaypresented to the
latePutnam Aldrich uponhisretirement from Stanford University.
1Ernst Mohr, Die Allemande : eineUntersuchung ihrer Entwicklung vondenAn-
fängen biszu BachundHändel(Zürich undLeipzig, 1932).
2MarinMersenne, Harmonie universelle, "Traitez de la voix,etdesChants" (Paris,
1636-37).Facsimile edition: Editions du Centre National de la Recherche Scien-
tifique,II (Paris,1963),p. 165.
3Meredith EllisLittle, "TheDancesof J. B. Lully(1632-1687)"(unpublished
Ph.D.dissertation, Stanford University, 1967),p. 111.
4Feuillet notation, or chorégraphie , is a system of recording theexactstepsof a
dancewiththefloor pattern anddirections clearlyshown.A detailed explanation
ofthisdancenotation, alongwithmanyoftheFrench courtdances, is givenby
Dr.Little in theabove-mentioned dissertation. Additional information appears in
Dr. Little's articles,"TheContribution of DanceStepsto MusicalAnalysis and
Performance: La Bourgogne," Journal of theAmerican Musicological Society,
XXVIII( 1975) , pp.112-124, and"Danceunder LouisXIV andXV,"Early Music
(October, 1975).
5The eighteenth-century choreographies of suchdancesas theBourrée, Courante,
Sarabande, Passepieds, etcetera cantellus thequality ormoodofeachdancetype,
thelevelsofrhythm uponwhich thestepstakeplace,thelength andshapeofthe
phrase, andapproximate tempos.
6Theauthor wishes toacknowledge herindebtedness toDr. Newman Powell, who
gaveassistance in thetranslation.
7In TableV ofVolumeI. ThisAllemande hasalsobeenpublished in another
version in Johann KasparFerdinand Fischer, Sämtliche WerkefürKlavierund
Orgel, Ed.Ernst V. Werra(NewYork,1965),pp.23-24.
8Mattheson refers to thissamecharacteristic whenhe describes theAllemande as
"einegebrochene, ernsthaffte, undwol ausgearbeitete Harmonie. . . ." in Der
vollkommene Capellmeister (Hamburg, 1739),p. 232.
9Johann DavidHeinichen, DerGeneral-Bass inderComposition (Dresden, 1728).
Quoted inEnglish translationinGeorge J.Buelow, Thorough-Bass Accompaniment
according toJohann DavidHeinichen (Berkeley andLosAngeles, 1966),p. 261.
10Johann Philipp Kirnberger, Die wahren Grundsätze zumGebrauch derHarm onte
(BerlinandKönigsberg, 1773).
11Kirnberger, Die Kunst desreinen SatzesinderMusik(2 vols.:Berlin andKönigs-
berg,1774-1776).
12Putnam " in Studiesin
Aldrich,'Rhythmic Harmony' byJohann Kirnberger,"
Eighteenth-Century Music, A Tribute toKarlGeiringer onHisSeventieth Birthday
(NewYork,1970),pp.37-52.
13Joyce Mekeel, "TheHarmonic Theories ofKirnberger andMarpurg," Journal of
MusicTheory , Vol.IV (I960), pp. 169-193.
14NatalieJenne, "Bach'sUseofDanceRhythms in Fugues," BACH, Vol.I, No. 4
(1973), pp. 18-26;Vol. V, No. 1 (1974), pp. 3-8;Vol. V, No. 5 (1974),
pp.3-21.
15Thisanalytical theory canbe appliedequally welltoother musicoftheperiodin
which ambiguity ofrhythmic grouping prevails.
16Johann Sebastian Bach,6 Partitas andOverture inFrench Style,ed.HansBischoff,
Alexander
trans. Lipsky (NewYork,1942).
17Newman Powell,"Rhythmic Freedom in thePerformance of French Musicfrom
1650to 1735"(unpublished Ph.D.dissertation, Stanford University, 1959),pp.
221-231.
18Ibid.,p. 231.

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 Examples
Ex. 1. J.K. F. Fischer,
Allemande

Ex. 2. FourFormsof theSeventhChord

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Exs. 3a and 3b. The Authentic
DiminishedChord

Exs. 4a, b, and c. The UnauthenticDiminishedChord

Exs. 5a, b, c, and d. The Unauthentic
Diminished-Seventh
Chord

Ex. 6. CompletingtheHarmony, J.S. Bach,Allemandein E Minor,

fromPartita6, meas.19

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Exs.7a andb. J. S. Bach,Well-Tempered
Clavier(II), F-minorPrelude,
measures5-6

About Our Authors

DR. NATALIE JENNE is associateprofessor of musicat Concordia
TeachersCollege in RiverForest,Illinois. The researchforher article,
"On the Performance of KeyboardAllemandes," was completedwiththe
helpofa grantfromtheAmerican Councilof LearnedSocieties.Thispaper
is an expandedversionof an essaypresented to thelate PutnamAldrich
uponhisretirement fromStanford BACH publishedDr. Jenne's
University.
article,"Bach'sUse of Dance Rhythms in Fugues,"in its Vol. IV, No. 4,
and Vol. V, Nos. 1 and 2, issues.
DR. WALTER SCHENKMAN, concertpianistand chairman of the
piano department at the of
University Northern Coloradoat Greeley,is
a frequentcontributorto variousmusicjournals, BACH
including (Rhyth-
mic Patternsof theBaroque,"Vol. V, Nos. 3 and 4; "The Establishment
of Tempo in Bach's GoldbergVariations Vol. VI, No. 3; and "Three
Collectionsof KeyboardWorksby C. P. E. Bach,"Vol. VIII, No. 4, and
Vol. IX, No. 1).

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Ex. 8. J.S. Bach,AllemandefromPartita6

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