Saturday, June 2, 2012

Three Bach Pieces

My sisters and I all learned pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach.  Bach has counterpoint in his songs which means you can hear two or more melodies combined together in a harmonious (pleasing sound) way, but you can still hear the individual melodies.  To get more information on Bach please visit my previous post.  

 

My younger sisters Hannah and Sarah play a Minute in G Major.  A minuet is a French dance for two people.  This name refers to the short steps taken in the dance.  In the Baroque time period, this dance was very graceful.

 

Next, my sister Sarah and I play Inventions.  I played Invention No. 2 and Sarah plays Invention in D Minor No. 4.  Inventions are short pieces written by Bach originally as musical exercises for his students.  Bach wrote 15 inventions.  My invention is fast and jumpy while Sarah's is faster and more melodic.

 

Below is a video of all three girls playing our Bach pieces.

 


 

Did you like them?

Which piece did you like the best and why?

Posted by Anonymous at 7:30 PM

7 comments:

  1. TanyaMay 30, 2012 at 9:57 AM

    Dear Miriam,
    Your blog is wonderful, I love how you and your sisters play and it's nice that you know about the composers.
    You work hard practicing and it makes all the pieces sound good. All three of you can have a concert for our family and it's big pleasure for us grandparents to have such a wonderful kids.
    Love you,
    Grandma Tanya and Grandpa Eugene

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kiersten123b4May 31, 2012 at 10:43 AM

    Dear Miriam I absoulutly Love you blog Hey maybe you can read my newest blog Called " Two worlds©."
    ohh and also PLEASE vote every day on this Website for the teacher Wendy Parliemnt
    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnnetteJune 6, 2012 at 3:07 AM

    Very nice to see some young girls have some interest in Bach!

    Very good performance!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kathleen MorrisJune 9, 2012 at 7:03 PM

    Dear Miriam,

    I am so very impressed with your musical talents! I really enjoyed all three performances on the video so it is hard for me to say which one I like the best.

    I was very impressed that Sarah plays both the piano and violin. Do you all play more than one instrument?

    You are all very talented and it looks like you all started from a young age. How old is Hannah? She looks quite young.

    Congratulations again, you are part of a very talented family!

    Best wishes,
    Mrs M☀rris
    4KM and 4KJ Blog
    Australia

    ReplyDelete
  5. rmannellJune 11, 2012 at 5:25 AM

    Dear Miriam,

    Firstly, congratulations on being recognized for quality writing and meaningful integration of web 2.0 tools. This shows what can be achieved when we write about things important to use. Now to this post...

    Did you like them?
    The first piece with you and your sister is well known to me and I was humming along with you. I have a number of pieces from the Baroque era, including J.S. Bach, in my music collection.

    The second with Sarah (Invention No. 4 in D minor) and the third with you (Invention No. 2 in C minor) also had me humming along with you. They are beautiful pieces and also in my collection, except the versions I have are played on the harpsichord.

    I appreciated listening to all three as performed by you and your sister as I knew all three. What accentuated your performances were the beautiful dresses you both wore and the way you curtseyed to the audience.

    I could hear you were trying to put some emotional feeling in your performances. When performing, it’s not only important to play well, you must set the mood for each piece. This you both achieved. Well done.

    Which piece did you like the best and why?
    While I enjoyed all three pieces, I would select Invention No. 4 in D minor. You have given my reason in your blog post, Invention No. 4 in D minor is the more melodic piece.

    However, I know the fingering technique in Invention No. 2 in C minor was the more difficult of the two. Any fast and jumpy piece takes longer to master, especially when you want to bring up the tempo.

    Keep practicing, learning musical instruments are skills you can carry throughout your life.

    @RossMannell
    Teacher, NSW, Australia

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mrs. YollisJune 13, 2012 at 8:22 AM

    Dear Miriam,

    Thank you so much for a lovely concert! My mom used to teach piano, and I remember listening to her students prepare for their recitals. Her students would dress nicely and curtsey before and after performing, so this took me on a pleasant ride down memory lane!

    I learned to play the piano when I was younger, so I am very familiar with Bach and his inventions. I learned Invention No. 1 and always enjoyed playing it. In fact, I think I played it at a recital! I'd have to really practice to try and play it today. Maybe that would be a good summer goal for me! :-)

    You asked which is my favorite. That is very difficult because I enjoyed all of them immensely. However, I loved the trills you played in Invention No. 2 so I'm going to pick that one. I remember what a thrill it was to trill! Getting your fingers to go that fast, yet still keep the rhythm is a hard thing to do! Well done, Miriam!

    I also love how you include a little history of the music. That helps readers learn a bit about the piano and the composers you feature. Nice work with the hyperlink that linked "Bach" to your original post. (Ha Ha!) You are a super blogger!

    Your proud former teacher,
    Mrs. Y♥llis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ♥Miriam♥June 18, 2012 at 1:35 PM

      Dear Mrs. Yollis,

      Thank you for leaving me comments even during the summer. You are a excellent former teacher!

      I also loved this song because of the trills, but it still isn't my favorite composer. I pretty much like every other piece except for Bach. I enjoy playing the really fast songs. Is Bach your favorite composer?

      Have a great summer!

      Your former student,
      ♥Miriam♥

      Delete

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