Guest Post: Pemberton

Hello, humans.

When Kadoodle asked me to do a guest post on an extemporaneous musical subject, I was apprehensive. I have a lot of napping to do, usually, and guarding the castle.

Then she reminded me that she is basically my food supplier and so I acquiesced.

I decided to write about Bach. Allegedly he is one of the most famous composers in the human world. On an unrelated “note”, I want to hack up a hairball every time I hear Kadoodle or one of her students play something by him. I can’t explain it - she could be wailing away on Bartok, or Don Juan, or even doing scales (thank goodness those don’t happen too often), and I’d be fine. Then out would come the Bach, and up would come the feeling of nausea, and I would meow really loudly to show my distress.

After doing some research, I think I’ve found out why I have had such a visceral reaction.
I don’t think it has anything to do with Kadoodle’s playing per se - so don’t get the wrong idea! I’m no viola expert, but I love Kadoodle and will defend her playing to the end.

I sincerely think it’s because she doesn’t adhere to strict Baroque performance practice. My knowledge on this subject is limited, but this is the reason I think so:

A couple of days ago she was listening to a recording of something called “The Brandenburg Concertos” and I looked at the CD cover. My eyes widened with astonishment - the composer was…who else? Bach! I didn’t even want to retch or claw the furniture! Quite the contrary - I was transported to what felt like a different dimension - kind of like how I feel when I roll around in catnip. After reading the liner notes and doing some internet research, I learned that the performers were engaging in something called “period performance”.

I talked to Kadoodle about this and she said that when it comes to Bach, there are lots of arguments among violists about how exactly to play his Suites. Some people use Baroque bows and little to no vibrato. Some people use modern bows but still try to emulate the Baroque sound (or what we think it might have been like). On the other end of the spectrum, Kadoodle’s Master Teacher told her a story about the violist in the Guarneri quartet who wore a t-shirt that said “I vibrate in Bach”. This performer was obviously advocating a more Romanticized notion of Bach performance. Kadoodle falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, according to her - I think she might write more on this subject now that I've inspired her.

What are your views?

P.S. This is all based on a true story.

- Lady Pemberton, Duchess of Berkshire