I first learnt this Largo from Bach’s Sonata III two decades ago. It was the simple, accompanied version. Much like life back then: simple and social.
And then 2 months ago, as if something got into me, I
suddenly decided to re-learn the piece. This time in its original solo - and
much harder - version. How fitting and descriptive of lockdown, I thought.
A short time in, it sounded so terrible that I gave up and
switched to something more ‘manageable’. The result is the Sarabande which I
posted earlier .
In my childhood music theory lessons, we learnt ‘Largo’
means ‘a very slow tempo’. I passed my theory exams alright, but looking at the
flurry of my life from then til now, did I actually know what that definition meant?
And did I deem this too hard because I never slowed down to sound out the
chords, repeat one bar over and over or pay attention to the pauses?
It’s not completely finished. I have by no means perfected
the piece or the pace. But I feel that in lockdown, I have indeed learnt Largo.
No comments:
Post a Comment