The concept of stressed vs unstressed beats pervaded baroque music and this is irrefutable, if we read the primary sources. Many early musicians wrote about the musical diction known as Good and Bad notes, or, in the Italian style, Nota Buona.

In 1752 J. J. Quantz wrote: "…One must know how to make a difference in performance between the main notes, also called principal notes, or by the Italians, ‘good’ notes, and the passing notes, also called by some foreigners ‘bad’ notes. ¹

And in 1732 Johann Walther wrote: "The outward and inward value of the notes: according to the former, notes of the same kind are performed in equal length, according to the latter in unequal length; the odd part of the measure being long and the even part short." ²

If Walther said "The odd part of the measure being long and the even part short’ we can assume he was referring to the meter, in what is commonly referred to as the "Hierarchy of Note Values," with beats 1 and 3 being stronger than beats 2 and 4, but with 3 being weaker than 1 and 4 being weaker than 2. (When we are in triple meter, the first beat is strong, and the other two weak.)

Engramelle, in his collaboration with Dom Bedos, wrote a section of L’art du facteur d’ orgues devoted to the proper procedures for "pinning" a mechanical cylinder organ. Here is just a portion of his detailed account of the inward value of notes: "…Among notes of equal value, some will be more or less prolonged, while others will sound only the beginning of the note, calling attention to the initial sound of the pitch only. …In measures of 2 and 4, successive quarter-notes usually alternate between longer and shorter durations, and eighth-notes always do so." ³

Since strong and weak beats alternate within a measure, they have a great deal to do with articulation suggested by the bar line and the meter. In terms of keyboard playing at that time then, we can assume that notes written in equal durations should not always be played equally, but with varying note lengths. Changing the duration of time that we hold a note will not change the rhythm. The total elapsed time remains the same for each note, but the short notes have more silence following them.

As an example I have chosen measures 3, 4 and 5 of a "Minuetto" appearing on Page 32 of Harpsichord Technique: A Guide to Expressivity. To play these repeated chords all the same, would not create interest for the listener, but more likely, boredom. Instead, hold the first beat for almost the full quarter’s length, and release beats 2 and 3 successively sooner, creating a "long, short, shorter" effect. The lines I have drawn between the clefs, along with the S’s (for strong) and W’s (for weak) indicate this treatment. You can hear this "Minuetto" performed on the Companion CD.

There are other considerations to be made in determining strong and weak. Anthony Newman quotes Johann Mattheson (1739) in his book Bach and the Baroque: "…in music the possibilities for variation between strong and weak have many levels, compared to poetry which knows only a few." ⁴ This brings us to the consideration of "structure vs. ornament," or, harmonic notes (structure) as opposed to strictly ornamental notes. In order to identify structure, we need to be aware of the harmonic rhythm of a composition. Harmonic changes make for strong beats, and in a measure with little harmonic change, we will find few strong beats.

As an example, I commend you to Bach’s "Courante" from the 5th French Suite in G Major. In this dance I see changing harmonic rhythm – sometimes fast, sometimes slow. In measure 1, the first beat is strong (full, tonic chord), the 2nd beat is strictly ornamental and thus weak, and the 3rd beat strong, as it encompasses two harmonies, ie. g major and f major. Virtually the same format occurs in measures 2 and 3. However, at measure 4, beat 3, we begin to encounter "two voiced writing," in which the repeated top notes may be thought of as belonging to one, upper voice, and the bottom notes, which are chord tones, as belonging to a second, lower voice. These patterns continue in measures 5 and 6. These repeated notes and the passing tones on other beats are ornamental and therefore weak. On the harpsichord we can reduce our articulation and play more legato on these, (to create the illusion of a softer dynamic), until the first cadence arrives at measure 8.

One of my favorite pieces and one which contains a measure (m. 14) with harmonic change on every 1/2 beat, is the Bach Prelude #6 in d Minor from the WTC Book I. With a fast harmonic rhythm (many changes) many pedal points, Major 7th intervals throughout m. 16, and a tri-tone harmony in measure 21, this piece barely has any weak beats at all.

Frequently played too fast because, I suppose, it contains 16th notes, I prefer to play this at a more serious tempo. There are too many strong beats to ignore, and a fast tempo simply trivializes what should stand out. I use agogic accents (see part one) and bigger articulations before beat 1 of measures 14 and 16 and before the 3rd beat of m. 21 to draw more attention to them. This prelude, with new harmonies constantly appearing, demands a slower tempo and time to hear and consider those harmonies! You can hear the d Minor Prelude performed on "Suites & Treats."

Notes, Part 2

1. Johann J. Quantz, On Playing the Flute, translated by Edward R. Reilly (New York, Schirmer Books, 1966) p. 123.
   
2. Johann Walther, Musikalisches Lexicon, translated by Frederick Neumann in "The French Inegales, Quantz, and Bach," Journal of the American Musicological Society, XVIII (1965), p. 336.
   
3. Marie Dominique Joseph Engramelle, in: Francois Bedos de Celles, The Organbuilder, translated by Charles Ferguson (Raleigh: The Sunbury Press, 1977), Vol. I, p. 327-328.
   
4. Anthony Newman, Bach and the Baroque (New York: Pendragon Press, 1985) p.58

Part 3

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