RogerEvansOnline.com

While there seems to be plenty of interest in the influence of bel canto singing on the piano manner of Chopin (the meters for this site reporting that this and this are two of the most-linked-to entries in the ten-month history of RogerEvansOnline), Anthony Tommasini’s video posted today on the New York Times site makes an equally interesting point about a sort of pre-bel-canto in Bach.

His highlighting Bach’s use of a “catchy tune” in the accompaniment, to empower a more wandering soprano melody, is an excellent example of using a simple principle and homely, jargon-free words to make an important point about musical form. It’s not every day that we see that in the daily press.