Hans Klotz: The ornamentation of the piano and organ works by J. S. Bach
Edition of the Guild of Hungarian Instrument Builders MHMC, Budapest, 2009
Preview of Zoltán Kocsis, Pianist, Music Director of the Hungarian State Philharmonic Orchestra
(A detailled review will be given to the musicological journal Muzsika)
Budapest, May 17th 2010
"It is worth take it to heart" with these words starts Alfred Dürr (1985 Musica), world famous Bach researcher his review which he wrote about the book of Hans Klotz. Moreover, Christoph Wolff, an other giant in the Bach research (Bach-Jahrbuch 1989), signifies the work as exceedingly clear and useful, while he values the structure of the work.
Now we can finally, even though with a delay of 25 years, hold this basic work in our hands. This again because of the engagement of Sebestyén Nyírö.
In fact, this book of Hans Klotz is finally about the practice. This is reflected by the innumerable examples of explanation of the performance (444 by number),
the series of the quotations, which express the esthetics of that time. Above all that crowned this work the career of Hans Klotz, who was set up to life by Albert Schweitzer and Charles-Marie Widor. The merits of Klotz as an excellent organologist and organ-builder dont diminish, but on the contrary, they just increase
the value of the musicological work of the practically oriented musician and theory specialist Klotz.
The excellent qualities of the Hungarian edition of the book make a quick search possible, qualities that make up for the search in dictionaries: a sectioning with colours, placed on the outer edge of the pages, the listing of the works in a register, the marking of unit of thoughts, the numbering of the musical examples, the index of names, the bookmarkers, all that lets the practically oriented musician see his/her way quickly, if he/she gets under time pressure.
The translation of the book, its structuring, its whole completion (with exception of the language control) is the result of a personal sacrifice made by Sebestyén Nyírö, my pianist colleague. With knowledge of the original work, I can testify, that the book belongs to the publications of highest standard; his musical examples are very sharp, to survey well and the style of the Hungarian translation apparently lets us forget the touch of foreign idiomatic terms, something that is in specialized translations almost inevitable.
The profound knowledge of the art of ornamentation of J. S. Bach is the business of conscience of every pianist. The transmission of the spirit of the works of the giant of composers in a pretentious way is not a matter of secondary importance. Already Bartók got thoroughly busy with it (in his edition of the Little Preludes and in the series Das Wohltemperierte Klavier). Bartók wanted to understand the genius of Bach and has untiringly done for it that, what he was able to do.
That we can do now the same, has become possible through the solid work of Sebestyén Nyírö.
So we would like to follow Bartók (also) in this.
Zoltán Kocsis
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