Seger's prelude in C (L 20) is probably meant as a manualiter piece. For the true virtuoso it is of course possible to play the bass line with the feet, but I would have a hard time playing it like that. As a manualiter piece, it is quite easy to play and at the same time it is a perfect exxample of Seger's ability to build a mature composition from just one simple motif. It keeps amazing me how easy and natural the music of Seger seems to flow. It feels like the music could not have been wriiten any other way than the result we see and hear. Nevertheless, as the preludes L5 () and L 16a () show, Seger writes just as easily entirely different pieces based on the same opening motif.

Among the many many compositions that may or may not have been written by Johann Sebastian Bach, is the little choral partita "Ach, was soll ich Sünder machen". It features a four part setting of the choral, followed by three variations, that have the choral melody in the bass voice,m the tenor voice and the bass voice respectively. The authorship of Bach is dubious. The music might just as well have been written by Johann Heinrich Buttstett, or by Andreas Nicolaus Vetter. Whoever wrote it, it is a charming little partita.

Watch on 3SpeakSince manuscript Becker III.8.63 notates the music on just two staves, it is most of the tmes a bit of a guess wether or not a the pedals have a role or not. Sometimes long bass notes have an explicit indication "P" next to them. For the rest it is as if the music is meant to be played manualiter. The prelude in A major, L 19, is no exception in this regard. It is notated on two staves and bears no indication of the use of the pedals. Nevertheless, to my ears, this composition begs the use of a strong plenum registration and in line with that, use of the pedals. Notated in dotted rythm, the use of plenun and pedals are in line with the forcefull character of the piece.

Watch on 3SpeakThe ninth Fantasia from manuscript Becker II 51, owned by the Leipziger Stadtbibliothek, is based on two themes or motives. Both are introduced in the first 6 bars of the fantasia. Though it is perhaps tempting to say that the first one of these two is the main theme and the second one is the counter subject, they turn out to be equally important in the development of the fantasia. The fantasia is roughly devided into four sections, the outer two of which feature both motives. The two middle, shorter sections are each based on one of the two motives. All in all a very well written piece and a joy to play.

First a word for @hivewatchers: if you do your research properly, as you should, you'll see that this post is published a day before the score is published on my website. Now, that would be quite a trick if I wasn't the original author, wouldn't it?

Just a short clip to test the 3speak app on my phone. On my phone it seems to work, the video did indeed upload. On my pc however, I can't upload anything. Or beter: the viedo seems to upload, but after that nothing happens when I click on "save".