C.P.E. Bach Study Guide: The Snap

C.P.E. Bach: Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen
(Part One 1753, Berlin)
(Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments)

I am always interested in original sources, and this is one of the best for keyboard players. C.P.E. would have formed many of his ideas from his father, the great J.S. Bach. At the same time, he was very much part of the next generation and was well known and respected on his own merits. It is well worth the effort to study the text either in the original German or the English translation. Having made my way through both, it takes time to wade through the antiquated writing style and sort out the musical examples. The following study guide is intended to make the text more accessible by providing a summary of each paragraph along with audio clips of the musical examples.

Study Guide: Summary and Examples
Chapter Two, Embellishments: The Snap

THE SNAP (a.k.a. inverted mordent in English texts)

1) C.P.E. shows the notation of the ornament and suggest it be called “Der Schneller”, translated as “The Snap”. He notes that it is an inverted mordent (although he does not use this as its term), and notes its tones are the same as the short trill.

2) The snap:

  • Is always played rapidly
  • It only appears before quick detached notes
  • It adds brilliance to these notes and fills them out

3) What distinguishes the snap:

  • Snap vs. the Unsuffixed trill (the snap is basically a miniature unsuffixed trill)
    • The snap is best followed by a descent, the unsuffixed trill best followed by an ascent
  • Snap vs. all other trills
    • Snap is never enclosed (first note is always struck/sounded)
    • Snap never appears under a slur

4) Use the strongest fingers to play the ornament, and make sure the staccato character of the notes are preserved by using appropriate fingering, as shown in Figure 163 (a).

It is often used at caesurae (Figure 163 (b):

SOURCES

Bach, C.P.E. Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments. Translated and edited by William J. Mitchell, W.W. Norton & Company, 1949, pp. 142-143.

Bach, Karl Philipp Emanuel. Versuch über die wahre Art das Klavier zu spielen. Edited by Walter Niemann, C.P. Khant, Leipzig, 1925, pp. 77-78.

CLICK HERE to download a pdf version of this study guide