Vocabulary and Syntax in the Preludes of Tommaso Giordani

Perspectives for Pedagogy and Performance

Abstract

Up until the mid-nineteenth century, preludes were an integral part of performance practice. These short, extemporized pieces were designed to prepare the performer and listener for the music to follow. Now a forgotten practice, research into historical improvisation relies on written models to inform our understanding and help revive this lost art. Italian pedagogy in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was characterized by a strong tradition of improvisation, one which encouraged the art of combinations — ars combinatoria — and the principle of variation. Through practice, musicians developed a vocabulary of musical stock phrases which they learned to vary in different ways and combine into longer musical sentences. This practice is exemplified in Tommaso Giordani’s (c. 1730–1806) collection of Fourteen Preludes for the Harpsichord or Piano Forte in all the different keys published in the 1780s. Using William Caplin’s theory of formal functions, I will demonstrate how Giordani’s preludes employ a consistent syntax. Indeed, they use a sentence-like structure, which is characterized by a typical order of musical events: a presentation phrase (or other opener), a continuation phrase, and a cadential phrase. Next, drawing from Robert Gjerdingen’s schemas, I will explore the specific vocabulary used by Giordani within the sentence-like structure. Though he uses a limited set of harmonies, Giordani also creates variety through chromatic alterations, and textural and contrapuntal variations. Due to their relatively “formulaic” construction, Giordani’s preludes offer performers and learners an excellent starting point for developing the vocabulary and syntax necessary to create their own preludes.

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