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Teaching Rhythm and Meter with the Moto Perpetuo Movements from Bach's Unaccompanied Instrumental Works

2018; Baldwin Wallace University; Volume: 49; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/bach.2018.0017

2767-4843

Stacey Davis,

Diverse Musicological Studies

Music is a fundamentally time-based art form. From the durations of individual pitches and the establishment of meter, to the design of motives, the pacing of harmonic changes, and the development of form—the creation of music is dependent on manipulations of duration, chronology, and tempo. Yet, the typical undergraduate music theory curriculum gives relatively little attention to the study of rhythm and meter. In order to augment that curriculum, this article employs the moto perpetuo movements of J. S. Bach's unaccompanied instrumental works to teach a selection of rhythmic concepts. Emphasis is placed on how aspects of melody and harmony establish meter, imply syncopation, create hypermeter, and produce metric ambiguity.