Interpreting Bach Across Cultures: A Thai Pianist’s Approach to Historical Performance and Contemporary Identity

Abstract

The headline of this article is to develop an approach to musical performance that enables performers to articulate their unique musical personas. This is achieved by bringing together the performer’s own background, their cultural roots, and insights from historical practice. The scope of the study is based on Concerto for Three Harpsichords in D minor, BWV 1063, and Concerto for Four Harpsichords in A minor, BWV 1065 both pieces composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. The research framework contains three main components: 1. Precursor research of keyboard performance: This is concerned with Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s ornamentation, phrasing, voicing/articulation and the relative essays on ‘pulses’ in ‘Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments’ 2. The integration to

heterophonic texture in Thai music: The integration of the heterophonic texture of Thai traditional music is utilized here as an aesthetic reference framework. 3. Application in practice and performance: The results from these two phases are applied to practical rehearsal and performance, trying to construct an interpretative approach that embodies creativity and individual identity. The conclusions of this research indicate that pianists particularly in the cross-cultural contexts have ways of constructing interpretations that richly integrate contextual features meaningfully.