Tanja Kov | Queen's University Belfast (original) (raw)
Books by Tanja Kov
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A series of reprints and translations of the most representative articles on the subject of J. S.... more A series of reprints and translations of the most representative articles on the subject of J. S. Bach's B-minor Mass. The book accompanied the International Symposium Understanding Bach's B-minor Mass, held 2–4 November 2007 at Queen's University Belfast, and organised in association with the Society of Musicology in Ireland and Bach Network UK. Contents: 'Et Incarnatus' and 'Crucifixus': The Earliest and Latest Settings of Bach's B-Minor Mass—Christoph Wolff; Bach's Use of Fugue in the Stile Antico Vocal Writing of the B-Minor Mass—Paul Walker; Universality in Bach’s B-Minor Mass: A Portrait of Bach in his Final Years—Yoshitake Kobayashi (transl. T. Kovacevic); Friedrich Smend’s Edition of the B-minor Mass by J. S. Bach—Georg von Dadelsen (transl. J. A. Brokaw, II); Dogma Set to Music: Theological Aspects of Bach’s B-minor Mass—Martin Petzoldt (transl. A. Koll, I. van Elferen, T. Kovacevic); Numerical Ordering in Bach’s B-minor Mass—Ruth Tatlow; A Guide to the Temporal Structure of the 1733 Missa—Don O. Franklin; J. S. Bach’s Mass in B minor: A Study of its Reception History in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, esp. Regarding the Activities of F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy—Hiromi Hoshino (transl. N. Gotoh); The Coates Continuo Conundrum Clarified—Teri Noel Towe.
Articles by Tanja Kov
Eighteenth-Century Music, 13/1 (2016), Mar 2016
This is a revised and expanded version of the English-language article published in Understanding... more This is a revised and expanded version of the English-language article published in Understanding Bach 5 (2010), http://www.bachnetwork.co.uk/understanding-bach/ub5/.
The study focuses on a set of manuscript parts of the second Kyrie from Johann Sebastian Bach’s B-minor Mass (BWV 232/3), which first came to the attention of Bach scholarship in 2010. The parts were used in the first documented performance of this work in Prague in 1845. A text-critical examination of the source in conjunction with historical and contextual evidence, its relationship with other sources and some seemingly unimportant information has unravelled a fascinating chapter of Bohemian Bach reception, in which the Prague Organ School and its director Carl Franz Pitsch played a vital role.
The discovery of a bizarre manuscript arrangement of the spurious Prelude and Fugue in B-flat maj... more The discovery of a bizarre manuscript arrangement of the spurious Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major on the name BACH (BWV 898) for 32 hands (8 pianos, 16 players) led to a series of questions: What would have been the purpose of such an arrangement? Why was it written for what seems to be an extraordinarily impractical number of performers and instruments? Who was the arranger? Was it ever performed? If so, who were the performers and where did all the pianos come from? And why was this particular work chosen? Does this particular source give an additional, and previously unheeded, dimension to Bohemian Bach reception, and to Bach reception in general? These are just some of the enigmas posed by this peculiar find, which are explored in this article.
Evidence of the presence of J. S. Bach in the Slovenian lands in the first half of the nineteenth... more Evidence of the presence of J. S. Bach in the Slovenian lands in the first half of the nineteenth century is limited to a few fleeting references to his name in contemporary periodicals. This article examines the role of the composer Anton Foerster and his Czech roots in the Slovenian Bach awakening through a detailed discussion of two manuscripts containing copies of Bach’s keyboard works, which accompanied the composer on his journey from Bohemia to Ljubljana. The manuscripts are housed in the National and University Library, Ljubljana.
The study focuses on a newly-discovered set of manuscript parts of the second Kyrie from Bach’s B... more The study focuses on a newly-discovered set of manuscript parts of the second Kyrie from Bach’s B-minor Mass (BWV 232/3) used in the work’s first performance in Prague in 1845. In conjunction with historical and contextual evidence, its relationship with other sources, and some seemingly unimportant information, it examines the roles its protagonists - the Prague Organ School and its director Carl Franz Pitsch - played in Bohemian Bach reception.
This article, written in collaboration with Yo Tomita, examines a number of recently-discovered 1... more This article, written in collaboration with Yo Tomita, examines a number of recently-discovered 18th-century manuscript copies of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin (BWV 1001–1006) from around the world, looks at their provenances, some of which are linked to eminent musical figures such as Carl Friedrich Zelter (1758–1832) and Louis Spohr (1784–1859), establishes a textual link between them, and traces the origin of this branch of transmission to Bach’s autograph.
International Symposium: Understanding Bach's B-minor Mass. Discussion Book 2. Resource Book, Sep 2007
1. Studies of the B minor Mass; 2. Sources and editions; 3. Historical background; 4. Analysis of... more 1. Studies of the B minor Mass; 2. Sources and editions; 3. Historical background; 4. Analysis of compositional issues; 5. Reception history; 6. Performance practice.
The autograph of the aria ‘Frena mio bene’ by Julije Bajamonti (1744-1800) is kept in the music c... more The autograph of the aria ‘Frena mio bene’ by Julije Bajamonti (1744-1800) is kept in the music collection of Nikola Algarotti (Udina) (1791-1838). Bajamonti wrote the piece during his sojourn in Venice in 1775, and dedicated it to a certain Rosa Campioni. This simple but charming example of Bajamonti's pre-Classical gallant taste is written for a soprano accompanied by strings, 2 flutes, 2 horns and basso continuo.
Book Reviews by Tanja Kov
Journal for Eighteenth‐Century Studies, 2011
Schiller as Philosopher (2005) and ably builds on the best earlier books on Schiller in English, ... more Schiller as Philosopher (2005) and ably builds on the best earlier books on Schiller in English, by Lesley Sharpe (1991) and David Pugh (1997). The coverage is wide: there are essays on all the major works, as well as on biography, relations with Goethe and reception. The emphasis is on conceptual clarity, historical accuracy and critical context. The contributors are a star cast of Schiller specialists.
Conference Papers and Talks by Tanja Kov
The remarkably abundant resources preserved in Prague archives, the extensive (and under-research... more The remarkably abundant resources preserved in Prague archives, the extensive (and under-researched) music collection of the Prague Conservatoire in particular, has proved of great interest to the study of Bach reception. The older, historical part of the Conservatoire collection comprises a number of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, both manuscript copies and early editions, which have only recently come to the attention of Bach scholars. Among these, a large group of sources bear the hallmarks of the ‘Musikbildungs-Anstalt’ of Joseph Proksch (1794–1864). Known to musicologists primarily as the blind teacher of Bedřich Smetana, Proksch established in 1831 in Prague a music school for pianists and structured his teaching upon the system of Johann Bernhard Logier (1777–1846). While Logier’s system had been the subject of immense controversy, Proksch, aware of its shortcomings, improved upon it, made it his own, and gained widespread recognition as well as many a follower. The extant sources tell us that Bach played an important role in his teaching. From his library catalogue we can discern that he possessed C. F. Peters’ first series of J. S. Bach’s Oeuvres Complettes (published from 1837 onwards) among many others. But what really stands out are the curious arrangements of Bach’s works for two to eight pianos for four hands, among which an arrangement of Passacaglia in C minor (BWV 582) for two piano duets and the spurious Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major on the name of BACH (BWV 898) for eight piano duets. It has been suggested that such multi-player arrangements were a trend in 19th-century Prague, but could there have been other reasons, besides fashion, for their existence? By studying these sources, in conjunction with records relating to Proksch’s teaching activity, the reviews of the work’s performances in newspapers of the period, as well as his autobiographical accounts, this paper assesses Proksch’s place in Czech Bach reception.
The reception of Bach’s works is usually rationalised in terms of its two distinct manifestations... more The reception of Bach’s works is usually rationalised in terms of its two distinct manifestations: that of tradition, on the one hand, and re-discovery, on the other. The two aspects have generally been allied with the dichotomy of the spiritual versus the secular Bach. The secular Bach continued to subsist in a more or less direct and uninterrupted tradition, while the spiritual Bach was exiled from the church, but denied admission to the concert hall. One might expect to find a similar interpretation in predominantly Catholic Central Europe, but in the absence of a systematic study of Bach reception in much of the region, especially in countries that have been off the beaten track of Western Bach scholars, the picture has remained incomplete. Cataloguing projects, particularly in smaller provincial and university libraries, and technological advances exemplified by the digitisation of library resources (catalogues as well as entire collections), have created new opportunities for the study of sources that have so far eluded Bach scholars. This paper, based on recent explorations of archives and libraries in Central Europe, draws attention to these little-known manuscripts, places them in the wider context of Bach reception and suggests how such findings add to our existing knowledge.
A series of reprints and translations of the most representative articles on the subject of J. S.... more A series of reprints and translations of the most representative articles on the subject of J. S. Bach's B-minor Mass. The book accompanied the International Symposium Understanding Bach's B-minor Mass, held 2–4 November 2007 at Queen's University Belfast, and organised in association with the Society of Musicology in Ireland and Bach Network UK. Contents: 'Et Incarnatus' and 'Crucifixus': The Earliest and Latest Settings of Bach's B-Minor Mass—Christoph Wolff; Bach's Use of Fugue in the Stile Antico Vocal Writing of the B-Minor Mass—Paul Walker; Universality in Bach’s B-Minor Mass: A Portrait of Bach in his Final Years—Yoshitake Kobayashi (transl. T. Kovacevic); Friedrich Smend’s Edition of the B-minor Mass by J. S. Bach—Georg von Dadelsen (transl. J. A. Brokaw, II); Dogma Set to Music: Theological Aspects of Bach’s B-minor Mass—Martin Petzoldt (transl. A. Koll, I. van Elferen, T. Kovacevic); Numerical Ordering in Bach’s B-minor Mass—Ruth Tatlow; A Guide to the Temporal Structure of the 1733 Missa—Don O. Franklin; J. S. Bach’s Mass in B minor: A Study of its Reception History in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, esp. Regarding the Activities of F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy—Hiromi Hoshino (transl. N. Gotoh); The Coates Continuo Conundrum Clarified—Teri Noel Towe.
Eighteenth-Century Music, 13/1 (2016), Mar 2016
This is a revised and expanded version of the English-language article published in Understanding... more This is a revised and expanded version of the English-language article published in Understanding Bach 5 (2010), http://www.bachnetwork.co.uk/understanding-bach/ub5/.
The study focuses on a set of manuscript parts of the second Kyrie from Johann Sebastian Bach’s B-minor Mass (BWV 232/3), which first came to the attention of Bach scholarship in 2010. The parts were used in the first documented performance of this work in Prague in 1845. A text-critical examination of the source in conjunction with historical and contextual evidence, its relationship with other sources and some seemingly unimportant information has unravelled a fascinating chapter of Bohemian Bach reception, in which the Prague Organ School and its director Carl Franz Pitsch played a vital role.
The discovery of a bizarre manuscript arrangement of the spurious Prelude and Fugue in B-flat maj... more The discovery of a bizarre manuscript arrangement of the spurious Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major on the name BACH (BWV 898) for 32 hands (8 pianos, 16 players) led to a series of questions: What would have been the purpose of such an arrangement? Why was it written for what seems to be an extraordinarily impractical number of performers and instruments? Who was the arranger? Was it ever performed? If so, who were the performers and where did all the pianos come from? And why was this particular work chosen? Does this particular source give an additional, and previously unheeded, dimension to Bohemian Bach reception, and to Bach reception in general? These are just some of the enigmas posed by this peculiar find, which are explored in this article.
Evidence of the presence of J. S. Bach in the Slovenian lands in the first half of the nineteenth... more Evidence of the presence of J. S. Bach in the Slovenian lands in the first half of the nineteenth century is limited to a few fleeting references to his name in contemporary periodicals. This article examines the role of the composer Anton Foerster and his Czech roots in the Slovenian Bach awakening through a detailed discussion of two manuscripts containing copies of Bach’s keyboard works, which accompanied the composer on his journey from Bohemia to Ljubljana. The manuscripts are housed in the National and University Library, Ljubljana.
The study focuses on a newly-discovered set of manuscript parts of the second Kyrie from Bach’s B... more The study focuses on a newly-discovered set of manuscript parts of the second Kyrie from Bach’s B-minor Mass (BWV 232/3) used in the work’s first performance in Prague in 1845. In conjunction with historical and contextual evidence, its relationship with other sources, and some seemingly unimportant information, it examines the roles its protagonists - the Prague Organ School and its director Carl Franz Pitsch - played in Bohemian Bach reception.
This article, written in collaboration with Yo Tomita, examines a number of recently-discovered 1... more This article, written in collaboration with Yo Tomita, examines a number of recently-discovered 18th-century manuscript copies of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin (BWV 1001–1006) from around the world, looks at their provenances, some of which are linked to eminent musical figures such as Carl Friedrich Zelter (1758–1832) and Louis Spohr (1784–1859), establishes a textual link between them, and traces the origin of this branch of transmission to Bach’s autograph.
International Symposium: Understanding Bach's B-minor Mass. Discussion Book 2. Resource Book, Sep 2007
1. Studies of the B minor Mass; 2. Sources and editions; 3. Historical background; 4. Analysis of... more 1. Studies of the B minor Mass; 2. Sources and editions; 3. Historical background; 4. Analysis of compositional issues; 5. Reception history; 6. Performance practice.
The autograph of the aria ‘Frena mio bene’ by Julije Bajamonti (1744-1800) is kept in the music c... more The autograph of the aria ‘Frena mio bene’ by Julije Bajamonti (1744-1800) is kept in the music collection of Nikola Algarotti (Udina) (1791-1838). Bajamonti wrote the piece during his sojourn in Venice in 1775, and dedicated it to a certain Rosa Campioni. This simple but charming example of Bajamonti's pre-Classical gallant taste is written for a soprano accompanied by strings, 2 flutes, 2 horns and basso continuo.
Journal for Eighteenth‐Century Studies, 2011
Schiller as Philosopher (2005) and ably builds on the best earlier books on Schiller in English, ... more Schiller as Philosopher (2005) and ably builds on the best earlier books on Schiller in English, by Lesley Sharpe (1991) and David Pugh (1997). The coverage is wide: there are essays on all the major works, as well as on biography, relations with Goethe and reception. The emphasis is on conceptual clarity, historical accuracy and critical context. The contributors are a star cast of Schiller specialists.
The remarkably abundant resources preserved in Prague archives, the extensive (and under-research... more The remarkably abundant resources preserved in Prague archives, the extensive (and under-researched) music collection of the Prague Conservatoire in particular, has proved of great interest to the study of Bach reception. The older, historical part of the Conservatoire collection comprises a number of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, both manuscript copies and early editions, which have only recently come to the attention of Bach scholars. Among these, a large group of sources bear the hallmarks of the ‘Musikbildungs-Anstalt’ of Joseph Proksch (1794–1864). Known to musicologists primarily as the blind teacher of Bedřich Smetana, Proksch established in 1831 in Prague a music school for pianists and structured his teaching upon the system of Johann Bernhard Logier (1777–1846). While Logier’s system had been the subject of immense controversy, Proksch, aware of its shortcomings, improved upon it, made it his own, and gained widespread recognition as well as many a follower. The extant sources tell us that Bach played an important role in his teaching. From his library catalogue we can discern that he possessed C. F. Peters’ first series of J. S. Bach’s Oeuvres Complettes (published from 1837 onwards) among many others. But what really stands out are the curious arrangements of Bach’s works for two to eight pianos for four hands, among which an arrangement of Passacaglia in C minor (BWV 582) for two piano duets and the spurious Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major on the name of BACH (BWV 898) for eight piano duets. It has been suggested that such multi-player arrangements were a trend in 19th-century Prague, but could there have been other reasons, besides fashion, for their existence? By studying these sources, in conjunction with records relating to Proksch’s teaching activity, the reviews of the work’s performances in newspapers of the period, as well as his autobiographical accounts, this paper assesses Proksch’s place in Czech Bach reception.
The reception of Bach’s works is usually rationalised in terms of its two distinct manifestations... more The reception of Bach’s works is usually rationalised in terms of its two distinct manifestations: that of tradition, on the one hand, and re-discovery, on the other. The two aspects have generally been allied with the dichotomy of the spiritual versus the secular Bach. The secular Bach continued to subsist in a more or less direct and uninterrupted tradition, while the spiritual Bach was exiled from the church, but denied admission to the concert hall. One might expect to find a similar interpretation in predominantly Catholic Central Europe, but in the absence of a systematic study of Bach reception in much of the region, especially in countries that have been off the beaten track of Western Bach scholars, the picture has remained incomplete. Cataloguing projects, particularly in smaller provincial and university libraries, and technological advances exemplified by the digitisation of library resources (catalogues as well as entire collections), have created new opportunities for the study of sources that have so far eluded Bach scholars. This paper, based on recent explorations of archives and libraries in Central Europe, draws attention to these little-known manuscripts, places them in the wider context of Bach reception and suggests how such findings add to our existing knowledge.
Eighteenth Century Music, 2012
De musica disserenda, 2011
This is a revised and expanded version of the English-language article published in Understanding... more This is a revised and expanded version of the English-language article published in Understanding Bach 5 (2010), http://www.bachnetwork.co.uk/understanding-bach/ub5/. The study focuses on a set of manuscript parts of the second Kyrie from Johann Sebastian Bach’s B-minor Mass (BWV 232/3), which first came to the attention of Bach scholarship in 2010. The parts were used in the first documented performance of this work in Prague in 1845. A text-critical examination of the source in conjunction with historical and contextual evidence, its relationship with other sources and some seemingly unimportant information has unravelled a fascinating chapter of Bohemian Bach reception, in which the Prague Organ School and its director Carl Franz Pitsch played a vital role.
Bach-Jahrbuch, 2018
Der Artikel stellt einen nach dem Erscheinen des Kritischen Berichts der NBA zu den Sonaten und P... more Der Artikel stellt einen nach dem Erscheinen des Kritischen Berichts der NBA zu den Sonaten und Partiten für Violine solo neu entdeckten Überlieferungszweig dieser Werkgruppe vor. Zwei dieser Quellen waren bis dato unbekannt, eine weitere fand bisher keine ausführliche Erwähnung. Auf Grundlage der vorgestellten Ergebnisse wird zudem eine länger bekannte Quelle neu bewertet. Zudem werden Indizien zur Überlieferung des Bach’schen Autografs für die Jahre vor 1842 beigesteuert. Erwähnte Artikel: Andreas Moser: Zu Joh. Seb. Bachs Sonaten und Partiten für Violine allein. BJ 1920, S. 30-65 Herfried Homburg: Louis Spohr und die Bach-Renaissance. BJ 1960, S. 65-82 Peter Wollny: Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach und die Teilung des väterlichen Erbes. BJ 2001, S. 55-70 Jürgen Neubacher: Der Organist Johann Gottfried Rist (1741-1795) und der Bratschist Ludwig August Christoph Hopff (1715-1798): Zwei Hamburger Notenkopisten Carl Philipp Emanuel Bachs. BJ 2005, S. 109-124
Eighteenth Century Music, 2016
The autograph of the aria ‘Frena mio bene’ by Julije Bajamonti (1744-1800) is kept in the music c... more The autograph of the aria ‘Frena mio bene’ by Julije Bajamonti (1744-1800) is kept in the music collection of Nikola Algarotti (Udina) (1791-1838). Bajamonti wrote the piece during his sojourn in Venice in 1775, and dedicated it to a certain Rosa Campioni. This simple but charming example of Bajamonti's pre-Classical gallant taste is written for a soprano accompanied by strings, 2 flutes, 2 horns and basso continuo.
1. Studies of the B-minor Mass; 2. Sources and editions; 3. Historical background; 4. Analysis of... more 1. Studies of the B-minor Mass; 2. Sources and editions; 3. Historical background; 4. Analysis of compositional issues; 5. Reception history; 6. Performance practice.
The remarkably abundant resources preserved in Prague archives, the extensive (and under-research... more The remarkably abundant resources preserved in Prague archives, the extensive (and under-researched) music collection of the Prague Conservatoire in particular, has proved of great interest to the study of Bach reception. The older, historical part of the Conservatoire collection comprises a number of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, both manuscript copies and early editions, which have only recently come to the attention of Bach scholars. Among these, a large group of sources bear the hallmarks of the ‘Musikbildungs-Anstalt’ of Joseph Proksch (1794–1864). Known to musicologists primarily as the blind teacher of Bedřich Smetana, Proksch established in 1831 in Prague a music school for pianists and structured his teaching upon the system of Johann Bernhard Logier (1777–1846). While Logier’s system had been the subject of immense controversy, Proksch, aware of its shortcomings, improved upon it, made it his own, and gained widespread recognition as well as many a follower. The extant sources tell us that Bach played an important role in his teaching. From his library catalogue we can discern that he possessed C. F. Peters’ first series of J. S. Bach’s Oeuvres Complettes (published from 1837 onwards) among many others. But what really stands out are the curious arrangements of Bach’s works for two to eight pianos for four hands, among which an arrangement of Passacaglia in C minor (BWV 582) for two piano duets and the spurious Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major on the name of BACH (BWV 898) for eight piano duets. It has been suggested that such multi-player arrangements were a trend in 19th-century Prague, but could there have been other reasons, besides fashion, for their existence? By studying these sources, in conjunction with records relating to Proksch’s teaching activity, the reviews of the work’s performances in newspapers of the period, as well as his autobiographical accounts, this paper assesses Proksch’s place in Czech Bach reception.
Full text at http://www.bachnetwork.co.uk/ub8/UB8\_Kovacevic.pdf --- The discovery of a bizarre ma... more Full text at http://www.bachnetwork.co.uk/ub8/UB8_Kovacevic.pdf --- The discovery of a bizarre manuscript arrangement of the spurious Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major on the name BACH (BWV 898) for 32 hands (8 pianos, 16 players) led to a series of questions: What would have been the purpose of such an arrangement? Why was it written for what seems to be an extraordinarily impractical number of performers and instruments? Who was the arranger? Was it ever performed? If so, who were the performers and where did all the pianos come from? And why was this particular work chosen? Does this particular source give an additional, and previously unheeded, dimension to Bohemian Bach reception, and to Bach reception in general? These are just some of the enigmas posed by this peculiar find, which are explored in this article.
