Did baroque composers think of ritardando on their compositions?

Question

I've been always told that whenever I play any baroque piece on the piano, I should take special care when attending to, for example, the amount of right pedal I should use. It sounded perfectly normal when it was explained to me, because there was no such thing as a "right pedal" during baroque era, or anything similar to it.But when it comes to other things like the use of *ritardando* at the end of a movement on a suite, or at the end of a whole piece, I hesitate, because it doesn't seem to be a standard way to play it (if there is some), and I've heard opposite opinions about it. Some argue (the purists) that nobody should play a *ritardando*, because there is not explicit information in the piece that encourages you to do so; others say that though it's not a resource you should employ whenever you have the chance, there are moments where the music "forces" you to do so. If I had to declare myself a follower of any of the opinions above, I'm more inclined to the second one. I can't imagine Bach creating the dramatic atmospheres he creates without thinking in slowing the *tempo* a little bit at the end of the phrase. But anyway, there's still some dispute about it, so my question is the following: > Is there any record that shows us whether baroque performers played *ritardando* or not?

Answer 1

Thank you for the interesting comments. When was Ritardando put on paper? I have been fortunate to sing and play Baroque music including Barbara Strozzi, and opera, including Rinaldo(Handel), Dido and Aeneas(Purcell). I have also been very fortunate to see Monteverdi's operas and Vivaldi's Four Seasons in Venice, where they were first performed. Was Ritardando used in vocal and operatic music in those time periods? Absolutely! Singers in opera had to have time to make changes on/off stage. The harpsichord will always slow down and usually create Roulades to allow time to flow. When do we see markings in scores for Ritardando? Not usually until the 18th century. However, Baroque composers wrote in letters, etc. where the tempi should slow, etc. And there is a large difference between playing on Baroque harpsichord, and piano, obviously not of that era. Pianist Glenn Gould played Bach that is heart rending. Yet, is it the same as playing Bach on harpsichord: no! I feel when I sing, play piano and teach, that Music is made to follow the heart, no matter what period it was created.

Answer 2

Short answer: I don't know. Long answer: if ritardando was not a standard practice why does Bach end his pieces with chords in long notes? By which means he actually forces a slow-down.

I think the purists you describe are being willfully ignorant of a practice that has been handed down for centuries. I think you touch on another perspective when you write about "the dramatic atmospheres he creates" --- yes. This IS dramatic music; not a machine-driven set of instructions (oh how we've been seduced by the computer metaphor!). If you listen to Pablo Casals, or Anner Bylsma, playing the Cello Suites, you'll see what I mean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL95vwU92qo

It's a bit much for me, but it certainly is a loving appreciation of the music.