francesco geminiani: opera omnia volume 5. 6 …1 francesco geminiani: opera omnia volume 5. 6...

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Francesco Geminiani: Opera Omnia Volume 5. 6 Sonatas Op. 5 (versions for cello and basso continuo H. 103-108; for violin and basso continuo H. 109-114). Christopher Hogwood, editor. Ut Orpheus Edizioni, 2010 (112 pp. clothbound). “AlthoughGeminiani(1687‐1762)washeldtobetheequalofCorelliinhisownday—andindeedthoughtbysometobesuperiortohiscontemporaryHandelininstrumentalcomposition—hisconsiderableoutputofmusicanddidacticwritingshasonlybeenavailableinpiecemealfashion,muchofitneverreissuedsincehislifetimeexceptinfacsimile,andthuslargelyinaccessibletomodernperformers.Thislackofmaterialdesignedforpracticalperformancehasconcealedtheenormousoriginalityheshowedbothinwritingandre‐writinghisownmusic,andthatofCorelli.FrancescoGeminianiOperaOmniarectifiesthisomissionwiththefirstuniformandaccuratescholarlyeditionofallversionsofhismusicandwritingsinaformthatallowspertinentcomparisonandreevaluation.”Soopensthegeneralprefacetothisfirstvolume(ofseventeen)inUtOrpheus’completeGeminianiEdition,andamorefelicitousintroductionitwouldbedifficulttoimagine.Foracomposerofsuchimportance,particularlyonewhoselimitedoutputstandswellwithinthelogisticalandeconomicconstraintsofthemusicpublishingindustry,hisneglecthasbeenastonishing.Untiltheperiodinstrumentmovementgotgoinginthepastseveraldecades,thiswasalsotrueofGeminiani’srepresentationonrecordings‐‐afactthatresultedinaparticularlyamusingepisodefrommyownpersonalwanderingsthroughthesometimesstrangeworldofclassicalmusiccollectingandappreciation.Itrustyouwillagreethatit’sworthsharinghere.Duringmycollegedaysintheearly1980s,IwastheproudownerofagoodlychunkofPhilips’“LivingBaroque”seriesofLPs,andwasenjoyinggettingtoknowallofthoseItalian“elli,”“ani,”“oni,”and“ini”composers.Forreasonswedon’tneedtogointo,Imadetheacquaintanceofanextremelypretentiousmarriedcoupleaffiliatedwiththeuniversityinsomeway,andtheycameovertomyplaceforavisitoneevening.Theywereinterestedinmyrecordcollection(prettyexcessiveeventhen),andwhenIaskedthemwhattheyenjoyedandiftheywantedtohearsomething,thehusbandtooktheopportunitytosaythattheywereparticularlyfondoftheItalianBaroque.IrandownthelistofcomposerIknewIhadonhand:Locatelli,Corelli,Tartini,Albinoni,maybeacoupleofothers—andrefusingtobeimpressed,hesaid:“We’reparticularlyfondofGeminiani.”Ididn’thaveanyGeminiani.Ididn’tevenknowiftherewasanyGeminianitohave.“Ofcourse,”hepressedobnoxiously,“everyseriousBaroquemusicenthusiastlovesGeminiani.Youmusthavesome,don’tyou?”Ishouldhavejustsaid,“No”andleftitatthat.Afterall,he’dalreadymadeitclearinpreviousconversationthathedidn’tknowthedifferencebetweenaharpsichordandaclavichord.Nevertheless,mypridewasoffended,andIwassoeagertoimpressthatIjustwouldn’tgivehimthesatisfaction.“Justasecond,”Isaid,runningintothenextroom,wherethestereoand

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theLPshappenedtobelocated.IgrabbedaLocatellidisc,putinon,crankedupthevolume,andsaid,“Isn’tGeminianijustwonderful?”“Ohyes,”heenthused.Asthemusicplayed,hestoppedperiodicallytopretendtohumalongandextolthevirtuesof“Geminiani.”Imanagedtokeepastraightfacethewholetime,andIgotthecoupleoutofmyapartmentnonethewiser.Itwasn’tuntilmuchlaterthatIactuallyheardGeminiani’smusic.Therereallyisn’tverymuchofit:threecollectionsofsonatas(countingthepresentvolumeasone),threecollectionsofconcertosplusahandfulofothers,concertotranscriptionsbasedonthemusicofGeminiani’steacherCorelli,andfinallyacoupleofkeyboardalbumsandafewindividualvocalandinstrumentalpieces.That’sit.Inacademiccircles,Geminianiisperhapsanevenmoreimportantfigureforhisdidacticworks,includingmostfamouslyTheArtofPlayingontheViolin(1751),butaswithCorelli,thesmallsizeofGeminiani’soutputdoesnotdiminishanartistofstrongpersonalityandaveryhighlevelofcraftsmanship.Furthermore,thecombinationofGeminiani’sdetailednotation,hishabitofrevisingandtranscribingbothhisownandCorelli’swork,andtheinformationcontainedinhisvarioustreatises,makeshimperhapsthemostimportantfigureofhiseraconcerningissuesofearlytomid18thcenturyinstrumentalperformancepractice.Considerthepresentvolume.ThesixsonatasofOp.5werecomposedin1746forcelloandcontinuo,thenimmediatelytranscribedforviolin.Theircompositionwaspartofthelargerprocess,describedbyChristopherHogwoodinsomedetailinhisexcellentpreface,bywhichthecellograduallysupplantedthebassviolasthelowerstringedinstrumentofchoice.Originalrepertoireforthecellowasstillcomparativelyrareatthistime,andsoGeminiani’ssonatasrepresentanimportantcontributiontotheirgenre,alongsidethatofItaliancolleaguessuchasVivaldi,Bononcini,andMarcello.Inarrangingthesesonatasfortheviolin,asHogwoodpointsout,Geminianididnotmerelytranscribethemliterally;herecomposedthemextensively,makingcomparisonaparticularlyfascinatingexerciseforthoseinterestedinbothBaroqueperformancepracticeaswellastheinnerworkingsofthecreativemind.Forthatreason,havingbothversionsprintedtogetherinasinglevolume,ashere,provesagreatadvantagetoscholarsandperformersequally.Thereisnoparticularreason,forinstance,whyaviolinistneedignoretheversionforcello,andtheoppositeobviouslyisjustastrue.Studyofbothinvitestheplayertofindpracticalinterpretivesolutionsthatareatonceimaginativeaswellasstylisticallyappropriate.InordertoseemoreclearlythekindofadjustmentsthatGeminianimadeintranscribinghissonatasfromtheircellooriginalstotheviolin(aswellastheobvioussuperiorityoftheUtOrpheuseditionintermsofclarityandlegibility),itisworthconsideringafewexamples.Geminiani’sautographmanuscriptsfortheseworksnolongerexist;allofthesourcesforthepresentvolumeconsistofearly

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printededitions.Here,then,istheentireopeningmovement(anintroduction,really)totheFourthCelloSonataasitappearedinitsFrenchfirstedition:

(FacsimileofOp.5,No.4[Andante]:ÉditionsFuzeauClassique)

ForgetabouttheRomannumeral“VI”intheaboveexample.It’saprintingmistake,andshouldread“IV.”There’sanother“SonataVI”initscorrectpositionafter“SonataV,”andsothistrulyistheopeningofSonataIV.Hereisthesamemusicasitappearsinthenew,farlesscrowdedUtOrpheusedition:

(CelloSonataOp.5,No.4[Andante]UtOrpheusEdition,p.27)

Asyoucanseeplainly,theneweditionisnotablyeasiertoread,andthepracticalperformancematerialthatwillbepublishedinassociationwitheachvolumeofthisseriesshouldencouragemodernperformers,whetherBaroquespecialistsornot,toexplorethisrepertoireingreaterdepth.It’sworthmentioninginthisrespectthat18thcenturyeditionsofsolosonataswereprintedinfullscore,andnotissuedasindividualparts—thecommonpracticetoday.

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Hereistheviolinversionofthisbriefmovement:

(ViolinSonataOp.5,No.4[Andante]UtOrpheusEdition,p.71)

Eveninthistinymovementcontainingamerefourbars,thechangesarenumerous.OneinparticulardeservesspecialcommentsinceitshedssomelightonperhapsthesinglemethodologicalweaknessofHogwood’swork,oneprettymuchendemictotheschoolofearlymusicperformancetowhichhebelongs.ThewavylinesinthelastbarareGeminiani’snotationalsignforleft‐handpitchvibrato.Othereditorshavenoissueacknowledgingthemassuch.Forexample,NicolasFromageotinhisprefacestothefacsimilereproductionsofotherGeminianisonatasforEditionsFuzeauidentifiesthissymbolasa“vibratoofvariablespeed,”whichisexactlyhowGeminianidescribesitinTheArtofPlayingontheViolin,savethatterminologicallyhecallsiteithera“closeshake”or“tremolo.”Indeed,inthetableofornamentsincludedinthepresentvolume,Hogwoodalsounambiguouslyidentifiesthissymbolas“vibrato.”Andyet,indiscussingperformanceissues,hesuggeststhatthewavylinemeansthatthemusicianshouldplaythepassageasaseriesofimprovisedarpeggios,notevenmentioningasadistinctpossibilityGeminiani’sownclearlydefinednotationalpractice.Thisisunquestionablyaseriousomission,althoughitjustsohappensthatHogwood’srecommendation(forreasonsexplainedbelow)alsoisentirelyconsistentwithGeminiani’sinstructionsinTheArtofPlayingontheViolin.Nonetheless,itisnotwhatthewavylinesymbolmostprobablymeansinthiscontext.Sowhatisgoingon?Hogwood’shandlingofthisissuerepresentsaconfluenceoftwoanalyticalflaws.First,itrepresentsaclassiccaseofthemodern“authentic”performercollidingwiththescholar,andunsurprisinglytheplayerwins.Therefusaltoconsiderseriously

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theideathatthe18thcentury’suseofvibratowasnotallthataudiblydifferentfromtoday’sisawhollymodernconceit,oneinherentintheearlymusicmovement’sinsistencethatwhateverapproachsoundsthemostdifferentfromtraditionalnormsmustnecessarilybethemostcorrect.Second,manymodernscholarsseemcuriouslyunwillingtoacceptthefactthatperformerscandomorethanonethingatthesametime—forinstance,thattheycanplayarpeggiosandusevibrato—eventhoughinreallifetheydoitallthetime,composersexpectit,andtheirnotationoftenquiteplainlyreflectsthisfact.Hogwoodistoohonestascholartopermithisbiastointerferewithhisworkontheactualmusicaltext.Onlyhisinterpretationofitspossiblemeaningslackscompleteness,buttheresultiscuriousallthesame,aswellasunnecessarilyconfusing.Geminianidoesnotofferanyspecialnotationalsymboltoindicatethatapassageshouldbeplayed“arpeggio,”nordoesheneedto.InTheArtofPlayingontheViolin,heincludesanextensiveexample(No.XXI)inwhich“areshewnthedifferentWay[s]ofplayingArpeggiosonChordscomposedof3or4Sounds.Herearecomposed18VariationsontheChordscontainedinNo.1[seebelow],bywhichtheLearnerwillseeinwhattheArtofexecutingtheArpeggioconsists.”

(Geminiani:TheArtofPlayingontheViolin[Performer’sFacsimiles]p.28)

First,itshouldbeclearthatGeminianirequiresnoadditionalsigntoindicatethepossibilityofarpeggiatingtheabovepassage.Forhim,asforanyplayerinhisday,thecorrectprocedureisinherentinthenotation.Inthejust‐citedexamplefromOp.5,thepresenceoftripleandquadruplestopsinlongnotesatanadagiotempotellstheplayerallheneedstoknowaboutcorrectexecution.Thewavyline,then,simplyindicatesthatevenifGeminianiwantsarpeggios,theplayeralsoshouldcontinuetousevibrato,andthisinturnsuggeststhekindofarpeggiopatternbestemployed.Isay“continuetousevibrato”becauseGeminianihasalreadysaidofthe“closeshake”that“itshouldbemadeuseofasoftenaspossible,”ifonlybecauseitimprovesthetonequalityevenofshortnotes.

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Inthearpeggioexampleabove,youwillnotethattherhythmicpatternoftheveryfirstvariation(marked“2a”)providesanopportunityfortheplayertoaddvibratotothelong(dotted)noteineachfour‐notegrouping.Geminianioffersseveralsuchpatterns.Thuswefindinthetwelfthvariation:

(Geminiani:TheArtofPlayingontheViolin[Performer’sFacsimiles]p.29)

BecauseGeminianibyhisownprescriptionexpectedstringplayerstousevibratoprettyregularly,itfollowsthathewouldonlyneedtonotateitinexceptionalcircumstances:passagesrequiringanunusualdegreeofvirtuosity,orinplaceswheremusiciansmighttendnottouseitbecausetheyaretoobusydoingsomethingelse,likeexecutingrapidarpeggios.ThisexplainshisuseofthewavylineintheaboveexamplerathermorelogicallythandoesHogwood’stheory.ItwillbeveryinterestingtoseehowhedealswithGeminiani’sdidacticworks;ifheacceptsthattheyreallymeanwhatthesay,ortriestointerprettheirwordstosuitthewhollymodernand(ironically)notalwaysstylisticallycongruentneedsoftheEarlyMusicmovement.Incidentally,thesometimesaudiblyunfortunateconsequencesofthecurrentschool’sapproachtoperiodperformancepracticecanbeheardonHogwood’srecordingoftheOp.5CelloSonatasforL’oiseau‐lyre.There,hisrobustandcharacterfultreatmentofthekeyboardcontinuoroundlyovershadowsthehoarse,raspy,andotherwisetimbrallychallengedcelloplayingofAnthonyPleeth.Ifyou’reinterestedinhearingthismusiconperiodinstruments,considercellistJaapterLindenwithharpsichordistLarsUlrikMortensenonBrilliantClassics,amoreeconomicalyetfarmoresatisfyingoption.Attheendoftheday,andwhateverone’spersonalchoiceonthevibratoquestion,there’snosubstituteforacellistwithaningratiatingbasictone,andthere’ssimplynoexcuseforthelamentablemoderntendencytoequateuglinesswithauthenticity.GeminianidedicatedhisOp.5sonatastoGiacomoFrancescoMilanoFrancod’Aragona,PrinceofArdore,ambassadortoFrancefromtheKingdomoftheTwoSicilies.TheworkswereimmediatelypublishedbothinFranceandinHolland,andsometimelaterinEngland.AsHogwoodnotes:“Geminianiwasunusuallyconsciousofthelegalrightsavailabletocomposersfortheprotectionoftheirworksinasocietywhereinternationalcopyrightdidnotexistandwherepublishingpiracywasrife;heappearstohavebeenthefirstcomposertoinitiatelegalproceedingstoprotecthisworks(Op.2about1731)andby1746wasthemostlegally‐protectedcomposerofthecentury.”

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BecausetheautographmanuscriptsofOp.5nolongerexist,modernscholarsmustrelyoncontemporaryprintedsources.Geminiani’spersonalinvolvementwiththepublicationofhismusichasensuredthatthesearebothcleanaswellasrelativelyconsistentwitheachother.Nevertheless,errorsalwayscreepin(asmosttriviallyinthemistakenidentificationaboveofSonataIVasSonataVI),andHogwoodhascorrectedtheseandlistedthem‐‐alongwithotherinconsistencies‐‐appropriatelyinthecriticalcommentarythatfollowsthemusicaltext.HenotesthatoneofthemotivatingfactorsfortheDutchreprintmayhavebeentheneedtoreplacetheFrenchtrillsign(+)withthemorefamiliar(tr),whichwasinmoregeneraluse.Hogwood’sowneditionnaturallyadoptsthelatter,whichalsoconformstomoderncustom.Otherwise,HogwoodreproducesGeminiani’s(orhispublisher’s)originalnotation,andparticularlyhisornamentation,withadmirablefidelity.It’sinterestingtoobservethattheviolinversionstendtobemoreelaborateinthislastrespect,andcellistscertainlyshouldstudythemcarefully.ConsiderforexampletheAdagiothirdmovementofSonataII,whichisstrikinglybareintheoriginal,butfarmorefullyfleshed‐outintheviolintranscription.There,Geminianiaddsavarietyofembellishmentstowhatstartsoutasasimplemelodycomprisedlargelyofhalf‐notesin3/2time‐‐includingportatobowing,turnsofvariouskinds,mordents(called“beat”byGeminianiandindicatedbytwoslashes[//]abovethenote),andhisown,wedge‐shapedcrescendosign.Thetableofornamentsprecedingthemusicaltextspellsoutallofthenecessaryembellishmentsprecisely.Nottheleastofthepresentvolume’sattractionsisthereproduction(andhelpfultranslation)ofthevariouscopyright“privileges”GeminianireceivedfromthegovernmentsofFrance,Holland,andEngland.AnyonefamiliarwithmoderncontractlawintheEnglish‐speakingworldsurelywillrecognizethewordscontainedintherecitalclauseofhisEnglishprivilege:“ToalltowhomthesePresentsshallcomeGreeting:”thissameformulaisstillinuse.Itisironicthatacomposerwhotooksuchpainsoverthepublication,dissemination,andprotectionofhismusicshouldhavehadtowaituntilnowforacomplete,moderncriticaledition.Appearingingoodtimeforthe250thanniversaryofGeminiani’sdeathin2012,thisUtOrpheusprojectrepresentsamajorefforttowardcorrectingalongstandinginjustice.DavidHurwitzAugust2010