appreciate classical music

Classical Music Appreciation—Introductory, Class Outline 1

© William J Buffam, 2007

Classical Music Appreciation—Introductory Class Outline

Bill Buffam, instructor 21-Jul-2006

This class emphasizes actually listening to music—we don’t much delve into its structure and history. That said, we cover just enough of classical music structure to be able to understand and relate to it in a satisfying way. The works are chosen for their ready accessibility, and cover a fairly broad spectrum of musical styles. We’ll be listening to complete works (as opposed to excerpts) without interruption, guided by program notes. I’ll be marking off our progress as we listen to each piece, keeping you oriented to where we are in its structure. We’ll have a 5-10 minute class discussion of each piece, during which we’ll all be able to learn from one another’s questions and insights. Here is the outline for the entire class: week 1

Barber, Adagio for Strings1 Introductions Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Theme-and-Variations Form Britten, Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Rodrigo, Concierto (for guitar) de Aranjuez

week 2

Basic elements of classical music structure Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Holst, A Moorside Suite Holst, The Planets Elgar, Pomp and Circumstance No. 1

week 3

Mussorgsky, Night on Bare Mountain Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition Sibelius, Karelia Suite Wiren, Serenade for Strings Tchaikovsky, Capriccio Italien

1 Italics indicate music we’ll listen to.

Chester County Night School, Spring 2007

Classical Music Appreciation—Introductory, Session 1 2


week 4 Wagner, Prelude to Act III Lohengrin Beethoven, Symphony No. 1 Warlock, Capriol Suite Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4 Wagner, Prelude to the Mastersingers

week 5

Still, Symphony No 1 Debussy, Prelude a L'Apres Midi d'un Faune Vivaldi, The Four Seasons Vaughan Williams, The Wasps Wagner, Ride of the Valkyries Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man

week 6

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 Tchaikovsky, Marche Slave Delius, On hearing the first cuckoo in spring Saint Saëns, Symphony No. 3



Classical Music Appreciation—Introductory Session 1 notes

Bill Buffam, instructor 27-Feb-2007

Tonight’s agenda Administrivia Barber, Adagio for Strings1 Introductions Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Theme-and-Variations Form Britten, Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Rodrigo, Concierto (for guitar) de Aranjuez Samuel Barber (1910-1981) (born West Chester, PA; died New York, NY) Adagio for strings

Barber studied at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia from 1924 (aged 14!) to 1932. The Adagio is an arrangement for string orchestra that Barber made from a movement from his String Quartet No. 1. This piece was composed in response to a request by a quartet of his Curtis friends, who wanted a new piece to play on an upcoming European tour. Although he struggled to turn out the work, Barber himself was stunned by the beauty of the slow movement even before he had heard it played, describing it to a friend as a “knockout.”

The 9½ minute Adagio is built on a single thematic idea, which is developed on “sequences,” in which a group of notes is repeated slightly higher or lower. (This technique is a simple form of variation, which we’ll talk about later tonight.) The music builds to a huge climax and then abruptly subsides, reprising the opening theme in all its simplicity. If this piece sounds eerily familiar, it might be because it was played in the films

o Platoon o The Elephant Man o Amelie o Lorenzo’s Oil o S1m0ne

It was also played at JFK’s funeral. The work was voted “saddest classical work ever” by BBC listeners in a 2004 poll. 1 Italics indicate music we’ll listen to.




Barber himself later arranged the work for chorus. Thus Barber developed the piece in three separate settings: string quartet (in the context of additional movements), string orchestra, and chorus. Such reuse of material by composers is a recurring technique that spans the entire history of music. Some other examples are:

o Berlioz: Harold in Italy; Rob Roy overture o Holst: St Paul’s Suite (strings), Suite in F (wind band) o Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man; Symphony No. 3 o Handel: The Triumph of Time and Truth (1757) consists mostly of reused

material Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): Peer Gynt Suites

Grieg was a younger contemporary of Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), the great Norwegian playwright and poet. Ibsen wrote the dramatic poem Peer Gynt, never intending it to be performed. One of Grieg’s major missions in life was to bring Norwegian folk tunes to prominence through classical music. Ibsen’s epic poem makes use of Norwegian folk tales, and Grieg collaborated with Ibsen to illustrate episodes of the poem with music. Grieg completed 23 pieces in all for Peer Gynt. He later collected nine of those pieces into the two suites, Peer Gynt Nos. 1 and 2. Suite No. 1 The poem tells of the adventures of Peer Gynt, a regular-guy farm hand. (The story is actually an allegory of the human life experience). After a drunken night of indiscretion, he runs away on a journey of debauchery. At one point he sleeps with a troll’s daughter, and later discovers that a large dowry is available for marrying her. He approaches her father on the subject, and it is this episode that’s illustrated in the fourth movement : In the Hall of a Mountain King. The Troll king warns Peer that trolls and men are different, and when Peer discovers that in becoming a troll he will forfeit his humanness, he changes his mind about the marriage. The king is enraged, and sets the troll children on Peer, a violent scene well illustrated by the music. Peer decides to leave the country (Norway) to leave his dissolute past behind him, but before he does he stops to see his mother, Aase, to say goodbye. He finds her sick and dying. It is this scene that is illustrated by the second movement.




Having fled to Morocco, his fortunes continue to be volatile, and he manages to assemble a harem of dancing girls, the lead dancer being one Anitra. Anitra’s dance is the third movement of Suite 1. After Anitra robs Peer and runs off with his horse and riches, Peer wakes up in the desert and ponders his lot. It is this scene that is illustrated in the first movement, Morning. This is a very abbreviated synopsis of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt poem, intended only to put the music into the context of the story. You can find very good extended summaries of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt story on the Web. One of the best is at http://www.awerty.com/peergt2.html

The Theme and Variations form Theme and variations is perhaps one of the most easily recognizable musical forms. A theme (i.e. a tune) is stated, usually at the beginning of the work, and the remainder of the work consists of variations on that theme. Variations may be based on many devices, such as:

o harmonic — the theme may be worked through different keys, e.g. major to minor, or accompanied by altered harmonies

o melodic — the theme may be elaborated with more energetic note sequences o contrapuntal — where two or more themes are played simultaneously, or one

theme is played against itself with time delay (fugue). o rhythmic — the rhythm may be altered, keeping the pitch sequence relatively

constant o timbre, instrumentation — the theme is passed around the instruments of the

orchestra Of course, some or all of these devices may be in play simultaneously, taking the music quite far away from its thematic origins.




Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) (England) Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Purcell (Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra)

0. The work begins with the full orchestra quoting the (rather simple) theme. Variations:

1. Woodwinds. Theme with little or no variation 2. Brass: some variation beginning to creep in 3. Strings: more variation now. 4. Percussion: limited pitch available! 5. Full orchestra: theme restated. 6. Flutes and piccolos. An energetic variation showing off the flute’s agility.

Prominent harp accompaniment 7. Oboes: Slowing things down. 8. Clarinets. Note prominent tuba accompaniment. 9. Bassoons: a jocular mood, almost poking fun at the bassoon’s sound. 10. Violins: mazurka rhythm 11. Violas: slow and thoughtful 12. Cellos: continuing the slow and thoughtful mood, showing off their range. 13. Double basses: staccato intro to an almost lyrical passage leading to a humorous

ending. 14. Harp 15. French horns: almost a purely transitional interlude. See how far we’ve come

from the original theme. It’s still a variation, though quite radical by now. 16. Trumpets, showing off their skill and nifty articulation.. 17. Trombones, followed closely by tuba, who then engages the trombones in a very

brief canon. 18. Tympani (kettle drum) and percussion. Percussion is largely pitch challenged,

although the three notes played by the tympani are enough to remind us of the theme. The xylophone provides some tuneful variation.

19. Fugue. A fugue consists of a theme, or series of themes played against itself with a time delay. Thus, fugue is a particular form of counterpoint. Here, the fugue is introduced by the piccolo. After 3½ bars the flute joins in, and the other woodwinds join in sequence, in descending order of pitch. The first theme of the fugue is recognizable as a variation of the original theme of the work. When the bassoons join in, the piccolo moves onto a new theme, again a variation of the work’s original theme. Strings join in, again in descending order of pitch. The harp provides a brief interlude without interference from the rest of the orchestra (otherwise its light sound would be drowned out), and finally brass and




percussion add their considerable weight. Eventually, against the still furiously progressing fugue, the original theme returns in majestic style to bring the piece to a satisfying conclusion.

Here’s a simplified map of the entries in the fugue section:

woodwind piccolo flutes oboes clarinets bassoons

strings violins violas cellos double basses

harp brass

horns trumpets trombones

percussion

Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) (Spain) Concierto de Aranjuez Guitar concerto with symphony orchestra (Modern Period)

Blind from the age of three after a bout with diphtheria, Joaquín Rodrigo was a very significant creative, critical and pedagogical force in contemporary Spanish music. Ironically perhaps, he identified his blindness as a major factor in leading him to a career in music. After early training in his home town Valencia, Rodrigo went to Paris, as did so many Spanish musicians and artists, where from 1927 he studied with Paul Dukas. It was in Paris that Rodrigo met and married Victoria Kamhi, a young and promising Turkish pianist. By 1936 Paul Dukas had died and the Spanish civil war had broken out. These




events prompted the Rodrigos to move to Germany to wait out the war in the Black Forest, where they lived very simply off their earnings from teaching private lessons. After the war ended in 1939, they returned to Spain and settled in Madrid, where Joaquin divided his time among composing, writing music critiques, and serving as Professor of the History of Music at the University of Madrid. It was on a visit to Paris in 1938 that Rodrigo met the guitarist Regino Sainz de la Maza. Rodrigo was so inspired by this encounter that he resolved to write a guitar concerto (an instrument he did not himself play). The result of this resolution was of course the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra, and Rodrigo fittingly dedicated it to Sainz de la Maza. Introduced in 1940, it propelled him into the front ranks of Spanish composers. Over the years, it has become one of the most widely performed concertos, although often it has been played in transcriptions for instruments other than the guitar. Regino Sainz de la Maza was, appropriately, the soloist at the concerto’s premiere in Barcelona on November 9, 1940. The work is lightly and transparently scored, so that the soloist can be easily heard, but the orchestra is nevertheless sizable: piccolo and two flutes, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets and strings. The concerto takes its name from a famous royal residence, a palace on the banks of the Tagus River to the south of Madrid. The castle has been called the most beautiful and most cheerful of all the Spanish royal residences. The composer has said, in the notes to the concerto, that one "may fancy seeing the ghost of Goya, held in thrall by melancholia. . .. [I]n its themes there linger the fragrance of magnolias, the singing of birds and the gushing of fountains. [It] is meant to sound like the hidden breeze that stirs the tree tops in its parks; it should be only as strong as a butterfly, and as dainty as a verónica." The music evokes the era of sixteenth-century kings, Charles X and Philip II. In it, Rodrigo's compositional style embodies the rhythms and melodic inflections of Spanish folk music of the particular region surrounding Arunjuez and joins them with his own melodic invention and colorful orchestration. Rodrigo employs the structure of a Baroque concerto: three movements in a fast-slow-fast arrangement, with distinct alternation between solo and orchestral passages in the outer movements.

First Movement Delicacy is combined with rhythmic energy in the concerto's dancing first movement. In Rodrigo’s own words, “ the Allegro con spirito is animated by a rhythmic spirit and vigor without either of the two themes contained within it interrupting its relentless pace.” Listening to this movement, you may fancy you hear a large number of themes, never mind just two. In fact, listening with a theme-and-variations mindset, you can link back almost all the material in the movement to one or other of the two themes that Rodrigo acknowledges.




Second Movement The middle movement, a romantic Adagio of reflective character, has an improvisational quality2 and delivers a feeling of melancholy passion and romance that suggests a Moorish influence. Of this movement, Rodrigo observed “the Adagio represents a dialogue between guitar and solo instruments (English horn, bassoon, oboe, horn, etc). There is a constant and persistent beat supporting the entire sound structure of this movement.” Towards the end of the movement an extended guitar cadenza leads to a lush orchestral climax.

Third Movement The final movement, Allegro gentile, is a rondo whose folk- like principal theme recalls a courtly dance. The combination of duple and triple time maintains a taut tempo right to the closing bar. Notice how, at the opening, the guitar cleverly manages to play the theme in canon at the octave.

2 Yet interestingly, all the twiddly bits that sound so improvised are fully written out in Rodrigo’s score.





Tonight’s agenda Basic elements of classical music structure Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Holst, The Planets Holst, A Moorside Suite Elgar, Pomp and Circumstance No. 1

Basic elements of classical music structure A (very) brief and simplified guide ABA A theme, a contrasting theme, and a repeat of the first theme. Very often employed for one or more of the inner movements of a symphony, and in many other types of work. A basic building block. ABAC(AD…)A The rondo form. The first theme (A) keeps coming back like a chorus after each successive “episode.” Arch form ABCBA Sonata form AB dev AB —where “dev” is development, a free fantasia of variations on themes A and B. Sonata-rondo form Just like it sounds—a rondo with some elements of development thrown in.




Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) (Austria) Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik translates literally to “A little night music.” Mozart composed it in 1787 while he was working on his opera Don Giovanni, although history has not managed to record the motivation behind it. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is perhaps Mozart’s most popular piece. Snatches of it will be familiar to most of us, because it turns up frequently in movies and advertisements. Mozart scored the piece for string quartet: two violins, viola, and cello optionally doubled by bass. However, modern practice is to play the piece with a chamber-sized string orchestra, which is the version we will hear. Curiously, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is regarded as a “serenade”—whatever that’s supposed to mean1. In fact, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik fits exactly with the design of a classical symphony, and with a duration of 18 minutes it can hardly be disqualified from symphony status on grounds of brevity. Indeed, Mozart’s own Symphony No. 32, composed eight years earlier, runs for less than 10 minutes. Key factors in Nachtmusik’s popularity are its readily hummable tunes and its uncomplicated structure and transparent scoring—there are only four parts throughout.

1 Wikipedia provides an informative discussion on the concept of a serenade at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenade, but none of that material makes any sense to me in relation to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik .




Here is a map of the piece. ref time remarks

First Movement—Allegro sonata form Exposition the movement’s melodic elements are stated

1 First Theme 0:00 2 (bridge passage) 0:36 3 Second Theme 0:55 4 Exposition repeats 1:50 5 Development 3:41 the themes are “developed,” somewhat like

variations Recapitulation the themes are restated

6 First Theme 4:23 7 Second Theme 5:11 8 Coda 6:13 a short reworking of themes already stated to

provide a tidy end to the movement ref time remarks

Second Movement—Romanze; Andante

rondo form

9 First theme (A) 0:00 10 B 2:14 11 A 3.23 12 C 3:57 13 A 4:59 14 Coda 6:06

ref time remarks

Third Movement—Minuet and Trio

15 Minuet 0:00 16 Trio 0:50 17 Minuet repeats 1:50

Coda notable by its absence




ref time remarks

Fourth Movement—Rondo: Allegro

sonata rondo form

18 First Theme (A) 0:00 19 Second Theme (B) 0:26 20 A 0:45 21 Development 1:12 notice the abrupt key change into Eb major 22 B 1:44 23 A 2:03 24 Coda 2:39

Gustav Holst (1874-1934) (England) The Planets

Holst’s Planets suite was inspired by his interest in astrology. The music thus reflects the astrological character of the planets rather than their physical or astronomical characteristics or situation. The movements are: 1. Mars, the Bringer of War 2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity 5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age 6. Uranus, the Magician 7. Neptune, the Mystic (Pluto had not been discovered when Holst wrote this piece). The Planets is scored for large orchestra, including organ and (wordless) women’s choir. It is a substantial work, taking almost an hour to perform. Mars has often been used in film and television music. It was written a few months before the outbreak of World War I, and paints a vivid picture of war. Note its unusual time signature (5 beats to a bar). Venus indeed brings a welcome peace after the tumultuous opening movement.




Mercury has the pace and purpose you’d expect from a messenger, especially one with wings. Jupiter is perhaps the best known of all the Planets’ movements. Like Mars, it gets a lot of exposure in film and TV music. After an energetic and “jolly” opening, an expansive and optimistic-sounding theme begins in the lower orchestra, and proceeds to climb inexorably upward. The “jolly” mood returns as the opening section is reprised, and we hear the brass briefly restate fragments of the expansive theme from the middle section as the movement comes to an emphatic conclusion. Saturn depicts the coming of old age as a relentless procession of time. Uranus in its opening suggests magic through the twists and turns of its rhythms and the displaced accents of syncopation. Thereafter the music becomes more straightforward, consisting of hummable tunes in march tempo. The movement ends in an enigmatic climax that contrasts starkly to the rest of the movement, leaving us wondering what kind of bizarre event Uranus the magician has conjured. According to one commentator, this bizarre event is in fact the bumbling and accident-prone Uranus finally achieving his goal of opening the doorway to eternity. You can take that explanation or leave it, as you wish—I can’t find any convincing support for that interpretation, though you must admit it’s an appealing one. Neptune the mystic is mystic indeed. There are no hummable tunes here—it’s all mood and atmosphere. When the women’s chorus joins after 4 minutes, the voices dramatically enhance the mysterious atmosphere. Chorus and orchestra conclude the work by fading very gradually to nothing. Perhaps this was the prototypical “fade out” that the popular music world was later to adopt so eagerly. Gustav Holst (1874-1934) (England) A Moorside Suite A Moorside Suite was commissioned in 1928 as the test piece for a national competition. We know little about Holst’s inspiration for the music, except that Holst was a keen walker who much admired the North Yorkshire moors, where he often took long walks. The piece is in three movements: Scherzo, Nocturne, and March. Scherzo The form of this movement will by now be familiar, mirroring as it does that of the Scherzo in Wiren’s Serenade. The opening theme, in triple time, has purpose and energy, yet the energy is subdued amid thin and transparent scoring, as perhaps befits a walk in the hills. Notice that, again like Wiren in his Serenade, Holst employs a [1] brief canon effect on his opening theme. [2]The trio- like section (the more lyrical theme), first played by the treble instruments, is accompanied by a rising triplet figure drawn from the opening theme. [3]The bass instruments then take over the theme as the treble instruments pick up the




accompaniment. The theme is passed back and forth before the opening theme reappears to reprise the scherzo section. Nocturne A nocturne is a piece inspired by, or descriptive of, nighttime. [4]The opening section of Moorside Suite’s Nocturne is very thinly scored and meditative. Notice the plaintive melody played by solo cornet, with a thin treble-and-alto accompaniment eventually joined by a solo bass. Eventually the full ensemble joins in, and what a fine passage this is. [5]Pay particular attention to the bass line, which moves in a continuous stepwise progression, soaring upwards with such majesty that it seems to overtake even the treble instruments. (It doesn’t of course, but it surely sounds that way.) After another thinly scored and delicate interlude, the stepwise bass figure returns, again under the chords of the higher instruments’ sustained and tranquil melody. A final thinly scored section, this time dominated by the lower instruments, brings the movement to a peaceful close. March The march section follows the usual march format, with an energetic opening giving way to a more lyrical trio-like middle section. The trio concludes with a fascinating development as Holst teases us with fragments of his opening theme, eventually leading to a [6]spine-tingling (it tingles mine, anyway) scale figure that starts in the lowest basses and rises and rises and keeps on rising until it climactically lands on the first note of the restated opening theme. And we’re still not done with dramatically rising bass lines, because Holst introduces [7] his coda with yet another one. The coda itself is a triumphant reprise of the trio theme, three bars of which are underpinned by (you guessed it) [8] still another majestic rising bass line borrowed straight out of the Nocturne.




Edward Elgar (1857-1934) (England) Pomp and Circumstance No. 1

The curious-sounding title of this march is drawn from a line from Shakespeare’s Othello: “Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!” The march was written in 1901. Its structure is the usual march structure we’ve encountered already, with an energetic opening section, a contrasting lyrical “trio” section and a reprise of the opening. Most of us will immediately recognize the trio section as the “Land of Hope and Glory” anthem featured in so many graduation ceremonies. In common with many other composers, Elgar sometimes recycled his music, in this case for his 1902 Coronation Ode for King Edward VII, and of course it was this ceremonial application that led to the popularity of the piece at events like graduations.





Tonight’s agenda Mussorgsky, Night on Bare Mountain Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition Sibelius, Karelia Suite Wiren, Serenade for Strings Tchaikovsky, Capriccio Italien

Modeste Mussorgsky (1839-1881) (Russia) Night on Bare Mountain

The orchestral piece that has come to be known as Night on Bare Mountain (or Bald Mountain) has a long and rather confused history—but I’ll give you the short version. Mussorgsky apparently received a commission in 1860 to compose an opera, a whole act on the Bare Mountain (from Mengden’s drama The Witch), which depicts (in Mussorgsky’s words) “a witches’ sabbath, separate episodes of wizards, triumphal march of all this scum, finale—glorification of the sabbath.” He finished the score for the complete work in 1867. However, his mentor Balakirev1 criticized his score so severely that Mussorgsky made no attempt to have it performed. It apparently received only one performance, in 1932, over 50 years after Mussorgsky’s death. The orchestral piece that remains is due to Rimsky-Korsakov, who completed and orchestrated many of Mussorgsky’s compositions, including this one. It was first performed in 1886 in St. Petersburg, with Rimsky-Korsakov himself conducting. The music itself is a very free fantasia on several recognizable themes, effectively portraying its subject matter. The bulk of the piece is fast and furious, with occasional calm descending briefly on the music, only to be overtaken again by menace and demonic mischief. Eventually a church bell sounds, heralding a serene and ghostly musical passage as the hosts of evil fade back into the night.

1 A Russian composer who was highly esteemed in his time, though now remembered more as a mentor to younger composers than as a composer in his own right.




Modeste Mussorgsky (1839-1881) (Russia) Pictures at an Exhibition The inspiration for Pictures at an Exhibition was an 1874 exhibition of watercolors and drawings by Mussorgsky’s friend Victor Hartmann, who had died the previous year. Mussorgsky’s original score was for piano only, which seems strange to those of us who have long known the piece in its very rich orchestration by Maurice Ravel. We know that Mussorgsky, who died a week after his 42nd birthday, had a very serious drinking problem. The art of orchestration was definitely not one of his strengths—many of his works were reworked and orchestrated by others, notably Rimsky Korsakov. We don’t really know what were his intentions with Pictures. Did he intend it as a piano piece from the beginning? Or was he too disorganized, drink impaired, or self-knowingly lacking in orchestration skills to attempt to express his musical vision through the full orchestra? The fact that his piano score for Pictures was not published until after his death suggests that he never regarded it as the finished article. Each major passage of Pictures describes one of Hartmann’s displayed works, and the passages themselves are often connected by the recurring “promenade” theme, which depicts the walk of the visitor as he moves from picture to picture. Notice how the promenade theme is varied each time it returns. The pictures are:

1. (promenade) 2. Gnomus represents a nutcracker, this one in the form of a gnome with huge jaws 3. (promenade) 4. The Old Castle is haunting and mysterious, shrouded in near darkness. The quiet

music aptly describes the mystery. What instrument is playing the theme here? 5. (promenade) 6. The Tuileries conveys the mischievous play of children at the famous gardens in

Paris, long before the Tour de France ever passed that way. 7. no promenade! We go straight into… 8. Bydlo. “Bydlo” is a Polish word meaning an ox-drawn cart. This passage portrays

an enormous oxcart rumbling down a country road while its driver sings a Russian folk song. What instrument is playing the theme here?

9. (promenade) 10. Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells is the shortest and most jocular of the set, with

squawks from the newly hatched chicks that life may well have been better back in the shell

11. again no promenade. It’s straight on with… 12. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle, which evokes the animated attempts of one

impoverished Polish Jew to wheedle some “spare change” out of another, but wealthy, Polish Jew

13. the promenade stays on vacation. On to the next picture, which is.. 14. The Marketplace in Limoges, which depicts the bickering and haggling of the

shoppers and merchants 15. the promenade is still on vacation. We descend to…




16. The Catacombs. Eerie and threatening. A pile of skulls lies on the floor—enough to make your skin creep, but then…

17. the promenade returns to reassure us that we’re not trapped after all. But wait—we’re still under threat. Here comes…

18. Baba Yaga, a Russian witch who lives in a hut supported on four chicken feet, and who flies through the air in a mortar, propelling herself with the pestle she uses to grind up human bones for food. She eventually flies up into..

19. The Great Gate of Kiev . It’s a pity, but there is no Great Gate of Kiev. Hartmann (who you’ll recall was the creator of all these pictures) had entered a competition to design a great monument for Kiev. He didn’t win the competition, but no matter because no Gate was ever built owing to of lack of funds. However, we’re left with this monumental movement (with its monumental physical challenge for the brass section2) to conclude a very fine piece of music.

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) (Finland) Karelia Suite

Sibelius selected the three movements of the Karelia Suite from a series of seven tableaux representing important moments in the history of Karelia, the now-absorbed province that forms the southeastern part of modern Finland. The tableaux themselves were written in 1893 for a pageant in Viipuri, Karelia’s capital. The music is light in character, as suited the occasion, and reflects the character of the Finns popularly said to inhabit Karelia—a lively, sensitive people devoted to the folk myths of their province. Intermezzo Originally the third number in the series of tableaux, the Intermezzo depicts the Lithuanian Prince Narimont collecting tribute3 from the Karelian people. The movement is constructed in ABA form, preceded by an introduction that has horns hinting at the melody to come, and rounded out by a coda in similar vein. The trumpets are the stars of this movement, carrying the theme throughout the ABA body, aided and abetted for a short snatch by the woodwinds and later by the trombones. None of the strings get a crack at any melody for the entire movement4. 2 Yes, the voice of experience. 3 As far as I can tell, “tribute” is a euphemism for taxes at best, protection money at worst. 4 All of which does a lot to explain why I (yes, yes—a trumpet player) like this piece so much.




Ballade The fourth tableau originally included a vocalist who sang to Karl Knutsson5 in Viipuri Castle. However, in this three-movement suite Sibelius replaced the voice by instruments. The construction of the movement may almost be regarded as a modified rondo. As in the first movement, a short introduction hints at the melody to come, which we’ll call the A of the rondo form. Then comes another theme (B), aft er which the AB ideas are reprised. Notice the canon effects in the reprise of the B theme. Now comes a new idea (C) in a darker and more serious mood. Theme A briefly reappears, but it’s in the same mood and character as C and we might not recognize it if we don’t pay close attention. Theme C is reprised to complete this section. Finally comes another totally new idea (D) sung by English horn for a mere 24 bars before one last 8-bar reprise of A closes out the movement. Alla Marcia The fifth tableau represents the conqueror Pontus de la Gardie. It is a breezy march consisting of two contrasting sections played alternately—the first a spirited and happy-sounding affair for the strings, the second a more substantial and declarative statement from brass that displays affinity with the mood and themes of the opening movement. Canon effects can again be heard when the “happy” theme makes its first and subsequent reappearances. The two themes alternate with increasing frequency until the work reaches a rather sudden and jubilant conclusion, with the happy theme having the triumphant last laugh.

Dag Wiren (1905-1986) (Sweden) Serenade in G major (for strings)

Dag Wiren, although chronologically a “modern” composer, rejected the dissonant and raucous styles favored by many of his contemporaries, instead setting out unashamedly to entertain and please with listener-friendly modern music. Although his musical output— ranging from commercial popular music (one of his songs was an entry to the Eurovision

5 King of Sweden, 1467-70.




Song Contest) to neoclassical works—was by no means small, the 1937 Serenade is the only one of his works to have retained a place in present-day repertoire. The Serenade has four movements, ranging in length from just under 3 minutes to 4½ minutes. It thus comes in manageable pieces of similar length to that of a popular song. The movements are:

o Allegro molto (very fast) o Andante expressivo (moderately slow, expressive) o Scherzo and Trio o March

Allegro [1]The movement opens with the violins singing a soaring theme above an accompaniment that sounds as if it’s racing to get somewhere. [2]The lower strings then introduce a contrasting staccato theme, which is eventually taken up by the violins. [3]After a modulating (key changing) bridge passage, [4]the opening soaring theme reappears and is passed around the orchestra before being finally reclaimed by the violins. [5]This reprise is now heard in counterpoint with the staccato theme in the lower strings, and the movement comes to a close. Andante expressivo [6]In spite of its “expressivo” label, the movement opens with a pizzicato theme of sorts, which soon settles down and becomes the underlying accompaniment for the “expressivo” lyrical theme introduced by the violas. Wiren employs elements of this theme as he develops variants and modulations around it, interweaving it with the still-progressing pizzicato accompaniment. [7]We hear the lyrical theme being played against itself in canon, a device we also heard in the opening movement. Scherzo and Trio [8]The Scherzo and Trio is a form typically employed as the second or third movement of a symphony. Here, we hear a complete scherzo and trio in the space of less than three minutes. The Scherzo (it’s the Italian word for “joke”) is a light-hearted theme in triple time. [9]The “trio6” refers to a contrasting passage, usually slower and calmer than the scherzo, which follows. After the trio, [10]the scherzo returns. Notice that here again Wiren employs the canon technique with the scherzo theme. March The march movement is a typical march structure, played at the standard 120 beats per minute. Like the scherzo, a march almost always has (as does this one) a “trio” section, a contrasting and more lyrical section than the opening, which is typically more rhythmic and forceful.

6 The term “trio” originated way back in the early Baroque period (17th century), when it was customary for a dance suite’s contrasting middle movement to be played by three solo instruments.




Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) (Russia) Capriccio Italien

Capriccio Italien was inspired by Tchaikovsky’s vacation in Rome, at the time of the Roman Carnival. Music filled the air, and Tchaikovsky couldn’t help but write some of it down. Tchaikovsky’s hotel was very close to a military barracks, and the bugle call he heard every evening became the opening tune of his capriccio. What follows is a tightly integrated succession of some of the melodies Tchaikovsky captured from his holiday, together with some of his own composed in the same style. The tarantella known in Italy as the Ciccuzza concludes the piece in a dazzling flourish. As you might guess, capriccio is the Italian word for caprice, which means an impulsive change of mind, or an inclination for such behavior. Thus, to label a piece of music a “capriccio” is perhaps a euphemism for “there’s no particular form here, I just made it up as I went along.”





Tonight’s agenda Wagner, Prelude to Act III Lohengrin Beethoven, Symphony No. 1 Warlock, Capriol Suite Elgar, Cello Concerto Wagner, Prelude to the Mastersingers

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) (Germany) Lohengrin: Intro to Act III

This introduction is effectively the overture to Act 3, the concluding act of Wagner’s great opera. It is in this act that the well-known “Here comes the bride” wedding march appears, although we do not hear this theme in this Introduction. This Introduction presents two major excerpts from the opera, arranged in the by-now familiar ABA form we’ve seen in marches and scherzo-and-trio movements.




Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (Germany) Symphony No. 1 Symphony orchestra (Classical Period)

Historical context Beethoven was born in Bonn, into a musical family, although none of his forbears was a composer. Beethoven studied piano and music theory with his father and later with Christian Neefe, to whom Beethoven was appointed deputy when Neefe was appointed court organist to the Prince-Elector in 1782. In that same year, Beethoven published his first composition, the Dressler Variations. Encouraged by Neefe’s prophetic remark that Beethoven “would surely become a second Mozart were he to continue as he has begun,” Beethoven produced several more works—some showing distinct originality—over the next several years. In 1792 Beethoven had the opportunity to meet Haydn (38 years his senior), who was passing through Bonn on his way back to Vienna from London. After Beethoven had shown Haydn some of his compositions, Haydn agreed to take on Beethoven as a student, and Beethoven left soon after for Vienna, never to return to Bonn. In Vienna, Beethoven’s career blossomed, both as a concert pianist and as a composer. His compositions were much in demand, thus providing income from members of the nobility paying for commissions and dedications as well as income from publication. The First Symphony appeared in 1800, and although Haydn’s style was the principal model, Beethoven introduced several daring innovations. It was around this time that Beethoven first sought medical advice on the first manifestations of his hearing difficulties, which are thought to have been caused by an infection contracted some three years earlier.

The music The symphony is ostensibly constructed along the standard pattern of a Haydn symphony—sonata-form first movement, slow second movement, minuet-and-trio third movement, fast finale. Here is a map of the symphony. Timings refer to the recording by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Walter Weller, on 532409H1. 1 Musical Heritage Society




First movement—Adagio molto, Allegro con brio Sonata Form bar time 1 0:00 introduction

the symphony begins with a slow introduction that epitomizes Beethoven’s daring innovation, beginning on a dominant seventh chord2 resolving to F major. After some progressive modulation…

13 1:12 exposition …the exposition’s first theme is introduced in C major.

53 2:00 the exposition’s second theme, in G major 88 2:45 codetta, incorporating both themes 109/13 3:13 exposition repeats 110 5:13 development begins with a very abrupt arrival of the key of A major 178 6:33 recapitulation

first theme (C major) 206 7:06 second theme (C major) 241 7:50 codetta 259 8:14 coda

Second movement—Andante cantabile con moto Sonata Form (condensed) This is the slow movement. 1 0:00 exposition: first theme 27 0:45 second theme (dominant key) 54 1:37 third theme (dominant) 64 exposition repeats—or not, as the case may be. (Beethoven’s score

indicates a repeat, but this recording does not take it) 65 1:57 development—very brief, almost vestigial 101 3:01 recapitulation: first theme 127 3:47 second theme (tonic key) 154 4:37 third theme (tonic) 162 4:52 coda

2 This chord alone was enough to enrage the critics of the day. Some things never change—such as critics’ resistance to innovation, which must rank as one of the most powerful forces in the universe.




Third movement—Allegro molto e vivace Minuet (?—!!) and Trio It’s unclear why Beethoven labeled this movement “menuetto”—its furious pace is that of a scherzo, not a minuet. After the first presentation of the scherzo we hear the trio. Unlike most trios, it provides scant contrast with the mood of the scherzo (minuet, whatever). It maintains the same frantic pace, with the woodwinds playing a slightly more relaxed melody, which almost sounds like it could be subtitled “Beethoven meets One-Note Samba,” above string runs even more frantic than the scherzo. The scherzo itself is then reprised, ending as suddenly and as energetically as it began.

Fourth movement—Adagio, Allegro molto e vivace Sonata form Like the first movement, the final movement begins with a slow introduction, a very short one in this movement. The symphony ends with an extended coda (something of a Beethoven trademark), which intermixes brand new material with material derived from themes already stated. 1 0:00 introduction 6 0:23 exposition: first theme 56 1:04 second theme (dominant key) 87 1:29 codetta 97/6 1:38 exposition repeats (for real this time) 98 2:52 development 163 3:48 recapitulation: first theme 192 4:12 second theme (subdominant key) 226 4:41 codetta 238 4:53 coda

Peter Warlock (1894-1930) (England) Capriol Suite

Philip Heseltine, a music critic and composer, used his real name in his role as a critic, but adopted the pseudonym “Peter Warlock” for the composing side of his life.




Capriol Suite is a suite of dances for string orchestra, very much in the structural style of dance suites of the Renaissance period, its thematic material being derived from a book published in 1589. Although the work is largely recognizable as owing its origins to the 16th century, Warlock’s bold—yet very sparing—sprinkling of 20th century harmonies adds a piquant modern spice. The origin of the name “Capriol” and indeed of the name “Warlock” are not without interest, and can be pursued at http://129.22.153.16/hco/notes/051103notes.htm. Coincidentally, the same Web page has some revealing notes on Debussy’s Prelude a l’apres midi d’un faune, Both notes are brief and digestible, and well worth the mouse click it takes to get there. The movements are:

1. Basse-Danse, a fairly fast dance in triple time. “Basse-Danse” is nothing to do with bass instruments. It’s a term that means that the feet are to glide across the floor rather than being raised. Notice how we only get 13 bars in before Warlock throws us the work’s most surprising zinger: the same note of the melody that was harmonized by an [1a] F major chord the first time around now gets treated with [1b] A major with an added second (B natural). How wild is that?

2. Pavane , a fairly slow dance in 2/4 time (two beats to the bar). 3. Tordion, a moderately fast dance in triple time (actually 6/4, with 6 beats to the

bar). 4. Bransles, a very fast dance in 2/2 time. The music can’t decide what key it wants

to be in. It starts ambiguously in G minor and plays with G major. The final chord is G major.

5. Pieds-en-l’air. Literally, “feet in the air.” The mind boggles. Apparently it doesn’t mean “dead.” Rather, this name is used to describe a figure of the Galliard, a dance in which the feet are raised from the floor.

6. Mattachins , a fast sword dance, performed by men wearing armor of gilded cardboard. It was also known as “Bouffons,” which strikes me as a far more appropriate label. The coda goes through some fairly wild modulations and harmonies—three bars from the end the first violins are playing Ab against A natural3—but finally lands on a plain vanilla F major chord.

3 I see this in the score, but either my recording or my ears (probably my ears) don’t allow me to claim I can actually hear it.




Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) (Germany) Symphony No. 4 Symphony orchestra (Romantic Period)

Historical context Mendelssohn was born into a wealthy and privileged family. His father Abraham, a successful banker, was the son of esteemed Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. The innate talent that the very young Felix revealed was carefully nurtured through the best teachers and a rigorous discipline of dedicated hard work imposed by Abraham. Under these three driving forces, the young Mendelssohn quickly developed into an outstanding musician at a very early age. Mendelssohn played violin well, and piano and organ brilliantly, making his first public appearance at age 9. His work was first publicly performed when he was 10, and he attained maturity as a composer at the astonishingly young age of 16 with his Octet for Strings, a accomplishment that eclipses even that of Mozart. Mendelssohn enjoyed great fame and admiration. Acquiring a reputation as a conductor by the time he turned twenty, he had the influence to stage and conduct, on 11 March 1829, the first performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in over a hundred years. Such was the success and impact of this event that it led to a full-blown revival of Bach’s music, which had languished in obscurity since the composer’s death. Mendelssohn’s stature as a conductor continued to grow, and he was appointed musical director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra at the age of 27. By this time he was the most famous and most admired musician of his time. Mendelssohn’s stature and comfortable financial circumstances allowed him the freedom to travel widely. He made many visits to England, where he was enormously popular. The winter of 1830-1831 he spent in Italy, and it was this period—recall that he was only 21 at the time—that saw the germination of the ideas that led to the creation of the Fourth Symphony. Mendelssohn completed the work in March 1833, and it was first performed in London on 13 May 1833. Successful as this premiere was, Mendelssohn resolved to revise the work, a task tha t apparently spanned several years. The first performance of the




revised version apparently took place on 18 June 1838, again in London. (Oddly, this version of the symphony was never performed in his native Germany during Mendelssohn’s lifetime.) The still-unsatisfied Mendelssohn revised the symphony yet again, but he was dead by the time this new version was performed on 1 November 1849, fittingly in the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

The music The symphony portrays Italy through the ears of a tourist responsive both to local color and to a less tangible sensation of atmosphere. It is the atmosphere of the south, rather than any identifiably national trait of melody or orchestration, that permeates the jubilant 6/8 opening movement, in which the momentum eases only once, shortly before the cleverly camouflaged beginning of the recapitulation. The third movement’s graciously old-fashioned minuet and trio is similarly devoid of explicit local reference. There are even hints in the trio and coda of the fairy- land world of Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream music. Local color plays a greater role in the other two movements. The second, a D minor Andante, is an impression of a religious procession that Mendelssohn saw in Naples. The fragment of liturgical chant that forms the two-bar introduction imparts an air of solemnity; “the rest,” as musicologist Donald Tovey wrote, “is eminently picturesque and processional.” The finale is a dance movement of great vitality, driven onwards by the relentless rhythm of the saltarello, an old Roman dance. The symphony conforms but loosely to classical designs, a distinguishing trait of the Romantic period. Although the first movement is firmly anchored in sonata form and the third a rather straightforward minuet and trio, the second and fourth movements are rather free in form. Mendelssohn tends to construct his major sections (notably the first movement’s recapitulation, and the fourth movement’s first section) from a thorough integration of his principal themes. This technique stands in sharp contrast to the classical-era style, which normally presents clearly delineated themes often connected by bridge passages. Here is a map of the symphony. Timings refer to the recording by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, on Deutsche Grammophon 445 514-2.




First movement—Allegro Vivace Sonata Form bar time 1 0:00 exposition

first subject 110 1:28 second subject 159 2:08 codetta, incorporating both themes 209/4 2:49 exposition repeats 187 (sic)

5:16 development

310 6:53 here’s the easing of momentum I talked about in the overview 346 7:22 recapitulation tries to slide in under the radar—but we’re onto it, aren’t we?

The recapitulation is much more free-form than the exposition. Here, themes are extended with elements of variation, and integrated together in a much more intimate way.

475 9:07 coda

Second movement—Andante moto This is the slow movement. 1 0:00 liturgical chant fragment 4 0:13 A (oboe, bassoons, violas) 12 0:49 listen to the delicate flute-duet counter melody 35 2:30 B 45 3:13 C 57 4:05 A (again preceded by liturgical chant fragment) 75 5:23 C 86 6:14 B 94 6:47 coda

Third movement—Con moto moderato Minuet and Trio 1 0:00 minuet 77 3:10 trio 125 5:03 minuet reprised 203 7:33 coda




Fourth movement—Saltarello, Presto The final movement falls into two major sections rounded off by a coda. Although the score carries the 4/4 time signature, both major themes are in the 6/8 triple rhythm. After introducing its principal theme, the first section spices things up with two 4/4 theme fragments, followed by a sustained and legato counter melody. Mendelssohn weaves all of this material together in a very satisfying and attention-holding way. The first section is rounded off with a bridge section that could be regarded as codetta, but also reveals some traits of a sonata-form development section. But instead of leading to a recapitulation, the music takes us into the second section. Interestingly and unusually, the second section introduces two themes simultaneously. The first is a fast-flowing legato 6/8 figure, which dominates the underlying staccato and spacious 4/4 viola counter-theme. Indeed, the viola figure is so stealthy that it’s easy to overlook as mere accompaniment. 1 0:00 First Section

a brief introduction establishes 6/8 rhythm 6 0:08 A the first principal theme, in staccato 6/8 rhythm 34 0:44 A2 here’s a theme fragment in 4/4 rhythm 61 1:22 A3 a new theme fragment in 4/4 rhythm 64 1:27 A4 a new counter melody, sustained and legato, in 4/4 rhythm except

for the quirky initial triplet 122 2:45 Second Section

B1 violins introduce the second principal 6/8 theme, flowing and legato, while violas underscore with B2, the spacious and detached melodic accompaniment.

133 3:00 violins and violas exchange themes 156 3:32 A Here’s the first theme making a guest reappearance. Sparring

between A and B will take us the rest of the way to the coda. 196 4:27 coda Richard Wagner (1813-1883) (Germany) Overture to the Mastersingers Wagner is remembered for his operas. The overture to an opera (and in contemporary times, a Broadway musical) traditionally presents previews of the main tunes of the opera, arranged in a free-form kind of way (dare I say “capriccio”?). The composer usually writes the overture after building the body of the work. In this case, Wagner wrote the overture first, providing himself with the raw thematic material from which to construct the opera itself. The Mastersingers were German artisan poets and musicians, similar in some ways to the troubadours of France, but with their own unique culture. They organized themselves in guilds, and at the height of their popularity every town in Germany boasted a mastersinger guild. The movement is believed to have emerged as early as the fourteenth




century, and the last remaining guild finally called it quits in 1839, their membership having dwindled to four. The mastersingers held meetings at which they critiqued one another’s work, and also held competitions. By tradition, the composition of their poems and verses was governed by a set of pedantic rules. The love interest of the opera involves the apprentice mastersinger Walther, who is determined to enter a mastersinger competition to win the hand of Eva, daughter of one of the mastersingers. However, being an apprentice, Walther breaks many of the rigid rules, and very nearly fails to gain entry to the competition. However, with the collusion of the respected mastersinger Hans Sachs (who was an actual historical figure, not merely a Wagner invention) he not only enters the competition but wins it, in spite of breaking more rules than ever. Because Walther’s melody is so beautiful, the mastersingers invite to him to join their guild, implicitly accepting (it appears) the enrichment of their rules. Wagner saw himself in the Walther role, which mirrored his own disdain for rigidity and tradition. He even creates a character in the opera through which to lampoon his harshest critic of the time, a straitlaced nit-picking traditionalist. Of the music of the overture itself, there is little more to add. We hear serious-sounding themes, representing the established mastersingers, and a lighter, quicker theme that portrays the dance of the eager young apprentices. Oh, and you’ll hear snippets of the love theme in there too. You can find a very detailed account of the story of the Mastersingers in Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Meistersinger_von_N%C3%BCrnberg





Tonight’s agenda Still, Symphony No 1 Debussy, Prelude a L'Apres Midi d'un Faune Vivaldi, The Four Seasons Vaughan Williams, The Wasps Wagner, Ride of the Valkyries Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man

William Grant Still (1895 (Woodville MS)-1978 (Los Angeles)) Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American)

Historical context To proclaim any event a ”first” is dangerous, for no sooner are the words out of one’s mouth than someone else finds the real first. The record still stands, however, for William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony as the first such work by a black composer to be performed by a major American symphony orchestra. Howard Hanson, who conducted the premiere with the Rochester Philharmonic in 1931, was a noted exponent of contemporary American music. Once he had paved the way, others moved quickly to take up Still’s cause: the New York Philharmonic gave the New York premiere of the symphony in 1935 at Carnegie Hall. However, the work we will hear is the result of a revision that Still undertook in 1969. Still’s father was the town bandmaster in Woodville, Mississippi. After his death, Still’s mother moved the family to Little Rock, Arkansas, where she had relatives. Still studied the violin as a youth, but at his mother’s insistence, entered Wilberforce College as a medical student. However, like Berlioz before him, he quickly tired of medicine and gravitated to music, and during his college days he formed a string quartet and pursued his musical activities on the side.




His musical training was twofold, embracing the European tradition at Oberlin College, and the African-American in his work with W. C. Handy in New York. He earned his living playing the oboe in the pit band for the musical Shuffle Along. While the show was on tour in Boston, he took some composition lessons from George Chadwick; later, the avant-garde composer Edgar Varèse took him on as a composition pupil. For a while, he became an apostle of Varèse, but his own musical nature dictated a more traditional path, one that he found with the Afro-American Symphony. “Like so many works which are important to their creators, the Afro-American Symphony was forming over a period of years,” Still wrote. “Themes were occurring to me, were duly noted, and an overall form was slowly growing. I knew I wanted to write a symphony; I knew that it had to be an American work; and I wanted to demonstrate how the blues, so often considered a lowly expression, could be elevated to the highest musical level.”

The music A single melody, hinted at by the English horn, then stated in full by a solo trumpet, runs in one guise or another through the entire symphony—although it often takes a fair amount of listener imagination to make the connection back to that melody. The tune itself is Still’s own creation, but it incorporates the ambiguous tonality and swaying rhythm of the blues. According to the musicologist Eileen Southern, “the other themes of the symphony, none an actual quotation of a genuine folk melody but rather an invention in the spirit of folksongs, are reminiscent of spirituals, shout songs, jig songs (with banjo-like accompaniment), and jazz tunes.” The balance of the four movements is like that in the symphonies of Brahms, with the weight concentrated in the first and last movements, and the inner ones relatively lighter. Apparently, Still gave each of the movements a subtitle: 1-Longings, 2-Sorrows, 3-Humor, and 4-Aspirations. However, the score of the 1969 revision carries no such subtitles. I can only speculate why that is so, but it has been a recurring feature of “program” or mood music that the composer has had second thoughts about divulging his inner motivations to the masses. In the 1969 score, Still has quoted a few lines of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poetry as a preface to each movement, perhaps as a replacement and expansion for the earlier subtitles. The orchestration is interesting from a number of angles. First, it calls for instruments not normally used in symphonies: the tenor banjo and the vibraphone. Second, the balance and prominence of the instruments used is unusual. The harp is given a very prominent part. And in place of the normal two tenor trombones and one bass trombone, Still calls for three tenor trombones. Still also calls for a bass clarinet, not particularly unusual in itself, but the instrument is given great prominence throughout the work, a feature that is indeed unusual, especially in light of Still's omission of the contrabassoon and the customary bass trombone. Here is an outline of the symphony. Timings are relative to the Chandos recording CHAN 9154, Neeme Järvi conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.




First movement (Longings) Moderato assai ‘All my life long twell de night has pas’ Let de wo’k come ez it will, So dat I fin’ you, my honey, at last’, Somewhaih des ovah de hill.’ Paul Laurence Dunbar ref time structure remarks [start] 0:00 introduction English horn, high in its range. [2] 0:30 exposition

A theme muted trumpet, later taken over by clarinet

[5]-1 2:19 how about that bass clarinet! [5] 2:25 B theme oboe starts [6] 2:59 development [7] 3:25 prominent celesta here [7]+4 3:41 a few seconds of bright spotlight for the harp [11]-2 4:58 bass clarinet and celesta alone in the spotlight [11] 5:05 recapitulation

B

[11]+1 5:10 bass clarinet shines again [12]+2 5:52 A muted trumpets (3 this time) [13]-2 6:27 another solo for the harp… [13] 6:35 coda …followed by the bass clarinet, who gets his

best bit so far to end the movement.

Second movement (Sorrows) Adagio ‘It’s moughty tiahsome layin’ ‘roun’ Dis sorrer-laden earfly groun’, An’ oftentimes I thinks, thinks I ‘Twould be a sweet t’ing des to die An’ go ‘long home.’ Paul Laurence Dunbar ref time structure remarks [14] 0:00 introduction [15] 0:23 A theme oboe [17] 1:57 B (development) [20] 3:53 A flute and bassoon [21] 4:34 coda




Third movement (Humor) Animato An’ we’ll shout ouah halleluyahs, On dat mighty reck’nin’ day.’ Paul Laurence Dunbar ref time structure remarks [22] 0:00 introduction again the bass clarinet is prominent [23] 0:11 A theme note the entry here of the tenor banjo, playing

afterbeats. [25] 0:41 B (development) tenor banjo takes a break for most of this

development section… [29] 2:02 …but keeps his fingers warm with an 8-bar

guest appearance [31] 2:37 coda introduced by

A theme tenor banjo rejoins the fun. He’ll stay with us for the rest of this movement and then sneak off home.




Fourth movement (Aspirations) Lento, con risoluzione ‘Be proud, my Race, in mind and soul. Thy name is writ on Glory’s scroll In characters of fire. High mid the clouds of Fame’s bright sky Thy banner’s blazoned folds now fly, And truth shall lift them higher.’ Paul Laurence Dunbar ref time structure remarks [32] 0:00 A theme we go straight into a beautiful lyrical theme,

played in unison by violins, violas and cellos, underscored by unison basses, tuba, and bass clarinet. Trombones (directed to play ‘organ-like’) add just the right amount of harmony, and the whole effect is wonderfully transparent.

[34] 1:25 B flute [37] 2:43 C [37]+6 3:05 vibraphone gets an understated solo. He’s seen

some action before this, but nothing so prominent.

[39]+2 4:14 another vibraphone solo note [40] 4:36 A this time around the cellos are given sole

custody of the theme, accompanied only by strings and flutes

[42] 6:03 D now the music’s character changes completely. Perhaps Dunbar’s poem is a clue: having spent the first section of the movement building pride and self-confidence, we now move into an action phase.

[48] 7:29 coda now the mood changes again as we near the end of the work, seeming to suggest confidence, resolution, energy, and optimism as we conclude this very satisfying symphony.




Claude Debussy (1862-1918) (France) Prelude a l’Apres Midi d’un Faune

Listening to this piece in the 21st century, as we are, it seems barely imaginable that this beautiful dreamy piece of music could have been such an avant garde departure at the time of its composition and first performance. Yet indeed it was. Although this was Debussy’s first significant composition for orchestra, it marked a true inflection point in the development of modern music. Its harmonies are truly revolutionary, being completely dissociated from any home key over the first several minutes of the piece. Neither the haunting melody introduced and virtually owned throughout by the flute, nor its accompanying harmony, yield any clues about tonality. No composer of the day was unaffected by this work. Even Stravinsky observed that he couldn’t have written the opening of his Rite of Spring without the education that this composition gave him. And far from causing a riot at its first performance, as Stravinsky’s Rite was destined to do, Debussy’s piece had to be played again, at the insistence of the audience. True to form, the critics took longer to embrace Debussy’s revolutionary innovations (and we can relate to that experience through Wagner’s treatment of the critics in the Mastersingers). This is how Debussy himself describes the work:

The music of this prelude is a very free illustration of Mallarmé's beautiful poem. By no means does it claim to be a synthesis of it. Rather there is a succession of scenes through which pass the desires and dreams of the faun in the heat of the afternoon1. Then, tired of pursuing the timorous flight of nymphs and naiads, he succumbs to intoxicating sleep, in which he can finally realize his dreams of possession in universal Nature.

Asked about the specifics of how the music illustrates the poem, Debussy responded “It is a general impression of the poem, for if music were to follow more closely it would run out of breath, like a dray horse competing for the grand prize with a thoroughbred.” Debussy completed the score in 1894, and its first performance was on December 22 of that year. You can find excellent and more extensive program notes by Richard Freed, and a short yet very illuminating video interview with NSO associate conductor Emil de Cou, on the NSO’s Web site at http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=composition&composition_id=2466

1 For those of us who don’t know French, “L’apres midi d’un faune” means “The afternoon of a fawn” (a young deer).




Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) (Italy) The Four Seasons

Antonio Vivaldi, an extremely prolific composer and virtuoso violinist, was more highly regarded in his own time as a violinist than as a composer. His huge output was assisted by liberal recycling and reuse of his own material, and was largely motivated by contractual obligations—Vivaldi was employed for most of his working life by the Ospedale della Pietà, for periods being on a two-concertos-per-month schedule. You may well ask, Whatever is the “Ospedale della Pietà”? I certainly did. Turning to Italian dictionaries, I discovered that “ospedale” is the Italian word for “hospital,” and “Pietà” is a representation of the virgin Mary. Okay, Hospital of the Virgin Mary, then. Fair enough—but why would a hospital pay anyone to compose music? Digging further (this is one of the things—serendipitous discoveries—that makes leading this class so rewarding), I discovered a Web page (http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxvivaldi.html) that gave a straight story, unsullied by euphemism. Here’s the juicy explanation:

Often termed an “orphanage,” this Ospedale was in fact a home for the female offspring of noblemen and their numerous dalliances with their mistresses. The Ospedale was thus well endowed by the “anonymous” fathers; its furnishings bordered on the opulent, the young ladies were well looked-after, and the musical standards among the highest in Venice.

However, other credible sources report that, although the Ospedale indeed started out as an orphanage, the quality of its musical education gained it such a reputation that it morphed into a respected conservatory. So pick the explanation you like better. The Four Seasons, a set of four violin concertos, is the most well-known and most popular of Vivaldi’s works. However, these four represent only the first of the 12 concertos he published as opus 8. Perhaps their enduring popularity has something to do with their appealing titles. Vivaldi composed each concerto to portray a sonnet. The concertos themselves were in circulation long before their publication while Vivaldi revised and polished them over the




course of many performances. It was not until publication that Vivaldi revealed the existence of the sonnets and their close association with the music. We don’t know who wrote the sonnets, but it has been suggested that, in light of their artistic mediocrity, the author may have been Vivaldi himself. Vivaldi went far beyond a mere association between poem and music—he explicitly labeled his scores to indicate the particular line of sonnet associated with the music. In some cases, annotations in the score are embellishments and do not explicitly occur in the sonnets. We’ll listen to this piece using the sonnets and other annotations as the maps, rather than dissect the structure of the concertos in terms of their purely musical elements. Vivaldi gave some of the movements descriptive subtitles, which I’ve included in the tables that follow.

Spring (La Primavera)

Mvt. Sec r

hyme

Italian text time2 English translation

I Allegro A

B C

a ba b

Giunt è la primavera e festosetti La salutan gl’augei con lieto canto; E i fonti allo spirar de’ zeffiretti Con dolce mormorio scorrono intanto.

0:00 0:30 0:49 1:10

Spring has come, and birds greet it Festively with a cheerful song; And with the breath of gentle breezes Springs trickle with a sweet murmur.

D E

ba a b

Vengon’ coprendo l’aer di nero amanto, E lampi e tuoni ad annuntiara eletti. Indi tacendo questi, gl’augelletti Tornan’ di nuovo al lor canoro incanto.

1:40 2:13

Lightning and thunder, elected to announce it, Come and cover the air with a black cloak. Once they are quiet, the birds Return to their enchanting song.

II Largo F c

dc

E quindi sul fiorito ameno prato Al caro mormorio di fronde e piante, Dorme ’l caprar col fido can’ al lato.

0:003

Then on the pleasant, flowered meadow A goatherd, with his faithful dog at his side, Sleeps to the sweet murmur of fronds and plants.

III Allegro—Rustic Dance G d

c d

Di pastoral zampogna al suon festante Danzan’ ninfe e pastori nel tetto amato Di primavera all’apparir brillante.

0:00 To the festive sound of a rustic bagpipe Nymphs and shepherds dance under the beloved canopy At the brilliant appearance of spring.

2 Timings are relative to the Achiv recording 400 045-2, The English Concert directed by Trevor Pinnock, with violin soloist Simon Standage. 3 In this movement, the dreamy solo violin melody represents the sleeping goatherd; the lazily moving violin accompaniment depicts the murmur of fronds and plants, and the persistent low two-note figure from the violas is the barking of the dog.




Summer (L’Estate)

Mvt. Sec rhyme

Italian text time English translation

I Allegro non molto—Exhausted by the heat A

B C

a ba b

Sotto dura staggion’ dal sole accesa Langue l’huom, langue ’l gregge, ed arde il pino; Scioglie il cucco la voce, e tosto intesa Canta la tortorella e ’l gardelino.

0:00 0:59 1:56 2:20

Under the harsh season ignited by the sun Man and flock languish, and the pine burns; The cuckoo4 offers his voice, and, soon heard, The young turtledove and goldfinch sing.

D E

a ba b

Zeffiro dolce spira, ma contesa Muove Borea improviso al suo vicino; E piange il pastorel, perche sospesa Teme fiera borasca, e ’l suo destino.

2:31 2:46 3:23

Zephyr5 blows gently, but suddenly Boreas6 offers opposition to his neighbor; And the shepherd weeps, because he fears A severe storm in the offing—and his destiny.

II Adagio–Presto F c

d c

Toglie alle membra lasse il suo riposo Il timore de’ lampi, e tuoni fieri, E de mosche e mossoni il stuol furioso!

0:00 0:18

The repose of his tired limbs is disturbed By the fear of lightning and fiery thunder, And by a furious swarm of flies and wasps.

III Presto—Summer’s violent weather G d

c d

Ah, che pur troppo i suoi timor’ son veri. Tuona e fulmina il Ciel, e grandinoso Tronca il capo alle spiche e a’ grani alteri.

0:00 Unfortunately, his fears are justified. The sky thunders and fulminates, and hail Flattens ears of corn and majestic grains.

4 The cuckoo’s call is a simple two-note falling third. Here it’s embedded in the frantic fast-note figure played by solo violin, but made to clearly stand out. 5 The West wind 6 The East wind




Autumn (L’Autunno)

Mvt. Sec rhyme

Italian text time English translation

I Allegro—Villagers’ Dance and Song A

B C

a ba b

Celebra il vilanel con balli e canti Del felice raccolto il bel piacere, E del liquor di Bacco accesi tanti Finiscono col sonno il lor godere.

0:00 1:00 3:08

The peasant celebrates the blissful pleasure Of a happy harvest with dances and songs, And, glowing with the liquor of Bacchus, Many complete their enjoyment with sleep.

II Adagio—Dozing Drunkards D

a ba b

Fa ch’ogn’uno tralasci e balli e canti, L’aria che temperata da piacere. E la staggion ch’invita tanti e tanti D’un dolcissimo sonno al bel godere.

0:00 The air, tempered by pleasure, makes Everyone give up dances and songs. It is the season that invites so many To the great enjoyment of a sweet sleep.

III Allegro—The Hunt E

F

c dc

I cacciator’ alla nov’alba a caccia Con corni, schioppi, e canni escono fuore. Fugge la belva, e seguono la traccia.

0:00 1:22

At dawn the hunters are off to the hunt With horns, rifles, and dogs. The wild beast flees, and they follow its trail.

G H

dc d

Già sbigottita, e lassa al gran rumore De’ schioppi e canni, ferita, minaccia Languida di fuggir, ma oppressa, muore.

1:32 2:18

Frightened already, and fatigued by the noise Of rifles and dogs, wounded, it threatens Languidly to flee, but, overcome, it dies.

Winter (L’Inverno)

I Allegro non molto A

B C D

a bba

Aggiacciato tremar tra nevi algenti Al severo spirar d’orrido vento, Correr battendo i piedi ogni momento; E pel soverchio gel batter i denti;

0:00 0:33 1:04 2:18

To tremble from cold in the icy snow, In the harsh breath of a horrid wind; To run, stamping our feet every moment, Our teeth chattering in the extreme cold.

II Largo—The Rain E a

bPassar al fuoco i di quieti e contenti Mentre la pioggia fuor bagna ben cento.

0:00 Before the fire to pass peaceful, Contented days while the rain outside pours down.

III Allegro F

G ba

Caminar sopra ’l giaccio, e a passo lento, Per timor di cader, girsene intenti.

0:00 0:19 0:22

To walk on the ice and at a slow pace For fear of falling, move carefully.

H I/J L

c dc

Gir forte, sdruzziolar, cader a terra, Di nuovo ir sopra ’l giaccio e correr forte Sinch’ il giaccio si rompe e si disserra;

0:36 0:43 0:46 1:20

To make a bold turn, slip, fal1 down. To go on the ice once more and run hard Until the ice cracks and breaks up.

M N

d c d

Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte Sirocco, Borea, e tutti i venti in guerra. Quest’e ’l verno, ma tal che gioia apporte.

1:33 1:38 2:06 2:10

To hear the Sirocco, Boreas, and all [the winds]7 The winds at war leave their iron gates: [all the winds] This is winter, but, even so, what joy it brings!

7 one of those extra-sonnet annotations in the score




Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) (England) Overture: The Wasps Symphony orchestra

The Wasps is a comic play by the Greek playwright Aristophanes, who lived from about 448 BC to 380 BC. The play is about the struggle between a son and his father over the latter’s strange and compulsive hobby—attending court proceedings as a juror. For reasons entirely mysterious to me 8, the father’s fellow jurors appear dressed as wasps, hence the play’s title. Vaughan Williams wrote incidental music for a 1909 performance of the play in Cambridge. The overture follows standard practice by giving us a preview of the themes to be heard in the body of performance. A purposeful introduction powerfully evokes the buzzing of a swarm of wasps, appropriately enough, and we might be lulled into thinking that the wasp buzzing is to be the lynchpin of the work. However, the buzzing abruptly ceases after the introduction and is barely hinted at thereafter. There are three principal themes, two of which are march- like, the other more expansive and lyrical. A

B

C 8 There are of course boundaries to my interest in the stories behind musical works. The explanation behind the wasp costumes lies beyond those boundaries.




Following the introduction, theme A begins the body of the piece, followed by B, which sits atop an accompaniment closely derived from A. A slower interlude appears as the middle section of the piece, during which theme C is introduced. The march- like tempo reappears, introduced by a brief burst of buzzing, as we embark on a miniature sonata-form-like development. A recapitulation and coda then tastefully reprise all three themes.

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) (Germany) The Ride of the Valkyries

The Ride of the Valkyries is from Wagner’s opera The Valkyrie, the second of the four operas that make up The Ring cycle. This cycle is based on the same Norse mythology that inspired Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. You can read much more about this Norse mythology at http://www.pantheon.org/articles/v/valkyries.html

The Valkyries ("Choosers of the Slain") are beautiful young women, mounted upon winged horses and armed with helmets and spears. Odin needs many brave warriors for the oncoming battle of Ragnarok, and the Valkyries scout the battlefields to choose the bravest of those who have been slain. They escort these heroes, referred to as the Einherjar, to Valhalla, Odin's hall.




Aaron Copland (1900-1990) (born Brooklyn, NY; died North Tarrytown, NY) Fanfare for the Common Man

Copland composed this three-minute work in response to a commission from Eugene Goossens, conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony. In all, ten fanfares were written by ten American composers to build patriotic spirit during World War II, although only Copland’s has held its place in the repertoire.

Copland himself was fond enough of this piece to bring it back and rework it as a key piece of the finale of his Symphony No. 3.





Tonight’s agenda Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 Tchaikovsky, Marche Slave Delius, On hearing the first cuckoo in spring Saint Saëns, Symphony No. 3

Peter Tchaikovksy (1840-1893) (Russia) Symphony No. 5

Although we may not have applied the label at the time, we’ve already encountered “program” music—music that illustrates a story, mood, or something else external to the music itself. Peer Gynt, the Planets, Pictures at an Exhibition, Prelude à l’après midi d’un faune—these are all examples. Knowing the imagery behind the piece helps us understand and enjoy it. But what if the music was “program music” as far as the composer was concerned, but with a program not divulged? Is it still “program music” to the listener? This is the dilemma we face with Tchaikovsky’s 5th. By the time Tchaikovsky wrote his 4th symphony, he had come to the view that a symphony should have an underlying program. And the 4th symphony is indeed based on an explicit program, which he expounded at length in a letter to his patron, Nadezhda von Meck. Yet oddly, Tchaikovsky never said a word to anyone about any program underlying the 5th. However, we know from notes of his unearthed in the 1950s that indeed a program there was, though Tchaikovsky apparently took most of it to his grave in his head. The only snippet he committed to paper was this:

Introduction. Complete resignation before Fate, or, which is the same, before the inscrutable predestination of Providence. Allegro. (I) Murmurs, doubts, plains, reproaches against XXX . . . (II) Shall I throw myself in the embrace of faith?




So much for a program, or lack thereof. For additional insight into Tchaikovsky and his fifth symphony, see Richard Freed’s excellent program notes at http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=composition&composition_id=2080 For our purposes tonight, here’s a “map” of the symphony that we can use to keep our bearings. Relative to our recording, which is by Georg Solti with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (on London 425 516-2), times indicate the time at the beginning of the segment, relative to that movement.




Theme Reference Motto Theme

First Movement First Theme

Second Theme

Third Theme

Second Movement First Section First Theme

Second Theme

Second Section

Third Movement Waltz Theme

Trio Theme

Fourth Movement First Theme

Second Theme

Third Theme



First Movement Sonata form

bar time remarks

1 0:00 Introduction (clarinet) the “motto” theme, which shows up repeatedly throughout the symphony

Exposition the movement’s melodic elements are stated 42 2:30 First Theme clarinet and bassoon

116 4:20 Second Theme strings 170 5:36 Third Theme violins

Development the themes are “developed,” somewhat like variations

194 6:20 development begins with a bold restatement of the First Theme by brass and woodwinds

Recapitulation the themes are restated 321 8:53 First Theme solo bassoon 373 10:07 Second Theme strings 427 11:21 Third Theme strings 451 12:02 Coda horns and trombones announce the Coda with the

powerfully stated First Theme. The coda is based on elements of both First and Second Themes




Second Movement Slow, serious, and rather dark. ABA form.

bar time remarks

Second Movement serious and rather dark 1 0:00 First Section (A) (strings) introductory chords 8 0:48 First Theme solo horn

24 2:21 Second Theme oboe and horn duet 33 3:09 Reprise (cellos) restatement and development of First and

Second Themes 67 5:56 Second Section (B) (clarinet) a new theme, contrasting and a little more

urgent 99 7:24 Bridge (trumpets and woodwind) the Motto Theme makes

its first brief reappearance, strident and self-important. [Listen to the bass trombone and contra-bassoon thumping out their triplet figure way down there in the nether regions.]

108 7:46 First Section reprise (A) 111 8:04 First Theme (violins) notice the newly introduced obligato

(counter melody) in the woodwinds 128 9:22 (woodwinds) 1st Theme continues, now with a new

counter melody from horns 142 10:02 Second Theme now returning in a full-orchestra fortissimo climax 158 11:10 Coda (trombones and bassoons) Motto Theme—making

another reappearance, now forceful and menacing 171 11:56 (strings) Second Theme—a tranquil contrast,

bringing the movement to a peaceful close

Third Movement Waltz and trio A short, happy, and airy waltz movement, more light hearted than a typical classical-era scherzo and trio.

bar time remarks 1 0:00 Waltz Theme violins

72 1.29 Trio (violins) a busy and fussy contrast to the song- like waltz

145 2:58 Waltz Theme reprise (strings) notice how the fussy Trio theme continues, competing with the (oboes) Waltz reprise for a few bars before finally yielding the floor

241 5:01 Coda (clarinet and bassoon) Motto Theme—here it is again

256 5:21 (violins) First Theme—a very brief fragment based on the first theme elbows out the motto theme to complete the movement




Fourth Movement Sonata form

bar time remarks

Fourth Movement 1 0:00 Introduction the Motto Theme reappears, majestic and resolute,

running for 57 bars in its most extended form yet. 51 2:34 strings tease us with fragments that hint at the theme

to come Exposition

58 2:56 First Theme strings 98 3:31 Second Theme strings

128 3:57 Third Theme woodwinds 172 4:33 Development trumpets and trombones announce the Development

with (what else?) the Motto Theme Recapitulation

296 6:28 First Theme notice how the two elements of the first theme are now played concurrently, with the first figure in the lower instruments and the second figure in the higher register

340 7:06 Second Theme strings 378 7:38 Third Theme woodwinds

Coda 426 8:20 (brass) the motto theme appears in a transitional role 474 9:12 (strings) triumphant strings sound the motto theme 490 9:58 trumpets and oboes wrest ownership of the motto

theme (no, I can’t really hear the oboes either, but the score says they’re indeed involved)

10:25 now Tchaikovsky treats us to one of my favorite figures—the relentlessly stepwise-rising bass line

546 11:13 First Theme of First Movement! Now in the major key. As in the Third Movement, the Motto Theme is elbowed out at the very end of the piece

Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) (Russia) March Slave Throughout his career, Tchaikovsky composed “occasional” pieces to mark various events, often connected with the lives of colleagues or Russian dignitaries. The Marche Slave is one such piece, commissioned in 1876 by the Russian Musical Society for a Red Cross concert for the benefit of Russian troops in Serbia and Montenegro. To help boost morale and raise money, the piece is based on Serbian folk songs, and also quotes the Tsarist national anthem. Marche Slave is one of the Tchaikovsky’s more popular concert marches, and is often found on classical “pops” collections. We need to give the title “March” some latitude, as it normally implies a steady 120-beats-per-minute tempo, and usually a major key. In contrast, Marche Slave’s opening




theme connotes not so much marching as trudging. [0:14]1 The melancholy minor-key melody is first featured in the lower strings and then moves to higher registers, each repetition underpinned by a new counterpoint. [1:23] The opening theme abruptly gives way to an optimistic lyrical theme from the second violins. After a busy bridge passage [1:41], the full orchestra brings back the opening theme [2:29]. [3:40} The mood now changes as the clarinets take up a surprisingly happy and jovial theme, which is soon joined [4:17] by a variant of the opening march theme which, this time around, has a bit more of a spring in its step. [5:04] Here’s the Tsarist national anthem for the first time, which you may recognize from Tchaikovsky’s well-known 1812 overture. [6:08] Now the opening theme returns, this time sounding even more optimistic. After a reprise of the lyrical theme, we enter a bridge passage that takes us into another major mood change [7:40], again with clarinets handling the kick off, and now sounding happier than ever. Low brass throw in their weight with the national anthem, and the march heads into a brilliant and upbeat [8:55] coda.

Frederick Delius (1862-1934) (England) On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring

Small orchestra Of wealthy German parentage, Delius was born and raised in England. He moved to France in 1888 and spent the rest of his life there. Five years younger than compatriot Edward Elgar, the two never met until 1933, the year before both died. Delius was not a prolific composer. His music is unlike that of any other, and tends to have a dreamy, ethereal quality, very evocative of the mood scenes it portrays. As a result, it demands the greatest care and empathy from its performers, lest it should sound trivial and simplistic. On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring dates from 1912. Just over seven minutes long, its uncomplicated structure is based on a Norwegian folksong that composer Edvard Grieg 1 Timing are relative to the London recording 430 410-2, London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.




had published in a piano collection of folk tunes. Although the overall design of the piece is simple, Delius achieves a very rich—yet delicate—string sound, dividing each of the usual orchestral string lines into two (with the exception of basses). The harmony becomes more and more chromatic and complex as the piece progresses, enriching the lush texture. The cuckoo call is a ubiquitous and universally recognized sound in the summer English countryside (and I suppose in France too), but probably quite unknown to most American ears. It’s a simple two-note falling third; the name “cuckoo” being itself an imitation of the sound, which the clarinet gets the job of making in this piece.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) (France) Symphony No. 3

Saint-Saëns is one of those composers whose popularity now rests on a small number of works, in spite of a large output and considerable fame and reputation during his lifetime. He was a virtuoso pianist and organist, gaining entrance to the Paris Conservatoire at the tender age of 13 and later earning his living as an organist. He gained fame for his organ improvisations, some of which found their way into his published works, including the Third Symphony. Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony is the only one to hold a place in today’s repertoire. The other four are almost never featured on concert programs and are very sparsely recorded. (A fairly deep scan of the Amazon catalogue reveals no recordings by world-class orchestras.) The Third Symphony is Saint-Saëns’ last, and is so numbered because two others were unpublished until after his death. Completed in 1886, the Third—which has acquired the ineluctable nickname of “the organ symphony”—was the result of a commission by the Philharmonic Society of London. Saint-Saëns’ music was popular in England, and this period marked the zenith of his fame and compositional creativity. The first performance was, appropriately enough, in London, conducted by the composer. Saint-Saëns presents the symphony as a two-movement work rather than the usual symphonic design of four. However, the two movements are each constructed as rather distinct halves, joined by connecting passages, and thus we can choose to think of it as a




four-movement work. Indeed, the recording we’ll hear divides the symphony into four tracks. The work is dedicated to the composer Franz Liszt, and borrows Liszt’s idea of theme transformation, in which a motto theme recurs throughout the entire work, changing its character to conform to its context. Saint-Saëns shows remarkable ingenuity in this respect, and the symphony is thus superbly integrated.

Outline of the symphony Timings are relative to the recording by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, London 410 210-2.

Movement I1 Sonata form ref time structure remarks [start] 0:00 introduction [start]+11 1:18 exposition

first subject motto theme

[F] 3:36 second subject [H] 4:50 development [M] 7:02 recapitulation

first subject

[O]+13 8:47 second subject [P]+9 9:30 coda/bridge to I2 here is a delicate adaptation of the motto

theme (triplets, with the third triplet missing)

Movement I2 ABA form ref time structure remarks [P]+35 0:00 A [S]+3 4:48 B this theme is actually a variation on A,

providing a pleasant contrast to A yet tightly integrating the movement through its close relationship

[U] 5:14 link here’s a stroke of genius: this figure is what I referred to above as the ‘delicate adaptation of the motto theme’ from the close of I1, which led us into I2. Now Saint-Saëns brings it back in extended form, again to preface the reprise of theme A, thus muddying up the boundaries of our pulling apart of his two movements.




[V] 6:24 A notice how the ‘delicate adaptation of the motto theme’ continues as pizzicato accompaniment

[X] 7:46 coda

Movement II1 Sonata form ref time structure remarks [start] 0:00 exposition

first subject the motto theme, transformed so that it retains much of its rhythmic character but little of its melody

[C]+12 1:29 second subject a new idea, but I think I could almost convince myself it’s derived (melodically anyway) from the motto theme

[F]+4 2:01 development an ingenious development section built largely on the transformed motto theme, which this time retains its melodic elements but replaces its frenetic staccato with a lyrical flowing rhythm strongly reminiscent of the melody of I2.

[K]+14 3:26 recapitulation first subject

[O]+2 4:54 second subject [Q]+6 5:31 coda/link to II2 [R]+4 6:14 notice the motto theme in basses and cellos;

here the melody is transformed not at all, but the rhythm certainly is.

Movement II2 Free fantasia This movement makes for a glorious finale as Saint-Saëns gives free rein to his imagination, quite unconstrained by considerations of adherence to any design template. The entire movement is derived from the motto theme, and most of the way you don’t need too much imagination to make the connection. I won’t attempt a detailed analysis because I don’t think it would add much to your listening enjoyment2—it would be complex and confusing rather than enlightening. I will, however, point out a few highlights (but I’ll remind you here that I’m a brass player):

2 And writing it would make my brain hurt.




ref time remarks [R]+16 0:00 the organ gets the first bar all to himself here with a rich C major

chord. I love to watch sleepy- looking audience members as a live performance approaches this point.

[S] 0:30 the dreamy-sounding extended melody in strings is clearly the transformed motto theme. Notice the busy and pretty accompaniment from the piano (one instrument, four hands)

[T] 1:46 here’s a fugue [AA]+31 4:19 how ‘bout them trumpets? [CC]+12 5:32 not to be outdone, trombones and tuba strut their stuff. The

Montreal brass section is a powerful unit indeed. [FF]+9 6:24 here’s the culmination of a movement (and symphony) that, for

brass players, makes all that bars-rest counting worthwhile.

Classical Music Appreciation—Introductory, Class Outline 1


Classical Music Appreciation—Intermediate Class Outline


This class is organized around three principal topics: form and structure , historical periods , and instrumentation. We will, however, spend most of our class time listening to music. Furthermore, we’ll be listening to complete works (as opposed to excerpts) without interruption, guided by program notes (which are often quite detailed). I’ll be marking off our progress as we listen to each piece, keeping you oriented to where we are in its structure. While the chosen works illustrate the elements of the topics around which the course is organized, I selected music that I believe you’ll find enjoyable and stimulating. We’ll have a 5-10 minute class discussion of each piece, during which we’ll all be able to learn from one another’s questions and insights. There follows the outline for the entire class. You’ll see that we jump back and forth among the principal topics, which accommodates the constraints of the schedule while working in some variety. Because of this jumping around, I suggest you bring handouts from all previous weeks to each class. week 1

Introduction Vaughan Williams, Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis1 Introductions

Form and Structure Theme-and-Variations Form Parks, First Romance [Theme-and-Variations Form] 2 Elgar, Enigma Variations [Theme-and-Variations Form] The major structural designs of classical music Elgar, Serenade for strings [ABA form] Mozart, Horn Concerto No.3 [rondo form (and also sonata form)]

1 Italics indicate music we’ll listen to. 2 [brackets] explain what the piece is primarily chosen to illustrate




week 2 Haydn, Symphony No.102 [sonata form]

Historical Periods, Round 1 Major periods in classical music development Plainsong (Gregorian chant) [Medieval period] Holborne, The Fairy Round [Renaissance period] Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 [Baroque period] Boyce, Concerto Grosso in B flat [Baroque period] JC Bach, Symphony Op 18 No 2 [music on the Baroque/Classical cusp] Berlioz, Les Francs Juges [Romantic period]3

week 3 Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 [Classical period] Schubert Symphony No 8 [Romantic period]

Instrumentation, Round 1 The major ensemble types in classical music Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra, 2nd movement4 [orchestral instruments] Holst, St Paul's Suite [string orchestra] Holst, Suite in F [wind band] Vaughan Williams, Variations for Brass Band [brass band]

week 4 Historical Periods, Round 2

Beethoven, Symphony No 6 [music on the Classical/Romantic cusp] Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique [Romantic period]

Instrumentation, Round 2 Vaughan Williams, Toward the Unknown Region [chorus and orchestra]

week 5 Historical Periods, Round 3

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 [Modern period] Golland: Meiso [Modern period; brass band] Debussy, La Mer [Modern period]

Instrumentation, Round 3 Barber, Summer Music [wind quintet] Henry VIII, Rose without a Thorn [brass quintet]

week 6 Beethoven, String Quartet Op 18 No 6 [string quartet]

The Grand Finale Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade

3 Yes, this one is out of chronological sequence. It’s to accommodate the clock and the schedule. 4 That thing I said about playing only complete works: here’s an exception, but it’s the only one.

Classical Music Appreciation—Intermediate, Session 1 1


Classical Music Appreciation—Intermediate Session 1 notes


Tonight’s agenda Administrivia Introduction

Vaughan Williams, Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis1 Introductions

Form and Structure Theme-and-Variations Form Parks, First Romance [Theme-and-Variations Form] 2 Elgar, Enigma Variations [Theme-and-Variations Form] The major structural designs of classical music Elgar, Serenade for strings [ABA form; arch form] Mozart, Horn Concerto No.3 [rondo form (and also sonata form)]

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) (England) Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis

Biographical Note Vaughan Williams counts the Wedgwoods (of pottery fame) and the Darwins among his ancestors. Born into a comfortably well-off Gloucestershire family, he began to compose at the age of six. However, child prodigy he definitely was not. Vaughan Williams worked very hard to acquire his competence as a composer. His progress was slow, yet he remained dedicated and determined. Even his family remarked on how bad he was at music in spite of all the effort and study that he put into it. He studied at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Music under Charles Wood and Charles Stanford,

1 Italics indicate music we’ll listen to. 2 [brackets] explain what the piece is primarily chosen to illustrate




and even traveled to Berlin to study with Max Bruch. By the time he was in his early thirties he realized, as he later wrote, that “the years were passing, and I was adding nothing to the sum of musical invention.” His fortunes began to change after being introduced to the craft of folk-song collecting by Lucy Broadwood. Folk tunes became a major influence, and many of his works are based on folk songs or their musical ideas. In 1904 he accepted an invitation to be music editor of a new hymn book, The English Hymnal (1906). This venture provided the seed for the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, as Vaughan Williams harmonized the theme and restored it to the hymnal. His principal work around the turn of the century was Toward the Unknown Region, a choral setting of Walt Whitman’s poem Darest Thou Now O Soul. However, still dissatisfied with his compositions, he spent three months of 1908 in Paris in a period of intense study with Maurice Ravel, a period that apparently unleashed his creative energies. His output thereafter grew rapidly in both quality and quantity. With the onset of war in 1914, he insisted in enlisting in the army (at the age of 41!) and served as a hospital orderly in France and Macedonia, later becoming an artillery officer. After the war, he completed his Pastoral Symphony. From 1920 to 1928 he was kept busy as conductor of London’s Bach Choir. With the death of Edward Elgar in 1934, Vaughan Williams was propelled into the limelight as England’s most famous composer, and his musical output continued apace, never slowing even to his dying day. It may seem a little odd that Vaughan Williams—eclipsed in stature only by Elgar—was never knighted. Such lesser lights as Arnold Bax, Arthure Bliss, and Granville Bantock were all knighted, as were William Walton, Benjamin Britten, and Michael Tippett., although Gustav Holst and Frederick Delius were apparently passed over. Digging into the history, however, we find that Vaughan Williams was indeed offered a knighthood in 1935, but modestly turned it down, shunning what he felt was pomposity and preferring to stay with his academic title. He did, however, accept the lesser honor of the Order of Merit.

The Music Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is one of Vaughan Williams’ most popular pieces. It’s one of those pieces that keeps turning up on CD after CD, being equally suited to string orchestra collections, English-music collections, “pop” classical collections, and so on. Yet interestingly enough, the work rarely appears on live concert programs, a disparity largely explained by the logistical difficulty involved in its performance. Vaughan Williams scored the fantasia for two string orchestras of different sizes, plus a string quartet, with the second orchestra frequently echoing the first. To obtain the desired sonic effects, the two orchestras need to be seated some distance from each other, a feat not easily achievable in the average concert hall. In a recording, of course, the sonic effects




can be created through appropriate application of technology to simulate spatial separation.. Thomas Tallis was a 16th century English composer, organist, and singer who held various church posts. The theme on which Vaughan Williams based this fantasia dates from about 1567. The seed for the fantasia was planted in 1906, when Vaughan Williams, as editor, harmonized Tallis’ tune and restored it to the English Hymnal. Following his three-months’ Paris sojourn studying with Maurice Ravel, he composed the fantasia to fulfill a commission for the Three Choirs Festival of 1910, at which it was performed in Gloucester Cathedral. Although Vaughan Williams uses the label “fantasia,” which connotes great freedom of form, the respected critic Frank Howes has pointed out that the work makes relatively little departure from the theme itself, and is thus more properly considered “madrigalian3” rather than fantasia- like. Well, be that as it may, we’re going to declare any deeper analysis as being outside the scope of this class and just enjoy it as we hear it. After all, this work wouldn’t have become such a recurring feature of recorded collections if it weren’t so instantly accessible.

The Theme and Variations form [This short preview anticipates material we’ll soon get into in more detail. It’s a way to ease us into examination of form without trying to swallow too much in one go.] Theme and variations is perhaps one of the most easily recognizable musical forms. A theme (i.e. a tune) is stated, usually at the beginning of the work, and the remainder of the work consists of variations on that theme. Variations may be based on many devices, such as:





orchestra Of course, some or all of these devices may be in play simultaneously, taking the music quite far away from its thematic origins.

3 A madrigal is a song designed to a particular pattern. Or, more accurately, one of two patterns—the 14th century madrigal, or the 16th century madrigal.




Aaron Parks (7 October 1983- ) (Seattle, WA) First Romance Theme and variations (Modern Period, piano trio)

Okay, that’s a bit of a grandiose introduction for Aaron Parks, and you might well ask what he’s doing in a classical music class. What we’re hearing is quite clearly jazz. However, I’m using his work as a particularly illuminating example of an important classical music concept—the theme and variations form. Jazz—especially the traditional New Orleans style—often conforms to a theme-and-variations form in a very strict way. The theme is stated at the outset, then the various soloists take turns presenting their improvisations on it. These improvisations are variations made up on the spot, in real time. Throughout, the tempo is invariant and the length of the choruses is fixed at the length of the “theme,” as is the chord sequence. Within this rigid framework, the soloists are free to improvise on the theme. Aaron Parks’ music is a far cry from traditional New Orleans jazz, but the track we hear, First Romance, follows that constrained structure with unusual purity. Consequently, it is an excellent and lucid example of theme-and-variations construction in its simplest form. Here is a map of the piece: Theme: (which itself conforms to ABA form): A A B A (each section is 16 bars long) First “variation”: A1 A2 B1 A3 [subscripts denote an improvisation] Second variation: A4 A5 B2 A6 Third variation: A7 A8 B3 A9 Fourth variation (bass): A10 A11 B4 A12 Recapitulation: A A B A You can read more about the youthful Mr. Parks at http://www.keynoterecords.com/aaron_parks.html , from where you may also purchase his recordings 4.

4 In theory, anyway. The Website has a gone-out-of-business smell about it.




The major structural designs of classical music

Basic building blocks

Repetition If you’re standing in an art gallery looking at a picture, you can stand for as long as you like in front of that picture, examining its whole, zooming in on its parts, all the while building up your understanding of what it’s all about. You can’t do that with a piece of music. Music is played from the top to the bottom in a linear progression, so once a “part” of the work has gone by you don’t get to hear it again. This tyrannical property of time thus presents a challenge to the listener. How can she be expected to retain the melodies and harmonies as they whiz by, so as to be able to satisfyingly relate to the work as a whole? It is this dilemma that the composer’s device of repetition addresses. By repeating material, the composer more firmly lodges it into his listeners’ minds. Repetition occurs on many scales, from large tracts of music lasting many minutes, to short phrases. The repeated phrase is a familiar phenomenon in almost all forms of music. We’ve all heard phrases that so demand to be repeated that without the repeat the effect resembles a bull with one horn.

Variation Closely allied with repetition is variation. Variation involves altering an already-stated idea in some way. The alterations may be based on many devices, such as:





orchestra Variation is a fundamental idea in musical form, appearing as a key feature in many of the more-complex forms.

ABA ABA form extends simple repetition by interposing a new idea between the repetitions of the opening idea. ABA is a fundamental form that forms the basis of several more-complex forms.




Rondo Rondo is a rather straightforward extension of ABA, and features a recurring theme alternating with a series of episodes. Symbolically we can describe it as ABACADA…..

Ritornello Ritornello is a form based on rondo, often employed in Baroque-period concertos. The A sections are tuttis (i.e. played by the orchestra ensemble), with the episodes being played by the soloist. The episodes themselves are often based on the A material, and are normally designed to showcase the soloist’s virtuosity.

Arch form If we take basic ABA form and extend it by bracketing it with an additional idea, we get what is referred to as arch form, represented symbolically as ABCBA.

Binary form Binary form was often used in the Baroque period in the movements of dance suites. It can be represented as AB, and thus amounts to ABA without the repetition. However, binary form features an essential characteristic that holds it together—the A subject modulates away from the opening key. This device creates a feeling of unease in the listener, because the new key gives the music an air of uncertainty, a feeling that something needs to be resolved. And indeed that resolution is provided by the B section, which takes the music back to the tonic key. Note that the modulation of the A section towards the B section implicitly involves elements of variation.

Designs for larger-scale works The basic building blocks outlined above may be employed for individual movements of larger works. In addition, these building blocks form the basis of more-complex designs.

Sonata form Sonata form is most commonly employed as the template for the first movement of symphonies, concertos, and (of course) sonatas. At its simplest, sonata form consists of three elements, which themselves form an ABA structure. The first “A,” referred to at the exposition, normally features two themes, or “subjects,” with the second subject being in a different key (often the dominant) from the first. The second “A,” is referred to as the recapitulation, and as you might expect is in principle a restatement of the exposition. However, the second subject of the recapitulation usually stays in the same key as the first subject. Alert readers will recognize this device as being consistent with the Binary form described above. It is common for the recapitulation to vary the themes somewhat, and the recapitulation is usually shorter than the exposition, which itself is often repeated in its entirety.




Between the exposition and recapitulation is placed the development, in which the composer takes the themes from the exposition and creates a free fantasia with variations on those themes, involving much modulation, often to remote keys. To complete the picture, it is common for the exposition to be preceded by an introduction, and for the movement to be brought to a tidy conclusion by a coda. To summarize, we may represent sonata form with the following map. (Introduction) Exposition

First subject Second subject

(Repeat of exposition) Development Recapitulation

First subject Second subject

(Coda)

Sonata Rondo form As the name suggests, sonata rondo form blends the elements of sonata and rondo form. In its pure form, sonata-rondo form is sonata form with a Development section consisting of the first subject followed by new material (rather than variations on the exposition themes) in a different key. In practice, movements based on both sonata and rondo elements are usually much more free in structure than the theory books would lead you to believe. Sonata-rondo form is often encountered as the underlying design for the final movement of a symphony.

Theme and Variations Theme and variations is perhaps one of the most easily recognizable musical forms, in which an entire work is based on the variation idea described above. A theme (i.e. a tune) is stated, usually at the beginning of the work, and the remainder of the work consists of variations on that theme. In general, multiple of the various variation devices may be in play simultaneously, taking the music quite far away from its thematic origins. The concept of variation is fundamental in classical music. Although the theme-and-variations form employs the concept at its purest, variation is the foundation of many structural elements of a symphonic work. For example, the development section of a sonata-form movement typically consists of variations on themes from the exposition, as does a coda. On a smaller scale, the bridge passages that link together the major statements of the work are themselves normally fashioned from variations on already-heard thematic material.




It is this reworking and restatement of a relatively small amount of thematic material that integrates a substantial symphonic work and gives it intellectual manageability. Each repeated element reinforces listeners’ familiarity and thereby consolidates their understanding.

Scherzo and Trio Scherzo (or minuet) and Trio is a particular form of ABA, and merits a mention in its own right because of its frequent appearance as the second or third movement of a symphony. A minuet is a rather sedate and stately dance in triple time. A scherzo is also in triple time, but is much more lively (it’s literally the Italian word for “joke”). The “trio5” section typically provides a contrast to the scherzo. While the scherzo is usually lively and rhythmic, the trio tends to be more lyr ical and relaxed.

The Symphony Symphonies of the Classical and Romantic periods usually have four movements. The following design is typical:

First movement: Sonata form Second Movement: Slow movement Third Movement: Scherzo (or Minuet) and Trio Fourth Movement: Sonata form (or sonata-rondo, or rondo)

The order of the slow movement and the scherzo may be reversed.

Serenade The term “serenade” has been employed at least since Mozart’s time to describe a work of symphonic structure but much shorter duration than a symphony, and usually for a smaller ensemble, such as a string orchestra. However, it’s a somewhat confusing designation, and there is overlap of works recognized as “symphonies” with those recognized as “serenades.” For example, Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusk, written originally for string quartet plus bass (and now generally performed by chamber-sized string orchestra) is regarded as a “serenade,” and indeed described as such by the composer. It runs to 18 minutes and is of symphonic construction. Yet Mozart’s own Symphony No. 32 runs for only 10 minutes.

Concerto, Sonata A “concerto” normally involves a solo instrument and a symphony orchestra, often reduced in size so as not to overwhelm the soloist. Sometimes more than one “soloist” is involved, leading to such terms as “double concerto” and “triple concerto.” A “sonata” may be for solo piano or for a solo instrument accompanied by piano. 5 The trio section’s curious name derives from early Baroque-period suites that featured minuet-and-trio movements. It was common at the time for the trio section to be played by just three instruments, with the minuet being played by the full ensemble.




Concertos and sonatas of the classical period are similar in construction to symphonies, except they usually consist of three movements, with the symphony’s scherzo-and-trio movement being omitted. Concertos of the Romantic period tend to be freer in design, while those of the Baroque period (which predated the maturation of sonata form) are usually simpler in design, often employing the Ritornello form.

Suite A “Suite” is, as its name implies, a collection of movements that are more or less related in some way. The movements may be, for example, a selection of pieces from a larger collection (for example Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite), a collection of dances (for example Malcolm Arnold’s English Dance Suite and Cornish Dance Suite), or a selection of scenes from a ballet. Or the movements may be specifically written for performance as a suite, with no ulterior ancestry, as for example Gustav Holst’s Moorside Suite. A Suite is distinguished from a Symphony by being freer in format. There are usually three or more movements, which are generally much shorter than the movements of a symphony. Being shorter, their structure can be simpler (often simply ABA) without running the risk of losing the listener.

Overture The purpose of an overture—originally at least—is to warm up the audience with some previews of the themes they are to hear in the opera proper. With that aim, the structure of an overture was quite free, and composers often knitted together their themes with creative variations. Overtures are inherently constrained in length. After all, how long can you expect an eager audience to sit still? They’re keenly awaiting the performance, and it’s hard enough to get them to stop talking as it is. As early as the baroque period, overtures from operas gained retrospective recognition as fine free-standing concert pieces. They proved to be effective and popular opening works for orchestral concerts, so much so that the overture rather quickly attained the status of a legitimate “form” (or should that be pseudo-form?) in its own right, quite dissociated from an opera or other larger work. Such free-standing works are sometimes labeled “concert overtures” or “comedy6 overtures.”

Tone Poem The term tone poem designates not a form as such, but rather a work intended to tell a story, describe a scene, or evoke a mood. I mention it here for completeness, because the term tone poem appears to have acquired pejorative connotations, apparently having become synonymous with “long, boring, miserable piece of music” in many people’s minds. Perhaps because of these connotations, composers have taken to attaching alternative labels to their tone poems. Thus, Elgar calls his Cockaigne an “overture;” Delius give the collective label Two Pieces for Small Orchestra to On Hearing the First 6 As far as I can tell, “comedy” is a simple synonym for “concert” in this context. There is no connotation that the work is supposed to be funny.




Cuckoo in Spring and Summer Night on the River, and Bantock calls Prometheus Unbound a “symphonic prelude.”

Edward Elgar (1857-1934) (England) Enigma Variations Symphony orchestra (Modern Period)

Elgar’s Enigma Variations is perhaps the best-known set of variations in the entire orchestral repertoire. Its first performance, conducted7 by Hans Richter in London in 1899, brought Elgar immediate success and the recognition that had up to then largely eluded him. Elgar had left his native Worcestershire in 1889 to make a career in London, but after two years of frustration and disappointment he returned home. Continuing to compose—primarily for local music festivals—his reputation steadily grew. It was the Enigma Variations that propelled him at last to national prominence. The work, like so many of the good things in life, was the result of serendipity. One day, Elgar, returning home from giving violin lessons, sat down to unwind at the piano and began improvising. His wife commented favorably on the tune that emerged and Elgar responded by suggesting how certain of their friends might play it. That spontaneous exchange was the seed from which the Enigma Variations germinated. The work is dedicated to “My friends pictured within,” and each variation is annotated with the initials or nickname of the friend portrayed. Elgar eventually cleared up any mystery8 as to their true identities in a note written for issue with pianola rolls. The title “Enigma” was said by Elgar to refer to another well-known tune, which does not itself appear in the variations but of which the theme is the counterpoint. Basil Maine, Elgar’s biographer, colorfully referred to the enigma as the theme’s “silent companion.”

7 But who was Richter conducting? No-one seems to know. I’ve searched high and low, and nowhere can I discover the identity of the orchestra. http://members.cox.net/datimp/simco.html says it was the Halle, but the Halle’s own site (http://www.halle.co.uk/publishedsite/cd-hll-7501.asp) refutes that notion. 8 With the very likely exception of Variation 13 (is that number mere coincidence?)




It is of course possible that this was one of Elgar's 'japes' and that the enigma tune does not exist. If so, it has become a spectacularly successful jape, taken to great lengths and sparking a feverish debate that continues unabated. Auld Lang Syne is the most frequently touted candidate but excerpts from a range of works by composers Elgar admired, notably Mozart, have been found to show strong musical similarities with the theme, while a 1975 correspondent to the Elgar Society Journal put together a convincing argument in favor of Rule Britannia as the solution. Elgar never explained this mystery, and it is commonly thought to remain unsolved to this day. However, a 1988 article in The Economist claims that, according to Richter’s daughter, Richter’s diary records that Elgar told him that the answer to the enigma was indeed that no such tune existed9. Elgar mentioned that he finished the variations on April 1st, so he invented the non-existent theme as an April Fools’ joke. Elgar claimed no more ambitious aim for the work beyond “that each variation should illustrate some little characteristic of a friend.” To his editor (August Jaeger) at publisher Novello he remarked that in the Variations he has written “what I think they would have written—if they were asses enough to compose.” Map of the work, with notes Numbers in brackets are the rehearsal numbers given in the Novello score. The notations ‘+n’ and ‘-n’ indicate the number of bars beyond or ahead of a rehearsal figure. Thus [15+6] indicates 6 bars beyond figure 15. Note that [15+0] (not [15+1])10 would indicate [15] itself, but in that case I’d omit the ‘0’. In addition, the timing relative to the start of the variation in the LPO/Barenboim recording (Sony SK 92763) is appended after a dash. Thus [16+1–0:36] indicates 1 bar after rehearsal number 16, 0:36 into the variation.

9 It may or may not be significant that the Economist article appeared on April 2nd. Furthermore, the article states that “Richter's diary recounts how Elgar told him that there was no thematic link to the variations,” an assertion that is plainly false on its face. But when we consider that we are reading an article recounting an interview by an obscure author (Erich Merkwürdigliebe) with Richter’s daughter about what Richter had written in his diary about what Elgar had told him, we clearly see four levels of indirection through which whisper-down-the-lane distortions could have been introduced. It may also be significant that the very active Elgar Society does not even acknowledge the existence of the Economist article (in spite of my specific inquiry to them), preferring to maintain on its Web site that the enigma has never been solved. 10 Hey, I’m a computer science graduate. We count from 0, not 1.




Theme chart

Main theme, A

Main theme, B

Nimrod

`

“Calm Sea”

Theme C

Theme D

[0] The theme is individual enough to be easily recognized in its various transformations. It falls into three short sections—a simple ABA formula which is also preserved in many of the variations. Other features worth noting are the characteristic falling sevenths in the third and fourth bars, and the fact that while it begins in G minor, the middle part is in the major mode, as is its final chord.




Variation 1 (C.A.E.) CAE is Caroline Alice Elgar, the composer’s wife. The music is an eloquent testimony to a life which was to her husband “a romantic and delicate inspiration.” It is so transparently based on the theme that it barely sounds like a variation. Variation 2 (H.D.S-P.) Hew David Steuart-Powell was an amateur pianist with whom Elgar played in chamber ensembles. Elgar himself was a violin player who early in life aspired to becoming a virtuoso. However, this aspiration did not form quite early enough, and his late start on the violin (having begun with the piano) effectively closed out that path. A relentless sixteenth-note figure pervades the entire variation, representing Steurt-Powell’s mastery of the piano. [6–0:14] Several bars in, basses and cellos underscore the busy figure with the A figure of the theme. Variation 3 (R.B.T.) Richard Baxter Townshend was a an amateur actor. The quick changes of mood in this woodwind variation are a tribute to his caricature of an old man, in which he ranged from deep bass to high falsetto. The variation begins with, and is chiefly based on, a cheeky-sounding variant of the A part of the theme, contrasted against [9–0:11] a figure that you could just about persuade yourself is a chromaticized variant of the B part of the theme. Variation 4 (W.M.B) Variation 4 is a vigorous affair, following the theme closely, but with dramatic transposition of the rhythmic accents, William Meath Baker is depicted as an energetic country squire, reading out the arrangements for the day and leaving with an inadvertent bang of the door. Variation 5 (R.P.A.) Gravity tempered by wit was the distinguishing trait of Richard Penrose Arnold (the son of poet Matthew Arnold), perfectly captured in this C minor variation. [15–0:00] The theme (A) appears first in the bass, against a counter theme (itself derived from that same theme) on the violins. After the [16+1–0:37] quirky middle section the [17–0:52] two melodies switch places, with the original theme riding high on flutes and oboes. The variation concludes with a [18–1:33] brief coda consisting of restatement of the “quirky” figure followed by the opening idea. Variation 6 (Ysobel) Ysobel Fitton was a student of Elgar’s. Her instrument, the viola, fittingly11 takes the lead (largely solo) in this delicately pensive reverie, which begins with an exercise that Elgar wrote for her. Ms. Fitton was an unusua lly tall woman, a trait that Elgar japishly portrayed with the large intervals. 11 Ha!




Variation 7 (Troyte) A choleric figure in timpani and bass strings, based on the A of the theme but impetuously overdriving its rhythm, introduces Arthur Troyte Griffith, a Malvern architect of radical views. The [23+4–0:03] phrase that follows is based on the middle section of the theme, and is later [25–0:18] given out by the brass. Brilliant runs on the strings add to the general picture of boisterous bonhomie. Variation 8 (W.N.) Elgar now adopts the key of G major for a gently appealing portrait—for this it seems to be, rather than a depiction of some idiosyncrasy—of Winifred Norbury, whom Elgar knew through her association with the Worcestershire Philharmonic Society. The variation captures both her laugh (via the [31–0:28] oboe trills) and the atmosphere of her eighteenth-century house. Variation 9 (Nimrod) As the long-held tonic note (G) of the preceding variation is softly joined by the lower strings in the key of E flat major, there is a feeling that the music has been elevated to another plane. The pages that follow are truly among the most sublime in Western music. “Nimrod,” the Old Testament hunter, was the nickname of August Jaeger, with whom Elgar developed a close friendship, and who did much to keep Elgar going during the period when he was struggling to secure a lasting reputation. The variation represents a summer evening spent with Jaeger during which Jaeger discoursed on the slow movements of Beethoven. The falling sevenths of the theme are much in evidence, while for a brief contrast [35–1:32] the rising phrase of the middle part is inverted (horns and lower strings). The music reaches an [37-2–2:51] awe- inspiring climax—during which the dramatic appearance of the note C flat indicates a very brief excursion into E flat minor—before subsiding in a last lingering E flat major chord. Variation 10 (Dorabella) Borrowed from Cosi fan tutte, the pseudonym refers to Dora Penny, daughter of the Rector of Wolverhampton, whose winsome manner—coupled with characteristic hesitation in speech—is charmingly caught. I must confess to having some difficulty finding a connection to the theme from this variation. The lyrical solo viola melody’s [39–0:18] relationship to the A of the theme is the best I can come up with. Here, the falling sevenths are replaced by rising seconds (i.e. the note fallen onto is raised an octave). Variation 11 (G.R.S.) George R. Sinclair, one-time organist of Hereford Cathedral, owned a bulldog who fell into the river Wye. “Set that down in music,” said Sinclair. “I did, and here it is,” explained Elgar later. The variation portrays the initial splash, the desperate swim accompanied by intermittent barking, and the final joyful bark upon regaining dry land.




Variation 12 (B.G.N.) Basil G. Nevinson was an amateur cellist who completed the chamber-music trio with Elgar and Hew Steuart-Powell. The variation begins appropriately with [52] solo cello singing a variation on the A of the theme (and retaining its original mood), followed by tutti cellos carrying the tune. Later, [53+3–1:03] a beautiful melody on violas and cellos is discreetly accompanied by a fairly straightforward version of the B of the theme played by woodwinds and second violins. Variation 13 (***) This variation is cryptically subtitled Romanza. And what are those asterisks about? This strange label seems to be another of the enigmas associated with this work. Most scholars attribute this variation to Lady Mary Lygon, a local noblewoman who sailed for Australia at about the time Elgar wrote the variation, which quotes [56+3–0:31] from Mendelssohn's Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage12. However, the mysterious asterisks in place of initials—not to mention the Romanza subtitle—have invited speculation that they conceal the identity not of Lady Lygon, but of Helen Weaver, Elgar's fiancée for eighteen months in 1883-84 before she emigrated to New Zealand. Variation 14 (E.D.U.) E.D.U. are pseudo rather than real initials, and represent “Edoo,” his wife’s pet name for Elgar himself. However, there is no implication that the variation represents a self-portrait. Rather, it portrays a vigorous assertion of optimism for the future, and harks back to the grandiose mood of the Pomp and Circumstance marches. This concluding variation unifies the entire work by incorporating much material from the first and ninth variations. Significantly, those variations depict Elgar’s wife and his publisher friend August Jaeger (Nimrod), the two most important influences in his life. The variation begins with a busy figure based on the theme. The busyness develops to optimism and confidence [62–0:23] and introduces a very brief but very forceful new idea (let’s call it “C”) (derived from the A of the theme), which plays a substantial subsequent role in this variation. The music eventually subsides to a somewhat pensive passage [65–0:57] that combines another new idea (let’s call it “D”) (again derived from the A of the theme) with the B of the theme. Gradually regaining its confident optimism (by [68–1:32]), we hear a forceful brass rendition of Nimrod as the music moves towards a climax [69–1:48]. After a brief reprise of the introduction [70–1:59], we hear [73–2:31] a reprise of variation 1 in its original mood. The mood continues as theme D now returns [74–2:56], again over B. Again the music builds to a climax [76+4–3:28] with the organ13 joining in for the first time, adding rich substance to the orchestral texture. The

12 Notice the timpani effect here, imitating the ship’s engines. The score directs the timpani be played with snare-drum sticks, but the creative timpanist on the first performance employed coins(!) instead, and most timpanists today follow that tradition. The recording we’re listening to certainly sounds as if it’s adhering to the coin tradition. 13 The score marks the organ part as ad lib, presumably in deference to practical logistics. The recording we’re hearing (Daniel Barenboim conducting the London Philharmonic) indeed includes the organ. I went and bought this recording when I realized that the recording I had (Andre Previn conducting the Royal Philharmonic) ad-libbed it out.




triumphant and optimistic mood continues in full force to the end, the material being largely based on Nimrod and idea C. In Elgar’s original submission this final variation was shorter, but on Richter’s suggestion Elgar revised and extended it, so as to make for a more satisfying conclusion.

Edward Elgar (1857-1934) (England) Serenade for string orchestra String orchestra (Modern Period) This is one of Elgar’s earlier works, and dates from 1892, having been in gestation for some four years. It is the first of Elgar’s compositions to satisfy the composer himself. He associated it with the happiness of his engagement and marriage. The serenade is in three movements, and we may regard it as a suite. Its construction is disarmingly simple. The first movement is based on two themes, the first of unhurried yet purposeful energy, the second more expansive and lyrical. The first theme is repeated, giving the movement a straightforward ABA form. The second movement is the traditional slow movement, and this movement is indeed very slow. After a lengthy (in comparison with the movement as a whole) introduction, Elgar crafts his first theme—a dreamy melody—with infinite care and patience. A second theme follows, still in the same mood as the first. The opening melody then returns, this time with a new accompaniment, much busier than before, still calm and soothing until the theme itself builds to a rather forceful climax, before subsiding to a brief reprise of the introduction that gives the movement a satisfying symmetry. The movement thus has the shape of ABCBA. The third movement is of nearly identical tempo and rhythmic design to the first. It opens with a new theme, but Elgar nicely integrates the entire work by then bringing back key features of the first movement. We hear its second theme in its entirety, underpinned by several bars quoting the figure that fills the very first two bars of the piece. Somewhat oddly, the work ends here, with no reprise of the third movement’s own theme.




Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) (Austria) Horn Concerto No. 3 Concerto (Classical Period, Symphony Orchestra)

Mozart wrote four concertos for his friend Ignaz Leutbeg (or Leitbeg), a very capable horn player who was nevertheless obliged to hold onto his day job as a cheesemonger. Friends from their home town of Salzburg, both made new homes in the more culturally rich magnet of Vienna. Here is a map14 of the sonata-form first movement of Concerto No. 3:

Exposition 1 First theme (violins) 2 Second theme (violins) 3 First theme (horn) 4 Second theme (horn) 5 Development Recapitulation

6 First theme (violins) 7 First theme (horn) 8 Second theme (violins) 9 Second theme (horn)

10 Coda 11 Cadenza

The second movement, the traditional slow movement, is a rather uncomplicated rondo that’s rounded off with a coda. The third movement reverts to the tempo of the first movement, but with a 6/8 rhythm. It too is an uncomplicated rondo rounded off with a coda, which again excuses me from the need to draw a map.

14 Wot, no bar numbers? No, the Kalmus score doesn’t have them, so even if I counted them myself they wouldn’t be much use to anyone else.





Tonight’s agenda Form and Structure (continued)

Haydn, Symphony No.102 [sonata form] Historical Periods, Round 1

Major periods in classical music development Plainsong (Gregorian chant) [Medieval period] Holborne, The Fairy Round [Renaissance period] Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 [Baroque period] Boyce, Concerto Grosso in B flat [Baroque period] JC Bach, Symphony Op 18 No 2 [music on the Baroque/Classical cusp] Berlioz, Les Francs Juges [Romantic period]1

Josef Haydn (1732-1809) (Austria) Symphony No. 102 Symphony (Classical Period, Symphony Orchestra)

Haydn was very famous and successful in his day, and was employed by Prince Esterhazy in his native Austria. When the prince died in 1790, Haydn became a free agent, and was swiftly invited to London by the impresario Johann Salomon. Haydn made two visits to the English capital, each lasting a year and a half. He produced six symphonies on each visit, to be played at Salomon’s concerts. No. 102 dates from Haydn’s second London visit in 1795. So well received was this symphony that its first-performance audience applauded until the finale movement was replayed.

1 Yes, this one is out of chronological sequence. It’s to accommodate the clock and the schedule.




The first movement follows a straightforward sonata form:

bar time2 1 0:00 slow introduction exposition

23 2:08 first subject 57 2:42 second subject 23 3:38 repeat of exposition

111 5:09 development recapitulation

227 7:07 first subject 243 7:22 second subject 287 8:10 coda

The slow second movement is constructed as a miniature sonata form. The first theme (in the dominant key of F major) and second theme are stated and then repeated. Then comes a miniature development, beginning with the first theme in Ab major. After a mere 12 bars we enter a very compressed recapitulation with the return of the first theme in F major. A brief but surprisingly bold and loud coda concludes the movement. Interestingly, Haydn originally wrote this movement as a movement for piano trio. Second movement map:

bar time exposition

1 0:00 first subject 9 0:43 second subject

17 1:23 exposition repeats 33 2:46 development

recapitulation 45 3:49 first subject 54 4:39 coda (based on second subject)

The third movement is in straightforward minuet-and-trio form. Straightforward perhaps, but involving a great deal of repetition. Every section is heard at least twice, with the bulk of the movement being repeated three times. The plan of the movement looks like this: A1 A1 A2 A2 B1 B1 B2 B2 A1 A2 2 Timings are relative to the recording by Antal Dorati with the Philharmonia Hungarica, on Decca 452 259-2 1




In the fourth movement, Haydn is at his jocular best. The movement is essentially a rondo, but with some sonata-form elements such as a brief development section (bar 166 2:41), which takes us through some swift modulations before we arrive at an equally brief recapitulation. A short coda (bar 261 3:54) concludes the work.

Major periods in classical music development -1450 Medieval The music we know about from this period emerged from

religious roots. Musical notation was developed during this period—music that emerged before notation did not generally survive. Earliest music consisted of unison voices (“plainsong” or “Gregorian chant.” Basic harmonies (4th, 5th, octave) appeared, and more complex music with interacting multiple parts (polyphony) became possible with the development of notations for indicating rhythm. We know little about instrumental music from this period. No such written music survives, and very few actual instruments of the period survived. We are left with pictures, drawings, and written descriptions. The fiddle and harp were apparently the most respectable instruments, being played by the troubadours and associated with courtly love. Other instruments of the time included shawms (double-reed ancestors of the oboe and bassoon), natural trumpet, lute, bagpipe, hurdy-gurdy. The professional musicians of the day were the minstrels. Whereas troubadours were usually of noble birth and were primarily concerned with song and poem, the minstrels were artisan secular professional musicians, many of whom were, of necessity, itinerant.

1450-1600 Renaissance Instruments of course continued to develop towards their present-day descendants, but new keyboard instruments—the harpsichord and clavichord—emerged (the organ appeared long before). The increasing use of polyphony and instrumentation characterize the transition to the Renaissance era. Ideas on harmony evolved, with the 3rd and 6th becoming the accepted basic concord. Notation became widely adopted, allowing the preservation for posterity of the music of the day.

1600-1750 Baroque The characteristics that distinguish the Renaissance from the Baroque are rather technical and esoteric. Indeed, it was not until 1919 that musicologists drew the demarcation line and




put a name on the Baroque period. Generally, the Baroque period moves more towards an integrated harmonic structure, as opposed to the Renaissance period’s emphasis on polyphony, its harmony being an almost accidental by-product. Baroque music is also more technically challenging, and characterized by ornamentation, which the musicians sometimes improvised. During the baroque period keyboard instruments took on a more prominent role, and the predecessors of modern orchestral instruments—particularly the violin family—were by now beginning to look much more like their eventual descendants.

1730-1820 Classical The term “Classical” music has both a general and a more-specific meaning. This class is about “classical music” in its broader sense (my definition: “classical music” is what you think it is.) However, classical in the narrower sense refers the period following the Baroque, in which more-complex musical designs (forms) began to crystallize. Perhaps the best known of these design is the sonata form. It was Joseph Haydn who drew together earlier ideas and formalized the sonata form (also known as “first-movement form”), earning for himself the moniker “father of the symphony.” Sonata form lent an intellectual manageability to symphonies of more substantial duration than the works of the Baroque period. Haydn’s symphonies asked the audience to follow a dramatic trajectory over a broader time span than was previously required, and the “roadmap” that sonata form provided helped listeners keep their bearings.

1815-1910 Romantic The traits that distinguish Romantic music from the Classical era are the subject of ongoing debate. As far as structure is concerned, the Romantic era generally employs the same basic templates as the Classical, although those forms tend to be extended, sometimes considerably. In addition, harmonies and harmonic structure break new ground, with much more use of chromatic devices and freer modulation to distant keys. Although it is true that much Romantic-era music is programmatic (i.e. tells a story, or frankly evokes mood or picture etc.), this descriptive quality is not generally regarded as an essential quality of music claiming Romantic heritage. However, opinions vary, and this variety is what keeps the debate alive.

1900- Modern, 20th Century

Modern music. 20th Century music. Not very descriptive labels, are they? Recall that it took the musicology world until 1919 before it could label and characterize the Baroque




period that ended 150 years earlier. We can’t really see the field while we’re standing in it. We need the passage of time to give us the perspective we need to appreciate the music in its total historical context. Music written since 1910 runs the gamut, from the neo-classical, through Romantic-style symphonies, through such inflection points as Debussy’s L’apres midi d’un faune, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, to Schoenberg, Berg and Webern’s 12-note compositions. It has to be recognized that most people find new music discordant, devoid of tunes, and generally unpalatable. We should, however, try to keep an open mind and remember that, as WRTI likes to remind us, “all music was once new.”

To pursue this topic further, a good place to start is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_classical_music

Gregorian Chant We hear two short pieces. Both are sung in unison (i.e. with no harmony). The first, Hodie Christus resurrexit (Christ is risen today) has a solemn mood and is consistent with the image many of us have of Gregorian Chant from our casual acquaintance with it through such media as films. In contrast, the second, Aeterne rerum Conditor (Eternal maker of things) is rather energetic and optimistic sounding.

Anthony Holborne (c.1548-1602) (England) The Fairy Round Renaissance period This piece is typical of the Renaissance period, in that it portrays a single mood (in contrast, for example, to the third movement of the Holst suite we heard earlier). The melody on this recording is played on a recorder, with accompaniment by hammer dulcimer and guitar. The recorder of today, being a very simple instrument, is very similar to its modern-day equivalent recorder. Likewise, today’s guitar is easily recognizable in its Renaissance-era counterpart, the lute. Most other instruments of the period (particularly the brass family) have seen very significant evolution through the ages, and much renaissance music is still performed today on modern instruments that give far superior tone and tuning.




Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) (Germany) Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 Baroque period The six Brandenburg Concertos have a very interesting history3. All of them are assembled and reworked from material Bach had composed earlier. His purpose in putting together this set was to apply for a job! Unhappy at his current position, he approached the Margrave of Brandenburg by sending him the carefully copied manuscripts of these six concertos. The Margrave, however, was apparently unimpressed, and neither acknowledged Bach’s gift nor had the concertos performed. Indeed, the manuscripts lay undiscovered until the Margrave’s death some thirteen years later. And it was another 150 years before the name “Brandenburg” was applied to the works, after their rediscovery in the Bach library. All of the concertos feature multiple soloists. In the case of No. 2, the soloists are trumpet, recorder (nowadays this part is almost always played on flute), oboe, and violin. The music is quite difficult to play, which may explain why the Margrave’s orchestra never tackled it. The trumpet part in particular is of prodigious difficulty, even on today’s modern instruments4. It boggles the mind that a trumpet player of Bach’s time could even attempt the piece on the instruments of the day, which had no valves.

3 http://inkpot.com/classical/bachbrandenburg.html and http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/milestones/991214.motm.brandenburg.html will tell you more, if you’re interested. 4 Trivia item: The Selmer Bach (no relation) company makes a piccolo trumpet in G for the specific purpose of performing this concerto. As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up.




William Boyce (1711-1779) (England) Concerto Grosso in B flat major Baroque period

Boyce was an admirer of Handel, some 25 years his senior, and there is some evidence of Handel’s influence in this concerto. The suffix “grosso” is customarily used to indicate that more than one “soloist” is involved. In this case the “solo” instruments are violin and cello. There is also a prominent but lesser role for the viola. This piece is rather typical of the Baroque era, its differences from Haydn-style classical-era symphonies being quite apparent. It’s almost in the style of a Baroque dance suite, except that only one of the movments (the last) is an actual dance. The brevity of the movements makes for ready accessibility. The date of composition of Boyce’s concerti grossi (three of them) is unclear, for the manuscripts did not come to light until after his death. He may have been intending to complete a set of six, following Handel’s example. Here is an outline of the five-movement piece. I Marked Moderato Maestoso, this is more in the character of a slow introduction than

a proper movement. It is only 19 bars long. II This movement, marked Allegro, is the most musically complex of the piece. I don’t

normally analyze modulations (key changes) in depth, but this movement is so straightforward in design—being built from a single melodic idea—that it’s not going to tax our brains from a structural angle, so just for fun let’s try to follow its tonal wanderings:

bar time5 1 1:36 starts in the home key of B flat major 13 1:55 F major 39 2:33 C minor 51 2:51 a tonally ambiguous section as we work towards G minor via D

5 The timings are relative to Chandos recording CHAN 6665, by Cantilena directed by Adrian Shepherd. All five movements are recorded as a single track.




major 69 3:16 okay, we landed firmly on G minor, but take off immediately

into E flat major on the way back home to B flat 74 3:24 B flat—we’re baaaack 94 3:53 a very brief burst of F… 97 3:58 ...and back to B flat 107 4:11 F makes its last very brief appearance, and we come straight

back to B flat to finish off

III [4:28] Here’s another movement—marked Adagio—that’s so short (12 bars) it doesn’t really have legitimate claim on that status. I regard this section more as an interlude.

IV [5:25] Here’s an Allegro fugue, and quite entertaining. Tonally, it stays close to its B flat home, but makes occasional forays into G minor, the relative minor.

V [8:26] And here’s a tasteful dessert to finish off. It’s a Gavotte, a gentle dance in 4/4 time. It’s constructed with two trio- like sections, giving it the character of a rondo. The anchor subject is in the home key of B flat, with the first “trio” in F (the dominant) [at 9:14] and the second [at 10:02] in G minor, the relative minor.

Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) (Germany) Symphony Op. 18 No. 2 Baroque/Classical period

Historical context Johann Christian, the youngest son of Johannes Sebastian and his second wife Anna Magdelena, was actually more than three years younger than Joseph Haydn, the giant of the classical era, yet the youngest Bach’s music is firmly rooted in the Baroque tradition. The Baroque is clearly evident in this symphony, which appeared in 1776, well into the classical era on the chronological scale After studying with his father and older brother Carl Phillipp Emanuel, JC went to Italy to further his studies, where he composed a number of sacred works. He was, however, soon drawn to the theatre, composing a number of operas that rapidly earned him international fame. In May 1862 he was appointed composer to the King’s Theatre in London, where he consolidated his reputation and enjoyed a prosperous life style. With the benefit of royal patronage, he composed prolifically in all the principal instrumental genres of the time: keyboard sonatas, chamber works, concertos, and symphonies.




His first love, however, continued to be opera, and he visited Mannheim, Milan, and Paris for premieres of his work. His opera Lucio Silla was premiered in Mannheim in 1776, but the opera was not a great success. However, as so often was the case with failed operas, the overture was salvaged to enjoy an independent life of its own. That overture became the Symphony Op. 18 No. 2.

The Music In the Baroque era, the term “symphony” came into use as a synonym for “overture.” The large-scale works of the day were operas, with suites and concertos being the largest scale purely instrumental works. “Overtures,” as their name suggests, were originally opening pieces to operas, being wholly instrumental and designed to present a taste of the themes to come in the opera itself. However, the term “overture” crept up in scale and became an alternative label for keyboard or orchestral suites or symphonies. The structure of this symphony is very straightforward, and displays more of the characteristics of an overture, being an uncomplicated presentation of themes with a minimum of development. Contrast its plain structure with, for example, that of Haydn’s Symphony No. 102, which appeared 19 years later. Another Baroque trait evident in this symphony is the one-dimensional nature of its movements. Each movement maintains the same mood and feel throughout, there being no attempt to introduce contrasting sections (like, for example, the trio section of a scherzo-and-trio movement, or even a slow introduction preceding an allegro movement) such as we would expect in a classical or romantic symphony.

First Movement bar time structure remarks 1 0:00 theme A B flat major 20 0:30 B unison C introduces F maj 43 1:09 C1 B flat major 50 1:21 C2 64 1:44 A B flat major 75 2:01 B unison G introduces C minor,

moving to E flat major 98 2:38 C1 E flat moving to B flat 105 2:50 C2 118 3:11 coda




Second Movement Rondo form bar time structure remarks 1 0:00 theme A E flat major 17 0:45 B B flat major 35 1:40 A E flat 52 2:30 C C minor 65 3:09 A E flat

Third Movement Rondo form bar time structure remarks 1 0:00 theme A B flat major 17 0:20 B F major 48 0:42 A B flat 64 0:52 C B flat major/G minor 116 1:28 A B flat




Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) (France) Les Francs Juges Overture (Romantic Period; Symphony Orchestra)

Berlioz’ overture Les Francs Juges6 is indeed a “proper” overture, in the sense that it was composed to introduce an opera. However, history has been kinder to the overture than to the opera, and it is only the overture that now survives. But what a very fine overture it is. To make better sense of my narrative below, here is a chart of the major themes of the overture. A

B

C

D

6 For reasons I have been unable to discover, Les Francs Juges is always translated as The Judges of the Secret Court. But my French sources tell me that juge = judge, and franc=frank, as in candid. I have to guess that the intrigue described by the opera, which indeed involves a secret court, somehow in this context ascribes this much richer meaning to the word franc.




The overture begins slowly, mysteriously, and very quietly with a fragmented kind of theme (A), which is [1] brusquely interrupted by unison brass announcing a new theme (B) in stentorian fashion. Together, these themes form a short introduction to the allegro that follows and takes us the rest of the way through the overture. The allegro begins with a busy theme (C) in violins. Then comes [4]+37 a more relaxed and very pretty theme (D) (marked dolce e legato (sweet and smooth)) that is to form the basis of much of the material that follows. [5] Berlioz then cleverly combines the two themes (C) (violins) and (D) (woodwinds). Next comes one of the most hauntingly beautiful passages of music ever written8 [5]. Flutes and clarinets play a very extended and very sustained variation (marked dolce espressivo (sweet and expressive)) on theme (D), while violins play an aggressive and fragmented variation of theme (C). Berlioz gives very explicit directions on how this passage is to be played, and I think you’ll find it fascinating. I quote:

The Orchestra takes a double character here. The stringed instruments must, without covering the Flutes, play with a rude and wild accent, the Flutes and Clarinets however with a soft and melancholic expression.

The haunting flute-and-clarinet theme is scored very creatively as a triple duet involving only four instruments. It’s a due t in the sense that there are two parts. And there are two additional duets going on, because each of those parts is played by one flute and one clarinet. Their combined sound is quite beautiful. At length, theme (D) reappears in its original guise [10]+7 as Berlioz takes us off on a free fantasia on themes (C) and (D). There is a brief recapitulation [16] as most of the orchestra delivers theme (D) with second violins and violas desperately trying to make an impression with a frantic accompaniment derived from theme (C). The overture concludes with a powerful coda [17] that’s built on some new material but also sees the first and only return of theme (B). You can also hear fragments of theme (A) in there too if you apply a vivid enough imagination.

7 The notation [1] denotes a rehearsal number in the score. +n or -n indicates a number of bars beyond or before it. 8 In my humble opinion, of course.





Tonight’s agenda Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 [Classical period] Schubert Symphony No 8 [Romantic period]

Instrumentation, Round 1 The major ensemble types in classical music Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra, 2nd movement1 [orchestral instruments] Holst, St Paul's Suite [string orchestra] Holst, Suite in F [wind band] Vaughan Williams, Variations for Brass Band [brass band]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) (Austria) Piano Concerto No. 21 Concerto (Classical Period, Symphony Orchestra)

Historical Context Mozart was a child prodigy, a capable performer on harpsichord and violin as a very young child. His older sister was similarly talented on the harpsichord. By age five, Mozart was “composing” by improvising minuets, which his father notated. By age 9 he had completed his first symphony. Mozart’s father was a musician and composer in the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg, but as his children’s talents grew he gave their careers higher priority, not least because he saw the opportunity to make more money from their efforts than his own. Accordingly, the Mozart family undertook much travel throughout Europe—they went on tour, just like present-day bands and orchestras. Included in their wanderings were Italy,

1 That thing I said about playing only complete works: here’s an exception, but it’s the only one.




Mannheim, Munich, Paris, and London, where they stayed for over a year. It was here, in 1764-65, that Mozart met and was befriended by JC (“The London”) Bach2. (If you do some quick arithmetic, you’ll realize that Mozart was aged only 8-9 during his time in London, Bach being 29-30.). This meeting and friendship explains the influence of Bach that can clearly be heard in Mozart’s music. By 1777, the Mozarts realized that the hugely gifted Wolfgang was too big for Salzburg, and the focus of the touring became to secure an appropriate paid position. After initial promise in Paris, prospects began to look less rosy. Worse, Mozart’s mother, who was accompanying him on the tour, died. Leopold quickly ordered Wolfgang home to Salzburg, where a post had been hastily arranged for him at the court of the archbishop. It seems that Mozart’s mother had died of an inadequately treated infection. Leopold—who’d had to remain at his post in Salzburg in order to put bread on the table—blamed Wolfgang for neglecting his mother, and the resulting rift between father and son was never fully healed. Now aged 21, Mozart took his time over the return journey, traveling slowly and alone. He spent the years 1779-80 in Salzburg in the employ of Archbishop Colloredo of Salzburg, playing in the cathedral and at court, composing sacred works, symphonies, concertos, serenades and dramatic music. In 1781, Archbishop Colloredo and his court were in residence in Vienna on the accession of a new emperor. The Archbishop—whom Mozart characterized as “an arrogant and conceited cleric”—summoned Mozart to Vienna. The Archbishop showed little or no interest in Mozart’s achievements, and treated him badly, making him report to the head chef. After things came to a head and a heated argument ensued, the chef had Mozart “thrown out of the door with a kick in the arse”—quite literally, by all accounts. Newly jobless, Mozart chose to remain in Vienna, where he made a living from teaching (piano chiefly, but also composition), and commissions for compositions. During the years 1782-1785 Mozart put on a series of concerts in which he appeared as both soloist and conductor in his piano concertos. These concerts were financially successful. It was this period that produced the Piano Concerto No. 21. It seems to have become firmly lodged in folklore that Mozart died a pauper and is buried in a pauper’s grave. The truth is that Mozart made a decent amount of money from his music, but he managed his affairs badly, always spending more than he earned. He was given a “simple” funeral and burial—not a pauper’s—in accordance with the law. When he died at the age of 35, faced with the prospect of raising their two children (another 3 had died in infancy) alone, his widow was essentially broke. In tackling that challenge, she skillfully and successfully negotiated the publication of Mozart’s music with Breitkopf and Hartel3 to secure the income she needed.

2 Johann Christian, the youngest of JS Bach’s sons. 3 This company is still in existence, still publishing music to this day. I wonder if they would be if Mrs Mozart hadn’t been so broke?




The Music Theme Chart

First Movement

First theme

“invitation” to soloist

Second theme

Third theme

Fourth theme

Fifth theme

Second Movement

Principal theme

Third Movement

Principal theme

First Movement Allegro Maestoso Sonata (loosely speaking) form Mozart takes a quite free approach with his design for this movement. However, it maps quite well onto sonata form, and so we’ll analyze it in those terms. Compared with more “straightforward” sonata-form movements, this first movement has very extended codettas and bridge passages that are almost development sections in their own right. Also, the development section proper develops only the first theme, and very tangentially at that. The recapitulation continues in the same spirit by reprising a very small sample of the exposition’s thematic material.




bar time4 structure remarks 1 0:00 exposition

first theme (C maj) a march- like mood

68 2:02 “invitation” woodwinds invite the piano to take up his solo

84 2:34 second theme (C maj) 91 2:47 third theme (C maj)

109 3:18 fourth theme (G min) 128 3:51 fifth theme (G maj)

codetta 145 4:17 first theme returns (G maj) the return of the first theme introduces a

very extended codetta that rounds out the exposition

222 6:40 development the development begins with the piano playing a fragment of the first theme. The entire development is very free form, and seems to be derived from the first theme.

274 8:13 recapitulation first theme (C maj)

the return of the first theme, in its original form and in the home key, announces the beginning of the recapitulation

278 8:20 second theme (C maj) a very swift return of the second theme 313 9:22 fifth theme (C maj) 328 9:49 codetta the return of the first theme announces

the codetta that closes out the recapitulation

396 11:55 coda the piano cadenza announces the beginning of the coda proper.

We can persuade ourselves that the movement adheres more closely to sonata form if we consider themes 1-3 as the components of the First Subject, and themes 4-5 as the components of the Second Subject. The key sequences are then “correct,” with the second subject being in the dominant major/minor in the exposition and in the tonic key in the recapitulation.

Second Movement Andante Free fantasia So familiar has this movement become that it almost qualifies as “pop” music. First propelled to prominence through its appearance in the 1967 film Elvira Madigan, it turns

4 Timings are relative to the Quintessence recording CDQ 2047, Angela Giulini, piano, with the Mozart Festival Orchestra conducted by Alfred Scholz.




up again and again as background music, classical pops recordings, and even advertisements. Its design is very free, though its duration (less than 6 minutes) and simplicity make it instantly accessible without any need for analysis.

Third Movement Allegro vivace assai Non-strict rondo with elements of sonata form The third movement has elements of rondo and sonata form about it, although it doesn’t conform to the standard layout of sonata rondo. The principal theme, which reappears often (which you’ll recall is the definitive feature of a rondo) forms the basis for the lengthy development, as well as for several of the episodes. As in the first movement, a piano cadenza announces the coda that concludes the work. I’m not going to present a more detailed analysis because my judgment is that, for a movement a mere 7 minutes long, more detail wouldn’t add much value in listening to what is a readily accessible piece right out of the box5.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) (Austria) Symphony No. 8 (The Unfinished) Symphony orchestra; Classical/Romantic periods

Historical context Schubert was the son of a school assistant. He learned to play piano and violin from his father and brothers, and at the age of 11 won a choral scholarship to a religious seminary. Here his musical talents blossomed, and it seems that he was inspired to compose from this early age. He became qualified as a teacher, and taught in his father’s school in order to support himself. But his passion was composing, and his output was considerable, given the brevity of his lifespan. Schubert composed the two movements of his eighth symphony in October 1822 and sent the score the following year to the Styrian Music Society in Graz in acknowledgement of his having been elected an honorary member. Anselm Hüttenbrenner, to whom the score was entrusted, failed to turn it over to the Society, and instead kept it locked away in a chest in his house. It was not found until 1865, some 37 years after Schubert's death, and 5 Besides, as I’m writing this it’s late and I’m tired.




was given its premiere in Vienna on December 17 of that year under the direction of Johann Herbeck. The fact that Schubert released the music in this way strongly suggests that he himself considered it finished. Yet there are other indications that he had originally intended to add material to it. Why he never did so remains something of a mystery, and the subject of a great deal of conjecture that continues unabated to this day. One plausible explanation for the symphony’s “unfinished” condition is that these two movements are already lengthy by the standards of the day, and that Schubert was afraid that the work, when completed with two movements of matching scale, would be too large an undertaking for performers and audience alike. But the line of conjecture that I personally find most appealing is that Schubert, with these two movements, was “composing out of his skin” and realized as much. To follow music of such genius with anything would run the serious risk of anticlimax. This supposition is supported by the fact that Schubert left sketches for the third-movement scherzo, and even completed the orchestration for its first nine bars. Furthermore, although he left no additional sketches, some scholars have surmised that the incongruously substantial entr’acte for the incidental music for Rosamunde, which appeared in 1823, was repurposed work originally intended for the symphony’s final movement.

The Music I’ve presented here a high- level overview of the structure of the symphony. Schubert’s design is much freer than that of a symphony from the classical period. There is much modulation within the expositions and recapitulations, and to call them all out would result in a pretty complex chart that would—in my judgment, in the context of this class—be more confusing than enlightening. The Norton Company publishes what they call a “critical score,” which in addition to the score itself contains a wealth of information on the historical background to the piece, detailed fine-grain analysis of its structure, and critical appraisals, including some words from such luminaries as Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland.




Theme Chart

First Movement

First subject

Second subject

Second Movement

First subject

Second subject

First Movement Sonata form

bar time6 structure remarks 1 0:00 exposition

first theme (B min)

44 1:29 second theme (G maj) subdominant of the relative major—a “two-hop” key

110 3:47 exposition repeats 110 7:32 development 218 11:02 recapitulation

first theme (B min)

258 12.20 second theme (D maj) relative major 328 14:47 coda

Second Movement Abridged sonata form Calling the second movement “sonata form” is a bit of stretch, because Schubert has modified the design considerably. There is no development section as such. Rather, the exposition itself digresses into somewhat distant keys as a development section would, particularly during the second subject. At the same time, the degree of variation on the

6 Times are relative to the recording by Giuseppe Sinopoli with the Philharmonia Orchestra, DG 445 514-2.




thematic material is less than we’d expect in a full-blown development passage. The recapitulation continues the pattern of free modulations with minimal thematic diversion.

bar time structure remarks 1 0:00 exposition

first subject (E maj) the first subject makes brief tonal excursions: G maj, B maj, C sharp min

64 2:34 second subject/development Schubert cleverly combines a second subject and development in one package—there is no tangible dividing line between them. Modulations include C sharp min, D flat maj, G maj, C maj.

144 5:26 recapitulation first subject (E major)

the first subject’s modulation this second time around are into G maj, F sharp min, and A maj

205 8:00 second subject (D major) the second subject/development is slightly abridged this second time round, and the modulations are to a different palette of keys

268

10:18 coda a gentle and very quiet coda closes out the movement

The major ensemble types in classical music See the Appendix for some illustrations of some of the less familiar instruments.

Symphony Orchestra (Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_orchestra ) Woodwinds

[piccolo {normally played by 3rd flute player}] flutes (2) oboes (2) [English horn (cor anglais) {3rd oboe}] clarinets (2) [bass clarinet {3rd clarinet}] bassoons (2) [contra-bassoon {3rd bassoon}]

Brass horns (French horn) (4) trumpets (2) [cornets {3rd and 4th trumpets}] tenor trombones (2) bass trombone tuba




Percussion tympani snare drum cymbals xylophone etc. etc.

[Harp] Strings

first violins (c. 16) second violins (c. 14) violas (c. 12) {fifth lower than violin) cellos (c. 12) {octave lower than viola) double basses (c. 9) {minor 6th below cello)

This list approximately represents a “core” symphony orchestra. Instruments listed without brackets can reasonably expect to have a part to play in most of the orchestral repertoire from the 19th century onwards. However, composers do not usually feel constrained by this framework. They sometimes introduce “nonstandard” instruments, and often augment the number of parts for brass and woodwind instruments. It is quite common, for instance, to write 3 or even 4 trumpet parts. Some of the more extreme examples of this kind of orchestra augmentation are:

o tenor banjo: William Grant Still, Symphony No. 1 o 6 (yes six—that’s not a typo) harps: Granville Bantock, Celtic Symphony o 4 Wagner tubas: Bruckner, Symphony No. 8 o 8 horns, post-horn, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 4 each of flutes, oboes, and

bassoons; contrabassoon: Mahler, Symphony No. 3. A huge orchestra for a huge work: it runs to 95 minutes.

o 3 saxophones, flugel horn: Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 9 o 9 trumpets: Janacek, Sinfonietta

String Orchestra The string orchestra is, as its name implies, the string section of a symphony orchestra. It is worth mentioning as an ensemble type in its own right because of the rather large repertoire it has acquired. Without the heavy brass to compete against, works for string orchestra are often performed by chamber-sized string ensembles.

Brass Band (Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_band ) The brass band instrumentation is very standardized, consisting of 25 players. This standardization emerged in Britain in the late 19th century.




soprano cornet (Eb) Bb cornets (9—4, 1, 2, 2) flugel horn Eb tenor horns (3) [known as “tenor” horns by tradition, but actually an alto instrument] Bb baritone horns (2) [known as “baritones” by tradition, but actually a tenor instrument]

note: tenor horns and baritone horns are saxhorns, not French horns. euphoniums (2) tenor trombones (2) bass trombone Eb basses (tubas) (2) Bb basses (tubas) (2) percussion Though traditionally a British institution, the brass band movement started to spread across Europe in the 1950s, and is now a significant presence on the continent. The brass band movement in the US reached critical mass in the early 1980s with the formation of the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA). In 1983 NABBA held its first competition, with five bands competing. In 1984 nine bands participated, the event being held at (drum roll please…………………) West Chester University. Many more bands have been formed since; there are at least three within a 50 mile radius of West Chester. Brass bands are, through tradition and economic reality, largely amateur endeavors. Yet the standard of musicianship and technical ability of the better bands is on a par with world-class orchestras. A wealth of recorded material is available.

Concert Band (Wind Band) (Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_orchestra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_band ) The concert band as we know it today crystallized in the early 1950s, largely due to Frederick Fennell and his Eastman Wind Ensemble. Earlier similar ensembles emerged in the military, and were very popular in their day, so much so that the breakaway John Philip Sousa was able to sustain his band as a successful commercial venture. Today, the Dallas Wind Symphony is one of the very few (if not the only) professional bands in the entire US not supported either by the military or by an educational institution. Supplementing these professional organizations, many community bands exist (including two in West Chester and several more in the greater Delaware Valley).




Like the symphony orchestra, the concert band instrumentation consists of a “core” which composers freely add to or subtract from. This core is as follows:

Flutes 1,2,3 Piccolo (Alto Flute, Bass Flute) Oboes 1,2 English Horn Bassoons 1,2 Contrabassoon Clarinets 1,2,3 in B flat E flat Clarinet, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet (Contra-Alto Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet) Saxophone: Altos 1,2, Tenor, Baritone Soprano Saxophone Trumpets/Cornets 1,2,3,(4) (Flugelhorn) Horns (French horns) 1,2,3,4 Trombones 1,2,3 Bass Trombone Euphonium Tuba Percussion Timpani String Bass [yes, in a “wind” band. I’ve never figured this one out.]

Chorus, choir The human voice was of course the first musical instrument, and features prominently in several of the classical music genres, notably opera and oratorio. Choral passages and solo voice have also been used to add an extra dimension to otherwise standard orchestral works. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is perhaps the most well known of these. The song, the standard unit of music in the popular-music world, also has its counterpart in classical music. Franz Schubert, for example, wrote many songs in addition to his orchestral and chamber-ensemble works, songs that indeed were the popular music of his day. Here’s a thought to ponder: are Schubert’s songs truly classical music? Or just very old popular music? It was consideration of this dilemma that led me to choose not to include short songs—whether by choir or solo voice—in this class.




String quartet (Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_orchestra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_quartet ) The string quartet consists of 2 violins, viola, cello. It is a long-established combination, and has been endowed with an extensive repertoire by many well-regarded composers.

Wind quintet (Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_quintet ) The wind quintet consists of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn. The format was established in the early 19th century by the composers Antoine Reicha, who wrote 24 wind quintets, and Franz Danzi, who wrote nine. (Ironically, neither of these composers is remembered for anything else). The wind quintet pretty well died out in the latter part of the 19th century, and we would not be talking about them today if not for the renewal of interest by 20th century composers, including West Chester’s own Samuel Barber.

Brass quintet Philip Jones formed his Philip Jones Brass Ensemble (PJBE) as a quartet in 1951. Adding a fifth member in 1961, Jones is generally credited with “inventing” the brass quintet format. (PJBE also augmented its forces to 10 players for larger halls and works.) “Inventing” a new musical ensemble involves much more than having the idea and then getting 5 friends together and playing music—there’s the slight inconvenience of “hmm, what’re we gonna play?” Philip Jones and his associates commissioned works and arrangements from leading practitioners of the day, as well as creating their own arrangements of music originally written for other ensemble types, and thus gave the format the momentum it needed to take hold and become established. Other high-profile quintets include the Canadian Brass (formed in 1970) and the Empire Brass (1970s), both of which are still performing. The PJBE became the London Brass when Philip Jones retired in 1986. The standard brass quintet consists of 2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba (or bass trombone)

Bela Bartok (1881-1945) (Hungary) Concerto for Orchestra We’ll hear the second movement, “Presentation of the pairs” to remind ourselves of the sound of the various instruments. The movement begins with a series of duets. Following a brief chorale-like section for heavy brass, the duets are reprised with additional

embellishment.




Here is a map of the movement:

duets, round 1; string accompaniment 1. bassoons 2. oboes 3. clarinets 4. flutes 5. trumpets (muted)

chorale passage 6. heavy brass choir (trumpets, trombones, tuba) (with solo snare drum

(snares off)) 7. horn duet—very brief, with solo tuba accompaniment

duet reprise, string accompaniment again, but with additional instruments helping out this time around)

8. bassoons 9. oboes 10. clarinets 11. flutes 12. trumpets (again muted)

Gustav Holst (1874-1934) (England) St. Paul’s Suite

In 1905, Holst was appointed Director of Music at St. Paul’s Girls School in Hammersmith, London, and retained that position until his death in 1934. This suite was written for his school orchestra. Given the implied limited technical capabilities he was working with, Holst produced a work of outstanding musical merit. First Movement: Jig The opening movement is a lively jig. It is based a single thematic idea, which is stated in full at the beginning, and then transformed in various ways as the movement progresses.

Second Movement: Ostinato With an opening dance-based movement, we might be lulled into expecting a dance suite in the mould of the baroque era, but the second movement swiftly dispels that notion. It is




labeled Ostinato, a musical term with the same root as obstinate, and with a similar meaning—it means a phrase or melody obstinately repeated over and over. In this movement the second violins are the obstinate ones, stubbornly repeating a fast and busy four-note figure throughout the movement. (Actually, they somehow talk the first violins into taking over for a six-bar spell. This is the high-register bit, and one wonders whether Holst would have made the same accommodation had the piece been intended for professional musicians.) While the second violins busily repeat their four-note figure, the first violins try several times to dislodge them with a lyrical theme of their own. They eventually succeed when the second violins abruptly quit four bars before the end.

Third Movement: Intermezzo An intermezzo is a short musical interlude between two acts or sections of a longer work, such as an opera or ballet—or in this case, a suite. This intermezzo initially fools us into thinking we’re going to listen to the traditional slow movement that usually occurs in a symphony or concerto, but Holst quickly surprises us and wakes us up with a Vivace passage, which increases in energy as it brings us to a triple- forte (very loud) reprise of the opening melody. The mood and volume once again subside as the solo violin returns, but Holst alternates these two ideas several more times before the movement closes. The solo violin part demands a high degree of musicianship, as well as technical skill for the high-register part. We may infer that Holst had an exceptionally talented solo violinist under his wing.

Fourth Movement: Finale This movement is almost a note-for-note transcription of the fourth movement of the Second Suite in F, for wind band. (Holst reworked only a few bars in one of the transitional passages.) Although not labeled as such, this movement is another ostinato. The Dargason theme introduces the movement, and continues without a break of any kind until the final seven bars of the movement. Unlike the second-movement ostinato, the Dargason is passed around all the instruments—no one claims ownership in quite the same compulsive way that the second violins did of their four-note figure in the earlier movement. While the Dargason pursues its relentless repetition, the rest of the orchestra spares us from madness by providing other interest, chiefly the expansive theme Greensleeves7. By now you’re probably wondering, “What’s this Dargason thing he keeps talking about?” Relax, I’ll tell you—it’s an English country dance. If your curiosity is sufficiently piqued, you can find instructions on how to perform the dance at http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/del/sections/english_country_dance9.html. You might be amused to learn that the author (collector?) of these instructions regards the Dargason as “a very silly dance,” though not quite as silly as the Cruciform Double Dargason (whatever that is). The mind boggles.

7 Greensleeves is a popular traditional tune in England, where it has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.




Gustav Holst (1874-1934) (England) Second Suite in F Wind Band (Modern Period) Holst wrote several pieces to enrich the wind-band repertoire, compositions that came about by a quirk of fate—Holst’s misfortune was the wind-band community’s gain. A physical disability had robbed him of the manual dexterity required to perform on his preferred instruments, piano and organ, so Holst responded by taking up the trombone. Aside from percussion, it is perhaps the only instrument that can be competently played in spite of limited finger mobility. Holst plied his instrumental prowess in wind bands in addition to orchestras. (Any trombone player will tell you that orchestral trombone parts involve a great deal of counting of bars’ rest, and precious little playing time.) It was through this experience that he realized how impoverished was the wind-band repertoire. At the time, that repertoire consisted chiefly of transcriptions and arrangements from orchestral works, very few original pieces of any merit having been written expressly for the medium. Holst’s Suite in F takes its thematic material from folk tunes. Here is a map of the four-movement work.

March The march features two march themes, one energetic, one expansive and lyrical. Forming a “trio” section, we then hear a Morris dance tune in 6/8 time, before the two march themes are reprised.

Song without words This is the traditional slow movement, using the folk song “I’ll love my love.” Holst adds interest with a flowing accompaniment when the theme is repeated.

Song of the blacksmith This movement paints a sonic picture of the blacksmith working away at his craft. We hear him whistling happily as he works, accompanied by irregular rhythmic and percussive sounds that portray his hammering.

Fantasy on the Dargason Yes, we’ve heard this one before—it’s the final movement of the St. Paul’s Suite. Here it is in its original setting.




Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) (England) Variations for Brass Band

Historical Context Vaughan Williams began to compose at the age of six, and continued until the day of his death (from a heart attack in 1958). His last 22 years produced no less than five of his nine symphonies. The Variations for brass band was commissioned as the test piece for the 1957 National Brass Band Championship of Great Britain.

A Personal Perspective This music has intensely personal significance for me, which some inner voice urges me to share with you. I was present at the competition in 1957, where at the tender age of nine I heard most of the 21 competing bands play this piece, one after the other. My father and I took but one break, when our hunger overcame our desire to listen to a couple of the less well-regarded bands. Condensed score in hand, we followed the composer’s notation along with the music. After the bands had finished playing, while the judges were deliberating on the results, Ralph Vaughan Williams himself came halfway down the staircase adjacent to the stage and acknowledged the crowd’s applause. It’s hard to explain the effect the music had on me. The magnificent sound quality produced by the bands, their huge dynamic range, their nimble and stunningly accurate articulation, the grandeur of London’s Royal Albert Hall—it was all awe- inspiring. It was the most magnificent music—the most magnificent sound of any kind—I had ever heard. It still is. In 1957 this piece instantly became my favorite piece of music. But that's too trite a description—it's hard to find adequate words. It's more a deep-down feeling that the piece has assimilated itself into the core of my being. Yeah, I know that sounds pretentious and corny, but it's the best I can do to convey in words what the piece means to me. Given the




awe-inspiring situation of my first hearings of it, no piece of music will ever, in my regard, eclipse this one. In 1995 I learned that the work was to be used as the test-piece for the upcoming US National Championships. Despite several years of playing in first-class British bands, I had never had the opportunity to play the piece. Now, perhaps, there was a chance. I contacted the Atlantic Brass in Glassboro (New Jersey) to see whether I might insert myself for the contest. Bad news: the band was not going to enter the contest. Good news: they were rehearsing the piece anyway to include in an upcoming concert series. Even better news: the flugel player was looking to get off flugel back onto cornet. They needed a replacement. There was my spot. I got to play the piece at last. Even though by then my best playing days were well behind me (having peaked at age 17), the experience was still sublime. I stayed with the band for a year or so, but the commitment became too much and I dropped by the wayside. But I’d experienced my revered VW Variations from the input end of my beloved flugel, and I was well satisfied.

The Music I’m sure you will not be surprised to learn that I still have the program from the 1957 championship. This fact is significant because the program contains illuminating program notes by Frank Wright. Who’s Frank Wright? Frank Wright was a gifted orchestrator of brass band music. Though he wrote surprisingly little original work, his contribution to the brass-band repertoire was nevertheless immense. For example, his transcriptions of Berlioz overtures are stunning in their effect and tone color, and sound to my (very biased) ears even better than the originals. Okay, why am I rambling on so about Frank Wright when we’re supposed to be talking about Vaughan Williams? Here’s the situation. The brass band movement has had some quite significant successes in persuading “serious” composers to write original works for brass band. Edward Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Edmund Rubbra, Gustav Holst, Arthur Bliss… the list is a long one. Now, the brass band instrumentation is quite unfamiliar to most of these composers. They needed varying amounts of help in scoring their works. This is where people like Frank Wright (and Henry Geehl before him) came in. These orchestrators often scored the entire work from the composer’s piano-score sketches, effectively doing most of the work. The tradition of the times dictated that such ghost-writing be kept a closely guarded secret. It was a sore point with some of these orchestrators that they received not a smidgen of recognition for their contributions, and not much in the way of monetary compensation either. Based on a printed outburst I read by Henry Geehl, I got the impression that he was the guy who

Frank Wright




scored, and generally did the most work on, Elgar’s Severn Suite, though Geehl was far too much of a gentleman to name names. The secret ghost-writing thing was eventually overcome, and Frank Wright was openly given credit for orchestrating Edmund Rubbra’s Variations on the Shining River (1960), and Arthur Bliss’ Belmont Variations (1963). The significance of all this orchestrator talk is that, based on the evidence I’ve been able to piece together, my speculation is that Frank Wright was Vaughan Williams’ orchestration coach, an undertaking that nevertheless stopped well short of doing the job for him. One clue here is that in 1957—the year that produced the Variations—Vaughan Williams also produced his Ninth Symphony. Most unusually, this work features a part for flugel horn, a very prominent one at that. Now, in brass band orchestration, the flugel horn was a criminally neglected instrument before Frank Wright came along. He single-handedly brought the instrument out into the spotlight. I can’t imagine that Vaughan Williams would have discovered the flugel if not for Wright’s guiding hand. Given my speculation that Frank Wright played a significant role in the creation of this work8, I’m going to defer to Wright’s notes for the core of the analysis of the piece. The notes that follow are his—verbatim9—from the 1957 program, augmented by my own annotations set off in brackets or footnotes. Timings are relative to the recording by the Black Dyke Mills Band, conducted by Geoffrey Brand, on Chandos CHAN 4510.

PROGRAMME NOTE BY FRANK WRIGHT Today we reach a new landmark in the history of contesting—perhaps the most significant in the whole history of brass bands. R. Vaughan Williams, O.M., England’s greatest composer since Purcell10, has contributed an original work, specially written as a test piece for the “Daily Herald” National Championship Final. “Variations for Brass Band” is unique 11 in brass band music. In form it is simple enough—a theme followed by eleven variations. [0—0:00]12 The theme, in three sections [the first four-bar section is played by mellow-toned instruments only—no cornets or trombones—with horns (i.e. alto saxhorns) and flugel horn playing the high voice], is

8 Indeed, my speculation was verified almost immediately after writing this paragraph, when I opened the score to begin work on annotating Wright’s program notes. In a box beneath the title are the words “I wish to thank Mr. Frank Wright for examining and revising this score. R. Vaughan Williams, August 1957” 9 Well, not quite verbatim. I fixed the curious occurrence (twice) of “orientation” in place of “ornamen-tation.” I’m guessing that the typist misread Wright’s longhand, and no-one caught the error in time. 10 Really? Most observers, myself included, would place VW well behind Elgar. Interestingly, Elgar also contributed an original work to the brass-band repertoire (The Severn Suite) written, like VW ’s Variations, in the composer’s twilight years. However, by popular consensus, the Severn Suite falls well short of Elgar’s best in the artistic-merit department. 11 I hadn’t realized it until I wrote these notes, but Vaughan Williams’ Variations was probably the first major work written for brass band in the theme-and-variations form. Many composers since have followed Vaughan Williams’ lead. 12 The bold bracketed notations denote a reference number followed by a time.




“modal13” and majestic in character, a fanfare- like passage [0.1—0:12] (marked quasi trumpets—no vibrato) [in which bright-toned cornets and trombones dominate] forming the middle section. The variations follow one another without pause and are rich in expressive contrasts. [1—0:40] In the first variation the theme is announced by horns, with some rhythmic ornamentation by cornets and baritone. After the [1.1—0:51] “fanfare,” played in triplet figuration by all the cornets against a “rolling” quaver14 passage in the euphoniums and baritones, the [1.2—0:59] theme is heard in the basses [and bass trombone]. [2—1:20] The second begins as a kind of dialogue, with euphonium and baritone answering the solo cornet—there are interventions here and there and support from the soprano and flugel—each voice deriving from the theme. [3—2:00] Trombones, loud and commanding, are up and away with the tune in variation three, the triplet fanfare passage by cornets against the legato quaver bass adding to the rhythmic interest. [4—2:16] The fourth is joyous music. Canonical in style, it has a splendid energy and festival- like character. [5—2:46] A sombre atmosphere prevails in variation five, which begins as a quartet for flugel, horn, baritone and euphonium. [5.1—2:59] Muted trombones and stealthy bass steps seem to cast a mysterious shadow, soon, however, to be dispelled as the music moves through [5.2—3:10] six bars marked crescendo to reach [5.3—3:20] a majestic climax. [6—3:30] In variation six, cornet and flugel sing their way quietly through a tune that at once catches the ear—the theme in waltz time. But soon the music takes on an urgency and suddenly [6.1—3:46] erupts over four bars. After an abrupt and unexpected stop— [6.2—3:51] the composer has indicated a short breathing space here—the quiet song is resumed, this time by soprano, flugel and horn. Two melodic bars [6.3—3:57] by flugel and horn, in octaves with a pizzicato- like bass and with a florid, muted cornet passage in the background, lead to the next section. [7—3:59] Variation VII (Arabesque). This is one of the most ingenious parts of the work. By overlapping phrases, a continuous line of gracious ornamentation, derived from the theme and marked pp, is maintained by the solo cornet and flugel. The theme, in a new guise and played by euphonium, enters at the second bar, so that we have the tune and a derivative of it both going at the same time. Temporarily [7.1—4:18] the ornamentation is passed to baritones, to be resumed [7.2—4:29] by cornet and flugel over the “fanfare”

13 “Modal” in the sense that Vaughan Williams uses a note palette different from the usual major or minor keys. The first two bars are a straightforward unison pentatonic scale, but thereafter the scheme becomes more complex. As many times as I have heard this piece, I cannot accurately whistle even the theme, because of its modal complexity. 14 quaver is English terminology for eighth note.




played by muted trombones and lower cornets quasi trumpets. The last phrases [7.3—4:49] of the variation are given to soprano, who alone leads in to the eighth variation. [8—4:59] In the form of a Polacca, the music here is at once assertive and powerful. Following a discourse on the fanfare we hear [8.1—5:09] the first phrase of the theme sweeping downwards instead of upwards, and being invested with a rhythmic interest in the process. Then, after some by-play between the upper and lower sections of the band, they all get together [8.2—5:20] in three rollicking bars of semiquavers15. Suddenly [8.3—5:32] the music quietens and an entirely new, but easily recognisable, version of the theme is heard from trombones and cornets. A crescendo molto leads us for a brief period to [8.4— 5:47] the key of E-major. With this burst into a radiant fortissimo, sunshine prevails until the final bars. Here animation ceases. There is a sudden haze. [9—6:38] The soft, sustained octave with which variation nine opens allows us to pause for reflection. It is like standing on the seashore, and looking eastward into a morning mist. Quietly [9.1—7:00] the theme rises somewhere from the depths. There is hidden strength—and mystery. The solemnity is unmistakable. As the voices reach upwards the music takes on an ethereal quality. (Did the composer have in mind some enigmatic association here?) The last bars leave us in a less pensive mood. [10—8:53] In variation ten we meet again the sustained trombone octave, this time played mf. It provides an excellent starting point for the first entry of the Fugato. Clothed in a new rhythmic garb, the theme—now so familiar that the least sensitive ear would recognise it —is startling in its vigour. Were ever two consecutive movements more strongly contrasted than this and number nine?. Steadiness—crotchet16=88—does not detract from its splendid vitality. Its life comes from the very nature of the music itself, not the speed. [11—9:49] In the final variation (No. 11—Chorale), three muted cornets form a high semi-chorus, heard as from a distance. The rest of the “choir” sing their hymn, pp. All the material is thematic. After some fourteen bars [11.1—10:25] the ensemble, now united, hushes itself to ppp. A crescendo leads to mf, where three fragments of the theme are most skillfully interlocked. Here the basses are given a short respite. Their entry two bars later is a most impressive one. [11.2—11:27] Four majestic chords, following a passage of bare, rugged octaves—how the theme echoes through these!—bring the work to a mighty end.

15 A semiquaver is a sixteenth note. 16 A crotchet is a quarter note.




Appendix: What do those instruments look like? Note: Although I have tried to adjust the sizes of these images to be vaguely sensible, they are not presented in anything approaching accurate scale.

Symphony Orchestra

flute

French horn

trumpet




harp




oboe english

horn clarinet bass clarinet bassoon contra-bassoon



I assume everyone knows what the stringed instruments look like, so I haven’t included pictures of those.

Brass Band soprano cornet (Eb)

Bb cornet

flugel horn

trombone (tenor/bass)

Chester County Night School, Fall 2006



bass trombone Similar to tenor/bass, but usually has larger bore and bell. May have an additional trigger to extend low range. Eb tenor horn Bb baritone (horn) euphonium

basses Very similar in overall shape to euphonium, but proportionately larger, with longer overall tube length. This picture of a brass band illustrates the relative dimensions of the various instruments.

Front row, left to right: Bb bass, Eb bass, euphonium 2nd row: 3 trombones, 2 baritones, 3 tenor horns, flugel horn other two rows are cornets (with three percussionists ghosting in at the sides)

Chester County Night School, Fall 2006



Specialty instruments piccolo trumpet





Tonight’s agenda Historical Periods, Round 2

Beethoven, Symphony No 6 [music on the Classical/Romantic cusp] Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique [Romantic period]

Instrumentation, Round 2 Vaughan Williams, Toward the Unknown Region [chorus and orchestra]

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (Germany) Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) Classical period (or Romantic?)

Historical context At the age of 22 Beethoven had left Bonn, his home town, for Vienna in order to study with Joseph Haydn. By 1800 his career as concert pianist and composer had blossomed, and he had completed the six string quartets of op. 18 as well as the first symphony. It was around this time that the onset of deafness—the result of a bout with diphtheria around 1797—became a problem. Becoming increasingly desperate in his search for a cure, he spent six months in the quiet village of Heiligenstadt. It seems that during this time he had come to terms with his lot in life, resolving anew to devote himself to his art while allowing fate to take its course. And devote himself to his art he did—with a vengeance. The period 1802 to 1810 was the most productive of Beethoven’s composing career. It was from this period that the sixth symphony, the Pastoral, emerged. The symphony is dedicated to two of Beethoven’s wealthy patrons, Prince Lobkowitz and Count Andreas Rasoumowsky. It was given its first performance, in Vienna, on December 22, 1808, with Beethoven conducting.

The music It appears that Beethoven may have borrowed the programmatic ideas for this symphony from one Justin Heinrich Knecht, a now-forgotten composer who wrote a five-movement




symphony he called A Musical Portrait of Nature. It is probably not a coincidence that an advertisement for this work appeared on the same page of a newspaper as an advertisement for some of Beethoven’s own works. Not only does Beethoven’s 6th have five movements (a most unusual—for the time—deviation from the usual four), but his movements’ titles are eerily similar to those of Knecht. Be that as it may, the key to successful plagiarism is to be more famous than your source, and Beethoven was apparently never questioned. In any event, the music itself is pure Beethoven, even if he did pilfer the idea for the framework. The Pastoral symphony evokes the countryside. Such explicit evocation of stories, scenes, and moods is commonly found in Romantic-period music. Such external motivation behind the music is regarded by some as an essential qualification for classification as “Romantic.” The titles Beethoven (or Knecht, as the case may be) gave to the five movements are:

1. Awakening of joyous feelings upon arrival in the country 2. By the brook 3. Happy gathering of country folk 4. Thunderstorm 5. Shepherd's song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm.

The argument over whether Beethoven belongs in the Classical period or the Romantic will probably go on forever. Most people, however, are content to regard him as a bridge between the two periods. Here is a map of the symphony. Timings relate to the recording by Andre Previn with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 7747-2-RC.

Theme chart First Movement

First subject

Second subject

Second Movement First subject A

1st idea A1

2nd idea A2




Second subject B

1st idea B1

2nd idea B2

Coda

Bird calls (Nightingale Quail Cuckoo)

Fourth Movement

first theme

second theme

third theme

Fifth Movement

A

B

C




First movement—Allegro non troppo Awakening of joyous feelings upon arrival in the country Sonata Form

bar time structure remarks 1 0:00 exposition

first theme (F maj)

67 1:20 second theme (C major) 138 2:44 exposition repeats 139 5:20 development 151 5:38 notice the triplets in the bass against

the duplets in the treble 279 8:01 recapitulation

first theme (F maj) the three-against-two idea from the development continues into the recapitulation

346 9:17 second theme (F major) 414 10:37 coda

Second movement—Andante molto mosso By the brook Sonata Form

1 0:00 exposition A first subject

1st idea A1 (B flat maj)

notice the gently moving accompaniment, suggesting the flow of the brook. After four bars, the accompaniment doubles in pace, and maintains that pace in an almost constant underpinning of the rest of the movement

13 1:12 2nd idea A2 (B flat maj) 21 2:03 A1 30 2:51 B second subject

1st idea B1 (F major)

33 3:09 2nd idea B2 (F major) 47 4:32 codetta: A2 (F major) 54 5:12 development 91 8:46 recapitulation:

A1 (B flat major)

102 9:50 B1 (B flat major) 105 10:08 B2 (B flat major) 119 11:29 codetta: A2 (B flat major) 124 12:00 coda 129 12:31 bird calls The flute imitates the nightingale, the oboe

the quail, and the clarinet the cuckoo.




Third Movement—Allegro Happy gathering of country folk Scherzo and Trio The third movement is a scherzo and trio. The pace and mood of the trio is similar to that of the scherzo, but is differentiated through rhythm, being in duple time against the scherzo’s triple. Beethoven deviates from established convention by repeating the trio as well as the scherzo. To round things off, he presents a coda constructed from a very abbreviated version of the scherzo, further compressed by the furious presto that takes flight 30 bars into the coda..

bar time 1 0:00 scherzo. The key is ambiguous. The music starts in F major but skips

around D major, D minor, and F 165 1:49 trio (very short). The trio begins in B flat, and is in duple time, in contrast

to the triple time of the scherzo. It works its way to end on a C major chord in preparation for the scherzo repeat.

204 2:26 scherzo and trio repeat 205 4:54 coda—back to triple time 235 5:15 presto 264 5:32 without a break we go straight into…

Fourth Movement—Allegro Thunderstorm Some commentators have remarked that the fourth movement isn’t really a movement at all, being more of an extended introduction to the final movement. It’s a view that I can endorse, for I cannot construct a meaningful analysis beyond “it’s a mood piece that freely develops three discernible themes.” And I haven’t been able to find an analysis by anyone else that (to me anyway) adds any additional useful insight. The music begins in D flat major, but the key quickly becomes ambiguous as the music spends most of the movement in continuous modulation. I find it at least plausible that Beethoven was deliberately using this tonal instability to portray the meteorological instability of the thunderstorm.

bar time 1 0:00 After some ominous rumbling from the bass strings, the violins play a

busy first theme suggesting anxiety. 21 0:26 The rumbling in cellos and basses becomes much more menacing,

suggesting thunder. 35 0:49 The second theme makes its first appearance. 78 1:47 The third theme arrives.

107 2:28 The storm reaches its climax 118 2:46 The storm begins to subside




154 3:42 The flute announces the end of the storm and the transition to new tranquility.

155 3:45 Again we go straight into the next movement without a break…

Fifth Movement—Allegro Shepherd's song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm Sonata-rondo form

bar time 1 0:00 introduction, giving strong hints of the main theme to come 9 0:17 exposition

A violins sing the beautiful sunny main theme (F major) 32 1:07 B cellos and violas introduce the second subject. It begins in F major

but modulates to C major, with even a snatch of G major 54 1:58 codetta theme (A) returns, arriving from theme (B) in C major, quickly

working its way back to F major and thus forming a bridge to… 64 2:22 development

A theme, which returns in the home key to kick off the development 80 2:59 C episode begins in B flat major, modulating into… 85 3:34 ...theme (A) in D flat major, quickly modulating to C major, where the

development spends most of the rest of its life before modulating back to…

117 4:23 recapitulation A ….F major for the reappearance of theme (A) in the home key.

Theme (A) appears here in variation as flowing 16th notes instead of in its original straightforward lyrical melody.

140 5:12 B theme returns, in F major, and this time around it stays there. 162 6:01 codetta based on theme A, wraps up the recapitulation 177 6:36 coda

here begins a very extended coda, built entirely from theme (A). Beginning in the home key of F major, it wanders briefly into C major and G major, but mainly stays close to home.

252 10:07 After a delicate 4 bars over which the horn sings the (A) theme one last time, the symphony ends with what sounds almost like a sigh of satisfaction.




Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) (France) Symphonie Fantastique Romantic period

Historical context At age 17, Berlioz, the son of a doctor, left his home town of La Côte-St-André for Paris to pursue a medical career. However, he found music and literature much more interesting than medicine, which he quickly abandoned. In pursuit of a career as a composer, he attended the Paris Conservatoire from 1826 to 1830. Supporting himself at first by giving guitar lessons and singing in a theatre chorus, he later graduated to journalism and conducting. Highly regarded as a music critic, Berlioz derived the bulk of his income from journalism, though ironically he declared a profound distaste for that line of work. Berlioz became enamored of opera, especially the French tradition in the mould of Gluck and Spontini1. He was also introduced to Shakespeare’s plays. After Gluck, Berlioz discovered Weber and Beethoven. All of these interests and passions influenced the development of his music. His first substantial composition was a Mass (1824), which he later disowned. It was rediscovered in 1992 and found to foreshadow sections of his mature works2. The Mass was followed by the opera Les Francs Juges, which although unsuccessful, largely lost, and almost forgotten as an actual opera, is survived by its very fine overture. Berlioz composed the Fantastic Symphony in 1830. His admiration for Beethoven’s 6th symphony, the Pastoral, was one of the influences behind this symphony, principally through its frank programmatic underpinnings, but also evident in its 5-movement design. The Fantastic Symphony as a whole is transparently autobiographical, and was motivated by Berlioz’ infatuation with the Irish Shakespearean actress Harriett (Henrietta)

1 Neither of whom were themselves French. Go figure. 2 In other words, Berlioz recycled and repurposed good musical ideas, in common with many other composers.




Smithson, whom Berlioz had seen perform in 1827. Smithson rebuffed Berlioz’ advances, plunging him into despair3. Leaving nothing to the imagination, Berlioz provided an explicit program for this symphony, which he instructed be distributed to the audience whenever it was performed. Here it is4:

A young musician of extraordinary sensibility and overflowing imagination in a paroxysm of despair caused by unhappy love has poisoned himself with opium. The drug is too feeble to kill him, but plunges him into a heavy sleep accompanied by the weirdest visions. His sensations, emotions and memories, as they pass through his diseased brain, are transformed into musical images and ideas. The beloved one herself becomes to him a melody, a recurrent theme (idée fixe) which haunts him everywhere. (1.)—REVERIES, PASSIONS: First he remembers that weariness of the soul, that indefinable longing, that somber melancholia and those objectless joys which he experienced before meeting his beloved. Then, the volcanic love with which she at once inspired him, his delirious suffering, his return to tenderness, his religious consolations, (2.)—A Ball: At a ball, in the midst of a noisy, brilliant fete, he finds the loved one again. (3.)—IN THE COUNTRY: On a summer’s evening in the country he hears two herders who call each other with their shepherds’ melodies. The pastoral duet in such surroundings, the gentle rustle of the trees softly swayed by the wind, some reasons for hope that had lately come to his knowledge, all unite to fill his heart with a long-missed tranquility, and lend brighter colors to his fancies. But SHE appears anew, spasms contract his heart, dark premonitions appear to him. What, if she proved faithless. One of the shepherds resumes his rustic tune, the other does not follow. The sun sets—far away there is rumbling thunder—, solitude,—silence. (4.)—March to the SCAFFOLD: He dreams he has killed his loved one, that he is condemned to death and led to the execution. A march, now gloomy and ferocious, now solemn and brilliant accompanies the procession. Noisy outbursts are followed without pause by the heavy sound of measured footsteps. Finally, the idée fixe, like a last thought of love appears for a moment, to be cut off by the fall of the axe.

3 There was a somewhat happy—yet at the same time very sad—ending to the Berlioz–Smithson relationship, which we won’t go into here. Complementary coverage (nobody tells it all, and some of the accounts are contradictory) is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Berlioz, http://members.aol.com/fausttiger/fantastique.html, and http://library.thinkquest.org/22673/berlioz.html, and no doubt many other places. 4 I can’t resist pointing out that the idiosyncratic capitalization and punctuation are those of Berlioz’ (or the translator) and not (intentionally, anyway) mine.




(5.)—Dream of a WITCHES SABBATH: He sees himself at a witches’ sabbath, in the midst of a hideous gathering of spectres, sorcerers and monsters of every kind who have come together for his funeral. Strange sounds, groans, outbursts of laughter; distant shouts which seem to be answered by more shouts. The beloved melody appears once more, but has now lost its noble and shy character; it is now no more than a vulgar dance tune, trivial and grotesque: it is she who is coming to the sabbath… Roar of delight at her arrival… She joins the diabolical orgy… The funeral knell tolls, burlesque parody of the Dies Irae,** the dance of the witches. The dance of the witches combined with the Dies Irae.

**A hymn sung in funeral ceremonies in the Catholic Church. [HB5]

The music

Idée fixe theme

Timings are with reference to the EMI recording D 154244, Ricardo Muti conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.

5 HB is of course Hector Berlioz. So this footnote (the one you are reading now) is a footnote that explains a footnote. Are you sufficiently confused?




First Movement Reveries, Passions Sonata form (loosely speaking) ref no time structure remarks [start] 0:00 introduction a slow and lengthy introduction,

beginning in C minor. Very slow for the most part, but briefly punctuated by a frenzied accelerating passage. Thematic material introduced in this prelude appears to play no further role in the symphony.

[5]+4 5:33 exposition first (and only!) theme (C maj)

this theme is the idée fixe that we’ll hear over and over, in various different guises, throughout the symphony

[5]+4 7:00 exposition repeats [8]+18 8:26 development this development section is very brief [11] 9:22 recapitulation

first theme (G maj) the recapitulation abandons sonata-form convention and presents the theme (in its entirety) in the dominant key. In this recapitulation, Berlioz directs “poco stringendo” (a little gradual acceleration), which gives the theme a feeling of anxiety, in contrast to the serene mood of the exposition.

[15] 10:55 codetta a slower section closes out the recapitulation section

[16] 11:44 coda here appears to be the beginning of a very extended coda (more of Beethoven’s influence?). An alternative view of this passage would be as an additional development section, but from here to the end the music sounds very much like it’s trying to reach a conclusion. A true development section, by contrast, leads the listener to expect not closure but a restatement of themes.

[end]-23 14:22 the first eight bars of the idée fixe theme–in home key, no less

well, what do you know? We got a vestigial recapitulation after all, right at the tail end of the movement.




Second Movement A Ball The second movement’s structure is quite simple. We’ll give it some shape by mapping it onto ABA form, which it fits fairly well. ref no time structure remarks [start] 0:00 introduction [22]+3 0:36 A the dance theme (A maj) what dance? Must be a Viennese Waltz,

and a fast one at that. This recording faithfully follows Berlioz’ metronome marking of 60 bars per minute.

[26]+5 2:01 B the idée fixe (F maj) in an outrageously distant key, and appropriately modified to fit the tempo and mood of the dance. Accompanied by figures closely derived from the dance theme.

[27] 2:41 bridge a link back to A major and the dance theme

[28]+2 2:58 A dance theme (A maj) [31] 3:56 coda based mostly on the dance theme, but… [35] 5:03 B (A min) …interrupted one more time by the

appearance of the loved one. The key is a little closer to home this time.




Third Movement In the Country This movement owes a lot to Beethoven’s 6th. It has close similarities to that symphony’s By the brook movement, and also depicts a storm in a way similar to the Pastoral’s fourth movement. It is constructed on a very free design that frankly defies attempts to pigeonhole it into any of the “standard” patterns. ref no time structure remarks [start] 0:00 introduction the music frankly evokes the countryside

as two shepherds (oboe and English horn) call to each other. Note the similarity of this figure with that of the bird calls at the end of Beethoven’s 6th’s second movement.

[37] 1:57 A the main theme of this movement (F maj)

Berlioz reworked this theme from his abandoned Mass of 1824

[38]+4 4:10 bridge provides some contrast and moves to C major for a reprise of the theme

[39]+5 5:39 A a reprise in C major this time in the bass instruments [40]+2 6:20 bridge to take us to… [41] 6:56 B (B flat major) …an ominous theme depicting the “dark

premonitions” that Berlioz talks about in his notes

[41]+3 7:09 SHE appears, and stays around for quite a few bars

the idée fixe theme again, played by flutes and oboes

[42]+10 8:39 C A somewhat new idea that combines variations on the main theme (A)

the mood of rustic calm returns briefly…

[44] 9:59 accompaniment becomes busy and somewhat anxious

…although the calm mood quickly becomes agitated by the busy accompaniment, itself a variation on the main theme

[47] 11:36 coda [47] 11:36 SHE appears again,

accompanied by theme A

[47]+10 12:27 here SHE is again [49] 13:47 a shepherd calls again,

reprising the introduction. but this time no-one calls back

[49]+2 13:57 timpani imitate the roll of distant thunder




Fourth Movement March to the Scaffold Berlioz constructed this movement, as he did the preceding one, from repurposed earlier work. This time the failed opera Les Francs Juges was the donor. This movement is constructed loosely along the ABA pattern, with much repetition of the thematic material in minimally altered form. ref no time structure remarks [start] 0:00 introduction ominous-sounding timpani dominate

the introduction [50]+2 0:25 A the first theme (G minor) [52] 1:17 bassoon countertheme

above inverted A all 4 bassoons weigh in with the countermelody. It stands out well against pizzicato strings

[53] 1:38 B the second theme (B flat major)

key has moved to the relative major. Woodwinds and brass deliver this theme in strident fashion while the strings take a rest

[53]+15 2:01 repeat from the beginning this recording takes the repeat, though many conductors (and even some editions of the score) opt to leave it out (for shame!)

[53]+16 4:03 a brief (11 bar) interlude provides some contrast before…

[54] 4:20 …B comes again, this time with almost everyone contributing with full force

[55] 4:43 another interlude, starting as the first but with an extension, leading back again to…

[56]+9 5:11 A which will be theme A’s final flourish. We hear only a four-bar snatch, followed by…

[57] 5:22 …coda, which kicks off, appropriately enough, with a four-bar inversion of A

the coda is constructed chiefly from atomic ideas of the B theme

[59]+1 6:10 the idée fixe briefly appears for the first and last time in this movement, depicting our hero’s last thoughts of his love

[59]+6 6:19 a brutal G minor chord represents the fall of the guillotine; then the gory portrayal, by




two pizzicato notes from strings, of our hero’s head falling to the floor

[59]+7 6:23 now that our hero is dead, the key changes abruptly to the more-optimistic G major.

How sick is that? These last 8 bars of solid G-major chord seem to portray the jubilant celebration of the crowd at our hero’s death. (Yeah, okay, he did kill his beloved, but still……)

Fifth Movement Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath Even more so than the third movement, the fifth movement is very free in form and conforms to no recognized design pattern. ref no time structure remarks [start] 0:00 introduction ominous and menacing, this rather

lengthy introduction sets the mood for this macabre last movement

[62]+4 1:31 the idée fixe, grotesquely transformed (clarinet)

SHE arrives at this hideous gathering

[62]+12 1:40 a frantic full-orchestra outburst the unsavory mob celebrates the beloved’s arrival

[63] 1:51 an extended grotesque version of the idée fixe as SHE joins in with the ugly revelry (E flat clarinet, piccolo)

[63]+7 1:58 the mob cackles with laughter (bassoons)

[65]+1 2:39 strings drop the first hint of an important theme to come

[65]+19 3:02 the funeral bell tolls [65]+25 3:08 violas continue hinting at the

theme to come…

[66]-6 3:17 ..as does the oboe [66]+6 3:29 Dies Irae theme, forcefully

stated by all 4 bassoons and both tubas

[70]+2 5:20 Witches’ Round Dance the theme hinted at earlier now appears in its full form, and forms the basis of a fugue. Berlioz is said to have admitted privately that this fugue represents a giant orgy.

[77] 6:59 by now the dance (orgy, or whatever) has dissipated much




of its energy, but now it starts rebuilding in intensity until…

[80] 7:44 ...it reaches a thunderous climax, with the entire orchestra playing the same sustained syncopated rhythm for 4 solid bars, until some of the brass launch a concerted counteroffensive for another 4 solid bars.

[81] 7:55 Witches’ Round Dance returns

strings are all playing the same rhythm while the winds take a rest

[81]+7 8:01 Dies Irae reappears from the newly rested winds, while the strings continue the competition with the witches’ dance

[84]+12 8:58 coda fast, loud, furious—in other words, totally in keeping with the mood of the movement. Perhaps unexpectedly for so ghoulish a concluding movement, the work ends conventionally on a plain vanilla C major chord, the key of the first movement’s first theme.




Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) (England) Toward the Unknown Region Chorus and orchestra (Modern period)

Vaughan Williams was a great admirer of Walt Whitman, and this work is a setting of Whitman’s poem Darest Thou Now O Soul from the collection Leaves of Grass. Vaughan Williams took his title from the poem’s second line. Here is the poem in full.

Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow? No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land. I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream'd of in that region, that inaccessible land. Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us. Then we burst forth, we float, In Time and Space O soul, prepared for them, Equal, equipt at last, (O joy! O fruit of all!) them to fulfil O soul.





Tonight’s agenda Historical Periods, Round 3

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 [Modern period] Golland: Meiso [Modern period; brass band] Debussy, La Mer [Modern period]

Instrumentation, Round 3 Barber, Summer Music [wind quintet] Henry VIII, Rose without a Thorn [brass quintet]

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Symphony No. 5 Modern period

Historical context The fifth symphony is very much a product of the time and political climate in which Shostakovich lived. The composer had enjoyed great success and fame since the publication, at age 19, of his first symphony. However, his continuous development as a composer put him on a collision course with the Stalin regime. The inevitable meltdown occurred in January of 1936, when Shostakovich was 29. Joseph Stalin attended a performance of Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth, and conspicuously walked out in anger after the third act. There was plenty to upset him—such as sexual explicitness, police portrayed as buffoons, dissonant music—but we can only guess at what exactly pushed him over the edge. On Stalin’s instigation, Lady Macbeth was denounced in Pravda, and coinciding with the beginning of the Great Terror, Shostakovich was declared an “enemy of the people.” Shostakovich had largely mastered Soviet doublethink and doublespeak, and he pretended to reform with the 1937 fifth symphony. (We know it was a pretense from letters discovered since his death.) He labeled the symphony “A Soviet artist’s response to just criticism.” Yet much later, in 1973 and near death, he wrote this of the symphony:




I think that it is clear to everyone what happens in the Fifth. The rejoicing is forced, created under threat, as in “Boris Godunov.” It’s as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying, “Your business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing,” and you rise, shaky, and go marching off, muttering, “Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing.” What kind of apotheosis is that? You have to be a complete oaf not to hear that.

Despite the conflicted thoughts and emotions behind it, the music of the symphony is of high artistic merit while being readily accessible, a combination that sustains the work as by far the most popular of Shostakovich’s entire output. For more extensive insight into Shostakovich’s life and work, http://www.therestisnoise.com/2004/05/shostakovich.html is an excellent but fairly brief article by Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker.

The Music Theme chart First movement

A1

A2

B

A2 (inverted)

Second Movement middle theme




Fourth movement

A

B

First movement We’ll outline the first movement in terms of sonata form, but the form is very free compared with a classical-era sonata-form movement. Shostakovich writes very extended themes that blur the tidy boundaries of the sonata-form template. Russian musicians regard this movement as a “ballad” form, in which narrative sections alternate with lyrical and dramatic episodes. In light of what we have come to know about the composer, it is hardly unreasonable to interpret these episodes, with their strong contrasts, as representing a conflict between spontaneous impulse and external pressures. ref time structure remarks [start] 0:00 exposition

theme A1 this theme permeates the entire movement, forming the basis of much of the accompaniment to later material

[1] 0:29 theme A2 more lyrical in character [9] 4:25 theme B [17] 7:40 development [32] 10:31 recapitulation

A1 a very extended reprise of theme A1, beginning in a different key from the exposition, and modulating as freely as a development section.

[36] 11:12 a huge climax 10 bars of forceful drama, announced in unison by most of the orchestra, punctuated by some equally forceful chords from the onlookers.

[39]+1 12:37 B flute starts, and is echoed by horn in canon [44] 14:38 coda the basic rhythm of theme A1 underpins the coda

throughout [44]+1 14:43 A2 (inverted) [47] 15:59 notice the beautiful sound from the celesta on

the rising chromatic runs Second movement Allegretto [0:00] The second movement is basically in the form of a scherzo, although Shostakovich firmly eschews the constraints of the classical-era design by omitting the trio section if favor of a middle theme that retains much of the character of the opening. And even as




the middle theme tries to take over [57 1:45], the opening theme keeps butting in and arguing with it. When the opening theme regains control [65 3:17], the bassoon and contra-bassoon take ownership for an extended display that rattles the rafters with the contra-bassoon’s extremely low notes. The oboe gives us a brief four-bar reprise of the middle theme [73+4 5:04] as we head into the short coda. Third movement Largo Musically and emotionally, the slow movement is the nucleus of the work. Shostakovich himself was especially pleased with this movement. It is in large part elegiac and suggests itself as a night piece. Reflective lyricism expands into urgency and intensity, and eventually the character of a threnody, building to anguished protest and then, drained of passion, subsiding on a note of resignation. The movement is built on just two thematic ideas, the first very extended as is typical of Shostakovich. Interestingly, the composer takes the unusual step of dividing the string section in an unconventional way: the violins are divided into three parts (two is usual); the violas into two (vs. the usual one), the cellos into two (vs. the usual one). The following table calls out some highlights. ref time remarks [75] 0:00 [79] 2:33 long flute solo/duet, accompanied only by harp [81]+2 3:32 up to now everything has been calm and quiet. Now we

embark on a gradual crescendo of surprising length and intensity that builds to a climax and then subsides.

[84]+1 5:10 the music has regained its earlier calm, and solo oboe announces a new theme

[87] 7:52 a surprisingly dark passage appears, with two clarinets (in their low register), bassoon and contra-bassoon the only participants. Low strings eventually join in, preserving the dark mood…

[88]+6 8:43 …but soon the violins get involved, adding a feeling of urgency and seriousness, as again we crescendo to…

[89] 9:05 ...a big climax, that will be sustained for many a bar [93] 11:25 calm has returned once more [96]+1 13:25 a beautiful sound from unison harp and celesta




Fourth movement Allegro non troppo At the symphony’s premiere, Shostakovich described this movement as “the optimistic resolution of the tragically tense moments of the first movement.” And indeed we can tell ourselves it sounds triumphant and rejoicing, but what are we to make of it in light of Shostakovich’s later (1973) explanation? Also consider that Shostakovich’s great friend Mstislav Rostropovich said of this movement “The end is irreparable tragedy. Stretched on the rack of the inquisition the victim still ties to smile in his pain. Anybody who thinks the finale is glorification is an idiot.” The structure of the movement is again rather free, but we’ll map it in terms of sonata form, ill- fitting though that label is. ref time structure remarks [97] 0:00 exposition

A announced by unison trumpets, trombones, and tuba

[108} 2:22 B announced by solo trumpet [113] 4:08 development a very long development—one of the reasons why

it’s such a stretch to stick the sonata-form label on this movement

[121] 7:09 recapitulation/coda this is a very lengthy coda-cum-recapitulation, the longest section of the movement. It is based on theme A—we hear nary a peep of theme B—but the whole thing sounds as if it’s driving all the while towards the conclusion, rather than being a normal kind of recapitulation.

[131] 9:25 codetta this is the coda of the coda. It’s immediately clear to the listener that we’ve turned onto the home stretch here. After climbing up to the high A, the strings (in unison) will repeat that note 2521 times, while the brass forcefully deliver the tune, which is an elongated variation on theme A.

1 No, I didn’t count them, but someone did, so I thought it would be nice to reward that effort by reusing its results here.




John Golland (1942-1993) (England) Meiso Brass band (Modern Period)

John Golland made his living primarily as a teacher in his home town in greater Manchester, but spent a sizeable period out of teaching, during which he concentrated on composing and conducting brass bands. In his early twenties he took up the euphonium and joined a local brass band, having learned piano, violin, and recorder in his childhood through teen years. Meiso was the result of a commission from the Black Dyke Mills band for their highly successful Japanese tour of 1990. Meiso—which means "contemplation"—takes the unusual and original form of a duet for tenor horn (which you'll recall is actually, anatomically speaking, an alto saxhorn) and baritone (that's a baritone 2 saxhorn, not a singer). Dedicated to the two soloists featured on the recording we'll hear3, it is cast in an aptly meditative mood by a composer whose music speaks with conviction and passion. The opening is based on two ideas: the upper instruments depict the bells of the Shinto temple calling its followers to gather for Meiso, and the lower instruments play out a Shinto chant which was introduced to Golland by a Japanese friend, Masaru Kawasaki. The work features long intertwined melodic lines from the soloists, which has them beautifully showing off the full range of their instruments. The band provides soft, sustained and infinitely sympathetic accompaniment throughout.

2 Just as a "tenor" horn is actually an alto instrument, the baritone (oddly, never referred to as a "baritone horn") is actually a tenor instrument. How confusing. 3 Sandy Smith, tenor horn; Peter Christian, baritone, with the Black Dyke Mills Band conducted by David King.




Claude Debussy (1862-1918) (France) La Mer Modern period

Historical context Debussy was strongly influenced by the Impressionist movement in the art world, his circle of friends being Impressionist artists and poets as well as musicians. He had revolutionized classical music with his 1894 composition Prelude a l’Apres Midi d’un Faune. In 1905 with La Mer, which he described as “three symphonic sketches,” he did it again. Pushing past classical tonality, harmony, and rhythm to new heights of fluidity, he brought ambiguity and freedom to keys, harmonies, and even bar- lines. Yet at the same time, Debussy’s work is still unmistakably music. It stirs the soul on a visceral level. There is none of the blatant dissonance and raucousness that we expect to hear in so-called “modern” music. However, that said, we must acknowledge that the listeners of the time, especially the critics (why does it always take critics so much longer to catch on than regular people?) received the work much less favorably—some with outright hostility—than their present-day counterparts. It seems that Debussy had ambitions to compose a symphony, but La Mer is the closest he came. He had earlier (1880) made a two-piano sketch for a more conventional symphony, but that effort never saw the light of day in its originally intended form. Debussy composed La Mer between 1903 and 1905. He wrote to his friend André Messager (himself a composer) in 1903 that he was at work on the three symphonic movements, and spoke of his lifelong fascination with the sea:

I have always retained a passionate love for her [the sea]. You will say that the ocean does not exactly wash the Burgundian hillsides…and my seascapes might be studio landscapes; but I have an endless store of memories and, to my mind, they are worth more than the reality, whose beauty often deadens thought.”

It seems Debussy was alluding to his limited actual contact with the sea, that being confined to a couple of channel crossings and some seaside vacations. After beginning the sketching of the work in Burgundy, Debussy completed it in Jersey (um, that’s the Channel Island Jersey, not the state of New Jersey) and Eastbourne (on the south coast of England), where he had ample opportunity to study his subject in all its moods. The work was premiered shortly after its completion, in October 1905, in Paris.




The music Viewed as a whole, La Mer is built on a distinctly symphonic pattern. The turbulent outer movements display the force and direction of large-scale symphonic sections, while the middle movement is scherzo-like by contrast. The melodic shapes that seem gradually to come into focus in the dim light of the first movement recur in the third movement, giving the work a feeling of satisfying integration. At least one observer has offered the view that the entire work can be considered as a single sonata-form design, with the middle movement being the development section. It’s an interesting complementary way to view the piece, not without merit, although the middle movement’s thematic material is original, rather than derived from the first movement. Debussy gave each of the movements descriptive subtitles, which evolved somewhat during the gestation of the piece. As is so common with program and mood music, the composer warns us not to take these titles too literally, and that they do not refer to explicitly pictorial events, rather to the overall impression and mood. Debussy’s friend, the composer Erik Satie 4, joked in response that, of the first movement (From dawn until noon on the sea), he “liked the whole thing, but especially the part from 10:30 to 10:45.”

4 I wonder if Satie’s name shares the same root as “satire.” Unlikely of course, but it’s fun to speculate.




Theme Chart First movement A1 (motto)

A2

B

C

D

E

F




Second movement A

B

C

Third movement A

Map The notation [n] denotes a rehearsal number in the score. [n]+i or [n]-i indicate a number of bars before or after the rehearsal number. Timings are relative to Telarc recording CD-80071, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin.




First movement From dawn until noon on the sea ref time structure remarks [start] 0:00 introduction in spite of Debussy’s warning not to take his subtitles

too literally, the opening passage up to [3] comes across as a beautiful sound picture of the unfolding dawn.

[start]+5 0:24 A1 introduced by oboe. This is the motto theme.5 [1] 0:39 B introduced by English horn and muted trumpet [3]-2 1:33 C flutes and clarinets [3] 1:40 D horns [9]-2 4:32 new section,

based on E interestingly the first eight bars of this section are carried by the cellos, divided into four parts, and Debusssy is particular in pointing out that there had better be 16 of them (which is more than most orchestras normally carry these days) This new section is introduced by a derivative of theme A1. A new tune (of sorts) emerges, based on the rhythm illustrated in theme E. This rhythm pervades this middle section either as melody or accompaniment.

[12] 6:06 B we’re starting to wind down now, as we hear theme B from English horn and muted trumpet, just like at the beginning. But there’s still time for…

[13]+3 7:00 F …another new tune, introduced by English horn and 2 cellos

[14]-4 7:30 listen to the flutes here. It sounds like they’re off the beat, but Debussy has them playing 4 beats in the bar against the melody’s 6.

[15]-1 8:17

A2 this variation on A1 aptly anticipates a closing, in contrast to the expectant flavor of A1 itself

Second movement Play of the waves The bulk of this movement is constructed from melodic fragments rather than recognizable whistleable melodies, illustrating the ever-changing play of light on the changing face of the sea, and the choppy nature of the waves. In spite of the fragmentary nature of the melodic material, Debussy expertly crafts a movement with overall unity and sense of direction.

5 A “motto theme” is one that appears in all movements, giving the work a feeling of unity.




ref time structure remarks [start] 0:00 [19] 0:51 A here’s the first group of notes I’d be prepared to call a

melody, though it would be a tough one to whistle [21]+2 1:27 B the English horn gives us 6 bars of a melody we can

actually whistle, picked up by horns and strings, but soon.. [22]+4 1:44 ...we’re back to illustrative sounds rather than melody [26]+2 2:47 B from cellos this time… [27]+6 3:08 …but just as quickly back to the melodic fragment pattern [32] 4:04 1A (motto) finally, here’s the motto theme, stripped down to bare

essentials, as befits the style of this movement [33] 4:17 A from flutes this time around, taken over by oboes after 4

bars [33]+8 4:27 C second violins and cellos [38] 5:16 1A (motto) a very small but loud hint at the motto them from horns

and trumpets




Third movement Dialogue of the wind and sea This movement binds the work together, recalling and elaborating on themes from the first movement. I’ll use the notation 1A, 1B, etc. to denote those themes in the following outline. ref time structure remarks [start] 0:00 a choppy figure in bass strings suggests waves [43] 0:14 A a sustained fragment from oboes, suggesting the wind

over the choppy sea. This fragment is derived from the more expansive melody that we’ll hear later, which I’ve labeled as theme A

[44] 0:48 1B muted trumpet [45]+2 1:08 1A (motto) horns [46] 1:25 A the expanded theme A from oboe and bassoon [47] 1:51 development

this movement is a far cry from sonata form, but this section is very much in the character of a sonata-form development, and I think it helps our understanding of the piece to label it as such

[47] 1:51 1A flute and cellos [49]+6 2:26 1B bassoons and cellos give us a whole-tone-scale6

variant of theme 1B [52]+8 3:16 recapitulation/

coda this very extended section is like a free-format recapitulation, liberally recalling themes 1A, 1B, and A. It gradually takes on the character of a coda without there being a clear delineation.

[62]+4 8:02 as the piece draws to a close the brass do their best to be heard with the (1A) motto theme, but there’s a lot of competition

Samuel Barber (1910-1981) (born West Chester, PA; died New York, NY) Summer Music Wind quintet (Modern period)

Barber wrote Summer Music in 1955-6 in response to a commission from Detroit, where the work was first performed, though he had worked fairly closely with the New York Woodwind Quintet over its composition. (Timings refer to the recording by the Galliard Ensemble, on BBC MM243)

6 A whole-tone scale has only 6 notes (versus 7 for the usual major and minor scales), the space between each note being a ……. well, you can guess.




1 0:00 the opening features flowing liquid runs from flute, then clarinet, and finally

bassoon. 2 0:47 the oboe sings a long-breathed melody, whose first rocking notes are taken up

by the accompaniment 3 2:03 the tempo increases and the music is now staccato and disjointed 4 2:42 an abrupt break is followed by an even faster passage in irregular bar lengths.

Notice also that the tonality has changed from minor to major. 5 3:16 Barber now embarks on a kind of miniature fantasia, in which he combines

and develops the preceding three ideas. 6 5:25 the opening material returns, accompanied by some commentary from clarinet

that sounds almost ad lib, with which other instruments eventually join. 7 6:45 another fast section begins with a new melody for oboe, cheeky-sounding and

syncopated, which is passed to flute… 8 8:23 …and eventually to bassoon. 9 8:44 another brief appearance of the opening material 10 8:56 the flute introduces a passage marked “joyous and flowing” 11 9:42 we reach a kind of subdued climax, which gradually subsides into what we

may regard as a coda, with fragments of earlier themes reappearing in gentle understatement. Finally, the piece rather abruptly evaporates into thin air.

Henry VIII (1491-1547) (England) Rose without a Thorn Brass quintet (Medieval period)

Yes, this is the Henry VIII we’re talking about, king of England, who was a very accomplished musician and poet. This work was not constructed in this form (and certainly not for this instrumentation) by King Henry himself; rather Philip Jones (founder of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble) assembled a number of Henry’s compositions. The name Jones chose for the suite, Rose without a Thorn, was how Henry described his favorite wife, Anne Boleyn.





Tonight’s agenda Beethoven, String Quartet Op 18 No 6 [string quartet]

The Grand Finale Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (Germany) String Quartet Op. 18 No. 6 String quartet (Classical Period)

Historical context Beethoven was born in Bonn, into a musical family, although none of his forebears was a composer. Beethoven studied piano and music theory with his father and later with Christian Neefe, to whom Beethoven was appointed deputy when Neefe was appointed court organist to the Prince-Elector in 1782. In that same year, Beethoven published his first composition, the Dressler Variations. Encouraged by Neefe’s prophetic remark that Beethoven “would surely become a second Mozart were he to continue as he has begun,” Beethoven produced several more works—some showing distinct originality—over the next several years. In 1792 Beethoven had the opportunity to meet Haydn (38 years his senior), who was passing through Bonn on his way back to Vienna from London. After Beethoven had shown Haydn some of his compositions, Haydn agreed to take on Beethoven as a student, and Beethoven left soon after for Vienna, never to return to Bonn. In Vienna, Beethoven’s career blossomed, both as a concert pianist and as a composer. His compositions were much in demand, thus providing income from members of the nobility paying for commissions and dedications as well as income from publication. The six string quartets of opus 18 are regarded as the finest chamber works of Beethoven’s output up to their publication in 1801. Beethoven himself was justly proud of his accomplishment, as revealed in an 1801 letter to his friend Karl Ferdinand Amenda, who had been the recipient of a first draft of one of the quartets. The letter said “Do not part with your quartet, as I have altered it completely, having just mastered the art of quartet writing, as you will see when you receive them1.” 1 “them” of course being the six quartets of opus 18.




The music

First movement—sonata form—Allegro con brio bar time2 1 0:00 exposition: first theme (B flat major) 45 0:41 second theme (dominant (F)) 1 1:26 exposition repeats 93 2:51 development 175 4:11 recapitulation: first theme (B flat major) 218 4:50 second theme (tonic (B flat major)) 265 5:36 repeat of development and recapitulation—or not, as the case may be. (The

score indicates it, but this recording does not take it.)

Second movement—ABA form—Adagio ma non troppo This slow movement is in rather straightforward ABA form, rounded off by a rather adventurous coda. 1 0:00 A theme (E flat major) 17 1:26 B theme (B flat minor (dominant minor)) 45 3:45 A theme (E flat major) 61 5:07 coda 69 5:48 a bar and half in the very distant key of C major… 70 5:56 …followed by a bar and a half that gets us all the way back to E flat 79 6:40 a very gentle end

Third movement—Scherzo—Allegro This movement is constructed as an uncomplicated scherzo and trio, with the repeated scherzo forming the familiar ABA pattern. The scherzo theme itself is Beethoven at his adventurous best, syncopated and punctuated by obstinately dislocated off-beat accents. The trio contrasts with the scherzo only by rhythm, which is altogether more orderly than that of the scherzo. However, the pace and mood of the trio is consistent with the scherzo.

Fourth movement—“La Malinconia”—Adagio, Allegretto quasi Allegro “La malinconia” (melancholy) is Beethoven's heading for the slow opening page. And perhaps “La bipolar disorder” would have been an apt title for the movement as a whole, because Beethoven twice interrupts the lively country dance that follows with short bouts of melancholia. Be that as it may, this movement is perhaps the most strikingly original passage in the entire series of Op. 18 quartets. The predominant dynamic marking is pianissimo and Beethoven exhorts the players to treat the music with the utmost delicacy; yet at the point in the opening melancholia where the music begins to venture so startlingly into distant keys, the innocent turn-like figure of its opening bars assumes an alarmingly menacing tone. Then comes the extreme

2 Timings are relative to the BBC recording BBC MM95 by the Jerusalem Quartet.




contrast of the country dance, whose off-beat accents lend it a curious limp. After the two short episodes of depression, the movement finally pushes melancholia aside and ends with a dazzlingly optimistic prestissimo. 3

Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) (Bohemia (now Czech Republic)) Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”) Romantic Period; Symphony Orchestra

Dvorak had come to New York in 1892 to take up the highly paid post of head of the National Conservatory of Music by its founder, Jeanette Thurber. Dvorak set out to write a work of unmistakable American influences, and the “New World” symphony, as it is colloquially known, was the result. Dvorak’s explanations of this, his final symphony, were captured for posterity through an interview he gave for the New York Herald on the day before its first performance in 1893. Having immersed himself in American Indian and African-American music, he set out to capture this spirit in his symphony. “I have not actually used any of the melodies4;” he said, “I have simply written original themes embodying the peculiarities of the Indian music and, using these themes as subjects, have developed them with all the resources of modern rhythms, harmony, counterpoint and orchestral color.” Dvorak was particularly taken with the Hiawatha legend, and had attempted to write an opera around it. That opera was never completed, but Dvorak acknowledged that the middle two movements of the New World were inspired by Longfellow’s poem The Song of Hiawatha, and we can make an educated guess that Dvorak likely repurposed some of the sketches from his now-abandoned opera.

3 As fast as possible. 4 Although those with over-active imaginations will insist they can hear “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” in the First Movement’s Third Theme.




Chart of themes First Movement First Theme (Motto Theme) Second Theme

Third Theme

Second Movement

First Section

Second Section

First Theme

Second Theme

Third Movement Scherzo

First Theme

Second Theme

Trio

First Theme

Second Theme

Fourth Movement

First Theme

Second Theme

Third Theme

Fourth Theme




Map of the symphony Timings are with reference to the 1987 recording by Neeme Järvi with the Scottish National Orchestra on Chandos CHAN 8510.

bar time remarks First Movement slow introduction, fast body in sonata form

1 0:00 Introduction 16 1:28 (horns) motto theme 5 first appearance

Exposition 24 2:04 First Theme (horns) an expansion of the motto theme, in home key of

E minor 90 3:12 Second Theme (flute, oboe) begins in G minor, moves to G major

(relative major of home key) 148 4:15 Third Theme (flute) continues in G major; close relative of First

Theme 24 4:52 Exposition

repeats

176 7:35 Development fantasia on thematic material from exposition Recapitulation much abbreviated, relative to exposition

272 9:12 First Theme (horn) again in E minor 311 9:53 Second Theme (flute) in G# minor this time (semitone higher than

exposition) Note new horn counter melody from 9th bar 369 10:58 Third Theme (flute) in Ab major (again, a semitone higher than

exposition) 395 11:30 Coda very brief, built on the 3rd theme and motto theme

5 A motto theme recurs through each movement of a symphony, and thus reinforces its integrity.




bar time remarks

Second Movement slow throughout. ABA form. 1 0:00 Introduction tuba player picks up his horn for the first time, plays four

bars, then puts it down again. These are four bars of rich harmonic content—the first chord is E major, but by the end of four bars we’ve been prepared for the arrival of the new key of Db major in the fifth bar.

7 0:44 First Section (A) (English horn) begins with beautiful melody (in Db major)

Second Section(B) notice how the second section—the “B” of the second movement—is itself crafted as an ABA

46 5:06 B(a) (flute, oboe) a new, slightly faster triplet-based melody with more overall movement; key is C# minor (the tonic minor of First Section)

54 5:42 B(b) (clarinets) mood changes again with slow dreamy melody over active pizzicato bass; music stays in C# minor

64 6:33 B(a) (violins) triplet melody returns, with flutes and oboes playing a self-derived counter melody; we’re still in C# minor

90 8:45 Bridge (woodwinds) busy contrasting section to lead into the Third Section; we’re back to the movement’s home key of Db major, here notated as C# major

96 9:13 (trombones) just 2 bars of motto theme, played twice for good measure. Its only appearance in this movement

101 9:41 Third Section (A) a reprise of the material of the First Section, in the original key

120 11:59 Coda an extended reprise of the introduction. Tuba player picks up his horn for only the second time and plays another four bars. Now he’s done for the night. And all along he was merely doubling bass trombone anyway.

bar time remarks

Third Movement Scherzo and Trio Scherzo the Scherzo is itself constructed in ABA form

1 0:00 Introduction 13 0:09 First Theme (A) (woodwinds) energetic, in home key of E minor; notice

canon 68 1:35 Second Theme

(B) (flute, oboe) flowing and contrasting; note its derivation from English horn melody of Second Movement. We’ve modulated to E major

First Theme (A) 99 2:11 (violins) a modulation passage to get us back to E minor.

119 2:26 motto theme makes a stealth 4-bar reappearance in low register (horns, bassoons, cellos, basses). It’s easy to miss in this unfamiliar triple -rhythm guise, and amid muddy orchestration to boot

123 2:30 (violins) first theme reappears in home key 142 2:45 Bridge a short modulation passage to move into the trio’s key of

C major




154 2:54 cellos give us 4 bars of motto theme, which starts in E minor but immediately modulates

166 3:04 violas give us 4 bars of motto theme. By this time we’ve reached Ab minor, and we’re still modulating on the way to…

176 3:12 Trio (woodwinds, horns) a contrasting section, beginning in C major

192 3:39 (violins) Trio’s second theme; starts in G major and soon finds its way back to E minor. We’re well over halfway through the symphony, and—very unusually—this is the first time that any of the strings have had first crack at a new theme.

223 4:04 Trio’s two themes repeat 1 5:04 Scherzo repeats however, Scherzo’s own repeat is not taken 2nd time

around 248/ 389

7:05 Coda horns play motto theme twice (first in E minor, then in F minor), but can’t get anyone else interested

411 7:20 on the horns’ third try with the motto theme, up another half step to F# minor, the woodwinds finally join in

417 7:31 trumpet chimes in with the opening snippet of the 1st movement’s 3rd theme, as the music transitions through E major on its way back to the home key

427 7:36 phew! We made it back to E minor with just 14 bars to spare

bar time remarks

Fourth Movement a fine finale that pulls the whole symphony together. Basically sonata form, but with some applied freedom typical of the Romantic period.

1 0:00 Introduction Exposition

10 0:17 First Theme trumpets and horns announce the E minor theme in declamatory fashion, and repeat it with a higher octave for good measure. Trumpet players live for bits like this: loud, high, and fast.

44 1:17 Second Theme (violins) a busy triplet-based construction, still in E minor

67 1:55 Third Theme (clarinet solo) a contrasting lyrical section, starting in G major (the home key’s relative major) then moving to F minor

92 2:54 Fourth Theme flutes and violins introduce yet another theme, this one again in G major. Note points of similarity with the English horn melody of 2nd movement.

106 3:19 Development a creative fantasia. There is new material here, but the bulk of the development is about the First Theme, the Motto Theme, and the First Theme of the 2nd movement. We also hear a longish snatch of the Second Theme, and the merest hints at the Scherzo theme from the 3rd movement.

157 4:46 (flutes) notice the reappearance of the English horn




melody from the 2nd movement 190 5:44 here’s the motto theme at last, in horns, bassoons, and

low strings 196 5:55 I don’t really know why, but these 2 bars make my spine

tingle. The SNO trombones are just awesome. 198 5:59 horns maintain the excitement as they play the first theme

in G minor, then lead the modulation back to E minor, the home key

Recapitulation recapitulation is extremely brief, even omitting the 2nd theme altogether

208 6:16 (trombones) the start of the recapitulation grows seamlessly—yet boldly—out of the Development as the 1st theme finds its way back to E minor

227 7:04 (strings) the 3rd theme, in E major 251 7:59 (flutes, clarinets) a dreamy recasting of the 4th theme,

also in E major 267 8:35 Bridge solo horn sings the motto theme, then the rest of the

horns join in with a frenetic figure leading in to the Coda 275 8:49 Coda (basses, cellos, bassoons) a rumbling eruption of the

motto theme 279 8:57 (trombones) here’s the 1st theme 281 9:00 (strings) and here’s the recently neglected 2nd theme right

on top of it 290 9:13 (trombones) the motto theme again 299 9:30 what this? Why, it’s none other than the opening from the

2nd movement, now very loud and forceful. Why ever did we send the tuba player home? We really could have used him here.

313 9:54 this coda is a masterpiece of integration, isn’t it? Now here’s a snippet (clarinet) of the English horn melody from the 2nd movement, punctuated by a delicate reprise of the Scherzo theme (strings), which continues until the 2nd movement theme gives way to the 4th movement’s 1st theme (horns).

327 10:22 built by a huge crescendo, the 1st theme holds the floor in a loud and furious finish, during which the trombones manage a final couple of plugs for the motto theme. Notice the unusual treatment of the final note—everyone but the woodwinds, horns, and trumpets drops out, leaving these few instruments to diminuendo to almost nothing.




Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) (Russia) Scheherazade6 Romantic Period; Symphony Orchestra

Rimsky-Korsakov labels Scheherazade a “symphonic suite.” Although based on Arabian tales, the work is still firmly Russian in its flavor of “oriental” sound. Rimsky-Korsakov himself wrote that the piece was not meant to be an exact depiction of Scheherazade’s stories, the movements’ titles being meant to “direct but slightly the hearer’s fancy on the path my own fancy traveled.” The tales of the Arabian Nights themselves were passed down through the centuries by word of mouth; the oldest tales date to the 10th century. They were brought to Europe in 1704 by Anotine Galland, who published several collections of the stories. These included the now well-known sagas of Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, and Aladdin and his magic lamp. The story of Scheherazade provides the narrative thread between the tales, and runs as follows: Scheherazade was the daughter of the grand vizier7 to Sultan Shahriyar. The sultan’s first wife had betrayed him, and in anger and grief he not only executed her but vowed to marry a woman each night and kill her the next morning. The sultan’s cruel order was obeyed for three years, until Scheherazade conceived a plan to stop him and convinced her father to offer her as the sultan’s next wife. The clever girl talked the sultan into letting her sister spend the night with them in the bridal chamber, and in the morning, as planned, Scheherazade’s sister begged her to tell a story. Scheherazade began one of the exciting tales but stopped before the story ended, causing the sultan, who had listened as well, to put off killing her until she could finish her story the next evening. Scheherazade, of course, never finished her tales, but kept her husband enthralled with story after story for 1,001 nights. By that time the pair had produced three sons and the sultan, convinced of his wife’s fidelity and wisdom, revoked his death sentence. Scheherazade consists of four movements, which Rimsky-Korsakov originally labeled with the titles (in bold type) you see in the narrative that follows8. I say “originally” because Rimsky later removed these titles, not wishing listeners to read too much into the pictorial, descriptive elements of the score9. However, Rimsky’s attempt to remove the titles proved futile, because they stuck fast and are well known to today’s audiences. 6 With permission, I based these notes on Barbara Heninger’s compilation of program notes (originally written for the Redwood Symphony) at http://www.barbwired.com/barbweb/programs/rimskykorsakov_scheherazade.html 7 A minister under a Muslim prince. This is a civil office, not a religious one. 8 Yes, there are three kinds of people in the world: those who can count and those who can’t. Although there are five labels for the movements, the final movement covers both the Baghdad festival and the shipwreck. 9 The retrospective suppression of a work’s programmatic inspiration is a common thread in Romantic era music. For example, Tchaikovsky had a program in mind when he composed his 5th symphony, yet he




The movements are linked by a kind of motto theme, which we may suppose represents Scheherazade herself. The work begins with a very brief introduction based on the primary theme of the first movement. We then hear the “Scheherazade” theme from solo violin [1], leading into the first movement proper, The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship. In this movement, the Sinbad theme and the Scheherazade theme ebb and flow over a third rocking melody like the ocean’s waves. After another appearance of the Scheherazade theme [2], we have the second movement [3]—The Story of the Kalendar Prince—a royal prince who disguised himself as a member of a tribe of wandering dervishes10 called Kalendars—features an “oriental” melody played in turn by both the full orchestra and different solo instruments, including bassoon, oboe, flute, and horn. The theme is offset by a brisk martial tune introduced by the brass, which in turn is interrupted by a clarinet solo that whirls like the dervishes of the title. [4] The lyric sweep of The Young Prince and the Young Princess is colored by a rising and falling counterpoint from woodwinds, harp, or upper strings against lower. Romantic melodies weave in and out, and the movement ends with a series of rapid, quiet figures that seem to dance into the distance. [5] The solo violin of Scheherazade introduces the final movement, which bursts into a vigorous dance accented by cymbal and tambourine, The Festival in Baghdad [6]. The dance becomes wilder, punctuated by snare and bass drum. Eventually, a furious rendition of the festival theme by the brass leads to a return of the Sindbad theme [7]. The music rises and falls with the swell of the ocean until Sinbad’s ship meets with the Shipwreck on the Rock with the Bronze Warrior. Thereafter, the music subsides as if the Sultan has been mollified. Scheherazade’s violin ends the tale on a series of harmonics over a broad, sustained chord.

managed to prevent its escape to the outside world until long after his death (see my program note in the handout for an earlier class). Similarly, Debussy and Bantock warned their listeners against too literal an interpretation, against their stated programs, of their respective works Prelude à l’après midi d’un faune and Prometheus Unbound . 10 According to my dictionary, the original non-figurative meaning of “dervish” is ‘A member of any of various Moslem ascetic orders, some of which perform whirling dances and vigorous chanting as acts of ecstatic devotion.’

appreciate classical music

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