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Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana is the first and best known opera written by Pietro Mascagni. It was written for a competition, which Mascagni learned of only two months before the closing date. Its success was phenomenal - it won first prize, and by the time of Mascagni's death in 1945, it had been performed more than fourteen thousand times in Italy alone. The term intermezzo refers to a piece to be played between the acts of an opera, and the beautiful intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana is perhaps the best known of all operatic intermezzi. Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Fauré was the foremost French composer of his generation, and his musical style influenced many twentieth-century composers. Heard today as an orchestral suite, Masques et Bergamasques was originally written to accompany a one-act divertissement, a danced and sung entertainment. The scenario related how members of a commedia dell’arte troupe would spy on the amorous encounters of aristocrats in its audience. These art forms (divertissement and commedia dell’arte) were at their height of popularity in the eighteenth century. Fauré’s music is an elegant twentieth-century interpretation of the music and dances of that earlier era. Masques et Bergamasques means literally masks and bergamasks, a bergamask being a type of rustic dance. Richard Strauss Richard Strauss was a German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras (unrelated to the Viennese Strauss family of composers). Through his compositions, he carried into the twentieth century the operatic tradition of Wagner and the tone poem as developed by Liszt. Early in 1884, the young Richard Strauss heard several performances of Johannes Brahms’ third symphony, which made an enormous impression on him. At the same time, he believed that Brahms’ music, however great in itself, did not provide a musical way forward for him, and he continued to search for his own idiom. His Burleske for piano and orchestra dates from that period in his life. The German term Burleske implies parody and improvisation. Here, the parody is largely of Brahms, particularly the rhythmic complexity of much of his music. The improvisatory aspect is most apparent in the brilliant and technically difficult solo piano part. The Burleske already shows the remarkable use of the orchestra that is characteristic of Strauss' later works. Particularly notable is the use of timpani as melodic instruments, as in the opening bars of the piece. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart In 1782, Mozart married the 20-year-old Constanze Weber, despite the objections of Leopold, his father. In the summer of 1783, they traveled to Salzburg so that Constanze could meet Leopold. Apparently, the visit did not go well, with Leopold remaining hostile to Constanze. However, the trip home to Vienna proved more productive. On the way, they stopped in Linz, where they stayed for more than two weeks as guests of Count Thun, whose daughter-in-law was one of Mozart's piano pupils. On October 31, Mozart wrote to his father: When we arrived at the gates of Linz, a servant was standing there to conduct us to the Old Count Thun's, where we are still living. I really cannot tell you how they overwhelm us with kindness in this house. On Thursday, the Fourth of November, I am going to give a concert in the theater, and, as I have not a single symphony by me, I am writing away over head and ears at a new one, which must be ready by then. The Symphony No. 36 in C major was the result, apparently written in only four days. Mozart's finest symphony up to that time, it shows a new level of confidence and maturity. It has some similarities to the symphonies of Haydn, including the slow introduction to the first movement and the general shape of the main themes. But the “chromatic passages and flexibility of texture unknown to Haydn betray Mozart's hand, even when he was writing in extreme haste” (Alfred Einstein). No doubt reflecting the circumstances in which it was written, the symphony is a masterpiece of inspiration and joy. Past SASO Performances Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga (1806-1826) The death of Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga just ten days before his twentieth birthday may well have deprived the world of a great composer. There is only a single opera, a mass, three string quartets, this symphony, and a few other works by which to speculate. Arriaga is often given the title "The Spanish (or Basque) Mozart" not only because of his status as a child prodigy and his early death, but also by the odd coincidence that they actually share the same birthday (January 27) 50 years apart. Arriaga was born in 1806 in Bilbao to a musical family. His father, Juan Simon, was an organist and his older brother, Ramon, played both guitar and violin. Juan Arriaga's first work, a trio for violins entitled Nada y mucho, was written at the age of 11. The overture to his opera Los esclavos felices, written when he was 15, is one of the few surviving excerpts from the work, and it still receives an occasional concert appearance. He then attended the Paris Conservatory in 1821, met Cherubini and Fetis, and was teaching harmony and counterpoint there by 1824. He died from a combination of a pulmonary infection and exhaustion in 1826. The symphony is categorized as a work in the major key, but the first and last movements spend most of their time in the minor mode. This harmonic ambiguity, peppered with some striking chromaticism, is a hallmark of this symphony. A majestic Adagio in the major mode opens the work, but it is not long before Arriaga plunges the listener into D minor. The primary theme of the movement would not seem out of place near the end of Don Giovanni (again, the choice of D minor connects the two). Much like Haydn before him, the second theme is similar in rhythm and contour to the primary theme. Yet just as D major seems firmly established, Arriaga turns once again to minor, with alternating motives in the development section weaving in and out of the fabric. The recapitulation proceeds in a rather normal manner until a change of tempo to Presto drives the movement to its furious close. Lower string sonorities and woodwind melodies in pairs
give the second movement a pastoral feel. This movement bears much
in common, both in scoring and texture, to the similar movement of
Beethoven's Second Symphony. Just when it seems that Arriaga will let
the movement close in E major, he again surprises us with a chromatic
twist that somehow takes us home to A major for a calm conclusion. This mood of fun and joy is immediately dispelled by the closing Allegro con moto. Again we descend to D minor, and the driving nature of the rhythm throughout this movement almost foreshadows Verdi in terms of intense drama. The movement's recapitulation mimics the opening presentation of themes in major and minor, but in the final moments the major mode gets the last word, bringing the piece to an affirmative conclusion. PDQ Bach (1807-1742) The last, and certainly the least talented, son of J.S. Bach, PDQ Bach avoided composition until his thirties. According to the eminent PDQ Bach scholar, Professor Peter Schickele, his music is characterized by a "manic plagarism" which pokes fun at many different types of music including classical (all genres and eras), country, jazz, and even rap. PDQ's musical life is divided into three distinct creative periods (if it can be called as such): the Initial Plunge, the Soused Period, and Contrition, the Fanfare for the Common Cold falling in this last period. The work features the usual amount of quotations from other composers, and is unique for its occasional use of the sneezando indication in the trombone and trumpets. Samuel Barber (1910-1981) One of America’s most noted composers of the 20th century, Samuel Barber displayed an early affinity for musical composition by writing an operetta at age seven. He composed in all forms but felt a special kinship with vocal music, being a fine baritone himself. Although having already established himself with the publication and performance of his overture The School for Scandal and his Symphony in One Movement, it was with the simultaneous premieres of the First Essay and his Adagio for Strings on a 1938 NBC Symphony Orchestra broadcast that sealed his status as a composer of the highest rank. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “essay” as “a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretive.” The music certainly fits neatly into this description, especially where brevity is concerned; the work lasts a mere seven minutes. However, in this brief discourse is music at times romantic, cold, heroic, desolate, passionate, and ultimately both satisfying and ambiguous at its end. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Written in 1807 as the prelude to the play by Heinrich
Joseph von Collin (adapted freely from Shakespeare's work), this dramatic
work of Beethoven distills the essence of the play into a concentrated,
intense few minutes. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) The Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) occupies a special place, not only among Ludwig van Beethoven's works, but within the entire symphonic literature, for a variety of reasons. First of all, while at least the three preceding symphonies were occupied with the workings of a tremendous human mind and its triumph over adversity, this one deals with a totally different subject - Nature. Beethoven was a passionate lover of all manifestations of nature, and during his frequent walks through the Vienna Woods, he was deeply aware of all its aspects. This preoccupation with nature, to the exclusion of anything else, accounts for the basically lyrical atmosphere prevailing throughout the entire work. But it also accounts for some features not found in any of the other eight symphonies. This symphony has five movements, while the others have four. Movements three to five are played without a break - a feature found in other works of Beethoven's middle style period. Each of the movements has a title indicating its descriptive content. This descriptive quality anticipates nineteenth-century features of program music - this in spite of the composer's emphasis that his music is ‘more expression of feeling than tone-painting.’ The musical material and its treatment are unique. The melodies are quite short, unlike the long drawn-out lines found in the other Beethoven symphonies. Often, the orchestral texture becomes more like chamber music. While there are some vigorous and dramatic moments (in the third and fourth movements for instance), the predominant mood throughout this symphony is one of lyricism, optimism and peace. -Herbert Neurath Piano concerto no. 3 in C minor, op. 37 (1803) Premiered along with the Second Symphony and the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives, the 3rd Piano Concerto represents not only Beethoven’s first concerto during his “heroic” period, but is the only concerto in his entire output to be set in a minor key. But this is not just any key; this is Beethoven writing in C minor. This is the key of his first Trio (op. 1), the recently composed Violin Sonata (op. 30), and eventually the key for the 5th Symphony and his last Piano Sonata (op. 111). Like those other works, this concerto is cast is a similar vein of pathos and struggle that is only to be truly relieved at the very end. The first movement follows standard sonata-concerto, replete with double exposition for the orchestra alone and then with the soloist. Two things are immediately striking about this movement. First, the rather severe nature of the orchestration - note especially the stark octaves at the very beginning, and then at the end of the exposition. Second, the solo part, while challenging and virtuosic, is never a shallow display, but comments and elaborates on material given from the orchestra. One would expect the second movement to be in the relative E-flat major, but Beethoven goes much farther away harmonically by setting it in E major. The solo piano begins the movement completely alone, and sets a noble, peaceful tone. The cadenza is very short and features only a brief, flowing line in the right hand. With the Rondo 3rd movement, we are jarringly thrust back into C minor, and Beethoven sets up a battle between orchestra and soloist. After the initial thematic statement, the winds play a fanfare, and although this may not seem important now, we should remember that winds, brass, and timpani were still considered military instruments back in Beethoven’s early years. Despite the attempts of a lyrical section to stop the conflict, a brief fugato section takes us back to the main theme. Beethoven builds to an enormous climax which is cutoff by the soloist’s cadenza. This in turn leads to a joyous, humorous conclusion in 6/8, now cast in C major. Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) Born the illegitimate son of a prince and his mistress, it is very fortunate that Alexander Borodin did not spend his life as a serf, as was typical for someone in his situation. But due to the care of his father and the strong support of his mother, Borodin was given the best education available, and was freed from his serfdom upon his father’s death. He showed an amazing aptitude for music, having learned piano, flute, and violin at an early age, but his passion for medicine and chemistry won out in the long run. Borodin would become a highly respected doctor and chemist, holding positions at the University of St. Petersburg and with the Russian Chemical Society. His meeting with composer Mily Balakirev in 1862 was the turning point in his compositional career. Having written a few successful chamber pieces and songs, Balakirev encouraged Borodin to pursue composition more seriously, and challenged him to write a large orchestral work. It took Borodin four years to complete his First Symphony, owing to the demands of his regular work. The symphony was read by the Russian Musical Society orchestra in February of 1868, but was plagued by typographical and copying errors. The work was thoroughly edited and revised, and the premiere was given on January 4, 1869, conducted by Balakirev. Despite mixed critical reviews, the work was warmly accepted by the public, and was given international currency through the enthusiasm of Franz Liszt. The work opens in the key of E-flat minor, a key of 6 flats, and this helps give the introduction a certain heaviness and seriousness. Eventually, the mood brightens to E-flat major, and the Allegro begins in a standard sonata form. The main theme of the movement is notable by its syncopated rhythm and its descending then rapidly ascending contour. The end of the movement slows down a bit, and recalls the opening introduction in a wistful manner. The Scherzo is in a fast 3/8 meter, much in the manner of such movements in Beethoven symphonies. All is generally lively until the Trio, a slightly slower peasant dance in B major. For music as lilting and comforting as this, one may not notice that the meter changes nearly every bar. The main material then returns repeated almost exactly. The third movement is a display of Borodin’s wonderful sense of lyricism. The celli are given the main theme first in D major answered by the English horn and flute. Everything comes to a brief stand still as the English horn is given a cadenza. As the music builds toward a climax with the return of the opening theme, one hears many orchestrational subtleties and daring, forward-looking harmonies. Many have compared the fourth movement to its counterpart in the 4th Symphony of Robert Schumann, and indeed they do share the same basic rhythmic structure and spects of orchestration. Marked Allegro molto vivo, the music is one of celebration and seems to be fashioned from the Russian dance known as the trepak. For the recapitulation, Borodin places the main theme in augmentation, a device also used by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1873 for his 3rd Symphony. The brief Coda places the final exclamation point on the symphony. Max Bruch (1838-1920) It is striking considering Bruch’s prolific output, and the popularity he achieved in his lifetime, that only a few select pieces are still performed with any regularity. These include the Kol Nidre for cello and orchestra, the Scottish Fantasy for violin and orchestra, and the present concerto, written when the composer was only 28 years of age. Bruch began work on the concerto in 1864, and conducted the premiere of the first version in Koblenz in 1866. Inspired by positive reviews to refined the work further, Bruch befriended Joseph Joachim - a virtuoso violinist, teacher, and close friend of Brahms - to help him rework the solo part. Joachim premiered the final revised version in Bremen in 1868, and Bruch dedicated the work to him when the concerto was published. The first two movements of the concerto are played without pause. The first movement opens in a mood both mysterious and agitated, and apart from a momentary respite in B-flat major never really leaves the home key. After a brief return to the opening melodic idea, the full orchestra gradually decreases in volume and size until all that are left are the first violins on B-flat. This magical transition takes us to the tender, E-flat major Adagio. The movement takes on the character of an art song or aria by virtue of the vocal writing for the solo violin. Of particular interest is the ethereal passage in G-flat major for the orchestra alone, and the climax toward the end where many of the movement’s motives sound simultaneously. Many writers have compared the final movement of this concerto with its counterpart in the final concerto of Brahms, and they both indeed share similar aspects of instrumentation and rhythm. This movement is the longest in the concerto, and the solo part runs the gamut of styles from virtuosic runs to long-arched melodic writing to playful, almost folk-like, “fiddle” work. The sole tempo change in the movement comes very near to the end with a change to Presto, and this brings the work to a cheerful conclusion. Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801) Like many other composers, the discovery of musical talent at an early age was Cimarosa’s way out of the poverty of his family, and into a musical conservatory. Along with composition, Cimarosa was a gifted violinist, keyboardist, and singer. Cimarosa’s first works were sacred, but with the success of his first opera in 1772, his future in the theatre was secured. The leading composer of Italian opera prior to Rossini, Cimarosa’s facility at operatic composition rivaled that of his contemporaries Haydn and Mozart, and many writers of the time even preferred Cimarosa to Mozart. We have nearly 60 surviving operas by Cimarosa, and it is estimated that the total may have been close to 100. The concerto is cast in the fast-slow-fast form typical of the time. The soloists are not only given plenty of music which highlights them alone, but are also instructed to play along with the orchestra in tutti sections. The opening Allegro is joyous and happy, but also a Haydnesque sense of humor; note the 5-bar phrase with which the work begins! The second movement, marked Largo, is in E-flat major, and could certainly be heard as an operatic duet without words. This moves without break into the final movement, a virtuoso Rondo in which both soloists are given chances to display their prowess. Aaron Copland (1900-1990) The idea for this ballet originated with Lincoln Kerstein, co-founder of the American Ballet, which spawned a small touring ensemble, the American Ballet Caravan (after WWII Kerstein, along with George Balanchine, transformed the Ballet Caravan into what is now the New York City Ballet). Kerstein then approached choreographer Eugene Loring about the project; Loring took it on and also danced the title role. Kerstein's scenario was based on Walter Noble Burns' best-selling book, The Saga of Billy the Kid. Loring, in his conception of the story, drew heavily on the element of make-believe and childhood play in bringing Billy to life. The ballet is notable for its deliberate lack of typical cowboy story props: guns, ropes, horses, etc. Copland was already comfortable in the idiom of the "American West"; he had written El Salón México and Prairie Journal before Kerstein approached him about Billy the Kid. His score incorporates music from well-known cowboy songs including "Git Along Little Dogies","Old Paint", and "Great Grandad". There are four characters: Billy, Sheriff Pat Garrett, Billy's boyhood friend who ultimately ends up gunning him down, Billy's mother who doubles as his Sweetheart, and a composite character named Alias, who portrays all of Billy's victims. The ballet begins with the evocation of the open prairie. The scene changes to a street scene in a generic Western frontier town peopled by cowboys and Mexicans. When two drunks begin fighting, one (Alias) accidentally shoots Billy's mother (this is a violent elaboration of Burns' version, in which Billy kills his first man at age twelve after the man merely insulted his mother). Twelve-year-old Billy murders his mother's murderer, expresses his rage in a solo dance that depicts his troubled adolescence, then meets and kills a land agent (Alias). The scene shifts to a nighttime card game out on the prairie between Billy and Garrett, which is interrupted by a posse, led by Alias (a lawman), who have tracked down Billy and his infamous gang. After a violent gun battle, Billy's gang is defeated and Garrett arrests Billy. The settlers celebrate Billy's capture in a grisly dance among the bodies of the dead outlaws. Billy manages to escape his jail cell and kill Alias (a guard). Billy hires an Indian guide (Alias), who leads him to a supposedly safe hideout, where Billy conjures up the presence of his imaginary Mexican Sweetheart. Alias then brings Garrett to the hideout, and Garrett shoots Billy as he lights a cigarette. The ballet closes with the reprise of music from the opening. When Billy the Kid was first performed in a two-piano version in Chicago on October 6, 1938 and again in New York the following year with William Steinberg conducting the NBC Symphony, it was an immediate success with both audiences and critics. "I cannot remember another work of mine that was so unanimously well-received," said Copland. According to Howard Pollack, Billy the Kid "became the first ballet by an American choreographer to attain repertory status;" it has been performed by numerous ballet companies throughout America and Europe. Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904) The Carnival Overture is the second of three overtures Dvorák wrote in 1891-1892. The three together are entitled Nature, Life, and Love, and the surrounding overtures are In Nature’s Realm (op. 91) and Othello (op. 93). This was a particularly good time in the composer’s life; early in 1891 he was appointed professor of composition and the Prague Conservatory, and that same year he received and honorary doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Prague. It was to the latter institution that Dvorák dedicated this overture. In the following year, Dvorák would make his triumphant voyage to America. A depiction of the festive time prior to Lent in Roman Catholicism, Dvorák’s setting is appropriately exciting and energetic right from the beginning. The opening theme could be seen as capturing the general mob of party-goers, and the use of tambourine lends an exotic flavor. A lyrical passage in E minor intrudes momentarily before being swept aside by the main theme and a new, jaunty theme in the violins and clarinets. The tempo finally slows down, and a new melody in G major is heard in the English horn. This melody is Dvorák’s “Nature” motive, and can be found in all three of the Nature, Life, and Love overtures. The tempo then returns to the original Allegro, and the work builds up enormous momentum toward a fiery conclusion. Donald Grantham (b. 1947) The following program note is from the composer: In 1835, William “Singin’ Billy” Walker’s songbook Southern Harmony was first The music of Southern Harmony has a somewhat exotic sound to modern audiences. The tunes often use modal or pentatonic rather than major or minor scales. The harmony is even more out of the ordinary, employing chord positions, voice leading and progressions that are far removed from the European music that dominated concert halls at the time. These harmonies were dismissed as crude and primitive when they first appeared. Now they are regarded as inventive, unique, and powerfully representative of the American Character. In his use of several tunes from the songbook “Southern Harmony,” the composer has attempted to preserve the flavor of the original vocal works in a setting that fully realizes the potential of the wind symphony and the individual characteristics of each song. -Donald Grantham Morton Gould (1913-1996) What makes the Tap Dance Concerto of Morton Gould so striking and original is that the dancer is actually an integral part of the music, with specific rhythms notated at specific times (although the dance is free to embellish to some degree). Just as in a typical concerto, there is a sense of conversation between the soloist and orchestra, and many of the standard formal traits such as ritornello form, motivic development, and cadenzas are present in this work. The first movement, marked Toccata, sets up the general music landscape for the entire work - one in which elements of classical, jazz, and theatre music are to be called upon at any time. There is sense of constant rhythmic interplay between soloist and orchestra, and just near the end of the movement the soloist gets his/her first cadenza. Pantomime is the title of the second movement, illustrating that there is to be less focus on the sound of the dancer and more on the movement. The score even instructs the use of a chair, and various actions such as looking around and listening to the orchestra. The music itself has a teasing, sarcastic feel throughout, made present by such effects as surprising pizzicato or glissandi in the trombones. An homage to the symphonic classical tradition, this Minuet is ostensibly in 3/4 time, but the insistent syncopations from the dancer seek to subvert the meter. The final Rondo requires nearly continuous dancing from the soloist, and the movement builds in momentum to its exciting conclusion. Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) As a composer, Grieg admired Mozart and Robert Schumann, the style of the latter figures prominently in his early compositions, but his favorite composer was Chopin. Grieg's many beautiful and delicate works for solo piano earned him the nickname "the Chopin of the North." Like Chopin, he felt compelled to write a full-scale concerto. Unlike Chopin, he possessed a greater technique in orchestral composition. At the tender age of 25, he took his wife and young daughter to a secluded country cottage for an extended vacation. There, away from the distractions of his normal existence, he found both inspiration and the time to transcribe and polish the concerto. Its first performance next year in Copenhagen was a rousing success, and immediately marked him as one of Europe's brightest rising stars. The work is in the traditional three movements, fast-slow-fast. A timpani roll is the first audible sound, and the soloist enters with a series of brilliant, crashing chords that span the entire range of the piano. The woodwinds quietly present the famous melody. After the woodwinds' tranquil introduction, the theme is taken up by the piano. Both the solo part and the balancing orchestral passages repeatedly call upon this theme. The second theme features a lyrical melody for the celli. The melodious slow movement in D-flat major opens with a tender passage for muted strings. The piano takes up the atmosphere, but with a new melody, which it develops briefly. The structure of this idyllic movement is a dialogue between the piano and orchestra, featuring many instrumental solos of quiet beauty. Eventually, the opening melody returns in the piano, and the movement closes in quiet serenity. The finale begins without pause, transforming the mood from tenderness to restless energy. Both the piano and the orchestra put on a fiery display: the piano with its virtuosity, the orchestra through sheer dramatic power. Suddenly, the excitement gives way to a wistful solo flute, recalling the mood of the slow movement. Two tempo changes and one key change later, the work arrives at a mighty conclusion in A major. Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759) Written late in Händel’s oratorio output, the three-act Solomon shows the composer at his compositional height. The first two acts focus on the King as a lover and wise ruler. Act Three depicts a visit to Solomon by the Queen of Sheba and to celebrate (or, rather, show off), he decides to show her his kingdom by way of a musical masque. The sinfonia is festive throughout, and the interweaving of the two oboe parts is particularly attractive. Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) The court at Esterháza, at which Haydn was employed from 1761-1790, took great pleasure in the performing arts. So when in 1774 a theatre troupe was brought in to perform Jean François Regnard's comedy Le distrait, it was business as usual for the Esterházy family. Far from normal, however, was the incidental music Haydn wrote for the productions. The witty, lively, and catchy music Haydn wrote for the production became so popular - even more so than the play - that Haydn fashioned the overture, four entr'actes, and finale into this six-movement symphony. Of his 104 known symphonies, this symphony would be the most performed within Haydn's lifetime. The plot of the play concerns two daughters, Isabelle and Clarice, and their mother's attempt to have them wed to Leander (the "absent-minded man" of the title) and the Chevalier (a not-too-upstanding gentleman) respectively. Unfortunately, Isabelle loves the Chevalier and Leander loves Clarice, much to the displeasure of the mother. The story proceeds much in the manner of a farce due to the mishaps of the title character; love letters are misaddressed, clothes are put on, or NOT put on, incorrectly, and Leander nearly forgets his own wedding! Haydn takes full advantage of the individual comic situations and the broader sense of the play in his music. The first movement seems to start as a standard opening movement in a classical symphony, but after a while the piece looses its way and has a hard time maintaining its formal structure. Midway through the movement, Haydn even "forgets" what symphony he's writing and quotes the "Farewell" symphony (number 46). The Andante second movement depicts the ardent and confused Leander in contrast to the pompous and lewd Chevalier. Distortion of phrase length is the main feature of the Minuet/Trio. Apart from quoting various Hungarian folk songs in the fourth movement, Haydn creates a raucous ending by the change of mode to C major from C minor, and saving the brass and timpani for the end. The Adagio fifth-movement, marked "di Lamentatione", attempts to bring an air of solemnity to the proceedings by quoting a Gregorian chant. The Finale, a movement that was encored multiple times at its premiere, features the most marvelous joke of the whole symphony. The violins are instructed to tune their lowest string down a step before the movement begins, and just as things get underway, the music stops to let the violins retune back up to the proper pitch. Could there be any better way to depict such a confused man? Dimitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987) Along with Carl Orff and Zoltán Kodály, Dimitri Kabalevsky was one of the most important figures in music education during the 20th century. His writings on children's music education, and his ideas on music as a tool toward appreciation of all the arts are still pervasive in classrooms and textbooks. Not to be overlooked, however, are Kabalevsky's achievements as a composer. Among his output are 6 operas, 4 piano concerti, 4 symphonies, symphonic poems, chamber music, and incidental music for stage and film. Although his works tend to be more traditional in their straightforward diatonic, major/minor harmonic structure, his works display superior craftsmanship equal to that his Soviet contemporaries Dimitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofieff. The Suite from The Comedians is made up of incidental music written for the play Inventor and Comedians which tells a tale of a theater troupe performing in the provinces. The interior eight movements are all character pieces and/or dances, and the outer Prologue and Epilogue either foreshadow or recall music throughout the work. The most famous movement in the suite, and quite possibly the most popular music written by Kabalevsky, is the fast-and-furious second movement entitled "Galop" made famous by its use in various circuses. Sir Alexander Campbell Mackenzie (1847-1935) Alexander Mackenzie was born in Edinburgh, but through his early musical talents received schooling in Germany, and then in London. As an accomplished violinist, he played in many concert and theatre orchestras, and developed a great knowledge and love of the orchestral repertoire. For his services to music in Britain, he was knighted in 1895. His compositions became quite popular in his lifetime, but have since been overshadowed those of the “Second English Renaissance”, namely Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Holst. The short, but lovely, Benedictus is one of Mackenzie’s few works that is still heard with some frequency in the concert hall. Originally written for violin and piano, it was arranged by the composer for small orchestra in 1888. The work possesses a wonderful cantabile character throughout, and even in its louder moments still bestows a feeling of calm. The string writing is particularly noteworthy; throughout the piece, the 1st and 2nd violins play in unison while the violas and celli are divided. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Throughout his early years, Mendelssohn’s father, Abraham, presented musical soirées at his house on alternating Sundays. Although originally intended as exercises for his composition teacher, the six sinfonie for strings Mendelssohn wrote during 1821 were premiered at these gatherings and helped to increase his popularity as an upcoming composer. He would go on to write six more complete works of this type (there is a 13th that is in one movement alone). Set in the style of the early Italian opera overtures (fast-slow-fast), each movement reveals Mendelssohn’s compositional facility, as well as his early influences. The first movement is an allegro in sonata form, and features a Mozartian clarity and buoyancy typical of the earlier composer’s opera overtures. The second movement is a somber andante very much in the style of J.S. Bach. The prominent feature of this movement is the canonic writing between the first and second violins. The finale, a lively gigue, displays a wit and humor reminiscent of Joseph Haydn. W.A. Mozart (1756-1791) Written for the consecration of the Orphanage Church in Vienna, Benedictus sit Deus is a joyous work from beginning to end. The piece as a whole is conceived in the Italian symphonic tradition - a three-movement, fast-slow-fast, pattern. The first movement Allegro features a very specific, text-based contrast of homophonic outburst and more intricate counterpoint. A soprano aria in F major is provided for the middle movement - one hears the influence of Italian opera on young Mozart through the frequent melismas, and opportunities for embellishment. The most striking feature of the third movement is the occurrence of a reciting chant over a scurrying figure in the strings. Not bad for a child of only twelve. Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) Carl Nielsen, Denmark's greatest composer, was born in 1865 in Funen, a small, flat island known as the Garden of Denmark, and died in Copenhagen in 1931. Carl was the seventh of twelve children, and tells of his formative musical impressions in his autobiographical book My Childhood on Funen. Most notable among them were the wistful songs his mother used to sing him 'as if she were longing for something far away, beyond the farthest trees of the land,' and the wedding parties and festivities at which his father played the violin and cornet. After studies in composition at the Copenhagen Conservatory from 1884-1886 (not having been considered an outstanding student), Nielsen began to play violin as a freelance musician. He served as second violinist at the Royal Chapel Opera Orchestra from 1889 to 1905, a position that frustrated him yet provided him with important income. He later served as conductor of the same orchestra from 1905-1914. Carl married the Danish sculptress Anne Marie Brodersen, a strong willed, modern minded woman determined to forge herself a career. During the 1890s and 1900, she frequently spent long periods at work on location, leaving Nielsen to cope with their three young children, while at the same time trying to fit his composing around his duties in the opera as well. His anger and frustration at this state of affairs even led him to suggest divorce in March, 1905 and was sublimated in a number of works from around 1897-1904, referred to as his "psychological period." Nielsen composed in a wide variety of genres, among them popular strophic songs that helped redefine the national song tradition, and six symphonies, for which he is best known. He was fascinated with the underlying animating forces of nature and that of human character, as best reflected in his symphonies. His compositional style ranges from Brahmsian Romanticism to a personal brand of Neo-Classicism in the later years of his writing. His harmonic language fluctuates between tonality and modality. International recognition escaped Nielsen during his lifetime but has steadily grown since 1950. Helios Overture was composed during a visit to Greece between 1903 and 1904 and inspired by a spectacular sunrise over the Aegean Sea. Nielsen describes the work as an overture "in praise of the sun." The opening, played by hushed lower strings and pianissimo horns paint in our ears the very faint shimmer of sunlight, gradually leading to a most glorious melody, openly played by the French horns, representing the partial rising of the sun. Trumpets entering with a fanfare lead us to a joyful melody played in the violins representing the glory of the sun. A fugue gradually leads us to a climactic point that represents the full force of the sun and nature followed by a very picturesque sunset, ending in the lower strings as in the opening of the work.-Thomas Elefant Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) After many years of touring as a successful, virtuoso cellist, Offenbach (born Jacob Eberst) accepted a position as conductor at the Comédie-Française in 1850. The experience was a positive one, but as his stage works were continually being rejected for production, he decided to form his own production company - the Bouffes-Parisiens - in 1855. Despite many successful productions, finances began to get tight in the spring of 1858. It was in October of that year that Orpheus in the Underworld had its premiere, and the success of the operetta ensured financial stability for the organization, and was Offenbach's biggest and most lasting hit. While most of the figures from the original Greek myth are present, the story is completely turned upside down. Instead of lovers struggling to be together despite the separation of death, Orpheus and Euridice cannot stand each other and are constantly bickering, cheating on each other, and generally finding ways to not ever see the other again. After adventures on earth and Mount Olympus, all of the gods eventually find themselves down in Hades celebrating all things pleasurable with Bacchus. The overture consists of music from the operetta, but is not directly from pen of Offenbach. Carl Binder, a successful Austrian composer of Singspiele, found a pirated copy of the Orpheus piano/vocal score, and created this overture for his company's production of the work. The piece is made up of a potpourri of themes from the show, much in the manner of a typical Broadway musical overture, and concludes with the Infernal Galop otherwise, and incorrectly, known as the "Can-Can". Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Throughout his life, Ravel held two dominant interests: the wonder and mystery of childhood and innocence, and of machinery (particularly clocks). The former obviously played a large role when in 1910 he composed these five pieces based on stories from Charles Perrault’s collection entitled Mother Goose. Originally composed for piano duet, he was asked a year after the premiere to arrange a ballet score taking music from the original suite. After adding two new movements and interludes, Ravel orchestrated the work and premiered the complete ballet version in 1912. He then arranged the original five movements into the orchestral suite here today. The overarching structure of the ballet and suite is that of the story of Sleeping Beauty. Having pricked her finger upon the spinning wheel, she falls into a deep sleep during which time she has a series of different dreams. Each of these dreams is represented by a unique music tableaux outlined below: 1) Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty - This tranquil music depicts the young girl falling into a deep sleep. 2) Tom Thumb - For this movement and the next two that follow, Ravel supplies a quotation from the original story. "He thought that he could easily find his way home by the bread crumbs that he had dropped along the path, but he was very surprised when he found that he could not find a single crumb--birds had eaten them all." 3) Laideronette, Empress of the Pagodas - A pagoda was a Chinese figurine with a grotesque face and a movable head: a popular decorating accessory in 18th-century France. Laideronnette is a Chinese princess who has been cursed with horrible ugliness, and wanders for years with an equally cursed green serpent. Eventually they are shipwrecked in the island of the pagodas, little people made of porcelain, emerald, crystal, etc. who take her as their queen. In the end, both the princess and serpent are magically made beautiful, and reign as prince and princess of the Pagodas. "She undressed herself and went into the bath. The pagodes and pagodines began to sing and play on instruments. Some had oboes made of walnut shells and others had violas made of almond shells--for they had to have instruments that were of their own small proportions." 4) The Conversations of Beauty and the Beast - Most notable in this movement are the wonderful solos for clarinet (Beauty), contrabassoon (Beast), and violin (Transformed Beast). "When I think of how good-hearted you are, you do not seem to me to be so ugly." 5) The Enchanted Garden - At the end of the ballet, Prince Charming arrives to awaken Sleeping Beauty with a magic kiss. The two are united in marriage and celebrate in the garden of the Fairy Godmother. Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961) Credited along with Charles Ives, John Becker, Henry Cowell, and Carl Ruggles as the "American Five" (in imitation of the Russian "Mighty Handful" of the late nineteenth century), Wallingford Riegger was born in Albany and raised in Georgia, Indianapolis, and New York. Before devoting himself entirely to composition, he was principal cellist with the Saint Paul Symphony Orchestra and conductor of various orchestras in Germany before World War I, and teacher at various American Colleges in the 1920s. Many of his works received special recognition, among them the Paderewski Prize in 1922, the Coolidge Prize in 1927, the New York Music Critics‚ Circle Award and the Naumburg Foundation Recording Award, both in 1948. Composed in 1954, Dance Rhythms was dedicated to Thor Johnson (1913-1975), Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1947 to 1957. While scored for a full orchestra, a chamber-like texture dominates for most of the work. The energetic character that permeates the piece reflects Riegger's long working relationship with modern dance pioneers Martha Graham (1893-1991), Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) and Hanya Holm (1893-1992). Although in constant alternations among 3/4, 2/4 and 4/4 meters, the structure is in a very standard Minuet-and-Trio format, with D major predominating the Minuet and Bb major for the Trio section. Robert Schumann (1810-1856) The years 1840 and 1841 are called Schumann’s “Lieder (song) year” and “Symphonic year”, respectively. The majority of his songs, including the famous Dichterliebe and Frauenliebe und Leben cycles, were written in 1840, and the year 1841 saw three remarkable symphonic works; his 1st Symphony (“Spring”), the Overture, Scherzo, and Finale, and the 2nd Symphony which we now know as his fourth. The bursts of inspiration through which these works came to be is all the more astonishing - Schumann sketched out the 1st Symphony completely in the span of four days, while the 2nd/4th Symphony took a mere 2 1/2 weeks to sketch. These achievements are all the more impressive when one considers that Robert and Clara were going through a long and arduous lawsuit against Clara’s father, Friedrich Wieck, who endeavored to block their marriage. After almost a year of court battles, Wieck was unable to produce sufficient evidence against Schumann, and the couple was granted permission to marry on July 18, 1840. The wedding took place on September 20 of that year, just one week after Clara’s 21st birthday. More happiness would enter the Schumann’s life together the following September when their first child, Marie, was born. Although the symphony had a fairly successful premiere on December 6, 1841, Schumann was concerned that it did not receive the same level of immediate enthusiasm that was given to the 1st Symphony. His publishers agreed and publication of the symphony was postponed. Schumann returned to the work in December 1851, revising and reorchestrating the work in only seven days. This new version of the symphony was premiered on May 15, 1853, and it was soon published as the 4th Symphony. As one takes into consideration the events of 1840-1841, it becomes less easy to hear this symphony solely as a work of “absolute” music; that is to say, one which does not possess a specific program. This is a symphony in which a difficult struggle is always present, even up to the very end. This struggle could be seen as reflecting the difficulties of the marriage process, while the triumph over those battles could reflect Schumann’s happiness toward his marriage to Clara, or their joy at the birth of Marie. The sense of struggle and angst is apparent from the very beginning of the piece, as a slow, brooding opening in D minor gives way to fast music that is violent and agitated. The lyrical theme contains a tenderness that is undeniably representative of Clara. After a lengthy development section comes a striking surprise; at the moment when the music should make a return to the music of the exposition, Schumann creates a new theme that guides the movement to its close, albeit an open-ended one. The second movement, marked Romanze, features a theme of aching melancholy in the oboes and divided celli. This melody in A minor is a song without words. The key switches to D major halfway through and is notable for its exquisite solo violin embellishments above the melody. The third movement is a Scherzo in fast 3/4 time, similar to such movements in the Beethoven symphonies. Once again there is a sense of angry struggle, portrayed by the opening music in D minor, contrasted with music of love and beauty in the B-flat major Trio. We move without pause into the fourth movement by way of a slow transition of great energy and power. This releases into a lively movement full of sunshine, with two changes in tempo that drive the symphony to its vibrant close. Only then do we realize that the last movement is the missing recapitulation from the first movement, making the symphony a unified work essentially in one movement. Johan Svendsen (1840-1911) An accomplished musician on many instruments, conductor,
composer, and teacher, Johan Svendsen was widely admired not just
by his native Norwegian peers (especially Grieg), but also by major
composers on the Continent. In fact, he was particularly close to
Richard and Cosima Wagner. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Composed shortly after a long European tour, the Fifth Symphony is typical of the artistic balance Tchaikovsky struck; it is not explicitly nationalistic, but a distinctively Russian flavor pervades many of the themes. There is also a related, but deeper, artistic issue in the work. The idea of an "unspoken program" was certainly in the composer's mind as he sat down to compose this symphony; in the spring of 1888 he noted a possible approach: "Introduction. Complete resignation before Fate - or, what is the same thing, the inscrutable designs of Providence." Although he eventually dropped the specific programmatic references, it is clear that this symphony projects some kind of dramatic struggle. The broad outlines are made clear by a recurring idea known as the "fate" motive. The clarinets introduce the motive above the low strings at the outset of the symphony. It is followed by the brooding theme of the Allegro, presented first in the solo clarinet and bassoon. A fairly standard sonata-allegro form ensues, replete with a lyrical second theme that could only come from Tchiakovsky's pen. The movement presents a wealth of themes, and even the development presents material not previously introduced. Unlike the composer's previous symphony, this first movement ends not in a titanic cry of despair, but in a whisper of melancholy. Richard Wagner (1813-1883) William Walton (1902-1983) Walton began his musical life as a choirboy, following in the vocal footsteps of his father, a baritone and choir master, and his contralto mother. He was gifted as a singer, pianist, organist, and violinist, and began composing sacred works in his teen years. His orchestration was enhanced by study of French and Russian composers, but a trip to Italy in the 1920’s provided the crucial spark in the creation of his first great works. The success of his cantata Belshazzar’s Feast in 1931 brought him international renown, and set the stage for even great acclaim with his First Symphony (1935). Over a period of 25 years (1934-1969), Walton produced 14 film scores, of which four were for screen adaptations of Shakespeare plays. Laurence Olivier, who directed and starred in Henry V, invited Walton to write music for the film after their positive collaboration on the film version of As You Like It seven years prior. Henry V turned out to be the first time a Shakespeare play was cinematically successful, and the musical score was soon made into a concert suite by the film’s music director, Muir Mathieson. Walton conducted the full suite on a recording made in the 1960’s, and also recorded the two strings-only movements later on while touring New Zealand. The play of Henry V recounts England’s improbable victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt, and the king’s subsequent marriage to Princess Katherine. The suite, although not entirely chronological, is as follows: Overture – The Globe Playhouse: The film is given a “play-within-a-play” feeling, and this music contains a depiction of how the play would have been presented in Shakespeare’s time. All of the music in the first movement portrays the excitement and grandeur of the play’s subject matter both on and off the stage. Passacaglia – Death of Falstaff: Upon ascension to the throne, Henry V renounced his friendship to the old, mischievous knight, ostensibly hastening the latter’s death. Charge and Battle: The music of the battle is all that one might expect - fanfares, rhythms of drums and horses, and the mighty clashes of swords. At the end of the movement, Walton poignantly quotes a French folk song as the bodies of the dead scatter the once beautiful countryside. Touch her soft lips and part: Although the music coincides with the monologue of the Hostess upon Falstaff’s death, the dance-like nature and gentle tonality of the music could also depict Henry’s courting of the Princess. Agincourt Song: The prominent melody heard here is the famous Agincourt Carol that recounts Henry’s victory. The first stanza is given here: Our king went forth to Normandy, Peter Warlock (1894-1930) Peter Warlock was the pseudonym adopted by the English composer, music editor, and writer Philip Heseltine. He was a tireless editor of early music, making some 600 transcriptions. His original compositions include about 150 songs, other vocal pieces, and half a dozen instrumental works. This is all the more impressive considering Warlock was self-taught in all musical matters. Sadly, he took his own life in 1930, ending a short but brilliant career. This suite was originally composed for piano duet in October
1926 and arranged for strings shortly thereafter; Warlock also made
an arrangement for full orchestra, but the one for strings is the
version most commonly heard nowadays. The suite, reflecting Warlock's
interest in early music, is based on dances found in a 16th-century
collection called Orchésographie by Thoinot Arbeau. The name
Capriol comes from one of the two characters represented in the dialogue
in Arbeau's treatise. The following is a brief description of each
of the dances: Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) The Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor resulted from Carl Maria von Weber’s friendship and collaboration with the excellent clarinetist Heinrich Bauman, and is the first of two clarinet concertos commissioned by the King of Bavaria. The first movement has the atmosphere of a fantasy, opening with a somber orchestral passage, but leading to a series of rapidly changing and sometimes virtuosic themes for the clarinet. In the second movement, the quartet of horns plays an important role as it accompanies the lyric themes given to the solo clarinet. The third movement is a playful rondo, with virtuosic developments of a lively syncopated theme. -Timothy Secomb Kurt Weill (1900-1950) -American composer David Schiff in his article commemorating
the In January 1933, Weill received a commission for a new symphony from the Princess Edmond de Polignac (born Winnaretta Singer), the American-born heiress to the sewing-machine fortune and a leading Parisian patron of the arts. Weill had not written a concert work since 1923, and the request excited him. He started sketching his Second Symphony in Berlin before the end of the month, but Hitler's accession to power on January 30th made staying in Berlin difficult for the composer, and he fled to Paris. Upon arriving in Paris, Weill received a commission for a ballet, and the resulting work, The Seven Deadly Sins, caused progress on the symphony to temporarily cease. The symphony was not completed until February of 1934, and was premiered by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, under the direction of Bruno Walter, on October 11, 1934. The new symphony, with its mixture of the conventional and theatrical, was received warmly by the public but harshly by the critics. Walter would perform the work many times in such cities as Vienna and New York, by the piece fell into obscurity until Heugel published the score in 1966. The work opens with a slow introduction, much in the manner of a classical symphony. It then opens up into a violent, triple-meter Allegro whose dynamic and rhythmic contrasts are both surprising and terrifying. Near the end of the movement, there is a period of stasis in which various wind solos float pensively over a constant military-drum figure in the strings. The second movement's main rhythmic motive, heard immediately in the upper strings and winds, is reminiscent of the jazzy rhythms found in The Threepenny Opera and The Seven Deadly Sins. Funereal in its outlook, and formally very free, the movement offers some semblance of repose between the hectic outer movements. To narrow down the last movement into one style is nearly impossible, for despite its rondo-like form, the movement changes styles very frequently, almost schizophrenically. It begins with a caprice in the strings and upper winds, but with the brass entrance it becomes a demonic show tune. This sections gives way to a military march, which features a very striking use of two piccolos. The movement becomes more an more complex, interweaving all that has come before, until it drives to the finish with a wild tarantella. Dan Welcher (b. 1948) This work for full orchestra was inspired by three paintings of the noted American artist Georgia O’Keeffe. These three watercolors were done in 1917 while the artist was living in Canyon, Texas (near Amarillo), and deal primarily with color and shape. Consequently, the music is primarily concerned with broad lines and shapes rather than rhythms, with subtle washes of color rather than constant harmonic movement, and with arching melody instead of linear counterpoint. The first movement, Light Coming on the Plains, is an elliptical shaped painting, deep blue to indigo with a “horizon” at the bottom that seems flat and unchanging. The sun hasn’t risen yet, although it does in the course of this movement of the piece, but seems instead to be providing light from behind the canvas. The music is unmoving in terms of rhythm or harmony (although there is a modulation midway through), a color-infused mantra of sound that is almost Eastern. At the height of the sun, we proceed to the second movement, entitled Canyon with Crows. The canyon is red-orange, with black crows circling above friendly unfolding hills. The music is gentle but lively and more rhythmic, with the birds represented by solo oboe, clarinet, and sometimes flute. Halfway through, the brass have a chorale version of the opening motive, played very slowly, over the unending triplets of woodwinds and strings. At the end of the movement, the birds return for a duo-cadenza, accompanied by the dying rays of the sun in muted strings and the ongoing triplets of the solo quartet. The stage is set for the final movement, Starlight Night. In O’Keeffe’s painting, the stars are represented by regularly spaced rectangles of bright pale yellow on a blue-black sky, with the same shape to the field of vision and the horizon that is found in Light Coming on the Plains. The stars become audible: harp, celesta, glockenspiel, string pizzicati all lend sparkle while a solo flute introduces a slowly unfolding theme. After this theme has been heard twice and the sky has begun to really brighten, there is a sudden interruption: a xylophone and a piano begin another “mantra” in brittle staccato chords. This is the same mechanical eternity as O’Keeffe’s regularly spaced square stars, and it continues on its own as the night progresses. The music builds and grows as the moon rises and arcs, then falls as the pre-dawn light that opened the work returns to bring it to a close. A cycle of light, changing with the movements of the sun, moon and stars, appearing differently from various points of view. -note by Dan Welcher
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