Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.1 (Sheet Music) – (Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.1 (Sheet Music), 2014)
Brandenburg ConcertosNo1 is written around 1721 and it is set in four movements. Uniqueness of this composition is that Bach uses the hunting Horn. The sound of the horns stands out but the composer manages to make them blend into the ensemble using multiple winds. Along with the horn, the violin piccolo seems to draw more attention. Each movement has extraordinary counterpoint that inventively shades and blurs the contrast between the small concertino group and the tutti ensemble. The piece begins with a brisk tempo. The second movement is slow in tempo and a passionate musical sigh. The first oboe and violin piccolo dominate melodically. The strings have a supportive role and the horns are gone completely. At the end of this movement, we can hear a series of dissonant harmonies which leads from d minor to the dominant A Major.
The third movement is back in F Major and an allegro. The violin piccolo is playing the leading role again and the horns are prominent too adding strength to the texture. We can her repeated horn figure throughout the third movement.
This movement has a feeling of finale. A brief adagio interrupt the musical flow than we can hear the reprise of the opening material and a strong return to F Major.
The fourth movement is a little minuet (Polacca) and trio. This arrangement provides timbral and textural contrast as well as gives a grace to the concerto.
[Hist.Instr.] Telemann: Concerto for Flute & Recorder & Strings in e, TWV 52:e1 ([Hist.Instr.] Telemann: Concerto for Flute & Recorder & Strings in e, TWV 52:e1, 2012)
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) was a composer from Leipzig and a contemporary of Bach.
Concerto in E minor for Flute and Recorder, TWV 52:e1 written around 1712-1721. It is a Baroque concerto for the flute and recorder in E minor. The combination of these two instruments I find so beguiling as the two sonorities blend beautifully and spar off each other. It gives the piece a unique flavour of looking towards a more classical sound while retaining a very folky pastoral element. Particularly in the first ¾ Largo movement, which consists of the two solo instruments taking turns carrying the melody at first slowly before moving on to arpeggiated figures and a call and response section. The strings and basso continuo plays the underlying chords and marks the beat.
The second movement is an Allegro in Common time which moves at a cheerful pace. It is a very bright and fast-moving section with both the strings and the two soloists playing busy figures.
The third movement is again Largo but in Common time and in E# major played in a jovial and pleasantly lolling manner. The melodies are contrapuntal again with interplay between the flute and recorder with only pizzicato for accompaniment. In the last few bars, the continuo plays some figures while the rest of the instruments hold longer notes.
The fourth and final movement is a Pestro and feels very much like a dance. It starts quite forcefully with all instruments playing in unison and doubled at the octave before the first solo melody joins in with a busy quaver figure. This is followed by some imitation with the repeat of the first part. This is nearly `round` like in its structure. All is then repeated at a louder dynamic and played more forcefully. There are some melodic developments near the end before one last forceful, more accented reiteration played at a faster tempo.
Reference
2012. [Hist.Instr.] Telemann: Concerto for Flute & Recorder & Strings in e, TWV 52:e1. [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YSXpzuv8GU> [Accessed 21 February 2021]
Scarlatti Sonata K 380 – L 23 (Scarlatti Sonata K 380 – L 23, 2013)
Scarlatti became famous principally for his many keyboard sonatas, which were mostly one movement works in binary form.
Keyboard Sonatas or harpsichord sonatas is a group of 555 sonatas for harpsichord written by Domenico Scarlatti (1685 – 1757) dating from the early 18th century. In modern performance the sonatas are sometimes performed on the piano.
Sonata in E Major K.380, L.23
The Sonata in E Major K.380, L.23 is one of the most popular of Domenico Scarlatti`s Sonatas. It follows the typical Baroque bipartite scheme such as the first half ends in the dominant and the second half returns to the tonic. This piece clearly shows the Spanish elements that Scarlatti was influenced by. The Spanish flavour represented by the use of ornamentation and sometimes surprising dissonance, reminiscent of the Spanish guitar. This keyboard music was written primarily for the harpsichord. It has an elegant and lyrical melody and it can almost be called pastoral. Scarlatti used different octaves to create the effect of contrast in dynamics and in its structure, he composed long passages.
Antonio Vivaldi – Winter (Full) – The Four Seasons (Antonio Vivaldi – Winter (Full) – The Four Seasons, 2021)
Winter – Concerto in f-minor
Allegro non molto Shivering, frozen mid the frosty snow in biting, stinging winds; running to and fro to stamp one’s icy feet, teeth chattering in the bitter chill.
Largo To rest contentedly beside the hearth, while those outside are drenched by pouring rain.
Allegro We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously, for fear of tripping and falling. Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and, rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up. We feel the chill north winds coarse through the home despite the locked and bolted doors… this is winter, which nonetheless brings its own delights. (VIVALDI: “Four Seasons” Sonnets texts in Italian & English, n.d.)
The four season is a group of four violin concerti written by an Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). Each of the violin concerti gives musical expression to a season of the year. The piece written around 1716-1717 and published in 1725 in Amsterdam.
Concerto No.4 in F minor, op.8, RV 297, “Winter”
This piece has three parts. First is Allegro non molto (in F minor). Vivaldi brilliantly reflects the biting cold, gusting wind, trembling bodies and chattering teeth on the violin. The first notes describe with a smooth and persistent rhythm the slow fall of the snowflakes. The violins reflect the teeth chattering caused by the intense cold. Then we listen to a gust of wind that shakes the fall of the snowflakes in the first violin solo. At the end of this part, little by little the force of the music increases and end with a great theme.
The second movement is called Rain and is Largo (in Eb major). The music excellently reflects a rainy winter day. We can imagine as we are sitting in our house next to the fireplace while outside is very cold, windy and rainy. While the violin solo plays a beautiful melody, which describes the warm and cosy home with a feeling of happiness, the rest of the instruments represents the rhythmically falling rain.
Third movement is Allegro on F minor. It begins with a violin solo than the orchestra appears imitating a smooth burst of wind that gradually grows until reaching great force, and the terrible winter storm arrives. The snow drifts of the North are interpreted by the violin solo and the orchestra, finishing in a great and beautiful ending.
Christoph Willibard Gluck (1714-1787) was a German classical composer. In February 1761 Ranieri Calzabigi brought his libretto Orfeo and Euridice into Vienna. The piece caught Gluck`s friends’ attention and they brought the two together. Orfeo and Euridice was the first of Gluck`s three reform operas. The major influence in the development of Gluck`s reformist ideology was the Essay on the Opera (1755) which written by Francesco Algarotti. Orfeo and Euridice was first performed in Vienna on 5th October 1762.
The opera is an interpretation of the myth of Orpheus, who is the godfather of opera itself. He was the son of a Muse and Oeagrus, a king of Thrace (other versions give Apollo). He was more than a mortal but less than a god. He received the gift of music from his Muse mother. The opera is set in an idealized Greek countryside and in the mythological underworld.
The opera has three acts.
In act one nymphs and shepherds lament the death of Euridice at her grave who was bitten by a snake. When Euridice `s husband Orfeo left alone, he took an oath to rescue Euridice from the underworld. The god of love Amore appears and allow him to descend into the land of dead to rescue Euridice. To make this journey difficult, Orfeo cannot look at Euridice nor explain why looking is forbidden. If Orfeo breaks these rules, he will lose her forever. The first act finishes with Orfeo agreeing to the rules and his journey begins.
Act two begins with Hades gates where furies and ghosts try to deny Orfeo`s passage to the underworld. When finally, they softened by Orfeo`s lament, he allowed to pass through to the Elysian Fields. Orfeo is moved by the beauty of the landscape. Heroes and heroines brought Euridice to him and he took her away without looking at her as he promised earlier.
In act three Orfeo leads Euridice toward the upper world. He is keeping his promise and forbidden to look at her. Euridice panics as she was afraid of a life without the love of Orfeo. In desperation he turns to her and she dies again. Orfeo hit by a grief and he wonders how he will live without his love Euridice. He decides he kill himself. Amore appears and stays Orfeo`s hand, then in response to Orfeo`s deep love and devotion, Amore revives Euridice for the second time. The tree returns to Earth. The opera finishes with a celebration at the Temple of Love, where Orfeo, Euridice, Amore, the nymphs and the shepherds are all celebrating the power of love.
The main characters of the opera are Orfeo, Euridice, Amore, shepherds, shepherdesses, nymphs, demons, Furies, happy spirits, heroes and heroines, Chorus, and dancers.
I choose to review the 1982 production of Orfeo and Euridice. The opera performed on the Glyndebourne Opera Festival. It is available on YouTube (Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice).
This production directed by Peter Hall and it was outstanding. Elisabeth Speiser played Euridice and her performance was excellent. Amor played by Elizabeth Gale. Although I liked her voice, I thought her performance sometimes lacking. During her aria with Orfeo, she looked like more as a doll than a god. My favourite was Janet Baker as Orfeo. She shows a unique variety of vocal colours and ability of acting simply but with force. I particularly enjoyed her aria Che faro senza euridice. Her singing style is very natural and her acting is impeccable.
The production is a traditional one. I thought the costumes are excellent and perfectly reflect the period and characters. The scenery is simple with only present what is needed. With the use of the lighting, it also represents flawlessly the different scenes. The London Philharmonic provide excellent music which is clean and not overpowering. The video quality is a little but blurred.
Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice, 2012)
This is a research about the history of music publishing up to 1900, with emphasis on the classical era.
The first examples of music printing were the Constance Gradual in 1473 in Germany and the Roman Missal of Ulrich Hahn in 1476. Hahn`s method influenced other European printers and spread all over Europe and later by 1500, in England. In the late 15th century, Ottaviano Petrucci created a three-impression process where each page was printed three times, first with staves, then notes, and finally text. On 15 May 1501 he published his first music called Harmonice musices odhecaton (known as Odhecaton). Later, he simplified this to two impressions, creating extremely high standards. In 1527/8 in Paris a bookseller Pierre Attaignant was influenced by Petrucci`s innovation and improved it by creating a single impression method. He produced an oblong quarto partbook of Chansons nouvelles which reflected this important technical development. His method reduced time and costs. He also became the first music publisher to operate on a large scale. In 1551/2 after Attaignant`s death, a composer Robert Ballard took over the printing business and developed a distinctive music type. In the 17th century his firm – run by his descendants – published the first orchestral scores.
Copper plate engraving methods were developed by the late 1500s and became influential throughout Europe. It fully established itself by the beginning of 18th century alongside the music type printing method. Later, copper plates were replaced with pewter ones, albeit at the sacrifice of some quality. From the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century the two main music publishers in England were Playfords and Walshes. Playford printed from music type and published music which was suitable for taverns, music clubs and theaters. They also printed for both amateurs and professionals. Wals used engraving at the beginning but later it turned to pewter plates and punches. Although the company was among the most influential publishers in Europe their main focus was commerce. Around this time John Heptinstall introduced a new procedure called `the new tied note` where he used round note heads and grouping quavers and semiquavers by beams.
In the mid-1740s Breitkopf developed the `mosaic` system and afterwards it was used for many major publications of the Classical repertory. Breitkopf developed a way to create large number of copies with a cheap price and be able to distribute widely. With his business partner G. C. Härtel established Leipzig as the centre of music publishing in Europe. The increasing number of composers by the Viennese school and the public resulted the opening of new publishing houses such as Schott (Mainz), Simrock (Bonn) and Artaria (Vienna). By this time, the engraving technique was widely used which brought down the cost of music printing and in the later 19th century it helped the mass copies of the scores.
Music publishing provided the composers with a new income as well as honor and fame. Although the financial reward was little the wide distribution provided that their music reaches a wide audience. There was no legislation for copyright protection and there was an issue of privacy. These problems had a negative impact, as they limited the amount of earning that a composer could expected.
During the Classical era, the emerging middle class had an interest in home and amateur music making. Pianos at home became increasingly popular. Many amateur musicians were involved in choral societies and brass bands as well as the increasing number of public concerts and a demand for study scores created a great demand for printed music. The extent of this increased demand is staggering. In the 1770s, the typical catalogue of a music publisher would contain a few hundred works. by 1820 this would be in the tens of thousands. In addition to compositions, there was also a demand for method books and music journals.
The following references were consulted for the preparation of this research point:
Reyna, R., 2021. Learn About The History Of Music Printing. [online] Music Printing History. Available at: <https://musicprintinghistory.org/> [Accessed 10 February 2021].
Scott, D., 2012. Chapter 2. The Growth of the Market for Domestic Music. [online] Victorianweb.org. Available at: <https://victorianweb.org/mt/dbscott/2.html> [Accessed 10 February 2021].
F.V. Kramář – Krommer Partita Op.45 No.1 (Krommer, 2016)
Franz Krommer (1759-1831) was a Czech composer of classical music, although today he is mostly recognized for his music for woodwinds. His wind Partitas are authentic symphonies scored for pairs of oboe, clarinets, bassoons, and horns. He also uses double bass or contrabassoon to establish the bass line. In Op. 45 No. 2 he extends the instruments with a trumpet. In the earlier version of Partita in E flat the composer created a true double horn concerto with wind accompaniment. Krommer`s music mixes formal creativity with folk-influenced melodies and demonstrates an exceptionally high standard of performance. It has the qualities of charm, wit and sophistication.
Partita in E flat has four movements. In the first movement the tonic/dominant accompaniment is alternating and there are lyrical melodies can be heard above the accompaniment.
In the second movement the three-note motif and a chromatic line gives a Romantic feature to the piece.
The third movement is in a minuet form and it has a three beat in a bar pulse.
The fourth movement is in a Rondo from. It contains a melody which reoccurs and features a three note repeated note pattern.
Bújj, bújj, zold ág is a Hungarian folk song which based on folk traditions. My earliest memory of this song is from my childhood. My parents and other family members sang for me. Later I also introduced to this song when I attended to playschool. The teachers used this tune to teach music rhythm and memorizing songs. As I grow up, I taught this piece first to my cousins’ children than when I was trained as a teacher. Thankfully, this folk song is a base of the Hungarian music education, so I do not think it will die out.
Folk songs generally have a simple text and form, and they are associated with the lives of people. They are also often having a socially significant message. Traditionally they are passed between people through an oral tradition but there is musicologists like Kodály and Bartók who collected and recorded these folk songs. A folk song can be associated with a particular political or social movement, for example Ha én rózsa volnék. This song written by János Bródy and sang by Zsuzsa Koncz. The lyrics were embedding the possibility of multiple interpretations but in reality, it was criticizing the communist regime. This song with other similar pieces became so popular, that they turned the increasingly crowded events to implicit protests.
Bújj, bújj, zold ág has a short melody and contains 14 bars. The song has two phrases with a repeated section in the second part from bar 9-12.
Ralph Vaughan Williams – English Folksong Suite (Williams, 2021)
When considering appropriate aspects of “Englishness” to be reflected in a choice of idiomatic English music, I settled on folk tunes and the piece called English Folksong Suite written by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The composer not only appreciated British landscapes and heritage, but he was also sentimental about Britain`s musical history. In 1923 Ralph Vaughan Williams composed the English Folk Song Suite for wind orchestra. It consists of three movements which based on main British folk songs from the Norfolk and Somerset regions of England. These folk songs bring different stories and emotions.
He first movement is an English march, and it contains three folk songs; Seventeen Come Sunday (played by the woodwinds and strings), Pretty Caroline (solo clarinet), and Dives and Lazarus (lower instruments). The first two folk songs are about military men falling in love with and marrying, beautiful women. The mood of the two songs is creating a contrast. The first is bouncy and jovial while the second is legato and cantabile. Also, the irregular phrasing of the melody adds to the syncopated quirkiness of the march. The third folk song of this movement is Dives and Lazarus. The story of this tune is Lazarus repeatedly begs Dives, a rich man, for food but is denied. To portray the antagonism of the event, the composer set a firm duple meter melody in the low brass against a rigorous triple meter accompaniment in upper winds.
The second movement is an Intermezzo and begins with My Bonnie Boy (solo oboe). The melody interrupted by Green Bushes which is more upbeat and dance-like than the slow, emotional opening. Both folk songs deal with love betrayed. My Bonny Boy is set in the F dorian mode, which features the folk roots in the music. The mood shifts slightly to the folk song Green Bushes which is in a playful scherzando style.
The third movement uses four different folk songs dealing loosely with unattainable love. First folk song is Blow Away the Morning Dew (clarinet solo) describes a country boy attempting to seduce a girl who quickly outwits him. Second folk song is High Germany (led by lower instruments) and it is about a young English woman’s lover and her three brothers being called off to war in Germany. Third folk song is a modified version of The Trees They Do Grow High, and it brings the story of a young woman who has been wed by her father to a much younger boy. The final folk song is John Barleycorn which is an allegory representing the harvesting and cultivation of barley.
In this work Bartók used seven original folk tunes which he collected from different regions of Transylvania. Each piece represents a different dance form.
Joc cu Bâtă (Stick Dance) is the first piece from the set. The national identity come across by the folkloric elements. The first element is the key of the piece. It centered around A with influences of Dorian and Aeolian modes which are the most used modes in Romanian folk music.
The second element is the melody which represents a typical Romanian folkloric dance type. For example, the use of the dotted rhythms (Example 1) which reflect a dynamic dance or the sequential rhythmic material which spread over a full measure and gives us a slow folkloric dance type (Example 2).
Example 1. Bela Bartok Romanian Folk Dances Sz. 56, Stick Dance mm.1-4. (Bartok, 2021)Example 2. Bela Bartok Romanian Folk Dances Sz. 56, Stick Dance, mm. 18-25. (Bartok, 2021)
The third element is the variations and ornamentation which respecting the idea of free improvisation and variation on a theme. Free improvisation is the foundation of the Romanian folk tunes. (Example 3)
Example 3. Bela Bartok Romanian Folk Dances Sz. 56, Stick Dance, mm. 16-17. (Bartok, 2021)
Reference
Bartok, B., 2017. Béla Bartók plays his Romanian Folk Dances No. 1, 2 & 6. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DscctOyPzh8> [Accessed 5 February 2021].
Aname 