Week 5 : Concerto

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Ritornello Form à

Rit. 1 I abcdec'e

Solo 1 I-V (III) figuration

Rit. 2 V (III) abde

Solo 2 Modulatory Figuration

Rit. 3 Various keys although IV is common acd

Solo 3 IV-I Figuration

Rit. 4 I abcdec'e

 

Beethoven's Contributions and Influence:

•  He began writing concerto with the goal of proportion and balance as in the style of Mozart.

•  After he understood the classical form, he expanded virtuosity in the solo parts while keeping a strong orchestra à the concerto became symphonic in nature.

•  Beethoven would often cast the soloist as a heroic figure (last two concertos the solo opens the piece). With this innovation, Beethoven kept the ritornello form in his first movements.

•  He reduced the slow movements (as his contemporaries did as well), but he was very innovative in his experiments with structure using uncommon sonorities. He linked the slow movement to the final movement without any pause (Triple concerto, violin concerto, piano concerto no. 4, and no. 5)

•  He retained the 18 th century light hearted rondo finale but expanded its size, introduced greater contrast, and increased tension by placing the second episode in a minor key. Rather than using a solo trill to close a section (such as a cadenza), he used them as a way to enter an expanded solo section.

•  His innovations (such as a solo opening, linking movements, and experimenting with musical interrelationships among movements) were highly influential to his successors. However, he was still rooted in the Classical tradition and later 19 th century composers departed radically from tradition.

 

2 types of concertos in the 19th century

1. Symphonic concerto; equal balance between soloist and orchestra (Mozart, Haydn Schumann and Brahms)

2. Virtuosic concerto where the orchestra is merely accompaniment such as Liszt and Chopin.

Virtuoso Concerto Summary

Opera still a model: 1. Concerto based on operatic themes 2. Concerto based on operatic style/scene.


Beethoven Violin Concerto Op. 61 1806 C Major

Allegro ma non troppo

Larghetto

Rondo. Allegro


 

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto E minor Op. 64 1844

II Movement Andante

III Movement Allegretto non troppo, Allegro molto Vivace

Louis Spohr (1784-1859) Concerto No. 8 a minor 1816

Spohr and Weber were the leading German composers and possessed elements of Wagner's late music. His expression was strained and avoided overly showy techniques that were common (sautillè, spicatto, ricochet, artificial harmonies, light bowing, muted strings). He preferred a bel canto, full singing tone with slight virbrato. His virtuosity came from a vigorous left hand. He employed double stops, wide reaching 10ths, trills unusual chromatic scales.

Some of his modern features:

Linking movements

Serious meditative Adagios

Discarding Sonata Allegro form

Slow introductions

Exotic dance rhythms finales

Written out cadenzas

Free recitatives

Avoided improvised ornamentation.

 

Viotti Violin Concerto No. 22 in a minor 1793-1803

Moderato

Larghetto

Romanza, short movement, no stormy middle section but a minor portion. Stays folk like

Rondo Allegro

Gallant/folk style almost all orchestral forces.

Viotti was influential to Beethoven's violin concerto since Beethoven was familiar with his playing and his followers (Pierre Rode, Rodolphe Kreutzer, Pierre Baillot). He borrowed idiomatic features of the French violin music but transformed its simple virtuosity by using it to embellish profound musical ideas.

 

Brahms Violin Concerto in d major op. 77

•  He took up residence in Vienna in 1862. Refused to write a purely orchestral work until 1873.

•  This is his most lyrical work. Wrote it during the summer of 1878 at Pörtschach on the Wörthersee. He wrote it for his friend Joachim and was modeled to some extent on Beethoven's violin concerto which Joachim popularized.

•  He thinned out the orchestra in order for the violin to stand out.

•  Demanding double stops, wide leaps and contrast of very high with lower pitches are difficult to articulate. However, Brahms highlighted the instrument's singing capabilities.

•  Was originally to be four movements with the last being a scherzo. Rather, he used a slow movement he called “a poor Adagio.”

•  Premiered in Gewandhaus 1879.

Allegro non Troppo à triple meter, triadic opening theme relating to the folk song and simple octave doublings of bassoons, violas and cellos later to be joined by horns in octaves, all this giving a warm mood. The orchestra plays a full ritornello presenting all the themes except the second theme prior to the entrance of the soloist. All the themes are lyrical except the last one which is rather rhythmic. The hemiola plays a large role in creating rhythmic tension. The development section moves through C major as in Beethoven's Violin concerto to c minor, the solo violin playing the first theme of the second theme group in double stops. The recapitulation is based on the solo exposition. The final ritornello includes canonic treatment of the opening ritornello. The ritornello serves as an introduction to the cadenza which was either improvised or prepared by Joachim.

Adagio à Once of his most beautiful slow movements. F major, the lowered mediant with a midsection in F sharp minor. The winds play the first 29 measures featuring the oboe in the main melody. Ternary form with each section uses variation as the melodies become expanded and ornamented with the soloist in the high register

Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace-Poco piu presto à A six part (ABACBA) rondo with strong Hungarian or gypsy elements (Joachim was born in Hungary ). During 1848-49 many composers were inspired by Hungarian folk music during this time was the Hungarian War of independence.


Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Violin Concerto in D Major 1878

Known for blending contrasting musical traditions à the Russian national movement with the West.

Was conceived for Josef Kotek, to whom he was attracted.

The difficulty was beyond Kotek's abilities so he asked Leopole Auer who claimed it was unplayable. The piece underwent revisions by the compose and the Russian violinist Adolf Brodsky and was played inVienna.

Tchaikovsky followed the trend in exploiting the violin's singing tone as well as writing a flashy finale with folk qualities.

Allegro moderato à Mendelssohn's violin concerto may have influenced him in his playing the cadenza in the first movement at the end of the development and it's overlapping the beginning of the recapitulation.

Both themes are lyrical and the violin plays continuously through the exposition.

All the climaxes belong to the orchestra (such as the beginning of the development section the strings and flute play the main theme againt fanfare in the winds à a texture typical for this composer).

Andante à Canzonetta. Woodwinds open establishing g minor. Muted solo violin and orchestra. The opening theme consists of short, repeated phrases with Russian roots. The second theme is in E flat major is brighter and still lyrical.

Allegro vivacissimo à Fiery orchestral introduction of the main theme in A major. The solo's introduction is a mini cadenza with its double stops and pizzicato and arco alternation. The main theme has rhythmic drive and ascending runs while the second theme is slower (Poco meno mosso) darker, and lower and descends in motion and it is strong in its folk quality with descending fourths and drone fifths. Color to the second theme is achieved when the bassoon plays in counterpoint.

 

Nicolò Paganini (1782-1840)

•  In his early career, his repertory was mainly by members of the French violin school à viotti, Kreutzer, and Rode. He began to compose while on tour where he composed six concertos. He had a good sense of melody and drama.

•  He was one of the first few performers to perform from memory.

•  His influence stretched beyond the violin as pianists tried to capture his virtuosity t the piano.

•  Some themes from his short pieces were used in other composer's works è such as the theme from this 24 th Caprice. This was used by Brahms and Rachmaninov to be used as a way to display virtuosic variations.

•  Schumann was inspired by him in 1830 to go into music. His Op. 3 was based on the Paganini Caprices.

•  Paganini's Caprices inspired Chopin in his Etudes.

His technical devices:

•  Scordatura à unusual tuning of the strings for unusual multiple stops or tone. He generally tuned each string a half step above normal (like Mozart's viola in his Sinfonia concertante).

•  Harmonics both natural and artificial.

•  Left hand pizzicato combined with bow passages.

•  Multiple stops through the instruments entire range.

•  Wide intervals

•  Unorthodox bowing patters by using an up bow on accented beats and down bow for unaccented. Bouncing techniques of the bow.

•  Extensive use of only one string.

•  Tone à he used thinner, finer strings than other violinists easing up some technical issues but also led to a smaller tone.

•  Concertos No. 1 and No. 2 are most frequently played today.

 

Concerto No. 1 D Major op. 6

Allegro maestoso à D major, originally in E flat with scordatura solo violin. He used the older concerto sonata form with its orchestral ritornellos, solo entries to make the solo entries dramatic. Fairly large orchestra with trombones, contrabassoon, bass drum and cymbals. Italian style. Little use of woodwinds. Frequent fermatas give an operatic aria style. The first theme is highly virtuosic and commanding while the second theme, first presented in the dominant, is lyrical and played in the upper register in the solo violin. Like Mozart's concertos, the lyrical theme is followed by a long cadential like section showing technical articulations.

Allegro spiritoso à Relative minor stressing the singing style, using bel canto ideas.

Rondo, Allegro spiritoso à filled with technical display such as double harmonics.

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