Motivated: Invitation to the Dance

concert program v: Motivated: invitation to the dance

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) August 1 Suite no. 2 in b minor, BWV 1067 (ca. 1738–1739) Ouverture Wednesday, August 1, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Rondeau Arts at Menlo-Atherton Sarabande ams Bourrée Program Overview Polonaise Minuet “Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals.” Badinerie —Charles Baudelaire Carol Wincenc, flute; Wu Han, harpsichord; Kristin Lee, Ian Swensen, violins; Paul Neubauer, viola; “Motivated” celebrates the vital dimension of dance in the Dane Johansen, cello; Scott Pingel, bass musical art form across more than two centuries, from the Franz Schubert (1797–1828) Second Orchestral Suite of Johann Sebastian Bach, a collec- Six German Dances, D. 820 (1824) tion of traditional Baroque dance forms, to Aaron Copland’s Gilbert Kalish, piano iconic ballet Appalachian Spring. Along the way, Schubert’s rustic Six German Dances and the Kaiserwalzer of the “Waltz Claude Debussy (1862–1918) King” Johann Strauss Jr.—in a decadent arrangement Danse sacrée et danse profane (1904) by Arnold Schoenberg—illustrate the vitality of dance in Bridget Kibbey, harp; Erin Keefe, Jorja Fleezanis, violins; Paul Neubauer, viola; Dane Johansen, nineteenth-century Vienna, while Debussy’s impressionistic cello; Scott Pingel, bass concert Progr concert Danses sacrée et profane and Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances Johann Strauss (1825–1899) encapsulate those composers’ native cultures. Kaiserwalzer, op. 437 (1889, arr. 1925) (arr. Arnold Schoenberg, 1864–1949) Carol Wincenc, flute; Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet; Gloria Chien, piano; Ian Swensen, Erin Keefe, violins; Paul Neubauer, viola; Dane Johansen, cello

SPECIAL THANKS Intermission Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Kris Klint with Béla Bartók (1881–1945) gratitude for her generous support. Seven Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 68, BB 76 (1915) Jocul cu bât˘a (Stick Dance) Brâul (Sash Dance) Pe loc (In One Spot) Buciumeana (Dance from Bucsum) Poarga Româneasc ˘a (Romanian Polka) M˘arunt.el (Fast Dance) M˘arunt.el (Fast Dance) Erin Keefe, Jorja Fleezanis, Adam Barnett-Hart, Wu Jie, violins; Paul Neubauer, Geraldine Walther, violas; Dane Johansen, cello; Scott Pingel, bass

Aaron Copland (1900–1990) Appalachian Spring (1944) Carol Wincenc, flute; Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet; Marc Goldberg, bassoon; Gloria Chien, piano; Martha Graham and ensemble in Appalachian Spring. Courtesy Jorja Fleezanis, Wu Jie, Adam Barnett-Hart, Kristin Lee, violins; Pierre Lapointe, Geraldine Walther, of the Library of Congress violas; Dane Johansen, David Finckel, cellos; Scott Pingel, bass

26 Music@Menlo 2012 Program Notes: Motivated

Johann Sebastian Bach is impeccable—and, for the solo flutist, the Badinerie offers one of the (Born March 21, 1685, Eisenach; died July 28, 1750, Leipzig) classic tunes in that instrument’s repertoire. Orchestral Suite no. 2 in b minor, BWV 1067 —Patrick Castillo Composed: ca. 1738–1739 Other works from this period: Sonata in A Major for Flute and Harpsi- chord, BWV 1032 (ca. 1736); Fantasia on a Rondo in c minor, BWV 918 Franz Schubert (ca. 1740) (Born January 31, 1797, Vienna; died November 19, 1828, Vienna) Approximate duration: 20 minutes Six German Dances, D. 820 Composed: 1824 In 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach was appointed to the music direc- Other works from this period: Detailed in the notes below torships of the Nikolaikirche and the Paulinerkirche, the two most Approximate duration: 8 minutes prominent churches in Leipzig, as well as to the post of Cantor of the St. Thomas School at Leipzig’s Thomaskirche. These prestigious Late in 1822, Franz Schubert contracted syphilis, and within a few appointments lured him from his position as Kapellmeister at the court months he was hospitalized for a lengthy period. With much of the of Cöthen to the city where he would remain until his death in 1750. European continent affected by the disease, Schubert was well aware of Also during his tenure in Leipzig, Bach assumed the directorship of the his own mortality. He wrote to a friend in March of 1824: Collegium Musicum, a strong amateur ensemble founded in 1701 by Bach’s contemporary Georg Philipp Telemann. The Collegium Musicum I find myself to be the most unhappy and wretched creature was one of numerous such performance groups in Germany at the time, in the world. Imagine a man whose health will never be right mostly founded by university music students and which were a vital part again, and who in sheer despair continually makes things of German musical life. worse and worse instead of better; imagine a man, I say, Much of Bach’s instrumental music during this period was com- whose most brilliant hopes have perished, to whom the felic- posed for the Collegium Musicum’s performances at such venues as ity of love and friendship has nothing to offer but pain at best,

Zimmermann’s Coffeehouse, a café made famous by hosting the whom enthusiasm (at least of the stimulating variety) for all ams premiere performances of some of Bach’s finest music. Bach’s Four things beautiful threatens to forsake, and I ask you, is he not Orchestral Suites are among the works presented at Zimmermann’s a miserable, unhappy being? “My peace is gone, my heart is Coffeehouse by the Collegium Musicum. The second of these, the sore, I shall find it nevermore.” I might as well sing every day Orchestral Suite no. 2 in b minor, was the last of the four to be com- now, for upon retiring to bed each night I hope that I may not pleted: its composition dates from between 1738 and 1739, though wake again, and each morning only recalls yesterday’s grief. recent research suggests that some of its material comes from Bach’s earlier time in Cöthen. Despite the dire outlook of his health, Schubert remained remark- Bach’s directorship of the Collegium Musicum, in addition to his ably prolific in his compositional output. In 1824, four years before his various other posts, helped reinforce his position as Leipzig’s most death, Schubert wrote his Octet for Strings and Winds, the Rosamunde influential musical figure. More importantly, it provided Bach, one of and Death and the Maiden string quartets, the Grand Duo for piano history’s most indefatigable composers, with an outlet to produce a duet, and the Arpeggione Sonata. In the summer of 1824, Schubert body of secular instrumental music that was not needed for his church returned to Zselíz, one hundred miles east of Vienna, to the summer positions but that over history became essential to the Western canon. home of Count Johann Karl Esterhazy, where he had previously been Each of the orchestral suites begins with an overture; the b minor employed. While there, Schubert tutored the count’s two daughters, Progr concert suite’s overture is set in the French style, characterized by its stately the Countesses Marie and Karoline, and composed numerous works for dotted-rhythm opening. As per the French overture style, the regal keyboard, including his Six German Dances, D. 820. opening leads to a central fugato section. Each of the six dances, though relatively short in length, demon- Following the overtures, the orchestral suites are compendia of strates Schubert’s ingenious and subtle pianistic writing and use of such Baroque dance forms. The second movement is a rondeau, a French forward-thinking techniques as rhythmic and metric displacement. Per- dance form rooted in the early thirteenth century. The third move- formed without pause, the six dances come across as one piece with six ment is a sarabande, a genre of sung dance from sixteenth-century distinct episodes. The first three dances are in A-flat major, and the first Spain. The bourrée, another French dance form, follows and then the of these begins with a lilting primary theme. In each of the two follow- polonaise, a stately Polish dance in triple meter. ing dances, the primary theme of the first dance returns after sections The minuet, another triple-meter dance, resembles the waltz with of wistful reflection. The final set of dances, all in B-flat major, begins its elegant gait. This form would remain a key component of instrumen- with a rustic quality, with heavy use of the bass register. In the final tal music throughout the Classical period, serving as the second or third two dances, Schubert’s characteristic Viennese elegance shines forth, movement in the multimovement works of Haydn and Mozart. before returning to the rustic earthiness of the fourth dance. The suite concludes with its most famous movement, the sprightly —Isaac Thompson Badinerie. The term badinerie (or badinage) came into use around the time of this suite and, according to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the finale to Bach’s b minor suite is the only known badinerie in the repertoire. The term has no exact musical definition—it was generally used to describe music of a light and frivolous character. Whether frivolous or profound, as with all of Bach’s music, the execution

*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 107. www.musicatmenlo.org 27 Claude Debussy Strauss was greatly prolific and commercially shrewd: any signifi- (Born August 22, 1862, Saint-Germain-en-Laye; died March 25, 1918, cant event in Viennese public life, as well as many important occasions Paris) elsewhere in Europe, was commemorated by a festive Strauss waltz, Danses sacrée et profane ensuring that the composer remained always in the public eye. Strauss scholar Peter Kemp writes, “The titles and dedicatees of [Strauss’s] Composed: 1904 compositions may be viewed as a musically illustrated guide to about Published: 1904 fifty years of European history.” Dedication: Gustave Lyon Though he is regarded, not inaccurately, as a composer of lighter Other works from this period: Estampes (1903); L’isle joyeuse (1903– fare, it would be a mistake to dismiss Strauss as a composer lacking in 1904); La mer (1903–1905) substance. Despite the lack of any gravitas in his own music, he was Approximate duration: 9 minutes fascinated by the progressive musical innovations of Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt, and his own keen instinct for melody and instrumental color won the admiration of such “serious” composers as Brahms, Rich- Debussy composed the Danses sacrée et profane (Sacred and Profane ard Strauss, Verdi, and Wagner. Today, it surprises many listeners that Dances) in 1904 on a commission from the instrument manufacturer the iconoclastic composers of the Second Viennese School likewise Pleyel. The company had recently introduced the chromatic harp and held Strauss’s music in quite high regard. Arnold Schoenberg, Anton was seeking repertoire for the new instrument. The conventional harp Webern, and Alban Berg even made arrangements of Strauss waltzes is tuned to the diatonic major scale (i.e., its strings are tuned only to for the Society for Private Musical Performances, an organization the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G), with a set of seven pedals to flatten founded by Schoenberg in 1918 to champion what he saw as the fin- or sharpen each pitch. The chromatic harp by contrast had separate est examples of modern music. One of the most delectable of these is strings for all twelve pitches and no pedals. Debussy composed his Schoenberg’s arrangement of Strauss’s Kaiserwalzer, or Emperor Waltz, Danses sacrée et profane for this instrument; the work was intended for flute, clarinet, string quartet, and piano. as an exam piece for students at the Brussels Conservatoire. While the —Patrick Castillo chromatic harp never ultimately caught on and has long since been abandoned, the Sacred and Profane Dances quickly became one of the most popular works in the harp repertoire and are still widely performed today on the conventional harp. Béla Bartók The Sacred Dance emerges quietly and mysteriously, as if from (Born March 25, 1881, Nagyszentmiklós, Hungary [now Sînnicolau some primordial state. The harp enters with a tranquil series of chords. Mare, Romania]; died September 26, 1945, New York) ams Debussy’s modal harmonies evoke an aura of antiquity, perhaps in def- Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 68, BB 76 erence to the harp, one of the most ancient instruments. Whole-tone Composed: 1915 figurations later in the dance reinforce the music’s unearthly quality. Other works from this period: After the featherweight Sacred Dance, the Profane Dance establishes Detailed in the notes below a steady, waltz-like tempo—an earthly quality that contrasts with the Approximate duration: 6 minutes sacred character of the first dance. On March 18, 1905, the twenty-three-year-old Béla Bartók met Zoltán Kodály in Budapest for the first time. Both had studied with Hans von Koessler, a distinguished German composer who spent much of his Johann Strauss Jr. career teaching at the National Music Academy of Budapest. Bartók (Born October 25, 1825, Vienna; died June 3, 1899, Vienna) and Kodály’s meeting would be the beginning of a lasting artistic and Kaiserwalzer, op. 437 personal relationship. Kodály had a great interest and much knowledge Composed: 1889 (arr. Schoenberg, 1925) in what is now known as ethnomusicology. Bartók was immediately Published: Berlin, 1889 fascinated with this subject and embarked with Kodály, as well as concert Progr concert Other works from this period: Sinnen und Minnen, op. 435 (1888); independently, on numerous expeditions to rural locations throughout Durch’s Telephon, op. 439 (1890) Eastern Europe to study and record the folk music of various regions. In 1907, Bartók traveled to Transylvania, in the central part of Approximate duration: 10 minutes Romania, on a collecting expedition, where he first had the realization that the harmonic, rhythmic, and formal aspects of folk music could The Viennese composer and conductor Johann Strauss Jr. was respon- be adapted into his own musical language. Throughout his life, Bartók sible for some of the most wildly popular music of nineteenth-century held a particular fondness for the folk music from Transylvania, whose Vienna—and, indeed, what remains some of the most popular music Romanian population was isolated within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. in the repertoire today. The son of the celebrated composer Johann The Romanian Folk Dances were composed in 1915, a year which Strauss I, he was known during his lifetime variously as Strauss Son has become known as Bartók’s “Romanian” year. Around the same or Strauss the Younger. But it is by another nickname that Strauss is time, Bartók completed his Romanian Christmas Songs, the Sonatina more fondly known: to legions of music lovers, Johann Strauss Jr. is the for Solo Piano, and the Transylvanian Dances. Bartók’s Romanian Folk “Waltz King.” Dances pay homage to various Romanian locales where the composer Strauss made his public debut as a composer and conductor at the collected folk music. Originally composed for solo piano, the Romanian age of eighteen, and his music immediately met with public acclaim. Folk Dances have been transcribed and arranged for numerous instru- Referring to the elder Johann Strauss, the press proclaimed, “Strauss’s mental combinations. The first dance, from Mesöszabad, is a strident name will be worthily continued in his son; children and children’s chil- Transylvanian dance, defined by its strong duple meter and restrained dren can look forward to the future, and three-quarter time”—referring yet infectious theme. The Sash Dance and In One Spot, both hailing to the triple meter of waltz music—“will find a strong footing in him.” from Egres, embody a more mysterious quality. The Buciumeana, from Indeed, Strauss’s waltzes would become emblematic of Viennese dance Bisztra, is highlighted by a lyrical and longing Transylvanian melody, music. Owing largely to those enchanting waltzes, Strauss the Younger’s first presented in the solo violin and eventually passed to the entire popularity continued to grow, and in 1852, the Viennese press declared, ensemble. The Romanian Polka presents a vigorous dance that would “Strauss Father has been fully replaced by Strauss Son.” accompany children’s games in the Belényes region. The final pair of

28 Music@Menlo 2012 dances, both entitled Fast Dance, are seamlessly connected and fea- Moderate/Moderato. Duo for the Bride and her Intended – ture music that seems to move faster and faster until all the dancers fall scene of tenderness and passion. over in exhaustion. —Isaac Thompson Quite fast. The Revivalist and his flock. Folksy feeling – sug- gestions of square dances and country fiddlers. Aaron Copland Still faster/Subito allegro. Solo dance of the Bride – presenti- (Born November 14, 1900, Brooklyn, New York; died December 2, ment of motherhood. Extremes of joy and fear and wonder. 1990, North Tarrytown, New York) Appalachian Spring Very slowly (as at first). Transition scene to music reminiscent Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes (New York) of the introduction. Composed: 1943–1944 (orchestrated 1954); suite prepared in 1944 (orchestrated 1945) Calm and flowing/Doppio movimento. Scenes of daily activ- First performance: October 30, 1944, Library of Congress, Washing- ity for the Bride and her Farmer husband. There are five variations theme. ton, D.C. on a Shaker The theme, sung by a solo clarinet, was taken from a collection of Shaker melodies com- Other works from this period: Fanfare for the Common Man (1942); piled by Edward D. Andrews and published under the title Symphony no. 3 (1944–1946); Clarinet Concerto (1947–1948) The Gift to Be Simple. The melody most borrowed and used Approximate duration: 33 minutes almost literally is called “Simple Gifts.”

Aaron Copland owns a legacy as one of the United States’ most semi- Moderate. Coda/Moderato – Coda. The Bride takes her nal composers. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1900 to Russian Jewish place among her neighbors. At the end the couple is left immigrant parents, Copland lived and worked during the formative “quiet and strong in their new house.” Muted strings intone a years of America’s musical development. Charles Ives, the innovative hushed, prayer-like chorale passage. The close is reminiscent patriarch of American music, was twenty-six years old and nearing his of the opening music. artistic maturity when Copland was born. Another revolutionary Amer- ican composer, Henry Cowell, was just three years Copland’s senior. —Patrick Castillo Over the course of his own fruitful career, Copland served as a mentor to many definitive American composers, including William Schuman, Leonard Bernstein, Lukas Foss, Elliott Carter, and others. He further- ams more worked tirelessly to nurture the growth of an American musical community. In addition to composing, Copland produced concerts, wrote extensively on music, oversaw the publication of new works by American composers, and, in 1939, cofounded the American Music Center, an important service and resource center for classical music in the United States. But above all, it is through his compositional activities that Cop- Music@Menlo land garnered the honorary moniker of “Dean of American Music.” In chamber music festival and institute searching for a distinctly American musical language, he integrated elements of jazz, blues, and other popular American styles with the characteristics of those composers whom he most revered: the mod- ernism of Stravinsky, the textures of Gabriel Fauré and Gustav Mahler. Intrepidly curious, he even tinkered with Schoenberg’s twelve-tone concert Progr concert method in his Piano Quartet of 1950. Appalachian Spring, a one-act ballet composed in 1944 for Mar- tha Graham, is one of Copland’s most renowned scores and won him the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for Music. The music was originally scored for an ensemble of thirteen instruments; Copland also prepared an orchestral version, and both remain popular and frequently performed today. In addition to arguably becoming Copland’s most popular piece, Appala- chian Spring is widely regarded as a quintessentially American work: the sound world that Copland creates resonates with many listeners as the signature sound of American music. The ballet depicts the story of nineteenth-century pioneers and Make a Difference: Volunteer! their springtime celebration after building a farmhouse for a young couple soon to wed. The other central characters are the young couple’s A team of friendly, enthusiastic, and hardworking volun- neighbor, a revivalist preacher, and his congregation. Copland provided descriptions of each of the score’s eight sections as follows: teers always is needed to help the festival run smoothly. Music@Menlo volunteers (“Friends of the Festival”) contribute Very slowly. Introduction of the characters, one by one, in a their time in a variety of ways, including ushering at concerts, suffused light. providing general festival hospitality at the Welcome Center, helping with mailings, and hosting artists in their homes. Fast/Allegro. Sudden burst of unison strings in A major arpeggios starts the action. A sentiment both elated and reli- If you are interested in contributing your time and energy, gious gives the keynote to this scene. please contact us at 650-330-2030 or [email protected].