Cedille Records CDR 90000 041

Rachel Barton violin Patrick Sinozich, piano DDD Absolutely Digital™ CDR 90000 041 INSTRUMENT OF THE DEVIL 1 Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre, Op. 40 (7:07) Tartini: Sonata in G minor, “The Devil’s Trill”* (15:57)

2 I. Larghetto Affectuoso (5:16) 3 II. Tempo guisto della Scuola Tartinista (5:12) 4 III. Sogni dellautore: Andante (5:25) 5 Liszt/Milstein: Mephisto Waltz (7:21) 6 Bazzini: Round of the Goblins, Op. 25 (5:05) 7 Berlioz/Barton-Sinozich: Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath from Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 (10:51) 8 De Falla/Kochanski: Dance of Terror from El Amor Brujo (2:11) 9 Ernst: Grand Caprice on Schubert’s Der Erlkönig, Op. 26 (4:11) 10 Paganini: The Witches, Op. 8 (10:02) 1 1 Stravinsky: The Devil’s Dance from L’Histoire du Soldat (trio version)** (1:21) 12 Sarasate: Faust Fantasy (13:30) Rachel Barton, violin Patrick Sinozich, piano *David Schrader, harpsichord; John Mark Rozendaal, cello **with John Bruce Yeh, clarinet TT: (78:30)  

Cedille Records is a trademark of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a not-for-profit foun- dation devoted to promoting the finest musicians and ensembles in the Chicago area. The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation’s activities are supported in part by grants from the WPWR-TV Chan- nel 50 Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Zig and zig and zig, Death in cadence Knocking on a tomb with his heel, Death at midnight plays a dance tune Zig and zig and zig, on his violin. — from a poem by Henry Cazalis, alias Jean Lahor Associations between the violin and death and folk lore, the sound of pipes frequent- or the devil reside deep in the modern ly accompanied Death on his gruesome Western consciousness. Traditional, pop- rounds. During the Middle Ages, string ular, and classical music cultures have instruments enjoyed quite different affili- reinforced this viewpoint many times over. ations. Ecclesiastical artists commonly The identity of the “Devil as fiddler” has selected the soft-toned vielle, rebec, or lira evolved in stages over the past two millen- for symbolic representations of goodness nia or longer as numerous religious beliefs, and the divine. Saintly figures, angels, and folk legends, and literary tales merged to cherubim often held these mellow-sound- produce a central myth. ing instruments in hand. Thus, the ancient Roots of this myth trace back to ancient Apollonian stereotype was retained for Greek religious cults. Instruments were centuries in Western Europe. commonly associated with specific dei- The mid-sixteenth-century emergence of a ties and their ethical attributes. The reed- new family of strings, including the violin, pipe aulos, for instance, belonged to the changed everything. The violin’s popular- decadent cult of Dionysius (Bacchus in ity grew with enormous swiftness, primar- Roman mythology). Aristotle pronounced ily because of its loud tone and secure the aulos “not an instrument that express- tuning. It soon became the preferred es moral character; it is too exciting.” The accompaniment for dances, weddings, and lyre and kithara were connected with other outdoor entertainments. Philibert Apollo, the god of music, healing, archery, Jambe de Fer added in his Epitome Musi- and the sun. Accordingly, string instru- cal (1556) that the violin “is also easier to ments were thought to possess enormous carry, a very necessary thing while lead- restorative powers. ing wedding processions or mummeries This correlation between musical instru- [comic entertainments by masked actors ments and moral states appealed to early or musicians].” Christians. Medieval society invoked music The earliest artistic renderings of the vio- to rationalize the constant intrusions of lin date from the 1570s. In these, peasant warfare, plague, and death. In literature performers accompany group dancing, an activity denounced in the afterglow of ing the nineteenth century, fueled by the the Protestant Reformation and Catho- immensely popular story of the scholar lic Counter-Reformation. Many writers Faust and his calamitous pact with Mephis- blamed the Devil for the very existence of topheles. Many people believed the only dance. The Devil, as the agent of Death explanation for Nicolò Paganini’s unparal- and creator of dance, became inextricably leled violin technique was a Faustian alli- linked to the violin during the Renaissance ance with the Devil. The Italian violinist period. According to musicologist Rita Ste- parlayed this demonic mystique into a phe- blin, the visual and literary arts differed nomenally lucrative concert career. Fur- in their portrayals of this fiendish music- thermore, the superhuman virtuoso image maker. Paintings such as Pieter Brueghel’s — long hair, angular features, sly grin, and “The Triumph of Death” (c.1562) and slender figure — originated with Paganini. Hendrik Goltzius’s “Couple Playing, with Condemnation of the violin as an instru- Death Behind” (17th century) perpetuated ment of the Devil spread during the nine- the skeletal image of Death. Written docu- teenth century to other parts of Europe and ments tended to characterize Death as the North America. Churches in Sweden and Devil himself. Norway outlawed the violin and created a Tales of demonically endowed fiddle play- substitute string instrument, the psalmo- ers first emerged during the seventeenth dikon, to accompany hymn singing. Scan- century. The Englishman Anthony Wood dinavian settlers transported this “bowed described in his diary (July 24, 1658) an zither” to the Upper Midwest region of the awe-inspiring performance by German vio- United States. Calvinist adherents in the lin virtuoso Thomas Baltzar. A respected British Isles denounced the violin because of music professor in attendance “did after his its evil associations with dance. Such preju- humoursome way, stoop downe to Baltzar’s dices also traveled with some Scots-Irish feet to see whether he had a huff [hoof] on, immigrants to the U.S. Numerous British that is to say, to see whether he was a devil folk ballads and fiddle tunes, transplanted or not, because he acted beyond the parts to Appalachia and other parts of the coun- of Man.” The eighteenth-century Italian try, make reference to the Devil. violinist Giuseppe Tartini raised the degree The relationship between the Devil and of diabolical intervention with his claims of string music has resurfaced in recent pop- a dreamy pact with the Devil. ular music. Bluesmen believed that if a gui- Tales of supernatural contracts between tarist reached the crossroads at midnight, musicians and the Devil proliferated dur- he would receive supernatural virtuosic abilities in exchange for his soul. Early ing hour. Saint-Saëns completed his Danse blues-inspired rock artists — among them macabre in 1875 and published the score a the Rolling Stones, Cream, and Led Zep- year later. He also made several arrange- pelin — perpetuated this mystical aspect. ments, including for violin and piano and Heavy metal artists consciously adopted for two pianos. Paganini’s nineteenth-century virtuoso Some orchestral players rebelled against image in their powerful stage presence, the literal representation in Danse macabre styles of hair and clothing, and musical and only reluctantly participated in the pyrotechnics. The electric guitar provides premiere at a February 3, 1875 program a modern high-voltage equivalent to the of the Concert National under Edouard violin. No contemporary song better illus- Colonne. The critic Adolphe Julien com- trates the persistence of the “Devil as fid- plained that the piece “has everything but dler” than the 1979 country-rock hit “The a musical idea, good or bad.” He contin- Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Char- ued by describing it as either “an aberra- lie Daniels Band. The Devil encounters a tion or a hoax.” Audiences, on the other young man “who plays the fiddle hot” and hand, took enormous glee in the fiendish challenges him to a musical duel, the out- orchestral score. The bells toll midnight come of which is unexpected: After centu- on All Hallow’s Eve. Death, playing an ries of bargaining, humankind has finally oddly mistuned violin, summons skeletons produced a musician whose natural skills (depicted in the orchestral version by the surpass the Devil’s. rattling “bones” of a xylophone) from their   graves to dance a macabre waltz — an Four symphonic poems lie buried with- ominous parody of the Dies irae chant in the enormous orchestral catalogue of from the Mass for the Dead. These spec- French composer, organist, and pianist tral figures dance until the rooster crows Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921). The dawn, then they return to their tombs until first, second, and fourth drew their inspi- the next year. ration from the mythological accounts Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) was born in of Omphale, Phaeton, and Hercules. The Pirano, Istria (then part of the republic of third, however, corresponded to a contem- Venice, now located in Slovenia). His fam- porary poem by Henri Cazalis (alias Jean ily encouraged him to enter the priesthood, Lahor). These verses, quoted above, tell of but Tartini opted for a career in law and a frenzied demonic dance that takes place an avocation as a fencer. His marriage in after the stroke of midnight — the witch- 1710 resulted in further conflict with church authorities, and he fled to a monastery at that he would be able to remember Assisi where he resolved to become a pro- at least part of what he heard, but fessional violinist. Tartini spent the majority in vain. The piece that Tartini com- of his career as principal violinist and lead- posed then is indeed the best of all er of the orchestra at St. Anthony’s Basilica that he has ever done, and he calls it in Padua, except for short periods in Venice The Devil’s Sonata. But the former one and Prague. In addition to his sonatas and that amazed him was so much bet- concertos, he wrote and published several ter than his own that he would have influential treatises on violin and bowing broken his violin and given up music technique and on theoretical and acoustical forever if only he could have had it. aspects of music. Tartini’s programmatic writing is not lim- The Sonata in G Minor, known as the ited to this work; other sonatas are named Devil’s Trill, is shrouded in mystery. During Didone abbandonata (Dido Abandoned), a visit to Padua, the French astronomer The Emperor, and The Dear Shade. Many Joseph Jérôme de Lalande heard Tartini have questioned the date of Tartini’s fiend- relate his Faustian story: ish dream and the resulting Devil’s Sonata, One night in 1713, [Tartini] dreamed suggesting alternate dates between 1720 that he had made a contract with and 1740. A gentle siciliano sets a tranquil the Devil, who happened to be in scene before the demonic encounter. The his service. Whatever Tartini wanted subsequent movement, performed in the was granted to him, and all his wish- “appropriate tempo of the Tartini school,” es were anticipated by his new ser- provides a lively preamble to the dramatic vant, who gave him a violin to see if finale. Tartini composed an unusual final he could play anything harmonious. movement in which slow segments, enti- But what was Tartini’s surprise when tled “The Dream of the Master,” alternate he heard [himself play] a sonata so with faster portions containing the cel- original and lovely and performed ebrated “Devil’s Trill.” with such perfection and meaning Many modern violinists perform from Fritz that he could never have imagined Kreisler’s edition. Kreisler eliminated dou- anything like it! He experienced such ble-stops in the siciliano, included his own amazement, admiration, and delight harmonies (different from the sometimes that he was breathless. His strong jarring chords indicated by Tartini’s bass emotion woke him, and he imme- line in the accompaniment), and added a diately seized his violin in the hope cadenza before the end of the final move- ment. Rachel Barton performs from the and Mephistopheles enter a village inn as first edition, published by Jean Baptiste wedding festivities are underway. Mephis- Cartier in his L’Art du Violon ou Collection topheles snatches the violin away from Choisie dans les Sonates des Écoles Italienne, one of the peasants and tunes it string-by- Française et Allemande, an anthology issued string before playing his frenzied dance. in Paris in December 1798. The music slows for a captivating new The Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt (1811- theme as Faust tries to seduce one of the 86) emulated Nicolò Paganini’s tran- maidens. Again, the Devil’s dance rouses scendant virtuosity and stage demeanor the revelers. The nightingale pipes a tune, — and, like Paganini, Liszt was believed and Faust slips off into the woods with his to have given his soul to the Devil in young mistress. Nathan Milstein (1904- exchange for his exceptional musical abili- 92), the celebrated Russian-born violinist, ties. Amy Fay, one of Liszt’s American stu- transformed Liszt’s first Mephisto Waltz dents, characterized him in diabolic terms: into a monstrously challenging piece for “His mouth turns up at the corners, which solo violin. gives him a most crafty and Mephistoph- Very early in his career, the Italian violin- elean expression when he smiles, and his ist Antonio Bazzini (1818-97) garnered whole appearance and manner have a sort extraordinary praise from Robert Schumann of Jesuitical elegance and ease . . . He is all in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (1843): spirit, but half the time at least, a mocking As a player, he ranks among the spirit.” Even after taking minor orders in greatest of the day. I cannot recall one the Catholic Church, Liszt was described who excels him in remarkable execu- as “Mephistopheles disguised as an abbé.” tion, in grace and fullness of tone, and His compositions exhibit a similar affin- especially in clearness and lasting ity for the Faustian model. In addition to power. He exceeds the majority in the his Faust Symphony, based on Goethe’s original freshness, youthfulness, and account, Liszt composed Two Episodes from soundness of his performance; and Lenau’s Faust for orchestra. Compositions when I realize to myself the heart- for the piano inspired by the Faust legend less, soulless, blasé nature of many include the Mephisto Polka, a transcrip- — especially Belgian — virtuosos, he tion of a waltz from Gounod’s Faust, and seems to me a manly, blooming youth four Mephisto Waltzes. Liszt’s first Mephisto among worn-out greybeards; while a Waltz, written in Weimar around 1860, yet more brilliant future smiles before outlines events in the Faust legend. Faust him, although he now stands on such a shining height. Smithson and her manager circulated in A native of Brescia, Bazzini acquired phe- Paris, Berlioz flew into a jealous rage. The nomenal technical skill as a youth. His imagined betrayal provided a scenario for prodigious abilities attracted the attention a programmatic symphony formulating in of his countryman, Nicolò Paganini. Bazzi- his mind: the Fantastic Symphony (Episode ni made numerous recital tours, begin- from the Life of an Artist), Opus 14. Its story ning in 1840, that traversed Europe. He involves an artist who falls in love with a lived in Germany from 1841 to 1845, and flawless, ravishing woman. Clearly, Ber- Paris between 1852 and 1863. The year lioz portrayed himself as the artist. The of his Paris debut (1852), between acts of woman’s identity was equally obvious to an opera at the Théâtre-Italien, Bazzini Smithson, who attended a performance of composed his character piece Round of the Fantastic Symphony and its sequel (the the Goblins (Fantastic Scherzo), Opus 25 for melodrama Lélio, or the Return to Life) on violin and piano. Bazzini joined the com- December 9, 1832. Berlioz finally encoun- position faculty of the Milan Conservatory tered the flattered actress the next morn- in 1873 and became its director nine years ing, and the two married within a year, later. His students included a distinguished unhappily as it turned out. group of opera composers: Alfredo Cata- Several revolutionary aspects of Berlioz’s lani, Pietro Mascagni, Nicolò Massa, and Fantastic Symphony provoked attacks from Giacomo Puccini. Parisian conservatives. The orchestra was The Irish actress Harriet Smithson, who extremely large and diversified. In addi- appeared as Ophelia in a performance of tion, Berlioz had devised an innovative Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Paris, bewitched means of recalling the Beloved throughout the young French composer Hector Ber- the Fantastic Symphony by means of a dis- lioz (1803-69): “The impression made tinctive melody, called the idée fixe, which on my heart and mind by her extraordi- appears in each movement. The char- nary talent, nay her dramatic genius, was acter of the theme is transformed as the equaled only by the havoc wrought in me artist’s vision of the Beloved changes. The by the poet she so nobly interpreted.” The returning melody adds cyclic unity. Berlioz love-struck musician did not meet Smith- expanded the standard four-movement son before she returned to England in symphonic structure to five movements, 1829. Nonetheless, his idealized memory each with a descriptive title drawn from of her developed into obsessive infatua- his published program notes. tion. When rumors of a tryst between The symphony climaxes with the drug- induced “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath.” scenes. Falla responded with uncharacter- Evil figures of every imaginable type sur- istic speed, completing the score between round the young artist. His Beloved’s theme November 1914 and April 1915. appears disfigured and lacking “its charac- The ballet portrayed an unfamiliar facet of ter of nobility and shyness.” Funeral bells Andalusia, the gypsy communities dwell- toll, followed by the Dies irae chant. The ing in the Sacro Monte caves near Grana- witches begin their round dance, which da. The beautiful, hot-blooded gypsy girl later combines with the Dies irae. Candélas has fallen in love with Carme- Following the nineteenth-century tradi- lo. Their rendezvous comes to a terrifying tion of chamber transcriptions of sym- end when the ghost of Candelas’s former phonic scores, Rachel Barton and Pat- lover provokes the jittery “Dance of Terror.” rick Sinozich arranged this movement Falla imitates an old gypsy dance known for violin and piano. Miss Barton and as the baile de la tarantula, closely related to Mr. Sinozich consulted both Berlioz’s full the Italian tarantella. Polish violinist Pawel score and Liszt’s solo-piano transcription Kochanski (1887-1934), also familiar as the (provided courtesy of the Liszt Society of arranger of Falla’s Suite populaire espagnole, London) while deciding collaboratively on transcribed the “Dance of Terror” and other the distribution of thematic material and El amor brujo excerpts for violin and piano. adaptation of orchestral sonorities. The premiere production of El amor brujo, El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) was given at Madrid’s Teatro Lara on April born of mystical gypsy blood. Manuel de 15, 1915, featured members of Imperio’s Falla (1876-1946) had returned to Madrid family: her brother, a sister-in-law, and in 1914 following a seven-year residency in her daughter, María del Albaicín. Unfor- Paris. The musician soon received an invi- tunately, the piece disappointed critics tation from dramatist Martínez Sierra to and ticket-holders alike. Falla later revised collaborate on “one song and one dance” his score as a concert suite (1916) and for the great Andalusian flamenco danc- a pure ballet without singing. The latter er, Pastora Imperio, the most celebrated achieved considerable success at its pre- member of a family of gypsy entertainers. miere in Paris’s Trianon-Lyrique on May Sierra and Falla absorbed gypsy folk songs 22, 1927, on a program containing another and tales from Rosario la Mejorana, Impe- supernaturally inspired piece, Stravinsky’s rio’s mother. This modest commission L’histoire du soldat (The Soldier’s Tale). quickly expanded into a full-scale “gitan- “Ernst was the greatest violinist I have ería,” a gypsy ballet with songs in two ever heard. He towered above all others.” This endorsement by Joseph Joachim (the em) wrote the score, and Salvatore Viganò violinist identified with Johannes Brahms’s created the choreography. Viganò staged solo violin works) was superlative praise numerous acclaimed ballets for the Hofthe- during the age of virtuosos. Some listeners ater, including Beethoven’s The Creatures of claimed Ernst’s technique surpassed even Prometheus, in the early part of the century. Paganini’s. A native son of Moravia, Hein- He revised the Süssmayr collaboration as rich Wilhelm Ernst (1814-65) entered the Le nozze di Benevento for an 1813 perfor- Vienna Conservatory at eleven for studies mance at La Scala in Milan. Audience and in violin with Joseph Boehm and composi- critical reactions were mixed: some praised tion with Ignaz Xaver, Ritter von Seyfried. Viganò’s innovative production, while oth- After attending one of Paganini’s perfor- ers decried the “hodgepodge of diaboli- mances in Vienna, Ernst devoted himself cal and grotesque inventions.” The ballet to attaining equal heights of virtuosity. His made a lasting impression on at least one astounding technique shone through every attendee, the violin virtuoso Nicolò Pagan- original set of variations, poetic move- ini (1782-1840), who soon composed a set ment, and concerto for violin. Ernst com- of variations on Süssmayr’s music for the posed the Grand Caprice on Schubert’s entrance of the witches. (Beginning violin- Der Erlkönig, Opus 26 in Hamburg in 1854. ists today will recognize this tune from Each aspect of Schubert’s demonic song Shinichi Suzuki’s Book 2. Some teach- (based on a text by Goethe) — galloping ers have their students dance a “witches triplets, frantic cries for help, the alluring, dance” while playing this piece.) Paga- deadly entreaties of the Erl-King, and the nini entitled his variations Le streghe (The father’s desperate attempts to comfort his Witches), Opus 8, although one English- dying son — is transferred to the unac- language publication called them Paganini’s companied violin, producing one of the Dream. most difficult works ever written for the A grand, majestic introduction for vio- instrument. lin and piano acquaints the listener with One of the most popular melodies of the tempo changes built into Süssmayr’s early-nineteenth century came from the theme and the virtuosity of the ensuing ballet Die Zauberschwestern im Beneventer variations. Three central variations and Walde (The Magic Sisters in the Beneven- an intermediate section marked “Minore” tan Woods), produced in 1802 in Vien- display Paganini’s whole bag of virtuoso na. Franz Xaver Süssmayr (known for his tricks: multiple stops in Variation I; rapid completion of Mozart’s unfinished Requi- crossings over multiple strings, pizzicatos, and harmonics in Variation II; chromatic that left him lanky, drawn, and pale. Paga- runs in octaves in the Minore; and runs nini began taking a popular elixir that up and down the G string alternated with apparently caused depression and stage- multiple harmonics in Variation III. After fright. His dispassionate stage presence all this, the Finale presents a blazing dis- grew more startling when Paganini had his play of violin pyrotechnics, including runs, bottom teeth removed — perhaps another arpeggios, and harmonics played high on unfortunate result of his “medical” treat- the instrument’s G-string. ment — leaving his mouth in a permanent Technical difficulties inherent in Le streghe devilish smirk. combined with the enchanted subject mat- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) discovered ter helped foster the growing association two folk stories about the encounters between Paganini and the Devil. A Vien- of a Soldier with the Devil while leafing nese gentleman envisioned a demon hov- through a published folk collection that ering over the violinist as he performed this Alexander Afanasiev compiled during music. Paganini published a letter, with the the brutality of the Russo-Turkish wars. help of François-Joseph Fétis, in the Revue Stravinsky mentioned these tales to novel- musicale (1831) describing this “ridiculous” ist C.F. Ramuz, who immediately recog- event: “One individual, who appeared to nized their theatrical potential. Collab- me of a sallow complexion, melancholy oratively, they conceived L’histoire du soldat air, and bright eye, affirmed that he . . . (The Soldier’s Tale), a stage narration with had distinctly seen, while I was playing the incidental music for chamber ensemble. variations, the Devil at my elbow, directing The first performance took place at the my arm and guiding my bow. My resem- Théâtre Municipal in Lausanne, Switzer- blance to [the Devil] was a proof of my land on September 28, 1918. origin. He was clothed in red, had horns The normally “objective” composer experi- on his head, and carried his tail between enced a haunting vision while writing this his legs.” Paganini attempted to dissociate piece. Stravinsky imagined “a young gypsy himself from the demonic image, going so sitting by the edge of the road. She had a far as to publish a loving, God-filled letter child on her lap for whose entertainment from his mother in a Prague newspaper she was playing a violin . . . The child (1828) as evidence against rumors that he was very enthusiastic about the music was the Devil’s son. and applauded it with his little hands.” Nature did little to assist these efforts. The The fiddle became an essential element in violinist suffered from constant ill health the final storyline, though nothing of the gypsy or her child survived. eight-movement orchestral suite (1920). On his way home after the war, a Soldier “The Devil’s Dance” performed on this encounters the Devil dressed as an old recording comes from the trio version. man. The Soldier exchanges his fiddle (a Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s epic telling metaphor for his soul) for a magic book. of the Faust legend bewitched nineteenth- The Devil invites him to spend three days century France. Its clash between sacred with him. Once arrived in his home village, and profane, pure love and unbridled the Soldier realizes he’s been gone three lust, eternal condemnation and redemp- years, not three days. The military man tion inflamed poets, visual artists, and attempts to buy back his fiddle, but finds composers (Schubert, Berlioz, and Liszt, that he can produce no sound from it. The among many others) of the Romantic Soldier throws away the instrument and age. This tale captivated Charles Gounod destroys the magic book. Later, he wins a (1818-93) during his year of study at the card game with the Devil, now disguised French Academy in Rome after he received as a virtuoso violinist, and recovers the fid- the Grand Prix de Rome in 1839. Nine- dle. The Soldier’s music revives a sleeping teen years later, Gounod initiated a col- Princess, winning her hand in marriage. laboration with impresario Léon Carvalho The Devil next appears as himself. The at the small Théâtre-Lyrique, after the Soldier fiddles him into unconsciousness Opéra de Paris rejected his proposed Faust (“The Devil’s Dance”) then drags away his opera. The source of Jules Barbier’s libret- body. After their marriage, the Soldier and to was an 1850 “boulevard” play, Faust et the Princess return to the village, where Marguerite, by Michel Carré (also one of the Devil again enchants the young man Carvalho’s resident authors). Like many and steals his fiddle a final time. French adaptations of Faust — either in With L’histoire du soldat, Stravinsky cut novel, play, or visual form — Carré chose final ties with his “Russian period” style. to spotlight the character of Marguerite He opted instead for several popular (Gretchen in Goethe’s version). The opera “Western” musical types — march, tango, takes place in a sixteenth-century Ger- waltz, ragtime, and pasodoble — in addi- man village. Doctor Faust bemoans his tion to the more solemn Protestant chorale meaningless existence and enters into a and, of course, the Dies irae. Stravinsky fiendish contract with Méphistophélès. made two arrangements of his Soldier’s Gounod’s Faust opened on March 19, 1859, Tale music: a five-movement suite for and enjoyed a respectable run of fifty-nine violin, clarinet, and piano (1919) and an performances. Gounod’s themes enjoyed widespread 1859. Later tours took him to England and dissemination through sheet music pub- North and South America. lications and instrumental fantasies or pot- — © Todd E. Sullivan 1998 pourris. (Opera was considered a form of Todd E. Sullivan is Assistant Professor of Music popular entertainment during the nine- (musicology) at Indiana State University and is teenth century, and virtuoso performers program annotator for the Ravinia Festival. frequently included operatic fantasies on A “Devilish” Reading List their solo programs.) At least three vio- Cansler, Loman D. “The Fiddle and Religion.” linist-composers created Faust fantasies: Missouri Folklore Society Journal 13-14 (1991- Henryk Wieniawski, Henri Vieuxtemps, 92): 31-43. and Pablo Sarasate (1844-1908). Sara- Michel, Johannes. “Tanz und Teufel: Zu ausge- walten Musikdarstellunden mittelalterlicher sate began, in traditional fashion, with his Sakralkunst am Oberrhein.” In Musik am Ober- own fantastic introduction. The operatic rhein. Kassel: Bosse, 1993. Pp. 13-29. excerpts observe the following sequence Schmidt-Garre, Helmut. “Der Teufel in der (based on the five-act edition): Marguerite’s Musik.” Melos Vol. 1, No. 3 (1975): 174-83. Prayer from Act IV (“Seigneur, accueillez Steblin, Rita. “Death as a Fiddler: The Study of a la prière”), Méphistophélès’s Song of the Convention in European Art, Literature, and Golden Calf from Act II (“Le veau d’or est Music.” Basler Jahrbuch für Historische Musik- praxis 14 (1990): 271-322. toujours debout”), Faust and Marguerite’s Walser, Rob. Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, duet from Act III (“Ô nuit d’amour”), a brief and Madness in Heavy Metal Music. Hannover, extract from Faust’s Act III cavatina (“Salut! NH: University Press of New England, 1993. demeure chaste et pure”), and part of the Walter, Michael. “Der Teufel und die Kunst- Act II waltz with chorus sung by the youth- musik: Zur Musik der Karolingerzeit.” Das ful Siebel (“C’est par ici”). andere Wahrnehmen: Beitrage zur europäischen Geschichte: August Nitschke zum 65. Geburtstag The son of a Spanish military bandmaster, gewidmet. Edited by Martin Kintzinger, Wolf- Sarasate began his musical studies at the gang Sturner, and Johannes Zahlten. Cologne: age of five. Sarasate gave his first public Bohlau, 1991. Pp. 63-74. performance on the violin at age eight. Wolfe, Charles. The Devil’s Box: Masters of Southern Fiddling. Nashville, TN: Country Music Founda- With the financial backing of Queen Isa- tion Press; Vanderbilt University Press, 1997. bella, he went to Paris in 1856 to continue studies at the Conservatoire. He won first prize in violin and solfège the following year and a first prize in harmony in 1859. One of the great violin virtuosos of his day, Sarasate made his first tour of Europe in About Patrick Sinozich A staple of the Chicago music scene, pianist Patrick Sinozich is a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the University of Chicago Contemporary Cham- ber Players. He has performed chamber music with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, and the San Fran- cisco Symphony. Mr. Sinozich has also appeared with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Chicago’s New Art and Storioni Ensembles, and the Chicago Com- posers’ Consortium. “In great demand as an accompanist,” according to the Chicago Tribune, Patrick Sinozich also runs a private vocal coaching studio, serves as an accompanist for the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and is Artistic Director and conductor of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus. About the violin Rachel Barton plays the ex-Lobkowitz Antonius & Hieronymous Amati of Cre- mona, 1617, on generous loan from her patron. The Seal of the Lobkowitz Family on the back of the violin identifies it as one of the instruments held by this illustrious European family. Prince Lob- kowitz was a significant patron of Beethoven. The Amati family is responsible for the violin as we know it today. Andreas Amati invented the violin c. 1550. His sons Antonius and Hieronymous, known as the Brothers Amati, brought violin making forward into the 17th century. Hierony- mous’s son Nicolo continued to nearly the end of the 17th century and was the teacher of Andreas Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari. The violin Miss Barton plays is a particularly fine example of the makers’ work and is excellently preserved. The top is formed from two pieces of spruce showing fine grain broadening toward the flanks. The back is formed from two pieces of semi-slab cut maple with narrow curl ascending slightly from left to right. The ribs and the original scroll are of similar stock. The varnish is golden-brown in color. The piano used on this recording is a Steinway Concert Grand. Rachel Barton photo: Cheri Eisenberg About Rachel Barton 23-year-old American violinist Rachel Barton is widely recognized as one of the most gifted virtuosi of her generation. She has appeared as soloist with major orchestras across Europe and North America including the Chicago, St. Louis, Montreal, Vienna, and Budapest Symphonies, working with renowned conductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Neeme Jarvi, Erich Leinsdorf, and Zubin Mehta. A native of Chicago, she began violin studies at age 3, made her professional debut four years later with the Chicago String Ensemble, and gave her earliest performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at ages 10 and 15. Her most recent performances with the Chicago Symphony took place January 1997 in Orchestra Hall, and July 1996 at the Ravinia Festival, where she has appeared in recital numerous times, including a July 1998 concert of Mozart Sonatas with Ravinia Music Director Christoph Eschenbach at the piano. Miss Barton has also enjoyed chamber music collaborations with Daniel Barenboim, the Pacifica Quartet, the Chicago Baroque Ensemble, and many members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During the 1998/99 season, she will perform the complete Paganini 24 Caprices and Bach Six Sona- tas and Partitas for live broadcast on Chicago Fine Arts radio station WFMT. Rachel Barton holds prizes from many of the world’s leading competitions. She won the gold medal at the 1992 Quadrennial J.S. Bach International Violin Competition in Leipzig, becoming the first American and youngest ever to do so. Other top honors have come from the Queen Elizabeth (Brussels, 1993), Kreisler (Vienna, 1992), Szigeti (Budapest, 1992), and Montreal (1991) international violin competitions. She also won the prize for best interpretation of the Paganini Caprices at both the Szigeti and Paganini (Genoa, 1993) competitions. Rachel Barton plays the “ex-Lobkowicz” A&H Amati of 1617, on generous loan from her patron (see note inside booklet). Her home page on the world wide web is at http://www. rachelbarton.com. Miss Barton is represented by ICM Artists, Inc. Also with Rachel Barton on Cedille Records George Frideric Handel: The Sonatas for Violin and Continuo — CDR 90000 032 “Some of the most refreshing, life-enhancing Baroque playing heard in years.” —Chicago Tribune Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries — CDR 90000 035 “Barton handles the concertos’ varied demands with unaffected aplomb, performing this music lovingly.” —The New York Times