Luciano Berio's Naturale
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ABSTRACT Title of Document: LUCIANO BERIO’S NATURALE: A STORY COMBINING FOLK MUSIC AND ART MUSIC Leonardo Piermartiri Doctor of Musical Arts, 2013 Directed By: Professor Katherine Murdock School of Music The study of a score by a serious performer is a fundamental step in the process of arriving at a knowledgeable and deeply informed approach to performing a piece of music. In order to obtain this knowledge numerous aspects of the score must be taken into consideration. It is the intent of this dissertation to gather and analyze the information concerning Naturale, a work written by Luciano Berio in 1985 for viola, percussion and recorded voice, based on Sicilian folk songs. All the aspects surrounding Naturale’s existence are taken into consideration in this study. First, it is important to reflect on Berio’s compositional style and traits, the manner in which he relates his works one to another, what he sees in folk music and his own personal desire to intertwine art music and folk music. For Berio Naturale is not an isolated venture into the realm of mixing folk music and his own avant-garde style; it is instead one of many works resulting from his long-standing relationship with folk music. Another essential aspect in this case is the study of Sicilian folk music itself, and the sources used by Berio to find the songs by which he was inspired. The work is examined section by section with figures showing both excerpts of Naturale as well as the original songs with their translations. An analysis containing harmonic, thematic and formal aspects of the score was developed in order to arrive at a better understanding of the structure and pacing of the piece. For this research the author went to Italy to conduct an interview with Maestro Aldo Bennici, the Sicilian violist for whom Naturale was composed. This interview helped in the discovery of two more songs used by Berio that have not to this point been identified in any other document. Bennici’s outstanding testimony portrayed the expressive character of this music and the evocative imagery behind this score. I hope to bring this knowledge to other performers, that they may fully understand and appreciate the unique beauty and power of Berio’s Naturale. LUCIANO BERIO’S NATURALE: A STORY COMBINING FOLK MUSIC AND ART MUSIC By Leonardo Piermartiri Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts 2013 Advisory Committee: Professor Katherine Murdock, Chair Professor David Salness Professor Evelyn Elsing Dr. Robert C. Provine Dr. Peter Beicken © Copyright by Leonardo Piermartiri 2013 Preface What we do either small or big, is history. Because we all take part in history but we don’t notice it. We take part in history with our little contributions. What is important is the existence of one more piece for the viola. I contributed with my tiny grain of sand to the creation of new pieces for viola. And this, I believe, is our duty. Otherwise, if we don’t think this way, we end up obscuring the beauty of what we do. Aldo Bennici ii Foreword To a certain extent, the decision to have Naturale as the topic of this dissertation is based on personal reasons. As I am of Italian descendant I feel connected to the culture of that country; being a violist I sought a significant association with music for this instrument that might have a more direct cultural connection with my heritage. After thorough research of Italian works for viola I found this spectacular piece, and writing about it has taken me into an unexpected but incredibly meaningful journey. iii Dedication To my parents, Francesco and Maria Luisa, for their unconditional love and everlasting support. Senza di voi non ce l'avrei fatta. Vi Amo! iv Acknowledgements I wish to express my gratitude to my wonderful teacher and advisor Prof. Katherine Murdock for the inspiration and editing of this dissertation, and for all the extraordinary support and care she gave me these four years. Her great artistic skills and passion for music will influence me for the rest of my life. I also wish to thank Maestro Aldo Bennici for his immense kindness in conceding the interview for this dissertation, sharing with me and all the readers several fascinating aspects about Naturale, Berio and Sicilian music. Thank you also Kim Kashkashian for her interview, Dr. Robert C. Provine for his help in editing, Dr. James Fry and Dr. Carlos Fernandes for the analysis insights, Paul Keesling for performing beautifully in my recital and sharing the percussion set- up, Mario Tranchina for his help in transcribing and translating from the Sicilian and Corrado Piermartiri for contacting and mailing the material from Italy to here. I also want to thank Universal Edition for kindly allowing the reprint of short excerpts of Naturale in this dissertation.1 Finally, thank you Lord Jesus Christ for enlightening my life and blessing me with my wonderful wife Tet, which encouragement and support was essential for this accomplishment. I also want to remember my precious daughters Lidia and Naomi, for the time I had to be away and for the hope and happiness they give me. 1 Luciano Berio “Naturale (über sizilianische Melodien) für Viola, Schlagzeug und Zuspielband (sizilianischer Volkssänger)” © Copyright 1985 by Universal Edition A.G., Wien/UE 32565 v Table of Contents Preface ...................................................................................................................... ii Foreword .................................................................................................................. iii Dedication ................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... vi List of Tables.......................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ........................................................................................................ viii Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 - Luciano Berio’s Works and Folk Music ............................................. 5 CHAPTER 2 - Connection Between Naturale and Voci ............................................. 9 CHAPTER 3 - About Sicily and its Heritage ........................................................... 14 CHAPTER 4 - The Source of the Songs................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 5 - Classification of Songs ..................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 6 - The Sicilian Folk Songs used in Naturale ......................................... 31 Abbagnata ........................................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER 7 - Naturale: The work Section by Section ............................................ 35 Beginning ............................................................................................................ 35 Section A (A la Sciacchitana) .............................................................................. 38 Section B ............................................................................................................. 41 Section C (Abbagnata I) ...................................................................................... 43 Section D ............................................................................................................. 45 Section E (Ninna Nanna) ..................................................................................... 46 Section F ............................................................................................................. 49 Section G (Ladata) .............................................................................................. 50 Section H (Abbagnata II) ..................................................................................... 54 Section I .............................................................................................................. 57 vi Section J .............................................................................................................. 58 Section K ............................................................................................................. 60 Section L ............................................................................................................. 66 Section M ............................................................................................................ 68 Section N (Tubbiana)........................................................................................... 73 Section O ............................................................................................................. 75 Section P ............................................................................................................. 78 Section Q ............................................................................................................. 79 Section R (Ninna Nanna di Carini) ...................................................................... 81 CHAPTER 8 - Analysis ..........................................................................................