On the Record: Interpreting Recorded Orchestral Excerpts for the Oboe, 1910 – 2016
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ON THE RECORD: INTERPRETING RECORDED ORCHESTRAL EXCERPTS FOR THE OBOE, 1910 – 2016 A Monograph Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board By Meghan Woodard In Partial Fulfillment of the ReQuirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS August 2017 Doctoral Advising Committee: Dr. Steven Zohn, Advisory Chair, Music Studies: Music History Dr. Matthew Brunner, Instrumental Studies Dr. Charles Abramovic, Keyboard Studies Dr. Cynthia Folio, Outside Reader, Music Studies Chair: Music Theory © Copyright 2017 by Meghan Woodard All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT This monograph analyzes recordings of three orchestral excerpts for the oboe made between 1910 – 2016 and studies trends in interpretation, showing how performance practice is continually evolving as musical tastes change. The chosen excerpts span several style periods from the early nineteenth century to the twentieth century. The first excerpt, the cadenza from the Allegro con brio movement of the Fifth Symphony by Beethoven, has been under-studied by oboists and musicologists and yet it plays a pivotal role in the first movement of this iconic piece. The second excerpt, the Adagio solo from the second movement of Brahms’s Violin Concerto, has much room for individual interpretation and soloistic freedom on the part of the both the oboe and violin soloists. Finally, recordings of the technically-challenging twentieth-century excerpt, the “Prélude” solo from le tombeau de Couperin by Ravel, show how standards of musical perfection have been raised overtime as a result of the recording industry. Preference is given to recordings from countries with strong traditions in oboe performance, such as the United States, England, Germany, and France. To give a clear picture of performance trends, I study approximately ten recordings per decade. A large-data recording study such as this has never been attempted of orchestral excerpts for the oboe. Findings common to all three excerpts over time include: a decline in small-group, rhetorical phrasing; a decline in national schools; tempos becoming slower in the mid-twentieth century and faster towards the end of the twentieth century; and strongest similarities in playing styles of oboists with a shared pedagogical lineage. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my doctoral advising committee for their guidance throughout my doctoral degree at Temple University. I am very grateful to my advisory chair, Dr. Steven Zohn, for loaning me a BaroQue oboe during my first semester at Temple, connecting me to my wonderful BaroQue oboe teacher and mentor, Geoffrey Burgess, and for supporting my interest in studying recordings. Dr. Charles Abramovic’s fascinating Performance Traditions class also exposed me to early recordings and inspired me to continue my own research. Thank you also to Dr. Cynthia Folio for helping me to become a better writer and theorist. Finally, thank you Dr. Matthew Brunner for attending every one of my recitals and jury performances and for your belief in me as an oboist and teacher. Peter Smith, my private oboe teacher and one of the best orchestral musicians I know, is an endless source of inspiration and encouragement. I am grateful for the help of the librarians at the Library of Congress’s Recorded Sound Library for helping me to find rare recordings and valuable information regarding dates and performers. I must also thank my family: my loving husband, Charlie; my faithful dog, Doug; my supportive parents and sisters, Bill, Liann, Natalie, and Lauren. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………………………….iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………………………………………iv LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………………………….…..……….viii INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………….…..……....ix CHAPTER 1: THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY & THE OBOE CADENZA FROM BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH SYMPHONY (1808)……………………………………………………..………1 Musical Meaning in the Fifth Symphony……………………………………………………..1 Meaning & Interpretive Ideas from Oboists: john de Lancie & john Mack….…4 The Oboe within Beethoven’s Orchestra……………………………………………….……7 Historical Evidence: The 18th- and 19th-Century Cadenza…………….……….…10 Case-Studies of Recordings……………….………………………………………………..……14 Recordings from 1910 – 1937…………………………………………………………….……14 Recordings from 1937 – 1945………………………………………………………………….18 Mid-Century Performances (1949 – 1970): Continuous Vibrato….....….………20 The Long Mid-Century Cadenza………………………………………………………………..23 Mid-Century Performances: Fidelity to Score vs. Interpretive Freedom……..25 The Historical Performance Practice Influence (1986 – 2016)……………..…….30 Modern Influence on Period Players…………………………………………………………36 The Deterioration of National Schools of Playing………………………………………37 v CHAPTER 2: THE LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY & THE OBOE SOLO FROM THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF THE VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR, OP. 77 BY jOHANNES BRAHMS (1878)…………………………………………………………………………………………………41 History……………………………………………………………………………………………………42 Brahms’s Violinist……………………………………………………………………………………44 The late Nineteenth Century: Violin & Wind Performance Practice…………….46 Vibrato……………………………………………………………………………………………………46 Phrasing………………………………………………………………………………………………….47 Tempo & Rubato……………………………………………………………………………………...47 Instruments…………………………………………………………………………………………….50 Case-Studies of Recordings………………..……………………………………………………..52 Breaking Chronological Stereotypes…………………………………………………………52 The Nationalistic Old-School German Approach: 1927 – 1992…………………...55 The International New-School German Style: 1992 – 2009………………………..58 British Recordings and the Lasting Influence of Leon Goossens: 1936 – 1996……………………………………………………………………………………………………….60 The Motivic Phrasing Approach Among American Contemporaries: Bruno Labate, Marcel Tabuteau, Fernand Gillet, and Henri de Busscher, 1935 – 1946………………………………………………………………………………………………………65 The Students of Marcel Tabuteau: Harold Gomberg, John de Lancie, John Mack, Joseph Robinson (1944 –1997)……………………………………………………..70 Unique Twenty-First Century American Performances: Alex Klein and Liang Wang……………………………………………………………………………………………………..77 UniQue European Performances: the First Recording………………………………79 The Viennese School of Oboe Playing………………………………………………………82 CHAPTER 3: THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY & THE OBOE SOLO IN THE “PRÉLUDE” FROM LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN (1919) BY MAURICE RAVEL……..…85 vi History……………………………………………………………………………………………………85 Ravel & France During the War Years……………………………………………………….87 The French School of Oboe Playing in the Early Twentieth Century….………..91 Performance Suggestions by Oboists………………………………………………….…….94 Case-Studies of Recordings.…………………………………………………………..…………97 A Survey of Technical Proficiency………………………………………………….…………97 TechniQue & Tempo 1931 – 1970…………………………………………………………….98 TechniQue & Tempo 1970 – 2016…………………………………………………………..101 The Score-Centered Approach: 1931 – 2016…………………………………………...109 Three Approaches to Phrasing: 1931 – 2016…………………………………………..112 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………………………..119 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………………………….…124 DISCOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………………………………137 Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony Recordings……………………………………………..…137 Brahms’s Violin Concerto Recordings……………………………………………………..148 Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin “Prélude” Recordings…...………………………..159 APPENDIX A: Sampled Recordings of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony…………………….165 APPENDIX B: Sampled Recordings of Brahms’s Violin Concerto…………………………170 APPENDIX C: Sampled Recordings of Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin “Prélude”…………………………………………………………………………………………..174 vii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1.1: Allegro con brio, Symphony No. 5, Beethoven, mm. 254 – 273………………4 Figure 1.2: Tempo mm. 254 – 267 (Half Note Pulse) Between 1910 and 2016………35 Figure 1.3: Length of Cadenza in Seconds, mm. 268 from 1910 to 2016………………..35 Figure 2.1: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, Adagio, mm. 17 – 18………………….….49 Figure 2.2: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, Adagio, mm. 12 – 13…………………..…59 Figure 2.3: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, Adagio, mm. 7 – 8…………………………67 Figure 2.4: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, Adagio, mm. 3 – 6…………………………70 Figure 2.5: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, Adagio, mm. 19 – 25………………….….72 Figure 3.1: Díaz, “Underlying Melodic Structure of Opening Theme of the ‘Prélude’”…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..95 Figure 3.2: John Ferrillo, Exercises for Le tombeau de Couperin, “Prélude”…………….96 Figure 3.3: Díaz, Excerpt from “Study Derived from the Opening Solo of ‘Prélude’ for Clean Rhythmical Executions of Awkward Fingering Patterns”…………………………….97 Figure 3.4: Le tombeau de Couperin, “Prélude,” m. 1 – 13……………………………………100 Figure 3.5: Le tombeau de Couperin, “Prélude,” m. 1…………………………………………...105 Figure 3.6: Le tombeau de Couperin, “Prélude,” m. 2…………………………………………...110 Figure 3.7: Le tombeau de Couperin, “Prélude,” m. 10…………………………………………111 Figure 3.8: Meyer’s alterations, Le tombeau de Couperin, “Prélude,” m. 5 – 6……….116 viii INTRODUCTION In this monograph, I analyze trends in performance practice of three major orchestral oboe solos recorded between 1910 and 2016. A large-data recording study has never before been attempted of such a specific repertory. 1 This monograph provides a rare opportunity to draw precise conclusions about the history of orchestral performance practice as evidenced by a key woodwind voice: the oboe. Very few recording studies have been written about the oboe or any other woodwind instrument. This study raises awareness about the rich tradition of oboe performance in the western world and fills in the gaps for modern