Akademie Für Alte Musik Program Notes

Akademie für Alte Musik Program Notes

An important phenomenon in music of the mid to late Baroque was the evolution of distinctive national styles, particularly in Italy, France, and Germany. These styles were often in competition with each other, and were sometimes the subject of national boasting, yet there was also a rich cross-pollination that occurred among them. The lively exchange between different European musical centers became an invigorating force in the instrumental concerto and the related form of the orchestral suite or overture.

The most important developments in Italy focused on Arcangelo Corelli in Rome and Antonio Vivaldi in Venice. Corelli is associated with the concerto grosso, deriving its energy from the interplay and dialogue between a small concertino group (usually two violins and cello) and a larger ripieno group. The form also became defined by its structure of four basic movements: slow-fast-slow-fast, and by a number of compositional techniques and textures associated with Corelli. In contrast, Vivaldi developed the solo concerto, with a three-movement scheme of fast- slow-fast. He also tapped the rich possibilities of the ritornello principle, in which the opening theme returns throughout the movement (often modified in various ways), alternating with episodes featuring the soloist. For Vivaldi, ritornello became the organizing and animating force in the outer movements of a concerto; the slow middle movement was much freer in form, and varied widely in length and affect.

In Germany, influences from Italy and France mixed freely with German traditions to create the German concerto. “Germany was able to cultivate in the liveliest manner a rich variety of musical styles and forms, and to assimilate them in a way which soon became known as the German style” (Nicholas Anderson). The German concerto and orchestral suite also revolved around two towering figures: Johann Sebastian Bach with his ingenuity and elegant mastery of counterpoint, and Georg Philipp Telemann with his gallant sensibility and use of folk elements. Both composers had a remarkable ability to transform and reinvent existing genres and explore new musical possibilities.

Georg Friederich Händel composed his opus 6 during an apparent burst of creative inspiration in just one month in 1739. He intended the concertos as a complete set, with the full title of Twelve Grand Concertos, in Seven Parts, for four Violins, a Tenor, a Violoncello, with a Thorough-Bass for the Harpsichord. The English greatly admired Corelli and the concerto grosso genre, and the news of a brand new collection composed by the popular master of oratorio must have stirred excitement in London. In many ways Händel closely imitated Corelli, whom he knew in his early years in Rome, but "added a purposeful drive, an eclectic wisdom, and a mercurial wit" (Christopher Hogwood) to his concertos. Opus 6, taken as a whole, comprises an assured masterwork of instrumental music, a "sequel to the Bach Brandenburgs, two stars in the concerto grosso constellation" (Michel Roubinet).

During his years in Weimar, J.S. Bach created a number of keyboard transcriptions of Italian concertos, including works by Vivaldi and Marcello. This deep immersion in the Italian style early in his career was to have a powerful effect on his subsequent path as a composer. According to biographer Christoph Wolff, "Bach's confrontation with the modern Italian concerto idiom in the years before 1714 ultimately provoked what became the strongest, most lasting, and most distinctive development toward shaping his personal style: the coupling of Italianism with complex yet elegant counterpoint, marked by animated interweavings of the inner voices as well as harmonic depth and finesse." The splendid Violin Concerto in G minor (BWV 1056a) is actually a version of the Harpsichord Concerto in F minor. Some musicologists suggest that Bach's harpsichord concertos, most likely intended for his sons, were adapted by him from earlier violin concertos that disappeared. This idea has spurred the reconstruction of several violin concertos in the keys that would make the most sense for playing on the violin.

Alessandro Marcello was a bit of a musical dilettante who pursued wide-ranging interests in painting, poetry, philosophy, and mathematics. In Venice he hosted weekly house concerts that often included his own compositions. His published works are few, and the D-minor oboe concerto is by far his best-known piece today. Clearly in the style of Vivaldi, It was long thought to be by Vivaldi himself, and then to be by Alessandro’s brother Benedetto, before the authorship was finally established. The work was evidently admired by J.S. Bach who transcribed it for solo keyboard (BWV974).

Born into a family of artists and musicians in Florence, Francesco Veracini made a career as a acclaimed violinist and composer in Venice, Rome, Dresden, and London. The British historian Charles Burney indicated that “by travelling all over Europe he formed a style of playing peculiar to himself.” His compositional style similarly reflects a variety of influences and at the same time an independent musical mind. Veracini’s six overtures date from around 1716 and survive in a manuscript in Venice. The Overture No. 6 can be considered a synthesis, as the first three movements resemble an Italian concerto with a solo group of two oboes and bassoon, yet the work ends with a tutti Menuet in the manner of an overture or orchestral suite.

Antonio Vivaldi composed some 500 concertos, and the amazing breadth and variety of these works reflect the brilliance and imagination of their composer. Vivaldi’s concertos can be divided into three types, all of which are represented in tonight’s program. About 350 of his concertos are solo concertos; 250 of these are for violin, but there are many other instruments highlighted in the soloist role. The Oboe Concerto in C major, RV 450, is a good example of this type. Vivaldi also wrote 40 double concertos (with two soloists) as well as works with three or even four soloists. A wonderful example of a double concerto, as well as Vivaldi’s use of unusual solo instruments, is the Concerto in F major for two horns, RV 538, where the dialogue and interplay between the two soloists adds a new and intriguing dimension to the virtuosity. Finally, Vivaldi created about 60 ripieno concertos, closely related to the operatic sinfonia, in which the full orchestra is featured throughout (without a soloist). The ripieno concerto is an often neglected part of Vivaldi’s impressive output and is represented on the program by the Concerto for Strings in C major, RV 114. This compact work reveals a freer approach than the composer’s ritornello-based concertos, and concludes with an energetic Ciaconna, a popular Baroque dance and variation form that traces its roots back to Latin America.

Georg Philipp Telemann introduced “fresh currents of air” (Romain Rolland) into German music. He created a repertoire for home and amateur music-making, and organized numerous civic and public concerts. He incorporated folk elements into his music and helped develop the gallant style, focusing on simple melodies rather than learned counterpoint. Telemann believed that “art should be combined with charm” (Martin Ruhnke). He declared his personal dislike for highly virtuosic concertos and seemed most at home with the French Overture and dance suite, which he adopted and transformed through his fertile imagination. The Overture in A minor, TWV 55:a1 is an alluring example. In typical fashion, the suite begins with a slow and stately opening with dotted rhythms, followed by a lively fugal section. After the opening overture comes a succession of dance movements derived from French tradition, concluding with a Minuet.

One can observe in the Baroque concerto, whether in Italy or Germany, a broad and multi- layered concept of “virtuosity.” First, there is the skill, imagination, and technique of the solo performer (or a pair of soloists). Second, there is the virtuosity of the tutti ensemble playing together. Finally, there is the ingenuity and invention of the composer. The interaction of these various types of virtuosity gives the Baroque concerto its vitality and enchantment for 21st century listeners.