CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Brandon Mendez’s Master of Music Guitar Recital A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in Music Performance By Brandon Mendez May 2018 The graduate project of Brandon Mendez is approved: ____________________________________________ _____________ Professor Ron Borczon Date ____________________________________________ _____________ Dr. Bryan Fasola Date ____________________________________________ _____________ Professor Steven Thachuk, Chair Date CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSTY, NORTHRIDGE ii Table of Contents Signature Page ii Abstract iv I. J.S. Bach: Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro 1 in E-flat major, BWV 998 II. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Op. 195 No. 18 5 El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos III. Leo Brouwer: Sonata 10 IV. Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez 14 Bibliography 21 Appendix: Program 22 iii ABSTRACT Master of Music Guitar Recital By Brandon Mendez Master of Music in Music, Performance This thesis presents extended program notes on my graduate recital repertoire. I will be exploring the historical background and providing detailed analysis of the following works: J.S. Bach (March 21, 1685 – 28 July 1750), Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro in E-flat major, BWV 998; Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (April 3, 1895 – March 16, 1968), El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos, op. 195 no. 18; Leo Brouwer (March 1, 1939 – Present), Sonata; and Joaquin Rodrigo (Nov. 22, 1901 – Jul. 6, 1999), Concierto de Aranjuez. The purpose of this paper is to explain the overall significance of these works and the impact they have made on modern guitar literature. Additionally, I will be discussing Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez more thoroughly and with greater detail than the other compositions in my recital program. This composition’s political and historical background make it perhaps the most significant modern orchestral concerto and certainly the most important guitar composition. I will be discussing the source of its significance and provide an in depth analysis to explain why it stands out above other guitar compositions. iv I. J.S. Bach: Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro in E-flat major, BWV 998 Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro in E-flat major, BWV 998 is one of the few lute suites written by Bach, yet its unique characteristics carry it to be one of the most significant compositions in the modern guitar repertoire. I will be exploring the historical background of the work followed by an explanation of the main characteristics of the music and what makes the composition unique. Finally, I will explain why this piece has such a pronounced presence in today’s guitar literature. This secular composition was written around 1735, which was approaching the final decade of Bach’s life. During this time, he was acquainted with the renowned lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss.1 Despite this relationship, there have been questions regarding the intended instrumentation of the piece. The first indication of questionable instrumentation resides in the original manuscript’s title, which states: “Prelude pour la Luth ò Cembal.” It is suggested by the title that the piece may have been intended for a keyboard instrument such as the clavichord or lautenwerck.2 Also, the Fugue and Allegro do not fit within the range of the lute and would require alterations in order to make it performable. Furthermore, “the last few bars of the BWV 998 are in organ tablature, thereby raising further performance issue.”3 Bach was not a lutenist 1 Anne Leahy, “Bach’s Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro for Lute (BWV 998): a Trinitarian Statement of Faith?” Journal of the Society for Musicology in Ireland, 1 (2005), p. 33. 2 The lautenwerck is a harpsichord-like instrument with gut strings and a large pear- shaped body similar to a lute. 3 Leahy, 34. 1 and was primarily a keyboardist, so it is understandable why his lute compositions are “independent of instrumental considerations.”4 However, the nature of this composition, as well with his other lute suites, allows the work to be adapted to the lute relatively easily. As a result, transcriptions for guitar were eventually created since the instrument is so closely related to the lute. Almost two centuries after the original date of composition, Hans Dagobert Bruger became one of the first to publish a practical edition of Bach’s lute pieces arranged for the guitar.5 Thankfully, the overall character of the music is still retained in the arrangements despite the modifications that stem from the number of transcriptions. Figure 1.1 The first movement of the piece is an improvisatory-like prelude in a pastoral triple meter. The movement begins with a short three-note motif in the upper voice, as seen in Figure 2.1, which is employed at many moments throughout the work. This motif is the main driving force in the composition and can be heard at the start of every main phrase. Additionally, the melodic contour of this motif is interspersed within certain phrases, creating more overall unification of the work. As opposed to dance movements that follow a typical tonic-dominant binary form, Bach modulates to closely related keys at his own discretion during the prelude, retaining similar thematic material throughout the key changes. After many harmonic changes, Bach revisits the 4 Scott Workman, “J.S. Bach’s Lute Suite BWV 1006a: A Study in Transcription,” The Graduate Research Journal, p. 104. 5 Clive Titmuss, “The Myth of Bach’s Lute Suites”, This is Classical Guitar, https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/bachs-lute-suites-clive-titmuss/. 2 main theme in a da capo section and closes the piece with a rich 4–3 suspension on a D major chord. Figure 1.2 The second movement of BWV 998 is a slow and elegant fugue with many unique characteristics and allusions to Bach’s religious inspirations. Figure 2.2 shows the quarter-note theme that is later passed on throughout the different voices. The exposition transitions to the development by repeating a “sigh motif” that features suspensions on a variety of chords.6 The development features many sixteenth note arpeggios that modulate to a number of keys, in addition to some references back to the “sigh motif.” Finally, there is a recapitulation that features the exact same material found in the exposition which creates a “Fuga da capo” formal structure – a form that appears very rarely in Bach’s works7 There are many similar characteristics between the fugue and the previous prelude movement. For example, the first three notes of the subject of the fugue, as seen in Figure 2.2, are the exact same as the main motif in the prelude. The link between the two movements shows how Bach was looking at the bigger picture while composing the entire work. Bach’s recurring use of this three note motif, as well as his use of a three part form, suggests that he may be referring to the Holy Trinity, despite the work being initially thought of as secular. 8 Also, evidence suggests that the subject of the fugue is referencing Martin Luther’s Christmas hymn 6 Leahy, 46. 7 Eduardo Fernandez, Essays on J.S. Bach’s works for lute, ART Ediciones, p. 39. 8 Leahy, 50-51. 3 ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her,’ further connecting the music with having religious elements.9 The final movement of the piece is in an allegro dance form that employs a fast triple meter. The piece is led by many quick scalar melodies that are contrasted with slower counter-melodies in the lower voice. The A section modulates gradually from tonic to dominant which leads the music to the B section which starts in the newly established dominant key before modulating back to the home key at the end of the section. With repeats at the end of both sections, the movement a typical dance form structure and is an exciting conclusion to the three-movement masterpiece. This composition has upmost importance in the classical guitar repertoire because of its numerous contributions to many different aspects of guitar literature. Firstly, the piece has numerous pedagogical aspects that assist guitarists to further develop their technique. For example, the amount of counterpoint presents a necessity to realize the various simultaneous melodic lines with clarity and great musicality. This can prove to be quite difficult for the guitar as the instrument is very limited in terms of the tessitura and accessibility to certain fingerings. Bach’s works have continuously been seen as a great technical exercise for guitarists, therefore resulting in the music’s popularity. The challenges presented by the limitations of the guitar have led to many different arrangements and transcriptions of the lute suite. The constant revisions and desire to improve upon making the work fit the idiosyncrasies of the guitar have brought the work even more into the forefront of modern guitar literature. 9 Leahy, 37. 4 II. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Op. 195 No. 18 El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos is a composition by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco from his collection of works titled 24 Caprichos de Goya. Tedesco’s compositions have made a lasting impact on modern guitar repertoire and I will be discussing the historical context of the piece, followed by a brief analysis and comparison to the etching it’s based on, and concluding with an explanation as to how the work proved its significance in the guitar lexicon. Tedesco completed the 24 Caprichos de Goya in 1961 after being inspired by Francisco Jose de Goya’s Caprichos – a series of eighty etchings that were completed in 1799. Goya, being “undeniably one of the most important artists at the turn of the eighteenth to nineteenth century,” linked his works to the Enlightenment movement.10 These rather progressive art pieces directly inspired Tedesco to interpret the works on solo guitar.