Through the British School of Music a Thesis Submitted I
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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Influential British Literature: Through the British School of Music A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Master of Music in Music, Performance By Sabrina M. Nickum May 2015 The thesis of Sabrina M. Nickum is approved: _________________________________ _________________ Dr. Lawrence Stoffel Date _________________________________ _________________ Professor Mary Schliff Date _________________________________ _________________ Dr. Julia Heinen, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page………………………………………………….....................................................ii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………...iv Introduction………………………...……………………………...................................................1 First Early English Composer………………..................................................................................2 Thomas Arne………………………………………………………………………………2 William Herschel………………………………………………………………………….6 Philip Hayes……………………………………………………………………………….6 James Hook………………………………………………………………………………..7 Charles Dibdin…………………………………………………………………………….8 19th and 20th Century English Composers……………………………………………………….10 Arnold Bax……………………………………………………………………………….10 Arthur Bliss………………………………………………………………………………13 Gerald Finzi……………………………………………………………………………...16 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….18 Recital Program………………………………………………………………………………….19 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..20 iii Abstract Influential British Literature: Through the British School of Music By Sabrina M Nickum Master of Music in Music, Performance Through researching the earliest British composers and their literature, this thesis will demonstrate how the British School of Music through literature influenced the clarinet. I will focus on the earliest English composers Thomas Arne, William Herschel, Philip Hayes, James Hook, and Charles Dibdin, and how their literature contributed to clarinet repertoire. I will also describe how the literature of Arnold Bax, Arthur Bliss and Gerald Finzi, and contributed to clarinet repertoire in the late 19th and 20th century. iv Introduction The new clarinet with seven finger holes and thirteen keys arrived in England from Germany and made its first debut in London in early 1726. The earliest known clarinetist who performed on the clarinet in England was Charles Barbandt at his own benefit concert. Charles Barbandt was originally a German musician and composer who was employed in England as an organist in 1764. After Charles Barbandt, other English clarinetists such as Thomas Habgood and Hugh Pearson were among the earliest clarinetists to perform in England around 1758. With English clarinetists performing on the clarinet, came English composers who had a sufficient impact on clarinet literature and the clarinetists who performed them. Through researching the earliest British composers and their literature, this thesis will demonstrate how the British School of Music through literature influenced the clarinet. This paper will focus on the earliest English composers Thomas Arne, William Herschel, Philip Hayes, James Hook, and Charles Dibdin, and how their literature contributed to clarinet repertoire. This paper will also mention how the literature of Arthur Bliss, Arnold Bax, and Gerald Finzi contributed to clarinet repertoire in the late 19th and 20th century. The first earliest English composer to be discussed is Thomas Arne. 1 First Early English Composers Thomas Arne One of the most significant earliest English composers of clarinet was Thomas Arne. Thomas Arne as stated by Albert Rice was the first British composer to write for the clarinet.1 Arne was born in London on March 12, 1710 into a catholic family. Arne loved music so when his family was asleep at night he would sneak in a spinet, a type of harpsichord into his room and would muffle the sound with a handkerchief so he would not get in trouble. He was too young to attend the Gallery of Italian Opera, so he would dress up as a deliveryman to gain access to this event. Through this Arne met Michael Festing a musician and composer who had a big impact on Arne’s life and career. Festing taught Arne violin and also took him to musical events to hear other musicians play. When Arne’s father found out what he was doing, he allowed him to pursue music as a full time job. Arne’s first time use of clarinet in a piece was called Thomas and Sally, or the Sailor’s Return. This dramatic pastoral opera consisting of two acts for two C clarinets and two C horns was a huge success. This piece was considered an after piece, a short opera musical performed after a spoken opera. Thomas and Sally, or the Sailor’s Return was first performed at the Covent Gardens in England and thankfully the copies were not destroyed in a fire at the Covent Gardens. This opera was the about fifty minutes in length and was the first sung comic opera. 1. Albert R. Rice, “The Clarinet in England during the 1760s”, Early Music, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 2005): 57. 2 In example 12 as stated by Albert Rice: The score provides precise directions for the timing and placement of the instruments, with the word ‘Enter’ in the directions at bar 16. The first horn walks onto the stage while playing, followed by the second horn, first clarinet and second clarinet. After the instruments finish the first part of the overture, the Squire enters, singing the rousing song ‘The Echoing Horn’, accompanied by the clarinets and horn, In the refrain, an oboe replaces one of the clarinets; violins, cellos, or basses and tenor and bass singers enlarge the ensemble.3 In the beginning when the clarinet and horn parts are present off stage for the first time the technicality of the rhythms are simple and can be performed by memory. The way the clarinets were constructed, the upper register had many restrictions such as stated by Albert Rice for the first clarinet the range is g’ to a”, for the second, e’ to f”.4 For English composers, this made the compositions simple and not complex. British composers started to use the combination of clarinet- horn in their pieces for hunting call style and were used at the London Pleasure Gardens. In Arne’s piece Artaxerxes that was an opera consisting of three acts, was performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Gardens in February 1762, and was regularly performed there until the1830s. 2. Thomas Arne, Thomas and Sally or the Sailor Return. © 1960 by the University of California, Los Angeles. 3. Albert R. Rice, “The Clarinet in England during the 1760s,” Early Music, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 2005): 57. 4. Albert R. Rice, “The Clarinet in England during the 1760s,” Early Music, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 2005): 57. 3 Example 1: Thomas Arne Thomas and Sally or the Sailor’s Return 4 This opera is about Artaxerxes I of Persia who became king after his father Xerxes I’s death. As stated by Albert Rice at the beginning of Act 2, in the aria ‘In fancy our hopes and fears,’ the clarinets begin with the same melodic material as in Thomas and Sally, but in a smooth 2/2 meter rather than a bouncy 3/8. The melody is also presented in a more lyrical manner with a four-bar stepwise phrase, while the horns answer, accompanied by a string ensemble of two violins, one viola, and a continuo of harpsichord and cello.5 In this opera Arne did not limit the clarinet range to as stated by Albert Rice just for the first clarinet the compass is g’ to a’, for the second, e’ to f’6 he extended the range to g-c for the first clarinet and d-c for the second clarinet. The C clarinets in Act 3 as stated by Albert Rice were used to imitate the water-parted from the sea and the orchestra in the background consist of two horns, two clarinets, two bassoons, violins, viola and continuo.7 The two clarinet parts in this piece do not have a solo, but only double the parts with the violins and also paired with the bassoons. The clarinet parts also get to show off their chalumeau register, which is also showing the extension of what the clarinet can do. Arne also writes in two trill parts for the second clarinet to play that can be used without an A-B trill key. As stated by Albert R. Rice, since English composers started adding trill passages for the clarinet parts British makers decided to make a trill key for the clarinet in the mid-1770s.8 5. Albert R. Rice, “The Clarinet in England during the 1760s,” Early Music, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 2005): 57. 6. Albert R. Rice, “The Clarinet in England during the 1760s,” Early Music, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 2005): 57. 7. Albert R. Rice, “The Clarinet in England during the 1760s,” Early Music, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 2005): 57. 8. Albert R. Rice, “The Clarinet in England during the 1760s,” Early Music, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 2005): 57. 5 William Herschel William Herschel was born on November 15, 1738 in Germany. Herschel was German born before coming to Great Britain at nineteen years old. At an early age Herschel was interested in astronomy and constructed his first large telescope. He also had an interest in music. He learned oboe, violin, harpsichord and organ. As stated by T. Herman Keahey, William Herschel was one of the earliest composers to use clarinet in a symphony.9 Philip Hayes Philip Hayes was born in London on April 17, 1738. Hayes was an organist and singer. Hayes received his education from his father William Hayes. He attended the Magdalen College, Oxford, where he received some higher education. He appears to have been as stated by Peter Ward Jones and Simon Heights to be one of the first English musicians to use a roll of paper with which to beat time.10 In Hayes’ compositions as stated by Peter Ward Jones and Simon Heighes, Hayes’ natural language was a mixture of galant and early classical idioms allied with a characteristically English preference for simple, symmetrically phrased melodies and an assured technique founded upon a thorough acquaintance with the works of Handel.11 While he was receiving his Bachelor of Music, Hayes wrote the masque Telemachus a sextet in E♭ major for clarinet.