The Concerto for Bassoon by Andrzej Panufnik
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THE CONCERTO FOR BASSOON BY ANDRZEJ PANUFNIK: RELIGION, LIBERATION AND POSTMODERNISM Janelle Ott Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2016 APPROVED: Kathleen Reynolds, Major Professor Eugene Cho, Committee Member John Scott, Committee Member James Scott, Dean of the School of Music Costas Tsatsoulis, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Ott, Janelle. The Concerto for Bassoon by Andrzej Panufnik: Religion, Liberation, and Postmodernism. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), May 2016, 128 pp., 2 charts, 23 musical examples, references, 88 titles. The Concerto for Bassoon by Andrzej Panufnik is a valuable addition to bassoon literature. It provides a rare opportunity for the bassoon soloist to perform a piece which is strongly programmatic. The purpose of this document is to examine the historical and theoretical context of the Concerto for Bassoon with special emphasis drawn to Panufnik’s understanding of religion in connection with Polish national identity and the national struggle for democratic independence galvanized by the murder of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko in 1984. Panufnik’s relationship with the Polish communist regime, both prior to and after his 1954 defection to England, is explored at length. Each of these aspects informed Panufnik’s compositional approach and the expressive qualities inherent in the Concerto for Bassoon. The Concerto for Bassoon was commissioned by the Polanki Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was premiered by the Milwaukee Chamber Players, with Robert Thompson as the soloist. While Panufnik intended the piece to serve as a protest against the repression of the Soviet government in Poland, the U. S. context of the commission and premiere is also examined. Additionally, the original manuscript and subsequent piano reduction are compared. Although the Concerto for Bassoon has been subject to formal analysis by several scholars, discussion of the piece is generally contained within a larger discussion of several other compositions, and a comprehensive analysis of the piece has not yet been presented. This document contains a thorough formal analysis of all movements, as well as analysis of Panufnik’s compositional style within the context of serialism, postmodernism, and the new Polish school of composition. The Concerto for Bassoon features several devices common to Panufnik’s larger opus, including the use of a common three-note cell, strong contrasts between sections and movements, and symmetrical patterns of transposition, metric alteration, dynamic alteration, and registral expansion. Copyright 2016 by Janelle Ott ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the many individuals who assisted me in my research of this document. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge Lady Camilla Panufnik and Roxanna Panufnik for their advice and support. I would also like to thank Robert Thompson for is time and perspective. My thanks goes as well to Adrian Thomas for his advice regarding document acquisition. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those individuals who helped me with translations of foreign texts: Borys Smolaga, Ania Bard-Schwarz, and Marta Hoffman Wodnicka. Finally, I would like to thank my committee for their enthusiastic support and guidance. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION AND STATE OF RESEARCH ............................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2. HISTORICAL CONTEXT: BIOGRAPHY OF ANDRZEJ PANUFNIK ................................... 5 2. 1. 1914-1938 .................................................................................................................. 5 2.2. 1939-1946 ................................................................................................................. 13 2.3. 1946-1954 ................................................................................................................. 19 A. Reconstruction ................................................................................................ 21 B. Socialist Realism .............................................................................................. 25 2. 4. 1954-1991 ................................................................................................................ 33 A. Defection ........................................................................................................ 33 B. Establishing a Western Career ........................................................................ 36 C. Ties to the U. S ................................................................................................ 41 2.5. 1963-1991: Stability ................................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 3. COMMISSION, PREMIERE, AND RECEPTION OF THE CONCERTO FOR BASSOON .... 46 3. 1. Catholicism in Poland and the Martyrdom of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko ................. 46 3.2. Polish-American Immigration Patterns: Panufnik’s Milwaukee Audience .............. 48 3.3. Premiere and Reception ........................................................................................... 48 3.4. Orchestral Reduction: Discrepancies ....................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 4. PANUFNIK’S COMPOSITIONAL STYLE ....................................................................... 53 4.1. Education and Influences .......................................................................................... 53 4.2. Common Compositional Aspects and Evolution of Style .......................................... 57 iv CHAPTER 5. ANALAYSIS OF CONCERTO FOR BASSOON ............................................................... 63 5.1. Overview ................................................................................................................... 63 5.2. Prologo ...................................................................................................................... 65 A. Overview: Orchestration, Dynamics, and Meter ............................................ 65 B. Formal Analysis: Metric and Motivic Aspects ................................................. 66 5.3. Recitativo I ................................................................................................................. 83 5.4. Recitativo II ................................................................................................................ 87 5.5. Aria ............................................................................................................................ 94 A. General Remarks and Formal Outline ............................................................. 94 B. Analysis: Introduction, Sections A, C, and E .................................................... 95 i. Introduction and Section A ................................................................... 95 ii. Section C ............................................................................................. 102 iii. Section E ............................................................................................ 104 iv. Sections B and D: Unifying Factors ................................................... 105 v. The Choral Theme .............................................................................. 110 vi. The Revised Interrupting Theme ....................................................... 111 vii. Cadenza ............................................................................................ 112 5.6. Epilogo ..................................................................................................................... 114 CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 119 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................ 120 v LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES AND CHARTS MUSICAL EXAMPLES Page Example 1. Sonority B .................................................................................................................. 60 Example 2. Cell A .......................................................................................................................... 68 Example 3. Measures 1-4, Prologo .............................................................................................. 70 Example 4. Illustration of Macromotive followed by Interrupting Motive ................................. 73 Example 5. Measures 8-10, Prologo ............................................................................................ 75 Example 6. Rhythmic Cells Featured in the Interrupting Motive ................................................ 77 Example 7. Motive A, Section B ................................................................................................... 78 Example 8. Notated and Implied Meter, Measures 45-48 .......................................................... 79 Example 9. Measures 44-48 ......................................................................................................... 80 Example 10. Motive A Configuration and Orchestration in Section D ........................................ 81 Example 11. Transition to Recitativo I ......................................................................................... 82 Example 12. Woodwind Chords, Recitativo I, Implied Measures 1-6 .......................................... 87 Example 13. Implied Measure 1, Recitativo II.............................................................................