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Home , Alexander Scriabin, Ludwig van Beethoven

STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

Recital and Works by Bach, , Chopin, Scriabin, Liebermann and Prokofiev

A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of in Music, Performance

By Qing Fan

May 2018

The graduate project of Qing Fan is approved:

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Dr. Tali Tadmor Date

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Dr. Lorenz Gamma Date

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Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov, Chair Date

California State University, Northridge

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Table of Contents

Signature Page ii

Abstract iv

Section 1: Prelude and No. 22 in B flat minor BWV 867, WTC I 1

Section 2: No. 23 in , op. 57 by L. v. Beethoven 3

Section 3: Andante Spianato and Grand Brillante, Op 22 by F. Chopin 5

Section 4: Sonata – Fantasie, No. 2, Op.19 by A. Scriabin 7

Section 5: Gargoyles, Op. 29 by L. Liebermann. 9

Section 6: No. 3 in by S. Prokofiev 11

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Abstract

RECITAL AND CONCERTO WORKS BY BACH, BEETHOVEN, CHOPIN, SCRIABIN, LIEBERMANN, and PROKOFIEV

By Qing Fan Master of Music in Music, Performance

In this paper, I will be discussing the six piano works that I presented in my graduate piano recitals at Cal State University, Northridge, consisting of a solo and a concerto recital. The works by , , Frédéric Chopin, and

Lowell Liebermann were performed in the solo recital. This program contained a diversity of styles, beginning with the Baroque and followed in the subsequent order of Classical, Romantic and Modern eras. The concerto recital featured Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, which had three individual movements. The significance of this paper is to give the audience a basic outline about these pieces, including the historical background, theoretical aspects and specialities.

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The program began with Prelude and Fugue No. 22 in B flat minor BWV 867, WTC I by

Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece, in B-flat minor, introduced a slow and somber pace, filled with darkness and sadness. One of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most famous , the No.

23 in F minor, op. 57, followed, with the outburst of passion, anger and agitation, which ended the first half of the program with an extremely passionate coda. In the second half, I placed Andante

Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante in the beginning. It is one of the most brilliant compositions in piano literature, composed by revered Polish , Frédéric Chopin. The elegant and brilliant atmosphere of the work was a contrast to the program, being the only major key in the recital. It was followed by Alexander Scriabin’s Sonata – Fantasie, No. 2, Op.19. In the first movement – Fantasy, the piece evoked an image of a flowing lake, while in the second movement – Sonata, the lake was transformed into a turbulent ocean. The very last piece of the program was the four movement work Gargoyles, Op. 29, composed by American ,

Lowell Liebermann. Interestingly enough, this piece is also water- like, giving listeners another atmosphere and aspect of water. Its technically demanding last movement finished the recital with a powerful effect. In the concerto recital, the only piece - Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major by

Sergei Prokofiev, is one of the most charming and effective concerti. Although it falls into the virtuosic contemporary category, its lyrical melodic lines are extremely romantic, which adds an enchanting color to the piece.

V Section 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 22 in B flat minor BWV 867, WTC I by Johann Sebastian

Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a prestigious German composer of the Baroque era, born the same year as and George Frederic Handel. Bach was born into a musical family, and some of his children also became notable , including Carl Phillip

Emmanuel Bach. Bach was employed as a court musician and in various parts of

Germany. His unique motive, and harmonic language intellectually presented the

German style in his compositions. Moreover, he was a master in absorbing exotic elements from other countries, especially Italy and France, which added more spirit to his writing. His successful achievements were evident in both his vocal music and instrumental works. His death marked the end of the Baroque period.

Bach’s Well -Tempered Clavier is one of the most crucial works in his compositions, which contains two books with all major and minor keys in chromatic order, forty-eight and in total. The first volume was written in 1722 and the subsequent volume was written twenty years later. This was significant due to the fact that before Bach, no works of music had been written in every single key. This change came with a new kind of tuning. Equal temperament allowed keyboard instruments to play in every key, eliminating the use of only certain keys, which was impossible with the previous tuning system. The early tuning system was based on intervals derived from nature. Bach celebrated the new tuning system by writing the Well-Tempered Clavier. He also intended the Well-Tempered Clavier as a teaching method for keyboard students to work on scales, arpeggios and counterpoint. Hans von Bülow was a remarkable composer, , conductor of the romantic era and one of the most talented

1 pupils of , thought highly of this collection. He acclaimed that the Well - Tempered

Clavier was music’s version of ‘The Old Testament’. Simply put, it remains one of the revolutionary pieces of piano literature, a towering work that influenced many composers after its creation.

This specific set of prelude and fugue is from the first book of the Well -Tempered Clavier, which is in the key of B flat minor, creating a heavy and dark atmosphere. The meter is

4/4 with a slow . The prelude establishes a particula rhythmic pattern, with repeated eighth notes, that appear both in the top lines and the . This creates a sluggish and tragic mood. The Chopin B-flat Minor Sonata, Op. 35 utilizes the same effects, creating similar sounds: both seem to evoke a march-like funeral held on a rainy day. Perhaps, Chopin borrowed this B flat minor tragedy from his predecessor – Bach. After all, Bach was one of

Chopin’s idols. The fugue is one of the rarely composed five - voice works in the

Well - Tempered Clavier. Five voices intellectually interact with each other establishing the beauty of Bach’s polyphonic compositional device. The incredible climax of this fugue is the final section, which heads towards an impressive ending by a fivefold . Stretto is a musical term, derived from Italy. In a fugal work, the answer joins in before the subject ends, which is usually established in a series of imitations.

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Section 2: Piano Sonata No. 23 in f minor, op. 57 by L. v. Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was one of the most influential in the world. His music connected the Classical and Romantic periods. His father started to teach him when he was at a young age. When Beethoven turned twenty-one years old, he traveled to , where he became a pupil of . Then he spent the rest of his life in Vienna creating revolutionary works. Unlike his predecessors, such as Haydn or Mozart,

Beethoven was never employed as a court musician. Instead, he worked for himself and wrote as he pleased. In the year 1798, he began to lose his hearing and was completely deaf by the end of his life. Tormented by his terrible hearing, Beethoven contemplated suicide; before writing the

Heiligenstadt Testament (1802), where he vowed to continue living and writing music he wrote a staggering amount of significant compositions, including some of his famous piano sonatas.

Hans Von Bülow, who recognized Bach Well Tempered Clavier as music’s version of

“The Old Testament”, exclaimed Beethoven’s piano sonatas as “The New Testament”. The sonatas were the first notable piano series that were intended for both the concert hall and the home setting.

Beethoven’s sonatas are divided into three periods: early, middle and late. His early sonatas are simpler in form and texture. The middle period works are heroic, dramatic, forceful, and the textures become thicker. The late sonatas increase in length and difficulty. They looked forward to the romantic era and were studied by composers such as Schubert and Brahms.

This sonata, with a structure of three movements, is considered a sparkling gem in piano literature and is performed frequently on the concert stage. It was written between 1804 – 1806,

Beethoven’s middle period; his compositions reached a huge milestone during this time. This

3 outstanding sonata is the twenty third sonata of his entire 32 Piano Sonata collection. It is also named the “Appassionata Sonata.” However, this nickname was not given during his lifetime.

Beethoven filled this sonata with his complex emotions and feelings. On one hand, he was enraged with the society he lived in at that time. On the other hand, he still had numerous hopes and desires; he looked forward to the arrival of utopia. The complex characters coexist and contrast with each other, which is the paramount component in this sonata.

The first movement has two differing themes with contrasting emotions. Beethoven had a very unsatisfied attitude against society, which is skillfully indicated in the first theme. In the very beginning of the piece, the first phrase, in the home key of f minor, is dark and foreboding.

Unexpectedly, the second phrase announces itself in G-flat major, creating a surprise. To the contrary, the second theme, in A-flat major, is warmer and brighter, filled with his magnificent imaginations for the future. The recapitulation returns in F minor, with a brief venture into ; the main theme returns in octaves instead of single notes and ends as expected. The second movement contains a series of variations, starting with D-flat major. Beethoven’s anger subsides momentarily, followed by a brief period of calm and respite, mirroring his own hope for societal paradise. An unexpected appears in the end of the movement, followed by an identical chord of a much louder volume, which leads to the explosion of the third movement. Fast sixteenth note runs persist throughout this movement, creating a dramatic sound effect. This is Beethoven’s heroic period: he wanted to fight for a bright future and escape society’s terrible circumstances. The climax of this movement is its wild coda, marked Presto.

The exploding passages push the piece towards the end with a tragic, f minor chord, the home key of the piece.

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Section 3: Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise, Op 22 by F. Chopin

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was a Polish composer and pianist of the Romantic era. His musical talent was already evident to people when he was a child. He moved to Paris at the age of twenty-one, where he made a living teaching lessons and selling his music. Chopin was also recognized as an outstanding performer, yet he rarely played in public. He met many remarkable musicians and acquaintances in Paris, including Franz Liszt. Chopin wrote a multitude of great pieces, most of them being piano solo works.

The Polonaise is a type of traditional dance, derived from sixteenth century Poland. It contains several distinguishing features that identify it as a polonaise. Usually, it is in ¾ meter with a medium tempo; the second half of the first beat is repeated. The accent lands on the second beat of each measure. During the late sixteenth century, this musical form spread throughout Sweden; a very similar type of dance music was created, which was named Polska.

Several musicians had already adopted Polonaise elements in their compositions before

Chopin, including Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. However, it was Chopin who enhanced this compositional form to a more mature level.

In the year 1817, Chopin wrote his very first Polonaise, in g minor. After several other in different keys, he finished the Grand Polonaise in E-flat major in 1830 - 1831.

These polonaises are considered his early compositions. In 1829, Chopin left Poland and traveled to Vienna, where he successfully held two concerts with the . Inspired by his own collaboration, Chopin discovered the importance of performing with , which inspired him to compose the E-flat major Grand Polonaise, intended for piano and orchestra. While the

5 Andante Spianato in G major was not written until 1834, Chopin later on put these two parts together and performed the entire piece with the Paris Conservatory Orchestra in 1835; his performance was a big success; however, that was the only time he performed this masterpiece in public. Chopin transcribed it for solo piano and published it in 1836.

The first part – Andante Spianato is marked tranquillo with a peaceful and dreamy atmosphere. It starts in 6/8, the meter later shifts to ¾ momentarily and returns to 6/8 in the end. After a series of modulations in the beginning of the Polonaise, the G major

Andante Spianato smoothly modulates to E flat major, which is the principle key of the

Polonaise. The Polonaise section is sufficiently infused with Chopin’s features; it is not hard to discover Chopin’s unique patterns here. The lyrical melodic lines of the right hand, inspired by bel canto melodies, soar above the left hand rhythmic pattern, creating an elegant and a sophisticated effect. There are a variety of techniques in this piece, such as fast moving scales, arpeggios, double thirds and octaves, which can be discovered in his Etudes. The G major arpeggio in the middle section of the Polonaise is even identical to a passage in Etude Op. 10,

No. 1. It is notable to identify the use of repeated passages in his own compositions. Like many composers, Chopin borrowed his own elements and reused them. Another specialty of this piece is its ending, which has an extremely virtuosic and brilliant effect.

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Section 4: Sonata – Fantasie, No. 2, Op.19 by A. Scriabin

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) was a late Romantic Russian musician born in .

Although he was of small stature, he had an indomitable spirit. His music is not only enchanting but also filled with mystical and spiritual elements. As a composer and pianist, he spent most of his life traveling and going aboard. He experienced different views and traditions outside of

Russia, causing him to question the use of folk elements in his own compositions. The musical works of his can be divided into his early, middle and late periods. In his early years, he deeply admired Chopin and fell in love with Chopin’s compositions. In order to write music that sounded like his idol, Scriabin even put Chopin’s works under his pillow when he went to bed.

His interest in the former’s music led him to compose music that adopted Chopin’s musical language. Scriabin eventually developed his own musical language, in which he favored , , upper extensions, colors, and use of mystic chords. He often wrote his own poetry (using French, the language of the educated elite in at his time) that accompanied his works.

This particular fantasy - sonata is one of the Chopin- like compositions he had composed and was grounded in . There are two contrasting movements in this sonata. The First movement begins with g-sharp minor and later on shifts the to . The florid melody is very similar to Chopin’s compositional materials, which injects Chopinesque qualities in this movement. The first movement conjures an image of a flowing lake; it is serene and soothing, while the second movement contrasts; it is like a stormy and turbulent ocean, with crashing waves. The meter is 3/2, marked Presto; the first phrase starts from sotto voce and gradually increases in volume, dropping back down when it reaches the climax. The typical

7 pattern appears throughout the second movement, representing the shapes of ocean waves.

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Section 5: Gargoyles, Op. 29 by L. Liebermann

Lowell Liebermann was born in 1961. He is an American composer, pianist and conductor, who received his ’s, Master’s as well as Doctoral degrees at the of

Music. He debuted at Carnegie Hall in the year 1977, where he performed his own piano sonata.

The performance demonstrated the great talent of the sixteen – year –old composer. He has been developing his music career significantly in different musical fields; His spectacular compositions exhibit the astonishing achievements. Since he is strongly influenced by

Bach, he incorporates the use of polyphonic textures, which appear in Gargoyles, Op. 29.

As a distinguished modern composer, Liebermann is not only a master in writing innovative but also follows the steps of his predecessors. He combines tradition and new elements together and has composed works for a variety of instruments, including , , guitar, and piano.

Among all the masterpieces he has written, Gargoyles, Op. 29 is regarded one of the most effective works and has been frequently recorded. There are four movements in this piano solo cycle. It commences with the short but intense first movement, containing very demanding technical skills. The first three notes are a motive of the movement, after resting on the third note momentarily, the notes unfold quickly without any pause towards the end. It is followed by a free-flowing and introspective second movement. The movement begins with beautiful melodic lines that invokes a feeling of melancholy, flowing smoothly on top of two alternating chords in the left hand. The water-like sound effect creates a mysterious and enchanting atmosphere. The third movement has a similar mood to the second; the flowing water texture

9 dominates the entire movement, which brings the audience to a fantasy. Like the previous moment, the melody soars freely over the accompaniment that consists of sixteenth notes.

Finally, the vigorous and wild character returns after appearing in the first movement. The last movement, marked Presto feroce, is a very virtuosic movement with unabashed and impressive sound effects, particularly in its formidable ending.

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Section 6: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major by S. Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was a gifted composer of the contemporary period, born in

Sontsovka, Russia. Being a gifted child prodigy, he already had composed a series of piano works when he was only five years old, which indicated his prodigious talent at such an early age. Three years after, he got an opportunity to visit an house, instilling a lifelong love of opera. In the year 1904, Prokofiev was admitted to the famous St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he became a student of Anatoly Liadov and Nikolai Rimsky - Korsakov. He lived in the

United States, Paris and for a period of his life but was convinced by Stalin to return to

Russia, where he was later demonized for creating modernist works. He was blacklisted by Stalin and lost opportunities for work. He died the same day as Stalin.

Prokofiev’s dedication to the piano was spectacular. His usage of the piano’s percussive feature was considered avant garde. He wrote numerous piano works in an intense style; particularly presented by energetic rhythmic drive, biting quality, sarcasm and the use of the grotesque. Even with these characteristics, the lyrical, romantic elements are never lacking.

Among his five concerti, the Third Concerto in C major is the most well – known and popular one, which combines the typical aggressive Prokofiev style with lyricism.

A concerto is defined as a multi-movement work for instrument(s) and an orchestra.

Concerti are generally for a solo instrument, but can sometimes be composed for multiple instruments. They were written during the time of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary and 21st century. In fact, all of the composers in this paper have written piano concerti.

This Prokofiev concerto, from the contemporary period, is a three movement work. The first

11 movement is in . The solo introduces a romantic, dream-like melodic line, and the second clarinet enters smoothly to accompany the ascending scale; violin and flute later follow the same lyrical quality, creating a mellifluous atmosphere. Suddenly, a fast moving sixteenth note passage brings the audience back to dark reality and to the virtuosic piano solo.

This first movement is filled with Prokofiev’s humor, naughtiness as well as his sarcasm. The second movement is in the key of . It starts with its original theme and develops into five variations. The fifth variation is presented with fast octaves in the piano. The dance feeling of the passage imbues energy and humorous elements to the piece. The final movement contains a variety of different techniques, illustrating the ’ brilliant and virtuosic abilities. Moreover, the charming middle section contrasts the virtuosity of the outer two sections. The chromatic passages flow above the romantic melodic lines, bringing the audience to a dream-like state. This movement encapsulates the entire concerto with a flamboyant ending.

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