UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Of Text and Tune: The Relationship between Words and Music in the Choral Music of Gerald Finzi A Doctoral Document submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Division of Ensembles and Conducting College-Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati, Ohio By Graeme Langager Fayetteville, AR 07 August 2006 B.M. Capilano College (North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1994 M.M. California State University, Long Beach, 1997 Committee Chair: Dr. Stephen Coker ABSTRACT The life and music of English composer, Gerald Finzi (1901-56) has received relatively little critical study; that which has been done, however, especially regarding the choral and vocal music, often focuses on Finzi’s gift for setting words to music. On account of this unique gift, Finzi has been referred to as the English Hugo Wolf. This document focuses on his special ability to interrelate the words and music, and on the set of key factors that helped him develop this talent. A brief biographical study will reveal three major influences on Finzi’s life and music: an association with the finest English composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century; a fondness for all things English, including Great Britain’s musical heritage, its manner, its unique geography, and its great authors and poets; and a worldview affected by tragic events and losses in his life. Selected anthems will be considered in order to examine generalities of Finzi’s compositional traits. Finally, a detailed analysis of his Opus 39, In Terra Pax – Christmas Scene , will be presented. This work for chorus and orchestra was his last choral/orchestral composition and, by some accounts, represents the best of his entire oeuvre. The study, therefore, considers the work as being characteristic of the best of his compositional techniques and discusses those techniques accordingly. This document concludes that Finzi is worthy of consideration among the elite of the English composers of the first half of the twentieth century based on the craft of his compositional technique. The aim of this research document, therefore, is threefold: first, to review Finzi’s biography and the most significant influences on his life and compositional style; second, to analyze his compositional style—especially those aspects that pertain to his ability to relate text and musical elements; and finally, to present a conductor’s study of a representative work, Opus 39, In Terra Pax . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my most sincere appreciation to all who have been supportive of my work on this document. I would especially like to express my gratitude to Dr. Stephen Coker for his mentorship, support, and input on this document and throughout my course of studies and career. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. Earl Rivers and Dr. Robert Zierolf, for their invaluable contributions to this document. Finally, I wish to give my deepest thanks to my wife and family for their endless support, patience, and love. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………… iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………….……………………………… vi TABLE OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………… ix Chapter I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………. 1 II. GERALD FINZI – A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY……………………………………… 3 Early Years…………………………………………………………………… 3 Middle Years…………………………………………………………………. 6 Final Years……………………………………………………………………. 8 III. COMPOSITIONAL TRAITS………………………………………………………. 13 Finzi’s Oeuvre ………………………………………………………………… 15 Text Setting…………………………………………………………………… 16 Melisma……………………………………………………………... 18 Shifting Meters and Rhythmic Subdivision………………………… 18 Melody and Melodic Shape………………………………………… 20 Texture……………………………………………………………… 20 Harmonic and Melodic Imagery……………………………………………… 22 Key Structure…………………………………………………………………. 24 Summary……………………………………………………………………… 25 IV. IN TERRA PAX: CHRISTMAS SCENE FOR SOPRANO, BARITONE SOLI AND CHORUS …………………………………………………………………………… 27 Compositional Techniques………………………………………..…………... 29 Form and Orchestration…………………………………………….. 30 Melisma, Text Repetition, Word Painting, and Use of Imagery……. 35 Melodic and Motivic Unity………………………………………… 42 Rhythm……………………………………………………………... 48 Harmony……………………………………………………………. 52 Summary……………………………………………………………………… 57 V. CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………………………………. 58 APPENDICIES……………………………………………………………………… 61 Appendix A: Noël: Christmas Eve, 1913, by Robert Bridges ………………… 61 Appendix B: Gospel According to St. Luke II: 8-14………………………… 63 Appendix C: Selected Finzi Timeline and Relevant Dates…………………... 64 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………… 65 TABLE OF FIGURES Example Page 1. God Is Gone Up , mm. 11-14 …………………………………………………… 19 2. Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice , mm. 20-26 …….………………………………… 19 3. Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice , mm. 102-3, 107…………………………………. 21 4. God Is Gone Up, mm. 56-59... .. ………………………………………………… 21 5. Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice , mm. 1-2 …………………………………………. 23 6. Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice , m. 6, beats 3 and 4; and m. 6, complete.…...…….. 24 7. Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice , mm. 178-81 ……………………………………… 25 8. In Terra Pax , mm. 57-58 ……………………………………………………….. 35 9. In Terra Pax , mm. 116-20 ………………………………………………………. 36 10. In Terra Pax , mm. 140-42 ………………………………………………………. 37 11. In Terra Pax , mm. 241-48 ………………………………………………………. 38 12. In Terra Pax , mm. 166-67 ………………………………………………………. 39 13. In Terra Pax, mm. 122-34 ………………………………………………………. 40 14. In Terra Pax , mm. 53-54 ………………………………………………………… 41 15. In Terra Pax , m. 57 ……………………………………………………………… 41 16. In Terra Pax , m. 61-63 …………………………………………………………… 42 17. In Terra Pax , mm. 149-52 ……………………………………………………….. 42 18. In Terra Pax , mm. 148-49, 51-64, 74-76 ………………………………………… 43 19. In Terra Pax , First Four Melodic Motives ……………………………………….. 45 ix x 20. In Terra Pax , Comparison of Bell Motive and Baritone Motives ………………... 47 21. In Terra Pax , mm. 77-78, 93-97 ……………………………………………….… 49 22. In Terra Pax , mm. 74-76, 169, 228-31, and 232-34 ……………………………… 50 23. In Terra Pax , mm. 71-75 …………………………………………………………. 51 24. In Terra Pax , mm. 4-6, 21-24 …………………………………………………..... 53 25. In Terra Pax , mm. Dissonances 10-13, mm. 16-19 ………………………………. 54 26. In Terra Pax , mm. 16-21 ……………………………………………………….... 55 27. In Terra Pax , mm. 159-65 ……………………………………………………….. 55 28. In Terra Pax , mm. 7-15 ………………………………………………………….. 56 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Composer Herbert Howells once described Gerald Finzi as “one of the finest music brains in Europe.” 1 Although his output is small, each composition is carefully constructed; and although his style is conservative in comparison to his contemporaries, every work is skillfully crafted. His compositions, including orchestral works, songs, and choral pieces are all steeped in the English Romanticism of the late nineteenth through early twentieth century. They are rich with imagery and tend toward a melancholic style, and, while they portray a particularly haunting worldview of the ephemeral nature of life, they are tempered by a characteristically English restraint and pastoral sensibility. It is particularly within the vocal works that Finzi’s significance as a composer is exhibited. His gift for choosing and setting texts is, by some scholars’ accounts, matchless, and his brilliant sense of pacing heightens the dramatic element of each composition. Gerald Finzi’s music is frequently compared by musicologists to the music of Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Howells, and Holst. The merits of his association with this distinguished list of the preeminent English composers of the twentieth century might alone justify Finzi’s music as worthy of study. However, a detailed analysis of his compositional style—specifically regarding his sensitivity to text/music relationships—will further validate Finzi’s rank and pedigree. 1 John C. Dressler, Gerald Finzi – A Bio-bibliography (Westport, CT: Faber and Faber Limited, 1997), 14. 1 2 Examples taken from a variety of his choral compositions will be used to illustrate his compositional style, especially regarding text/music relationships. Many consider Finzi’s best and most representative choral/orchestral work to be his final composition, In Terra Pax . It was premiered on BBC Radio on 27 February 1955 in its original orchestration; the premiere of its second orchestration occurred on 6 September 1956 at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester with Finzi conducting, just a few weeks before he died. Although Finzi was not a boastful person, he was proud of the work and believed it was worthy of special consideration; he even invited his close friend and mentor, Ralph Vaughan Williams, to hear it performed at the Three Choirs Festival. By examining this piece, and by considering Finzi’s biography and the most significant influences in his life, it will be possible to assess Finzi’s compositional skills and significance among the elite of the English Romantic school. CHAPTER TWO GERALD FINZI – A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY Early Years Gerald Raphael Finzi was born on 14 July 1901 in London, England to parents of mixed heritage. His father, John Abraham (Jack) Finzi,