DOCSLIB.ORG

Chapter 11: Class of 1685 (II): the Vocal Music of Handel and Bach I

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Chapter 11: Class of 1685 (II): the Vocal Music of Handel and Bach I Chapter 11: Class of 1685 (II): The Vocal Music of Handel and Bach I. Handel A. Introduction 1. In every idiom, Handel’s music is imbued with aspects of music for theater. 2. In the early eighteenth century, opera tended to be formulaic, which made it possible to compose quite a few in a short period. 3. Handel’s Giulio Cesare is a prime example of the composer’s operatic style, written at the height of his career (1724). 4. The aria “Empio, diró, tu sei” contains several exciting aspects of what Handel could do within a da capo aria. a. Ritornello b. Word-painting in both harmony and melodic line c. Contrast (B section) d. Counterpoint, which, unlike the previous elements, reflects his German background 5. Handel eventually fell out of favor with London audiences, who came to prefer the lighter works, such as the genre known as ballad opera. B. Lofty Entertainments 1. As his operas declined in popularity, Handel realized that he would need a new outlet to continue his career in England. He returned to the genre of oratorio. a. He had composed two Italian oratorios while in Rome. b. A performance of Esther in 1732 showed Handel that there was public interest in such works. c. His Saul (1739) introduced a new type of oratorio, now known as the Handelian oratorio. 1) It is an opera seria based on a biblical subject. 2) It was not acted onstage; there are no sets and costumes. 3) Structurally, it followed operatic conventions of recit/aria. 4) The addition of large choruses differed from opera, but made for dramatic excitement. 5) The orchestra was large and colorful by mid-eighteenth-century standards. d. Israel in Egypt (later in 1739) moved the genre further away from opera in its lack of personal dramatic action in favor of colorful choruses that supply the narrative. 1) This use of chorus, now considered indicative of Handel’s oratorios, moved the genre from one for soloists to one for choir (“anthem oratorio”). 2) The choir depicts the various nature (plagues) in somewhat graphic imagery, much in the way of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. C. Messiah 1. The Messiah includes aspects associated with Handel’s other works, but it differs in its New Testament subject. 2. Handel composed Messiah supposedly in twenty-four days. 3. It has never gone out of the repertory—an unusual feat—although it took a few years to gain true popularity (1742–1750). D. “Borrowing” 1. Handel’s alarming speed in composing Messiah was due in part to being able to recycle pre-composed music. 2. Such borrowing was common, and Handel partook frequently. a. Almost half of Israel in Egypt derives from works by other composers. b. Some scholars have attributed Handel’s numerous borrowings in the 1730s to a stroke in 1737. c. Others comment that it was not until the nineteenth century that modern ideas about copyright came into being, and to apply them to Handel is unfair. 1) It must be noted that Handel often made these works more brilliant. 2) Some of Handel’s contemporaries commented (negatively) on his excessive borrowing. 3. Handel borrowed extensively from himself in Messiah. a. Such borrowing explains why some of the choruses are so difficult: they were originally intended for soloists. b. Modern attitudes tend to see Messiah as church music, but for Handel such was not the case. II. Bach A. Bach’s Cantatas 1. Bach’s contemporaries considered his sacred vocal music to be his chief contribution. 2. Unlike Handel’s, Bach’s vocal music was intended for church (most of it). 3. Although he disparaged operatic “tunes” he nonetheless adopted some of the dramatic devices associated with opera. 4. Texts published by Neumeister altered the traditional biblical verses associated with chorales into little poems that contained an emotional response to the texts, functionally as arias do. a. He published texts called “cantatas” for the entire liturgical year. b. Bach set up to five cycles, three of which survive. 5. Of the Bach cantatas: They include both secular and sacred; only a few of the surviving 200 use Neumeister’s texts; most follow operatic conventions of recit/aria (da capo) mixed in with chorale settings. B. Death Set to Music 1. Bach’s cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 4) dates from early in his career: 1707 Mühlhausen, as part of his application for the organist position. 2. The work consists of variations on the chorale, and the text matches the chorale exactly. 3. Each verse is set differently. a. The first verse is long, with the chorale as a cantus firmus in the soprano. Points of imitation in the other voices give this verse a motet style, although the harmony is more modern. The instrumental accompaniment is equally active. For the “Hallelujah!,” the speed of the cantus firmus matches the other voices. b. The second verse is duet over a ground bass, with the chorale tune in the soprano, although it is somewhat decorated. c. The third verse is for tenor alone, singing the chorale over accompaniment. The general style is similar to an organ setting for three parts. d. Motet style returns for the fourth verse, but differs significantly from the first, especially in the accompaniment (which is reserved, more like a basso continuo). e. The fifth verse most closely approximates an operatic type: the lament. The vocal part must make some wide, dissonant leaps to vividly reflect the text. f. To reflect the text (to “mark the occasion”), Bach incorporates elements of a French overture—perhaps the most regal genre available in 1707. After the stately opening, the singers move to joyous triplets (also reminiscent of the genre). g. The final verse is set in four parts, like a hymn; it is possible that the congregation joined in here. C. What Music Is For 1. Almost two decades after Christ lag, Bach composed a cantata on the Reformation chorale (by Luther) Ein’ feste Burg (BWV 80) for performance in Leipzig, 31 October 1724. a. Bach alternates chorale verses with recit/arias (text by Salomo Franck, similar to Neumeister). b. His son, Wilhelm Friedmann, later added three trumpets and timpani to the scoring, which may have been used in a 1730 performance. c. Bach specified the number of singers (twelve to sixteen) and instrumentalists (eighteen) needed to perform grand music, but he usually had a smaller group. 2. Enlightenment writers saw music as something that was pleasant, gratifying, and improving, but ultimately unnecessary. 3. Bach’s view was vastly different—he belonged to an earlier era when music could persuade and reveal. If what he wished to convey was positive, the music conveyed that. But if he was after a different emotion or reaction, Bach could write very disturbing music that is difficult to accept as “pleasing.” a. We can see this approach in Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott (BWV 101). 1) The text includes words such as “punishment,” “distress,” “war,” etc. 2) Bach sets these words with unbelievable dissonances that are not meant to entertain, as Handel’s insects do in Israel in Egypt, but to move us to feel the emotions associated with the words. b. Other settings indicate that Bach did not believe in Enlightenment ideals. 1) In addition to text-setting, Bach demanded his instrumentalists (and singers) reach beyond their comfort zones to express the message. 2) The technical difficulty Bach required is one reason many of his cantatas are not frequently performed today. Most of those that are popular have special gimmicks that endear them to modern audiences, such as an amusing storyline or outrageously brilliant vocal display. D. Bach’s “Testaments” 1. Bach’s most familiar religious works are the large-scale works: Passions and the Mass in B Minor, which became part of the concert repertory in the nineteenth century. 2. The Passion oratorios were written for church use, for Good Friday, in the 1720s. a. They are semi-dramatic works with character roles, such as the Evangelist, and the chorus often acts as the “crowd.” b. Reflective arias interrupt the action (which takes place in recitatives). 3. The Passions are the closest pieces to opera that Bach wrote. a. St. John is more like an opera in its drama. b. St. Matthew is more contemplative. 1) Bach recognized the uniqueness of this Passion among his works. 2) When it was rediscovered in the early nineteenth century, a new attitude toward Bach developed. Part of the appreciation for Bach at this time was in reaction to the Enlightenment—which is logical when we understand Bach as being “anti-Enlightenment.” E. Cursed Questions 1. When nineteenth-century performers resurrected Bach’s vocal music, they did so in a context far removed from that in which it was created. 2. One obvious issue in the St. John Passion text is the way the Jews were treated. a. Blood libel, or blaming the Jews for the crucifixion, was taken for granted in the eighteenth century, even if scholarship has shown this to be an irresponsible interpretation. b. The text raises several thoughtful questions to consider when performing such music. III. Scarlatti A. Scarlatti, at Last 1. Scarlatti aesthetically belongs in the Enlightenment. 2. Precocious son of Alessandro Scarlatti, Domenico spent most of career on the Iberian Peninsula. a. In Madrid he was free to compose whatever he wished—which was mostly keyboard music, specifically harpsichord. b. His creative spirit unbound by rules, he invented a new type of composition that he called “ingenious jesting with art.” 1) Most of his works are short, delightful, and imaginative.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Handel's Oratorios and the Culture of Sentiment By
    Virtue Rewarded: Handel’s Oratorios and the Culture of Sentiment by Jonathan Rhodes Lee A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Davitt Moroney, Chair Professor Mary Ann Smart Professor Emeritus John H. Roberts Professor George Haggerty, UC Riverside Professor Kevis Goodman Fall 2013 Virtue Rewarded: Handel’s Oratorios and the Culture of Sentiment Copyright 2013 by Jonathan Rhodes Lee ABSTRACT Virtue Rewarded: Handel’s Oratorios and the Culture of Sentiment by Jonathan Rhodes Lee Doctor of Philosophy in Music University of California, Berkeley Professor Davitt Moroney, Chair Throughout the 1740s and early 1750s, Handel produced a dozen dramatic oratorios. These works and the people involved in their creation were part of a widespread culture of sentiment. This term encompasses the philosophers who praised an innate “moral sense,” the novelists who aimed to train morality by reducing audiences to tears, and the playwrights who sought (as Colley Cibber put it) to promote “the Interest and Honour of Virtue.” The oratorio, with its English libretti, moralizing lessons, and music that exerted profound effects on the sensibility of the British public, was the ideal vehicle for writers of sentimental persuasions. My dissertation explores how the pervasive sentimentalism in England, reaching first maturity right when Handel committed himself to the oratorio, influenced his last masterpieces as much as it did other artistic products of the mid- eighteenth century. When searching for relationships between music and sentimentalism, historians have logically started with literary influences, from direct transferences, such as operatic settings of Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, to indirect ones, such as the model that the Pamela character served for the Ninas, Cecchinas, and other garden girls of late eighteenth-century opera.
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher Lara C
    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations Spring 2019 Bel Canto to Punk and Back: Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher Lara C. Wilson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Wilson, L. C.(2019). Bel Canto to Punk and Back: Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5248 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact dillarda@mailbox.sc.edu. Bel Canto to Punk and Back: Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher by Lara C. Wilson Bachelor of Music Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 1991 Master of Music Indiana University, 1997 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance School of Music University of South Carolina 2019 Accepted by: E. Jacob Will, Major Professor J. Daniel Jenkins, Committee Member Lynn Kompass, Committee Member Janet Hopkins, Committee Member Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright by Lara C. Wilson, 2019 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION To my family, David, Dawn and Lennon Hunt, who have given their constant support and unconditional love. To my Mom, Frances Wilson, who has encouraged me through this challenge, among many, always believing in me. Lastly and most importantly, to my husband Andy Hunt, my greatest fan, who believes in me more sometimes than I believe in myself and whose backing has been unwavering.
    [Show full text]
  • Keyboard Playing and the Mechanization of Polyphony in Italian Music, Circa 1600
    Keyboard Playing and the Mechanization of Polyphony in Italian Music, Circa 1600 By Leon Chisholm A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Kate van Orden, Co-Chair Professor James Q. Davies, Co-Chair Professor Mary Ann Smart Professor Massimo Mazzotti Summer 2015 Keyboard Playing and the Mechanization of Polyphony in Italian Music, Circa 1600 Copyright 2015 by Leon Chisholm Abstract Keyboard Playing and the Mechanization of Polyphony in Italian Music, Circa 1600 by Leon Chisholm Doctor of Philosophy in Music University of California, Berkeley Professor Kate van Orden, Co-Chair Professor James Q. Davies, Co-Chair Keyboard instruments are ubiquitous in the history of European music. Despite the centrality of keyboards to everyday music making, their influence over the ways in which musicians have conceptualized music and, consequently, the music that they have created has received little attention. This dissertation explores how keyboard playing fits into revolutionary developments in music around 1600 – a period which roughly coincided with the emergence of the keyboard as the multipurpose instrument that has served musicians ever since. During the sixteenth century, keyboard playing became an increasingly common mode of experiencing polyphonic music, challenging the longstanding status of ensemble singing as the paradigmatic vehicle for the art of counterpoint – and ultimately replacing it in the eighteenth century. The competing paradigms differed radically: whereas ensemble singing comprised a group of musicians using their bodies as instruments, keyboard playing involved a lone musician operating a machine with her hands.
    [Show full text]
  • III CHAPTER III the BAROQUE PERIOD 1. Baroque Music (1600-1750) Baroque – Flamboyant, Elaborately Ornamented A. Characteristic
    III CHAPTER III THE BAROQUE PERIOD 1. Baroque Music (1600-1750) Baroque – flamboyant, elaborately ornamented a. Characteristics of Baroque Music 1. Unity of Mood – a piece expressed basically one basic mood e.g. rhythmic patterns, melodic patterns 2. Rhythm – rhythmic continuity provides a compelling drive, the beat is more emphasized than before. 3. Dynamics – volume tends to remain constant for a stretch of time. Terraced dynamics – a sudden shift of the dynamics level. (keyboard instruments not capable of cresc/decresc.) 4. Texture – predominantly polyphonic and less frequently homophonic. 5. Chords and the Basso Continuo (Figured Bass) – the progression of chords becomes prominent. Bass Continuo - the standard accompaniment consisting of a keyboard instrument (harpsichord, organ) and a low melodic instrument (violoncello, bassoon). 6. Words and Music – Word-Painting - the musical representation of specific poetic images; E.g. ascending notes for the word heaven. b. The Baroque Orchestra – Composed of chiefly the string section with various other instruments used as needed. Size of approximately 10 – 40 players. c. Baroque Forms – movement – a piece that sounds fairly complete and independent but is part of a larger work. -Binary and Ternary are both dominant. 2. The Concerto Grosso and the Ritornello Form - concerto grosso – a small group of soloists pitted against a larger ensemble (tutti), usually consists of 3 movements: (1) fast, (2) slow, (3) fast. - ritornello form - e.g. tutti, solo, tutti, solo, tutti solo, tutti etc. Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047 Title on autograph score: Concerto 2do à 1 Tromba, 1 Flauto, 1 Hautbois, 1 Violino concertati, è 2 Violini, 1 Viola è Violone in Ripieno col Violoncello è Basso per il Cembalo.
    [Show full text]
  • Vocal Pedagogy As It Relates to Choral Ensembles
    Vocal Pedagogy as It Relates to Choral Ensembles Compiled by Dalan M. Guthrie March 2019 0 Introduction Vocal pedagogy is a topic that has been well-defined for centuries. There are comprehensive books, treatises, dissertations and opinions on every facet of technique as it relates to healthy production of voice in the bel-canto style. For most of its existence as a topic, it has been almost completely limited to the individual study of voice as it pertains to the soloist. Vocal pedagogy as it pertains to choral ensembles is a relatively recent topic of study that has only started to be defined in the last 50 or so years. It is the aim of this bibliography to comprehensively represent the corpus of research of vocal pedagogy as it relates to the choral ensemble. This includes helping to define the role of the choral director, voice teacher, and singer in their responsibility in the education of vocal performance in both solo and choral settings. The nature of this research is pedagogical. Because of this, it is difficult to scientifically define a “correct” methodology of teaching voice. However, the teaching of voice has been evolving for centuries and continues to evolve. As we learn more about vocal science, we can apply them to old models and find new techniques to implement them in simple ways. The techniques change and will always change, but the underlying principles are being reinforced as necessary by authority figures on the subject and by those who practice voice. The stereotype that the comparison of solo and choral singing invariably brings is that of the director and the voice teacher continually at odds with one another over the approach to the vocal education of their students at the secondary and collegiate levels.
    [Show full text]
  • The Italian Girl in Algiers
    Opera Box Teacher’s Guide table of contents Welcome Letter . .1 Lesson Plan Unit Overview and Academic Standards . .2 Opera Box Content Checklist . .8 Reference/Tracking Guide . .9 Lesson Plans . .11 Synopsis and Musical Excerpts . .32 Flow Charts . .38 Gioachino Rossini – a biography .............................45 Catalogue of Rossini’s Operas . .47 2 0 0 7 – 2 0 0 8 S E A S O N Background Notes . .50 World Events in 1813 ....................................55 History of Opera ........................................56 History of Minnesota Opera, Repertoire . .67 GIUSEPPE VERDI SEPTEMBER 22 – 30, 2007 The Standard Repertory ...................................71 Elements of Opera .......................................72 Glossary of Opera Terms ..................................76 GIOACHINO ROSSINI Glossary of Musical Terms .................................82 NOVEMBER 10 – 18, 2007 Bibliography, Discography, Videography . .85 Word Search, Crossword Puzzle . .88 Evaluation . .91 Acknowledgements . .92 CHARLES GOUNOD JANUARY 26 –FEBRUARY 2, 2008 REINHARD KEISER MARCH 1 – 9, 2008 mnopera.org ANTONÍN DVOˇRÁK APRIL 12 – 20, 2008 FOR SEASON TICKETS, CALL 612.333.6669 The Italian Girl in Algiers Opera Box Lesson Plan Title Page with Related Academic Standards lesson title minnesota academic national standards standards: arts k–12 for music education 1 – Rossini – “I was born for opera buffa.” Music 9.1.1.3.1 8, 9 Music 9.1.1.3.2 Theater 9.1.1.4.2 Music 9.4.1.3.1 Music 9.4.1.3.2 Theater 9.4.1.4.1 Theater 9.4.1.4.2 2 – Rossini Opera Terms Music
    [Show full text]
  • Why Do Singers Sing in the Way They
    Why do singers sing in the way they do? Why, for example, is western classical singing so different from pop singing? How is it that Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe could sing together? These are the kinds of questions which John Potter, a singer of international repute and himself the master of many styles, poses in this fascinating book, which is effectively a history of singing style. He finds the reasons to be primarily ideological rather than specifically musical. His book identifies particular historical 'moments of change' in singing technique and style, and relates these to a three-stage theory of style based on the relationship of singing to text. There is a substantial section on meaning in singing, and a discussion of how the transmission of meaning is enabled or inhibited by different varieties of style or technique. VOCAL AUTHORITY VOCAL AUTHORITY Singing style and ideology JOHN POTTER CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 IRP, United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, United Kingdom 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia © Cambridge University Press 1998 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1998 Typeset in Baskerville 11 /12^ pt [ c E] A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library library of Congress cataloguing in publication data Potter, John, tenor.
    [Show full text]
  • Program Notes.Docx
    CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Pipe Organ Recital An abstract submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Music, Performance By Hae-Yul Grace Chung August 2014 The abstract of Hae-Yul Grace Chung is approved: _________________________________________ ______________ Dr. Elizabeth Sellers Date _________________________________________ ______________ Dr. Liviu Marinescu Date _________________________________________ ______________ Dr. Timothy Howard, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ii Abstract iv 1. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 1 1.1 Analysis of Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543 7 2. Dan Locklair (b.1949) 11 2. 1 Analysis of In Mystery and Wonder 12 3. Louis Vierne (1870-1937) 15 3. 1 Analysis of Troisième Symphonie Pour Grand Orgue 19 Bibliography 23 Appendix A: Map of Bach’s Travels 25 Appendix B: The Record of Bach’s Recommendations to repair 26 Appendix C: Specifications of the Notre Dame Organ 27 Appendix D: Themes in Troisième symphonie pour grand orgue 28 Appendix E: Recital Program 32 Appendix F: Recital Program Notes 35 iii ABSTRACT Pipe Organ Recital By Hae-Yul Grace Chung Master of Music, Performance The contributions made by Johann Sebastian Bach, Louis Vierne, and Dan Locklair hold a very distinct landmark in the development of organ music. Bach creatively brought Baroque music to its culmination, and is known for his expert contrapunctal craftsmanship that has proven itself through the ages. In the French Romantic period the zenith of symphonic organ music was achieved by Vierne through his six organ symphonies. Vierne modified sonata form, created subtle nuance in harmony, and utilized orchestral timbres made possible by the innovative organs of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in the 19th century.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards a Cultural History of Italian Oratorio Around 1700: Circulations, Contexts, and Comparisons
    This is a working paper with minimal footnotes that was not written towards publication—at least not in its present form. Rather, it aims to provide some of the wider historiographical and methodological background for the specific (book) project I am working on at the Italian Academy. Please do not circulate this paper further or quote it without prior written consent. Huub van der Linden, 1 November 2013. Towards a cultural history of Italian oratorio around 1700: Circulations, contexts, and comparisons Huub van der Linden “Parlare e scrivere di musica implica sempre una storia degli ascolti possibili.” Luciano Berio, Intervista sulla musica (1981) 1. Oratorio around 1700: Historiographical issues since 1900 In the years around 1900, one Italian composer was hailed both in Italy and abroad as the future of Italian sacred music. Nowadays almost no one has heard of him. It was Don Lorenzo Perosi (1872-1956), the director of the Sistine Chapel. He was widely seen as one of the most promising new composers in Italy, to such a degree that the Italian press spoke of il momento perosiano (“the Perosian moment”) and that his oratorios appeared to usher in a new flourishing of the genre.1 His oratorios were performed all over Europe as well as in the USA, and received wide-spread attention in the press and music magazines. They also gave rise to the modern historiography of the genre. Like all historiography, that of Italian oratorio is shaped by its own historical context, and like all writing about music, it is related also to music making.
    [Show full text]
  • Classroom / General Music NYSSMA® 2012 Sequential Guide for Music Instruction
    Sequential Guide for Music Instruction ... Classroom / General Music NYSSMA® 2012 Sequential Guide for Music Instruction ... Classroom / General Music New York State School Music Association 2012 This is a project conceived and executed by the NYSSMA® Curriculum Committee. It is with gratitude and pride that the following individuals are recognized and appreciated for their tremendous contributions to Sequential Guide for Music Instruction: Curriculum Committee Dr. Mary Carlson, Nazareth College of Rochester Nikki J. Cole, Bath-Haverling Central School District Jennifer Davis, Chautauqua Central School District Marc E. Greene, Baldwin School District Sue Hoffmann, Union Endicott Central School District Erin Scudder, Amherst Central School District Linda Sullivan, Plattsburgh City School District Ann D. Trombley, Monticello School District Frederic A. Weingarten, Chair, Nazareth College of Rochester Nancy Guilfoyle, Rush-Henrietta Central School District – Past Committee Member In addition, several music educators throughout the state have given input to this committee that has helped to strengthen this document. We thank the following individuals for their time in thoughtful analysis of this work, and for their constructive comments: Diane Abrahamian; Lauren Audette; Lon Beery; Nathan Berry; Sheila Buck; Scott Cannan; Julie Along Carr; Ed Chiarello; Randy Czosnyka; Mark Fonder; Christa Fortin; Randy Gammiero; Rebecca Geblein; Nancy Guilfoyle; Kim Kane; Megan Ferguson-Koci; Amy Phillips; Alice Pratt; Melissa Reed; Aaron Rovitz; Barbara
    [Show full text]
  • 'The Performing Pitch of William Byrd's Latin Liturgical Polyphony: a Guide
    The Performing Pitch of William Byrd’s Latin Liturgical Polyphony: A Guide for Historically Minded Interpreters Andrew Johnstone REA: A Journal of Religion, Education and the Arts, Issue 10, 'Sacred Music', 2016 The choosing of a suitable performing pitch is a task that faces all interpreters of sixteenth- century vocal polyphony. As any choral director with the relevant experience will know, decisions about pitch are inseparable from decisions about programming, since some degree of transposition—be it effected on the printed page or by the mental agility of the singers—is almost invariably required to bring the conventions of Renaissance vocal scoring into alignment with the parameters of the more modern SATB ensemble. To be sure, the problem will always admit the purely pragmatic solution of adopting the pitch that best suits the available voices. Such a solution cannot of itself be to the detriment of a compelling, musicianly interpretation, and precedent for it may be cited in historic accounts of choosing a pitch according to the capabilities of the available bass voices (Ganassi 1542, chapter 11) and transposing polyphony so as to align the tenor part with the octave in which chorale melodies were customarily sung (Burmeister 1606, chapter 8). At the same time, transpositions oriented to the comfort zone of present-day choirs will almost certainly result in sonorities differing appreciably from those the composer had in mind. It is therefore to those interested in this aspect of the composer’s intentions, as well as to those curious about the why and the wherefore of Renaissance notation, that the following observations are offered.
    [Show full text]
  • Johann Sebastian Bach Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
    PROGRAM NOTES by Phillip Huscher Johann Sebastian Bach Born March 21, 1685, Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany. Died July 28, 1750, Leipzig, Germany. Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068 Although the dating of Bach’s four orchestral suites is uncertain, the third was probably written in 1731. The score calls for two oboes, three trumpets, timpani, and harpsichord, with strings and basso continuo. Performance time is approximately twenty -one minutes. The Chicago Sympho ny Orchestra’s first subscription concert performances of Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite were given at the Auditorium Theatre on October 23 and 24, 1891, with Theodore Thomas conducting. Our most recent subscription concert performances were given on May 15 , 16, 17, and 20, 2003, with Jaime Laredo conducting. The Orchestra first performed the Air and Gavotte from this suite at the Ravinia Festival on June 29, 1941, with Frederick Stock conducting; the complete suite was first performed at Ravinia on August 5 , 1948, with Pierre Monteux conducting, and most recently on August 28, 2000, with Vladimir Feltsman conducting. When the young Mendelssohn played the first movement of Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite on the piano for Goethe, the poet said he could see “a p rocession of elegantly dressed people proceeding down a great staircase.” Bach’s music was nearly forgotten in 1830, and Goethe, never having heard this suite before, can be forgiven for wanting to attach a visual image to such stately and sweeping music. Today it’s hard to imagine a time when Bach’s name meant little to music lovers and when these four orchestral suites weren’t considered landmarks.
    [Show full text]