The Legacy of Johann Baptist Baumgärtner (1723-1782)
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The Art of Chordal Cello Accompaniment: The Legacy of Johann Baptist Baumgärtner (1723-1782) Critical Notes Jemma Thrussell, Historical Cello SID: 312099525 Master of Music (Performance), Historical Performance Unit Lecture Recital Wednesday, February 19th, 2020 6:30 p.m. Recital Hall East Sydney Conservatorium of Music The art of accompaniment is a broad topic of discussion within historically informed performance. Most of the conversation regarding eighteenth-century continuo practices hasfocused upon methods written for keyboard and lute-family instruments. Despite the great importance of bowed string instruments in basso continuo, there has been a considerable lack of attention given to specific techniques for these instruments; however, within the last thirty years or so, this topic has slowly begun to be investigated. Evidence from recent research indicates that continuo practices for bass string instruments were far more sophisticated than what was previously understood. This includes research that suggests that cellists were expected to not only support the bass line by playing what was written in the score but were also encouraged to provide chordal accompaniment, much like their keyboard and lute counterparts. In this lecture presentation, I present the findings from my Master's research project, which is titled Chordal Cello Accompaniment: Baumgärtner’s Legacy. In the first part of this lecture, I will be establishing what chordal cello realisation is and what has already been researched with regard to this practice. I will also discuss how my research adresses a significant gap in the literature concerning Baumgärtner’s own importance as a cellist and pedagogue by examining the notated evidence available of chordal accompaniment practices and techniques present in his own compositions. As part of the lecture, there will also be a demonstration of the recitative example from Johann Baptist Baumgärtner’s Instructions de musique, théorique et praqtique, à l‘usage du violoncelle, 1774.1 Following this, I will discuss how eighteenth-century cellist Johann Baptist Baumgärtner described this practice in his method on cello playing. I will be paying particular attention to his chapters on the accompaniment of recitative and the chordal accompaniment of General Bass as well as the corresponding “Exercises” from his method, which outline to the reader how to perform chordal cello accompaniment. I will also then present Baumgärtner’s, Extrait des airs françois de plusiers opéras qui ont représentées accomodées pour deux violoncellos, which I studied along with other works of his as part of my research process.2 These Extrait contain evidence of what appear to be notated 1 Johann Baptist Baumgärtner, Instructions de Musique, Théorique et Praqtique, à L’usage du Violoncelle, (Daniel Monnier, The Hague, ca. 1774). 2 Jean Baptiste Baumgärtner, Extrait des airs françois de plusiers opéras qui ont représentées accomodées pour deux violoncelles, (The Hague, ca. 1790). examples of chordal cello realisation in practice. This makes these works of great note within the research on this topic as the practice is thought to have been mostly undocumented due to it being a mostly improvised practice. The third section of this presentation will focus on my performance of excerpts from his Extrait as well as W.A. Mozart’s aria “Batti batti o bel Masetto.”3 Further discussion on why I have included this particular aria from Don Giovanni in this performance will be given in this section. Finally, I will provide a summary of the findings, conclusion and overall experience of my research project and suggest further applications possible for this research as well as future avenues for investigation regarding this topic. 1. Recitative Example from, Instructions De Musique, Théorique et Praqtique, à L‘usage Du Violoncelle, Johann Baptist Baumgärtner, 1774. Johann Baptist Baumgärtner’s Instructions, 1774, is identified by both Nathan Whittaker4 and Robert Smith as the first text we have on chordal cello accompaniment from the late eighteenth century.5 They both conclude that the rules and examples detailed in Instructions are the most explicit and direct evidence we have of the practice of chordal playing on the cello; however, my study goes on to demonstrate that Baumgärtner’s Extrait provide us with a notated example of chordal cello accompaniment. Baumgärtner also gives detailed information on the specific practice of the chordal accompaniment of recitative by the cello and the fact this was an integral role for the cello in the Opera. 3 W.A. Mozart, "Batti, batti, oh bel Masetto", No. 12 Aria, K. 527: Act I, Scene XVI, Don Giovanni, 1787. 4 Nathan Whittaker, “Chordal Cello Accompaniment: the Violoncello from 1660-1850”, (DMA dissertation, University of Washington, 2012). 5 Robert Smith, “Basso Continuo Realisation on the Cello and Viol”, (Masters dissertation, Conservatorium van Amsterdam, 2009). In his “Exercises”, Baumgärtner supplies the reader with various technical examples which the cellist can play through or try out in order to develop their understanding of chordal playing. The first example is a fugue. Like most eighteenth-century fugues, this exercise, although written for one cello, is music written for many voices which the cellist must play simultaneously. Polyphonic music for the cello is less common than it is for keyboard and lute instruments; however, examples like this and J.S.Bach’s Suites a Violoncello Solo senza, demonstrate that this kind of chordal music is also achievable on bowed string instruments. This exercise also illustrates precisely what can be achieved in terms of chords on the cello, not just in the standard register of the cello but even in positions above the neck of the cello.6 The following example is from Baumgärtner’s models of cadential realisations from the Appendix section of his method. These cadence excersises quite clearly show translations of figured bass lines into various versions of cadences within a key. For example, Baumgärtner displays the possible inversions available for a dominant to tonic cadence, from having the tonic, third, dominant and second in the bass and also with changing the positioning of other notes in the chord. This showcases the distinct versatility that the cello can have, even when just realising a cadences. Excerpt from Des Acords des Cadences, Instructions de Musique, Théorique et Praqtique, à l’usage du Violoncelle, Johann Baptist Baumgärtner, Daniel Monnier, The Hague,( ca. 1774). p.11. 6 Johann Sebastian Bach, Suites a Violoncello Solo senza Basso, BWV 1007-1012, (Anna Magdalena Bach, Manuscript, ca. 1717-23). This recitative example is perhaps the most striking of the “Exercises”. Here, Baumgärtner provides a short recitative without text, that includes a bass line, notated in the standard style of a recitativo semplice but also a written out chordal cello realisation below. The melodic line is also notated in two clefs, suggesting that two different voice types would perform this recitative. This is perhaps a device used by Baumgärtner to help the learner in adjusting to keeping with the melody line even with changes in clef. It does also aid in helping the cellist to learn to read in different clefs at a faster rate. Recitatif, from, Instructions de Musique, Théorique et Praqtique, à l’usage du Violoncelle, Johann Baptist Baumgärtner, Daniel Monnier, The Hague,( ca. 1774 p.12. This example is an excellent model provided for the leaner-cellist to understand better what is expected when realising a recitative. From the use of simpler double stops, as Baumgärtner suggests should be the standard approach, to the use of fuller quadruple stops on final cadences and at the end of distinct phrases. American researcher, Nathan Whittaker, demonstrates that this kind of pedagogical recitative, without text, can also be seen in the later treatises from the Paris Conservatoire and French cellists like Baudiot. Nevertheless, Baumgärtner’s example is the earliest case of this kind of exercise for the cello. In order to adequately perform this recitative extract despite its lack of text, the performers in this recital have chosen a neutral syllable on which to declaim. 2. Don Giovanni, K. 527: Act I, Scene XVI. No. 12 Aria "Batti, batti, oh bel Masetto" This particular aria,famously known as Zerlina’s aria, it is at the end of the opera and depicts a highly comical yet somewhat distasteful (at least in the eyes of a modern audience) scene. In this scene, the young peasant girl, Zerlina, after being caught up in relationship drama and debauchery with Don Giovanni, (the anti-hero of the story), coercively begs her betrothed, Masetto, to take her back. If he should decide to take her back, Masetto may do with her whatever he pleases… The main feature of this aria is a cello obbligato that supports Zerlina’s line in both the Andante grazioso section and in the starkly up-beat allegro. What is fascinating about this obbligato part and why the aria was chosen as a part of this lecture-performance is to suggest that this obbligato cello part may act as another kind of chordal accompaniment. The Alberti bassline style of this obbligato is somewhat unconverntional, seeing at the part does not appear to act as a counter melody to the soprano line yet effectively creates harmonic support for it. Typically a more complex bass line of this style is commonly thought to be less suited to the cello. However, if one were to consider this obbligato as more than just a solo part, and instead