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Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School

2017 A Survey of Violin Encores Jia-Rong Gan

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COLLEGE OF MUSIC

A SURVEY OF VIOLIN ENCORES

JIA-RONG GAN

A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music

2017

Jia-Rong Gan defended this treatise on April 12, 2017. The members of the supervisory committee were:

Corinne Stillwell Professor Directing Treatise

Evan A. Jones University Representative

Benjamin Sung Committee Member

Gregory D. Sauer Committee Member

The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the treatise has been approved in accordance with university requirements.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to Dr. Benjamin Sung,

Professor Greg Sauer, Dr. Evan Jones and, Professor Corinne Stillwell, for their help, encouragements and expertise. It has been a great pleasure and an honor to have had the opportunity to work with four amazing musicians, but most of all Professor Corinne Stillwell.

The endless effort, love, and pertinent criticism she has showed me, successfully guided me through this treatise as well as the two lecture recitals. Without her, this project would not have been possible.

Many thanks to my pianists Nolan Miller and Chun Li for the knowledge and musical inspiration they have shared; my good friends Elizabeth Donovan, Maggie Thompson, and

Timothy Stephenson, for the reassurances they have provided; and my editor, Sarah Gilbert, who has helped me put ideas and thoughts into cohesive sentences. Finally, I want to thank my family members, Heang Lee Gan, Geok Wah Chew and Jiaying Gan, for their unconditional love and support even though they are thousands of miles away. The support and encouragement from all these people are my source of energy and motivation, and I am eternally grateful for their contributions through this journey of mine.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………..... v

1. INTRODUCTION…...……………………………………………………………………….... 1 1.1 Aproach……………………………………………………………………………………. 3

2. NINETEENTH CENTURY COMPOSITIONS BY VIOLINIST PERFORMED AS ENCORES...... 5 2.1 Le Streghe by Nicolò Paganini………………………………………………….…...... 8 2.2 Romance in B-flat, Op. 2, No. 1 by Joseph Joachim………………………………...... 10 2.3 Légende, Op. 17 by Henri Wieniawski……………………………………………...... 12 2.4 Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 by Pablo de Sarasate………………………………………...... 14 2.5 Usage of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas as Encores…………...….... 15

3. TWENTIETH CENTURY TRANSCRIPTIONS BY VIOLINIST PERFORMED AS ENCORES……………………...... 16 3.1 Tango by Isaac Albeniz, transcribed by Mischa Elman.………………..………...... 19 3.2 Hungarian Folk Tunes by Béla Bartók, transcribed by Joseph Szigeti……...………….... 20 3.3 “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, transcribed by Jascha Heifetz...... 21 3.4 Humoresque in G-flat Major by Antonin Dvořák, transcribed by Fritz Kreisler…..…...... 23 3.5 Farewell to Cucullain “Londonderry Air” (traditional folk song), transcribed by Kreisler, and Estrellita by Manuel Ponce, transcribed by Heifetz...... 24

4. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………….………………. 27

APPENDIX: SELECTED PIECES PERFORMED AS ENCORES BY VARIOUS TWENTIETH CENTURY VIOLINISTS...... 29

References..…………………………………………………………………………………...... 36

Biographical Sketch……………………………………………………………………………... 40

ABSTRACT

The term “encore” originated from the French word for “again,” and in a musical setting it functions as a request to repeat a favorite musical work. Its first documented use was at performances of Italian operas in 1712 in London.1 Since then, the practice of encores has made its way to violin recitals, and the choice of repertoire for encores has changed significantly. A violinist’s choice of encores in the nineteenth century consisted of pieces with high technical demand, to feature the performer’s mastery of their instrument. However, technique alone was not enough. Works that highlighted the melodious and lyrical qualities of the violin were also very well-received. The twentieth century saw a change in the way music was disseminated. The phonograph was popularized, radio became a mainstay of home entertainment, and long play (LP) recordings brought classical music to a much wider audience. Many well-known violinists, including Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, Joseph Szigeti, and Mischa Elman, began to record, transcribe, and arrange popular folk tunes, opera arias, and works originally composed for other instruments for the violin. These activities gave rise to the popularity of the short character pieces and soon became favorite encore pieces for violinists and audiences around the world.

This treatise will present selected violin works that were performed as encores during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The paper commences with a discussion of the term “encore” itself, as well as a brief history of the practice of encores. Following that will be a study of the background and history of encore performance of selected nineteenth century violin encore works that were composed by violinists such as Nicolò Paganini, Joseph Joachim, Henri

Wieniawski, and Pablo Sarasate, as well as selected violin transcriptions performed as encores by Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, Joseph Szigeti, and Mischa Elman

1 Peter Walls, “Encore,” in The New Grove: Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Volume 8, 2nd edition, ed. Stanley Sadie and J. Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001), 196.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The term “encore,” cried out by English audiences to demand the repetition of a piece or to hear an additional work, originated from the French word “again,” which has a variety of meanings such as “still,” “yet,” and “longer.” Interestingly, the term had never been intended to mean “please play some more.” The French, Germans, and Italians use the phrase “Bis, bis” to express their desire to hear more from the performer. The tradition of crying out “encore” crept into the English language as a corruption of the Italian word “ancora” (again) and can be traced back to the early 1700s in audiences of the Italian opera in London.2 In February 1712, a comment was made in The Spectator: “I observe it’s become a custom, that whenever any gentlemen are particularly pleased with a song, at their crying out encore or altro volta, the performer is so obliging as to sing it over again.”3

In the days before the existence of recordings, the calling of “encore” was a way for the audience to enjoy a well-received aria or song from an opera once more. For the most part, the performer would happily oblige, even if it meant interrupting the flow of a recital or delaying the plotline of an opera performance. However, not everyone approved of this practice. According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, “Franz Joseph Haydn had turned against this practice by 1799; on the occasion of the first performance of his Creation (1798), in a note printed on the program, he begged the audience not to insist upon the repetition of any number.” 4Venues often asked the audience to refrain from encore requests, and by the early twentieth century, programs at the

2 Peter Walls, “Encore,” in The New Grove: Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Volume 8, 2nd edition, ed. Stanley Sadie and J. Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001), 196. 3 Ibid, 196. 4 Apel, Willi. “Encore,” Harvard Dictionary of Music. (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1961), 288.

Metropolitan Opera warned sternly, in capital letters, “POSITIVELY NO ENCORES

ALLOWED.” 5

Complaints of encores distracting from the music’s dramatic effect were not exclusive to opera houses, however. Instrumental soloists were also discouraged from performing encores.

For example, the subheading of a 1920 article by violinist Victor Küzdö in the journal Musical

America read, “the abolition of the encore nuisance would be an artistic innovation.”6 Küzdö explained that a violin recital should not be any longer than an hour and fifteen minutes. With the calling of encore, repeating or adding pieces not listed on the program, the symmetry of the well- planned program will be disrupted. Furthermore, Küzdö deemed that the dramatic and comedic act of “turning out the lights, closing the piano, and the ‘prima donna’ fiddler waving a final adieu to the audience” was unnecessary and undignified for a recital and the musical art.7

Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999), a well-known American-born violinist, caused a small controversy on the evening of December 12, 1957. Menuhin had performed the Preludio from

J.S. Bach’s unaccompanied Partita in E Major as an encore to his brilliant performance of Ernest

Bloch’s Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. At that time, encores were an uncommon practice during a regular orchestra season because encores were thought to bring unbalance to the planned program and delay its conclusion, which then caused havoc with the travel schedules of those subscribers who were commuters.8 Thus, encores were not given unless permission was granted.

5 Zachary Woolfe, “So Nice, They Do It Twice,” The New York Times (9 Jan 2015), accessed January 17, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/arts/music/calls-of-encore-bring-surprise-to-classical-music.html. Accessed January 17, 2017. 6 Victor Küzdö, “Solving the Program Problem for Violinist,” Musical America vol. 41 (March 1920): 17. 7 Ibid, 17. 8 John Canarina, The New York Philharmonic: From Bernstein to Maazel. (Milwaukee, WI: Amadeus Press, 2010), 11.

Despite the objections of some, the practice of encores still prevails and has since evolved to encompass a broader, less precise idea. Encores played today are often short virtuosic pieces offered by the soloist either following a concerto performance with orchestra or after a recital performance. The repetition of a favorite work immediately after the performance is not as common in today’s concert setting. Nonetheless, every performer approaches this encore repertoire differently. There are performers that cultivate a set of pieces they can draw on indefinitely. Well-known Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman, for example, decides his encores based on the same stack of music he brings on stage after his recitals. There are also performers that will carefully select encores that fit their programs; some will even improvise and compose an encore on the spot, such as Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero, who is famous for her improvisation on themes suggested by her audience after a recital or concerto performance.9 It is also quite common for a performer to have signature works that devoted audiences wait patiently to hear. As written by Robert Kirzinger in the liner notes of Hilary

Hahn’s In 27 Pieces compact disc, “the encore slot is the place to play something that’s both a treat for the audience and a direct expression of the player’s musical interests.”10 Hence, the unpredictable element of encores, as well as the sincerity given by the performer, makes encores a special moment for the audience. The best encores dazzle, mesmerize, intrigue, or amuse audiences.

1.1 Approach

The present treatise will cover selected violin and piano pieces that were performed as

encores from both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A brief historical background on the

9 A YouTube video of Gabriela Montero playing improvisations on a theme from Harry Potter can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD_DAUpb1Xg. 10 Robert Kirzinger, Liner notes to In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encore. Hilary Hahn (violin), Cory Smythe (piano). CD, 2013.

3 development of encore pieces from both centuries will also be given. The first chapter is based on my first lecture recital, which was presented on February 19, 2016. I will discuss four encore pieces that were both composed and performed by well-known nineteenth century violinists. I chose works by composers of different nationalities to show the different musical cultures and schools of violin playing in Europe during the nineteenth century. The pieces are Le Streghe, Op.

8 (1813) by Nicolò Paganini; Romance in B-flat, Op. 2, No. 1 (1850) by Joseph Joachim;

Légende, Op. 17 (1860) by Henri Wieniawski; and Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 (1878) by Pablo

Sarasate.

The second chapter is based on my second lecture recital presented on November 21,

2016 with a focus on transcriptions by famous violinists in the twentieth century. Like the first lecture recital, the pieces chosen were also performed as encores by the transcribers/violinists themselves. The four violinists I have chosen to focus on are Mischa Elman, Joseph Szigeti, Fritz

Kreisler, and Jascha Heifetz. Each of these violinists transcribed, performed, and recorded vast numbers of showpieces throughout their lifetimes, and each was known for his unique sound and charm.

CHAPTER TWO

NINETEENTH CENTURY COMPOSITIONS BY VIOLINIST PERFORMED AS

ENCORES

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the late eighteenth century and continued into the nineteenth century, brought great socioeconomic change to the world, profoundly affecting musical tastes of the time. Growing numbers of people studied and took interest in music, creating audiences with wider ranges of understanding towards music.11 In order for the violinist to appeal to both the highly-educated elites, as well as amateur music lovers, repertoire that bedazzled and required little effort on the listener’s part was often programmed. Additionally, the patronage system upon which many musicians had depended solely was slowly declining, and this paved the way to the rise of the impresario profession. Impresarios used entrepreneurial methods to manage and organize the presentation of virtuoso artists, which led to the emergence of concert-giving as a commercial proposition.12 This cultural change was reflected in the music through concert programs that began to include terms such as “rondo brilliant,” “grande polonaise brillante,” and “grande exercise di bravura en forme de rondeau brillant.”13 Such musical extravagances brought many virtuosi violinists to fame and promoted the admiration for encore-worthy showpieces.

The evolution of concert programming throughout the nineteenth century has affected the choice of encores that were played. The programming structure of public concerts prior to 1840

11 Dobney, Jayson Kerr. “Nineteenth-Century Classical Music.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (October 2004), accessed on April 11, 2017. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/amcm/hd_amcm.htm. 12 Laurence Marton Lerner, “The Rise of the Impresario: Bernard Ullman and The Transformation of Musical Culture in Nineteenth Century America” (Ph.D. diss, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1970), iii, ProQuest 7020854. 13 Walter Kolneder, Reinhard G. Pauly, ed. and trans. The Amadeus Book of the Violin: Construction, History and Music (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1999), 388.

5 were dominated by the “miscellany” style. Concerts organized by musicians were known as

“benefit concerts,” and served as a platform for them to establish their name within their network and gain well-paid teaching engagements.14 Such concerts usually involved a variety of performers, both vocal and instrumental, with a program that alternated between these two styles.

The programming of such concerts consisted of mostly opera arias, opera overtures, movements from symphonies, movements from chamber works, and instrumental fantasies or variations on themes of well-known operas. Hence, the violin works that were requested to be repeated from the audience were the virtuosic fantasies or variations on themes of well-known operas, such as violinist Nicolò Paganini’s Le Streghe, and Variation on One String on a Theme by Rossini

(“Moses Fantasy”).15

It was not until the career of charismatic piano virtuoso Franz Liszt, who gave rise to the solo recital, that major changes were made to concert programming. Liszt gave the very first exclusive solo piano recital in 1840, in which he astonished the audience with his flawless technique and musicality, as well as the fact that he performed a whole concert entirely by himself.16 Liszt revolutionized the face of public performance and started the movement of presenting solo recitals.

However, few people at the time were aware that a musician whom Liszt deeply admired

– violinist Nicolò Paganini – presented a solo recital only a few years before Liszt’s 1840 recital.

Paganini’s solo recital took place on June 18, 1832 at the Hanover Square Rooms in Boulogne- sur-Mer, France. This historic event was the result of an accident: due to a series of unfortunate incidents, Paganini was not provided with a professional chamber orchestra and was obligated to

14 William Weber. “Recital” The New Grove: Dictionary of Music and Musicians. eds. Stanley Sadie and J. Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001), 20:913. 15 Jacques-Gabriel Prod’homme, Nicolò Paganini: A Biography (New York: Carl Fischer, 1911), 28. 16 Colette Colligan and Margaret Linley, ed., Media Technology and Literature in the Nineteenth Century: Image, Sound, Touch (Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2011), 177-78.

6 perform unaccompanied.17 Unfazed by the situation, Paganini performed brilliantly. His art and showmanship successfully won over the support of the audience, including those whom had refused to assist him before the recital.

The popularization of this new form of solo instrumental recital to which both Paganini and Liszt contributed, significantly changed concert programming, which in turn influenced the encore repertoire. Also as a response to the commercialized “miscellany” concerts from the early half of the nineteenth century, solo instrumental concerts began to be devoted to self-consciously serious repertoire. Violinist Joseph Joachim dedicated part of his career to educate the public’s taste by programming music of the highest quality. The concert program for which Joachim advocated began with a Baroque sonata, such as a Handel sonata, followed by something more artistic, such as Beethoven’s Spring Sonata, then concluding the first half of the program with a piece similar to Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. The second half of the concert typically opened with another virtuoso piece, such as Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen, then proceed with a group of shorter character pieces that were either brilliant bravura works or works that were sentimental and schmaltzy.18 This group of shorter character pieces focused on the performer’s virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and innate musicality, and were also often crowd pleasers. Encores were often called at the end of a concert program, immediately after the dazzling performance of those short character pieces, and thus, the encore repertoire began to consist of short character pieces. The structure of such recital programs maintained itself well into the twentieth century, and these encore pieces stood the test of time, for they have become staples of the violin repertoire.

17 Stephen Samuel Stratton, Nicolò Paganini: His Life and Work (London: E. Shore and Co., 1907), 65-66.

18 Walter Kolneder, Reinhard G. Pauly, ed. and trans. The Amadeus Book of the Violin: Construction, History and Music (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1999), 389.

Due to the rapidly increasing popularity of public concerts larger concert halls were built to accommodate the constantly growing audiences. The violin, as well as many other instruments, underwent some significant structural changes to meet the demand for greater tonal volume. The fingerboard of the violin was made longer, the strings’ tension was increased, the use of the chinrest was standardized, and the modern bow was invented, all resulting in a broader range and bigger sound projection. These developments gave violinists and composers an opportunity to explore new techniques of violin playing such as the ability to play higher in the range of the violin, multiple-stops, harmonics, and the flying staccato bow stroke, allowing violinists to create a style of playing that were uniquely theirs. According to Boris Schwarz, author of Great

Masters of the Violin, “Prior to Joachim, the great violinists rarely, if ever, performed the music of other composers; they concentrated on playing their own works, tailored to fit their own technical ability, designed to highlight their personal style.”19 Great violinists such as Paganini,

Henri Wieniawski, Henri Vieuxtemps, Rodolphe Kreutzer, and Pablo de Sarasate, among many others, contributed a vast number of compositions for the violin repertoire. Nonetheless, the works that captured the attention of audiences were still the character pieces. Thus, these character pieces were the ones receiving standing ovations and were then performed as encores.

2.1 Le Streghe by Nicolò Paganini

Performers who could dazzle and mesmerize their audiences with their virtuosity became the first musical superstars. One of the most famous virtuosi of the nineteenth century was the

Italian violinist Nicolò Paganini (1782-1840). Paganini was extremely influential in developing the romantic mystique of the virtuoso, and he invented a new style of spectacular violin playing.

His innovative violin techniques, such as wide usage of finger octaves, tenths, harmonics,

19 Boris Schwarz, Great Masters of the Violin: From Corelli and Vivaldi to Stern, Zukerman and Perlman (London: Robert Hale, 1983), 259.

8 pizzicato effects, and sometimes even scordatura, were employed in his compositions. Even before Paganini claimed his road to fame with his “demonic” presence on stage and his seemingly invincible technical demand, he seemed to have gathered a reputation for having an offbeat personality. A customs officer and music lover who knew Paganini fairly well – Boucher de Perthes – even described Paganini as “the grand clown of violinists”20 in 1809.

However, with the work Le Streghe, or “The Witches,” according to writer Leigh Hunt,

“Paganini dropped the clownish and tastelessly grotesque…raised the imitative effect to a higher level and incorporated it in a diabolically difficult and time-resisting work that remained one of the most admired and sensational numbers of his repertory.”21 Le Streghe is a set of variations composed by Paganini for violin and orchestra based on a tune he had heard in an 1813 performance of the ballet Il noce di Benevento (“The Walnut-tree of Benevento”), written in

1802 by Franz Xaver Süssmayr in Milan. Later in 1813, Paganini played his set of variations as an encore after a recital in Dublin, and due to the title and virtuosic nature of the piece, it was not long before he was rumored to be associated with witchcraft.22

The piece consists of three central variations and an intermediate section marked Minore.

Each variation serves to display Paganini's wide range of technical feats, including multiple stops in Variation I with rapid string crossings; left-hand pizzicatos and harmonics in Variation II; octaves throughout the whole Minore section, as well as chromatic runs in octaves; and performing the theme solely on the G string alternated with multiple stop harmonics in Variation

III. The Finale presents a blazing display of violin pyrotechnics that includes double-stop runs, arpeggios, harmonics, and crossings over multiple strings.

20 G.I.C De Courcy, Paganini, The Genoese I, (Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1957), 108. 21 Ibid, 124. 22 Jane Moore and John Strachan, Key Concepts in Romantic Literature (Hampshire, England: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), 83.

Nicolò Paganini’s solo performances and compositions brought nineteenth-century violin virtuosity to a higher level. His influence extended beyond technical innovation, however, and much of his work displayed the lyrical charm of Italian opera, giving a thrillingly Romantic subtext to the technical difficulties of his music.

2.2 Romance in B-flat, Op. 2, No. 1 by Joseph Joachim

By the 1850s, however, displaying Paganini-like pyrotechnics and a flamboyant stage personality was no longer enough for the audiences. Gradually, the nineteenth-century violin showpiece evolved to be a supreme expression of character. Nationalism was especially prominent throughout this era. Brahms’s Hungarian Dances, Sarasate’s Romanza Andaluza and

Zigeunerweisen, or Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances were often performed. In addition to such nationalistic works, it became fashionable to draw from the operatic bel canto tradition. This can be heard in the sheer melodious Romanticism of showpieces such as Wieniawski’s Légende or

Joachim’s Romance in B-flat, in which beauty of tone and depth of expression take the place of fireworks.

Joseph Joachim’s Romance in B-flat is the first piece from Drei Stücke (Three Pieces),

Op.2 composed in 1850 in Leipzig, Germany. It was widely performed during the nineteenth century, but fell into oblivion during the twentieth century. The piece was dedicated to Moritz

Hauptmann, his professor of composition at the Leipzig Conservatory during the period when

Felix Mendelssohn was the founder and director. The Romance can be seen as a grateful tribute in the form of a song without words from Joachim to Hauptmann for the schooling he received.23

The Romance in B-flat eloquently displays the young Joachim’s artistic maturity and considerable talent as a melodist. Joachim’s collaborator and biographer Andreas Moser wrote:

23 Itzhak Rashkovsky, “Joachim’s Violin Romance in B flat,” The Strad (August 2007), accessed January 8, 2017. http://www.thestrad.com/free-sheet-music-joachims-violin-romance-b-flat-edited-itzhak-rashkovsky/.

“It bears the stamp of simplicity and refinement, the theme being melodious and poetic, while the pianoforte accompaniment shows remarkable independence in the part-writing. It is indeed a little gem, and as it never fails in its effect, has always been a favorite with violinists.”24

As with many showpieces, so much must be said in a short amount of time. The Romance in B-flat is full of subtle shadings and shifts from intimate melancholy to impassioned intensity.

The detailed markings, moreover, give us a clear picture of Joachim’s technique and his intentions. Within the lyricism of the work, Joachim included he of short motifs, such as the opening figure with its rising dotted-note upbeat and subsequent fall from one quarter-note to the next, showcasing his compositional technique. The opening section paints a simple and serene picture, which then gradually evolves into the turbulent and passionate development section, where the eighth-notes of the opening’s piano part turn into surging triplets, the harmony becomes more chromatic, and the violin part more extravagant in its expression. All passion is then spent and the music descends quietly back to the peacefulness of the beginning.

From the review published in The Times magazine, it was noted that Joachim performed

Romance in B-flat Op.2, No. 1 as an encore after the first London performance of Johannes

Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet Op. 115.25 This particular concert on March 28, 1892 at St. James’s

Hall had the “miscellany” programming style, with various genres of music. Shortly after the performance of Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet, Joachim’s performed Barcarolle and Scherzo by

Louis Spohr, as he had thought that the Spohr would be appropriate to “counterbalance the extreme novelty of the clarinet quintet.”26 Joachim’s performance of the Spohr was well received for he then proceeded to play his own Romance in B-flat as an encore.

24 Andreas Moser, Joseph Joachim: A Biography (1831-1899) (London: Ballantyne Press, 1901), 75. 25 Colin Lawson, Brahms: Clarinet Quintet (Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1998), 89. 26 Ibid, 89.

2.3 Légende, Op. 17 by Henri Wieniawski

Légende, Op. 17, composed by the Polish violin virtuoso Henri Wieniawski (1835-1880), is a showpiece originally for solo violin and orchestral accompaniment, though it has since become common to perform it using the violin and piano reduction. Légende is estimated to have been composed circa 1860, but the exact date is unknown. Légende is a wonderful representation of the Romantic style for it is a piece that is “essentially lyric in melodic line, though dramatic in emotional content,” as said by violinist Maud Powell. 27 As for the general structure of the piece, it can be divided into three main sections, loosely following a ternary ABA form. The principal theme begins in the key of G minor, depicting a somber and sadly contemplative character. The somber mood then swiftly moves into a subdued warm timbre, as if reminiscing about a happier time. However, this happiness does not very last long, as the wistful G minor tune returns to conclude the first section. The overall mood of the middle section switches drastically. The piece modulates into the buoyant G major, the pulse changes to duple meter, and the tempo increases.

The accompaniment part also reflects this change of mood with a march-like motif, while the solo violin performs a swift yet blissful melody full of double stops. As the piece reaches its most joyous height, the violin solo plays a virtuosic chromatic glissando and the dramatic change of mode back to the minor key, which evoke a recollection of sorrow that arouses a feeling of defeat. The initial theme then returns in a form of a sweetly sad memory.

It has been said that this showpiece tells a love story between Wieniawski and Isabella

Hampton. In April of 1860, Anton Rubinstein, pianist and good friend of Wieniawski, had introduced him to the Hampton family and the young Wieniawski and Isabella fell deeply in love.

Isabella’s mother, Elizabeth, looked sympathetically upon the affair, but Isabella’s father was

27 Maud Powell, “Lessons on Famous Masterpieces by Distinguished Virtuosos: Wieniawski’s Legende,” The Etude vol. 32, no. 10 (1914): 719-20.

12 opposed to the match. Mr. Hampton had wanted his daughter to marry a man with a more solid financial background. There is a myth that Mr. Hampton’s resistance to the marriage was broken when he heard the performance of this showpiece that Wieniawski had supposedly written under

Isabella’s spell, but the truth is actually quite straightforward. Mr. Hampton was eventually persuaded by his wife and daughter to allow the marriage, but he consented on the strict condition that Wieniawski take out a life insurance policy for the extensive sum of 200,000 francs and settle down to married life.28

Légende was one of Wieniawski’s favorite pieces to perform, and he played it multiple times during his tour with Anton Rubinstein from 1872 to 1874 throughout the United States.29 It was noted by Dwight’s Journal of Music that during the concert in Boston on November 1, 1872,

Wieniawski graciously responded to the audience’s applause by performing Légende once more.30 Apart from being Wieniawski’s favorite piece, it was also noted in David Schoenbaum’s book The Violin: A Social History of the World’s Most Versatile Instrument that Légende, “a popular encore piece,” was performed by violinist Victor Reubsaet, also known as the Duke of

Camposelice, in 1881. The event was a “Gala Musicale” concert attended by four hundred, to celebrate the Duke’s newly acquired 1731 del Gesù violin as well as a caprice written by virtuoso Henri Vieuxtemps dedicated to the Duke himself. 31

28 Edmund Grabkowski, “Henryk Wieniawski: Composer-Virtuoso-Teacher,” The Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, Ars Nova. 1996, accessed March 5, 2017.http://www.wieniawski.com/life_and_creation.html. 29 John H. Baron, Concert Life in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans: A Comprehensive Reference. (Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 2013), 429. 30 John Sullivan Dwight, Dwight’s Journal of Music: A Paper of Art and Literature, vol. 31-32 (November 1872): 334. 31 David Schoenbaum, The Violin: A Social History of the World’s Most Versatile Instrument (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2013), 137.

2.4 Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 by Pablo de Sarasate

A concert review from the magazine The Musical Times noted that Pablo de Sarasate had to repeat the Zigeunerweisen as an encore at his recital on the June 13, 1896 at St. James Hall, as the piece was very well received.32 Published by the Leipzig publishing house B. Senff in 1878, and originally scored for violin and piano, Zigeunerweisen was a departure from the Spanish style at which Sarasate excelled. The solo violin and orchestra version of the piece was published later in the year 1881. The piece takes its inspiration from traditional Hungarian Gypsy melodies.

Sarasate visited Liszt in Budapest during the spring of 1877, and it was probably then that

Sarasate encountered the popular songs and dances performed by the Gypsy bands.

Composed as a virtuosic showpiece for the violin, the violinist engages in all manner of technical display, including harmonics, glissandi, trills, ricochet, rapid passage work, double stops, and so on. The work can be divided into four varied parts: Moderato, Lento, Un poco più lento, and Allegro molto vivace. The first two sections are structured largely in the style of a

Magyar recitative in the lugubrious key of C minor. The haunting third section is based on a

Gypsy lullaby entitled, “Csak egy szép lány van a vilàgon” (There’s Only One Lovely Maid in the World), by the Hungarian folk composer Elemer Szentirmay,33 and eventually the piece migrates to A minor for the bravura, dazzling finale. Zigeunerweisen is a fascinating piece, considering that Sarasate was a Spaniard who lived his entire life with Jews in France. He composed this Hungarian Gypsy piece while he was in England, and gave it a German title.

Though the piece makes no claim of being profound, it presents late Romantic schmaltz and sparkle at its finest. Still today, Zigeunerweisen remains a staple of the virtuoso repertoire.

32 “Violin Recitals,” The Musical Times vol. 37 (July 1896): 456-57. 33 Joshua S Walden, Sounding Authentic: The Rural Miniature and Musical Modernism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 102-03.

2.5 Usage of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas as Encores

The idea of performing a movement, or even several movements, from the Six Sonatas and Partitas by Johann Sebastian Bach as an encore was not a common practice prior to the mid- nineteenth century. The first occurrence took place on February 9, 1840 at a chamber music recital at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig.34 After the performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s

Chaconne by Ferdinand David, he continued to performed Bach’s Preludio from Partita No. 3 in

E Major as an encore to great acclaim. Unlike today’s performances of Bach’s unaccompanied violin sonatas and partitas, David performed the Chaconne as well as the Preludio with Felix

Mendelssohn accompanying on the piano. The piano accompaniment part for the Chaconne was later published in London and Hamburg, Germany in 1847. However, the Preludio’s piano accompaniment part was never seen after this performance. According to a concert review from the journal Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, it is stated that Mendelssohn’s accompaniment to the Preludio was “a free, self-controlled execution of harmony in contrapuntal style.”35 With that in mind, it is quite possible that the accompaniment part for this particular performance was a spontaneous act, and Mendelssohn improvised the piano part on the spot. This public performance of Bach’s Preludio from the E Major Partita as an encore was the first documented occurrence, and it set a precedent for performing Bach’s music as encores.

34 Zay David Sevier, “Bach's Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas: The First Century and a Half, Part 2,” Bach vol. 12, no. 3 (April 1981). Riemenschneider Bach Institute: 21–29. 35 Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung vol. 42 (1840): 162.

CHAPTER THREE

TWENTIETH CENTURY TRANSCRIPTIONS BY VIOLINISTS PERFORMED AS

ENCORES

Violin playing is constantly going through development and improvement. The first decades of the twentieth century saw a quick change and adaptation in the way violin solo playing was disseminated. In 1901, the Victor Talking Machine Company was founded in

Camden, New Jersey.36 The phonograph was widely distributed after the First World War and not long after, radio became a mainstay of home entertainment. As a result of these developments, most of the well-known violinists of the period have been aurally documented and music was brought to a much wider audience. In the early years of recording industry, recordings were made on 10 or 12 inches’ abrasive shellac compound, played at 78 revolutions per minute, and could play no more than about four-and-one-half minutes of music continuously.37 The limited time allowed on a recording encouraged many musicians to record a variety of short pieces that were capable of showcasing their very best while at the same time capturing the interest of the public. The three-to four-minute duration of these short pieces fit perfectly within the time limits. Violinists began to compose or transcribe pieces with the limitations of the medium in mind, thereby popularized the genre of short character pieces. For example, most of the short character pieces by violinist Fritz Kreisler fit within the time limits of a 78rpm disc. It was said by violinist Carl Flesh that Kreisler’s short pieces were “put together with a watch in hand. They were intended first and foremost for the gramophone.”38 Not only did violin pieces

36 David Horn and David Sanjek, “Record Labels/Companies: Victor” Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World vol. 1, edited by John Shepherd, David Horn, Dave Laing, Paul Oliver, and Peter Wicke (New York: Continuum, 2003): 768-70. 37 Ibid, 768-70. 38 Carl Flesch, The Memoirs of Carl Flesch (London: Rockliff, 1957), 124.

16 during this era adapt to the length of phonograph disc recording, but also the violinists themselves developed a concentration of expression that could show off their individual qualities.

Though less common today, the practice of presenting transcriptions as encores became very common during the early to mid twentieth century. Violin transcriptions were composed by violinists, for their own use, as a way to expand their personal repertoire; it was also a way for transcriber to “show admiration for the work of another composer, either from an earlier time or a contemporary, and of bringing it to a wider audience.”39 Transcriptions were also of great importance in the violinist’s performing repertoire in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

As concertizing mainly consist of violin solo recitals with piano accompaniment, transcriptions functioned as a way for the performer to add variety to the program and at the same time, engaged the audience with the familiar tune. The programming style for which Joachim advocated for carried on into the twentieth century and many violinists adapted this program structure for their recitals. It has been proven to be a well-balanced program structure that presented the wonderful variety of the violin repertoire. Though violinists in the twentieth century continued to alter and shape this program structure with the addition of concerti, however, the basic mold of the program remained. A typical violin recital program in the mid to late twentieth century comprised of a structure similar to this: the recital opened with a Baroque sonata such as a George Frideric Handel, Bini Pasquale, Arcangelo Corelli, or Giuseppe Tartini

Sonata, followed by a sonata from the Classical or Romantic period, like the Beethoven sonatas or Brahms sonatas. Occasionally, a violinist would program a concerto in place of the major sonata. The second half usually began with an unaccompanied work such as Bach’s Chaconne or one of the six solo sonatas of Eugene Ysaye, followed by a group of three to five “crowd

39 L. Michael Griffel, “The Whys and Wherefores of Transcription,” The Juilliard Journal (February 2013), accessed November 24, 2016. https://www.juilliard.edu/journal/whys-and-wherefores-transcription.

17 pleasers” – short character pieces to close the recital on an exciting note. These short character pieces were often transcriptions of famous tunes that would have been familiar to the audience.

Travelling musicians have been common since the seventeenth century, for traveling and performing at different venues helped promote musicians’ name and art, thereby increasing the possibility of scoring a well-paid engagement. This practice continued throughout the centuries, and with the advancement in modes of transportation during the twentieth century, traveling abroad became even easier for musicians. Violinists often found significant exposure by touring, and in order for the violinist to gain the favor of audiences from different parts of the world, many were required to have a creative approach to programming. Certainly pieces from the standard repertoire, such as the Mozart or Beethoven Sonatas, concerti by Vieuxtemps,

Mendelssohn, Wieniawski and so on, were very much appreciated, but it was the addition of the violinist’s own arrangements of popular songs, folk tunes, or stylized pieces that won the hearts of the audiences. For example, Nathan Milstein’s transcription of Liszt’s Consolation was often his go-to encore; Mischa Elman’s transcription of Tango by Albeniz was very popular as well.

Recuerdos de L’Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega and transcribed by Ruggiero Ricci was also a popular encore of Ricci’s, and Heifetz won over many audiences with his arrangement of selections from Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess. Another violinist that developed a rapport with his audiences with his arrangements, transcriptions, and compositions was Fritz Kreisler.

He had created and contributed a vast variety of short pieces to the violin repertoire. The sweet, charming characteristic of Kreisler’s playing had audiences often awaiting, with great anticipation, his performance of the short pieces. Many traveling virtuosi found inspiration to compose while on the road. Heifetz, for instance, would transcribe pieces specifically for the location he was visiting. According to his student and pianist Ayke Agus, Heifetz was a “night

18 person,”40 and he world spend the night writing a transcription while sitting with a cigar and

Coca-Cola, a drink he loved, in hand. The piano part of the new transcription would be handed to his pianist in the morning with the instruction that the piece would then be performed that very evening.

3.1 Tango by Isaac Albeniz, transcribed by Mischa Elman

Tango in D Major, Op. 165, No.2 was a part of the suite España for solo piano, composed by Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909) in 1890. It was later transcribed by

Mischa Elman for violin and piano in 1917. Being the first exponent of Nationalism in Spanish music, Albeniz was regarded as the founder of the Modern Spanish School, for instead of imitating the imitations of national Spanish music by French and Russian composers, Albeniz included the original rhythms, melodic pattern, and styles of Spanish folk music into serious concert works. Albeniz provided a musical interpretation to many aspects of Spanish life. Tango is Spanish to the core with its intriguing flamenco-like melody and compelling rhythms, and it became one of the most popular pieces Albeniz had written. Tango has been transcribed for violin, classical guitar, cello, and even a chamber ensemble.

Elman often performed this Tango as an encore, but the greatest encounter he had with this piece was during the performance of it in Rosario, Argentina, where it almost caused a riot.

It was July 19, 1934, and Elman had performed Tango as an encore, and the flattered

Argentinians loved it – or, as the New York Times reported, they “went wild and demanded that he repeat it.”41 However, Elman had personally established a rule about encores: he would play as many encores as the audience demanded, but he would not repeat any works. This encore

40 Ayke Agus, Heifetz as I Knew Him (New Jersey, NY: Amadeus Press, 2001), 192. 41 Special Cable to The New York Times, 1934. “Encore Compelled by Riotous Audience,” New York Times (1923- Current File), July 21, 14.

19 policy caused somewhat of a controversy as the Argentinians demanded a repeat of the Tango itself. Elman proceeded to perform twelve other encores, and continued to refuse the repetition of

Tango. The stage lights finally were extinguished and Elman retired to his dressing room. The passionate Argentinians did not give up easily, and they immediately rushed into Elman’s dressing room and dragged him back on stage. The lights were relit, Elman finally gave in and replayed Tango.42

3.2 Hungarian Folk Tunes by Béla Bartók, transcribed by Joseph Szigeti

The Hungarian Folk Tunes are some of Béla Bartók’s (1881-1945) earliest experiments with Hungarian folk music. The melodies that he had gathered from various rural communities of the Hungarian and Slovakian countryside became the basis for the first two volumes of a piano collection he entitled Gyermekeknek (“For Children”). It was published in Budapest in

1908–09 and totaled 42 individual pieces. In these works, Bartók sought to highlight the folk tune as the principal interest of the piece while treating the accompaniment part, as he puts it, “as the mounting of a jewel.”43

In 1926 the Hungarian violinist Joseph Szigeti, who had met Bartók in the 1910s but with whom he had never established any relations, arranged seven pieces from Gyermekeknek for violin and piano, dedicating them to the composer. Bartók was deeply impressed by the arrangement and, after suggesting some changes to the work, instructed Universal publishing to release it with the simple title Hungarian Folk Tunes (Ungarische Volksweisen); it appeared in

1927. This project marked the beginning of Bartók and Szigeti’s long-lasting friendship and collaboration.

42 Ibid. 43 Benjamin Suchoff, Béla Bartók: Life and Work (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2001), 70-71. 20

Bartok and Szigeti performed this piece as an encore on the evening of April 21, 1940.

This violin recital was held in New York City’s Town Hall, and held an unusual significance by the fact that it served to bring back Bartók to the local concert stage.44 Bartok had not appeared in New York since 1928, twelve years earlier. Szigeti and Bartok performed Bartok’s Rhapsody

No. 1 together and after the performance, the large audience refused to let them go without encores. This is when they performed Bartok’s Hungarian Folk Tunes, as well as Zoltan

Szekely’s transcription of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances.

3.3 “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, transcribed by

Jascha Heifetz

Documentation of encores are scarce and often overlooked. They are difficult to trace, as few people thought to document the performances of encores. Fortunately, Jascha Heifetz made it slightly easier, because he was one of the violinists that took the time to write down the encores he had performed. In total, 640 of his 2,368 performance events include encore data, indicating that Heifetz had performed a total of 2,408 encore pieces, and most of the encores occurred at his recitals.45 Heifetz’s view on the practice of encores appeared in an interview from

1928:

It is a graceful gesture on the part of an audience to ask for encores. For my own part, I am delighted to play any number of encores, but there is a proper time and place for them. Ordinarily, the greatest and most insistent demand for encores comes after the most difficult and most taxing number on the program. When a violinist has played a half-hour concerto, he is temporarily fatigued and needs a brief rest before going on with his next number. The audience does not seem to understand this. The place for encores is not after the longest and most spectacular compositions, but after the shorter numbers that usually make up the latter half of the program. Here the artist can afford to be generous. Aside

44 Noel Strauss, “Ovation to Bartok and Szigeti Recital” The New York Times (April 1940): 18. 45 Dario Sarlo, The Performance Style of Jascha Heifetz (Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2015), 86.

from exhausting the energy of the musician, it spoils the rhythm of a program to follow a dignified, heavy composition with a lighter encore.46 However, Heifetz gave encores both at the end of and during recitals. He would respond to enthusiastic audiences by replaying a well-received piece before moving on or adding extra pieces at the end of the recital. It might seem to be something of a spontaneous act from the audience’s point of view, but the evidence from the programs suggests it was not always so.

Sometimes Heifetz would repeat exactly the same piece in a number of different recitals, and he would often perform the same set of encores at consecutive recitals. For example, between

February 16 and June 17, 1953, the first two encores at the end of each of sixteen recitals remained the same: the Mendelssohn-Heifetz On Wings of Song and the Gershwin-Heifetz “It

Ain’t Necessarily So.” 47

George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess is a classic American work and is now a standard fare at major opera houses. The earthy folk melodies in the opera, in addition to

Gershwin’s brilliant composition, have attracted many to transcribe or arrange it for different instruments, and Jascha Heifetz was one of them. Heifetz wrote transcriptions of five tunes from the opera for violin and piano during the fall of 1944. His transcriptions stayed very close to the original songs with only a few minor deviations. The addition of virtuosic violin techniques, such as double stops, spiccato, ricochet and harmonics on each repetition of the theme, kept the violin part interesting, and even though “It Ain’t Necessarily So” was transcribed by a violinist, Heifetz avoided having the piano part settle into a simple accompaniment part by keeping the piano part equally challenging to the violin part.

46 “Indiscriminate Encore Harmful Heiftez Asserts,” Miami News, 1928. JHC LoC, 269. 47 Sarlo. The Performance Style of Jascha Heifetz, 87.

3.4 Humoresque in G-flat Major by Antonin Dvořák, transcribed by Fritz Kreisler

“I [Kreisler] had been playing some of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances and visited the old man

[Dvorak] to pay him my respects. I asked him whether he had nothing further for me to play.

‘Look through that pile,’ the sick composer said, pointing to a mass of unorganized papers.

‘Maybe you can find something,’ and I did. It was the Humoresque.” 48

The above quote was how Fritz Kreisler discovered Dvořák’s Humoresque in 1903 and proceeded to transcribe the piece for violin and piano in 1906, while Kreisler was in the United

States. This particular Humoresque can be seen as one of the simpler, less sophisticated

Humoresques, but the sentimental melodies and dotted rhythms suggest a cakewalk, making the piece highly relatable and approachable. The lilting tune and bluesy cadences of the piece fitted

Kreisler’s sweet tone perfectly and it was immediately a favorite of audiences.

Fritz Kreisler performed Humoresque as an encore on the afternoon of March 7, 1927 at a sold-out concert at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. Kreisler’s recital program that consisted of a concerto by Bach, Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, and a set of his very own transcriptions – Cyril

Scott’s Lotusland, and three works by Debussy – En Bateau, and Golliwog’s Cakewalk, and

Minstrels. Hazel Moore, a journalist from the Chicago Daily Tribune, remarked that Kreisler’s transcriptions sounded “better than the original version.” 49 Unyielding applause followed the performance and encores were called. Kreisler happily obliged and performed four encores, including his brilliant arrangement of the dance from Manuel de Falla’s La Vida Breve and his transcription of Dvořák’s Humoresque.

48 Norman Lebrecht, The Book of Musical Anecdote. (New York: The Free Press, 1985), 225. 49 Hazel Moore, "Kreisler Gives His Devotees a Perfect Day." Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963), accessed on March 07, 17. https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/180729682?accountid=4840.

3.5 Farewell to Cucullain “Londonderry Air” (traditional folk song), transcribed by Kreisler,

and Estrellita by Manuel Ponce, transcribed by Heifetz

Fritz Kreisler greatly influenced Jascha Heifetz, and even though they were twenty-six years apart in age, they both shared similar performer profiles. They both were known for their individualistic sound and interpretative skills. Both were also considered technical masters, though Heifetz later outshone Kreisler. In terms of repertoire, both Kreisler and Heifetz embraced the miniature. Both musicians produced countless arrangements and transcriptions that were featured in many of their recitals. The public loved their performances of these short pieces just as much or many even more than their performances of the major sonatas and concertos.

Kreisler’s Farewell to Cucullain, also known as Londonderry Air, and Heifetz’s

Estrellita share a similar story. Both folk tunes were transcribed while the violinists were performing in a foreign country. In 1921 in Dublin, Ireland, Kreisler had stumbled upon a street fiddler playing the folk tune Londonderry Air, and hastily, Kreisler scratched down the tune on a piece of paper. That very day, he added a sketchy accompaniment on the same slip of paper.

Somehow his pianist, Haddon Squire, was able to figure out the accompaniment and the “Air” was performed at Kreisler’s recital that very evening.

Heifetz transcribed Manuel Ponce’s Estrellita in 1927, after he heard it played in a

Mexican café. He too fell in love with the music and jotted the tune down immediately. Later that night, he transcribed the work and added the piano part, and Estrellita was then performed on the recital the very next evening. Estrellita was the first piece Heifetz had transcribed, marking the beginning of Heifetz’s wonderful transcription journey.

Londonderry Air and Estrellita were also some of their favorite encores to perform. In the concert reviews for Kreisler’s Australian tour, it was reported that the most common encores

Kreisler performed were his arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Hymn to the Sun, Schubert’s

Ave Maria, and the Irish Air Farewell to Cucullain.50 Heifetz programmed Estrellita in many of his concerts in the United States as well as Mexico, and when it was not actually programmed, he would perform it as an encore. Below is a sampling of selected U.S. programs including

Estrellita:51

50 Anne-Marie Forbes, “Holding an Island Captive: Fritz Kreisler’s Australian Tour of 1925,” Musical Islands: Exploring Connections between Music, Place and Research, ed. Elizabeth Mackinlay, Brydie-Leigh Bartleet and Katelyn Barney (Newcastle, United Kingdom: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009), 196. 51 Christina Taylor Gibson, “Manuel M. Ponce’s canciones in New York: Mexican Musical Identity and the Mexico Vogue,” Music, Longing and Belonging: Articulations of the Self and the Other in the Musical Realm, ed. Magdalena Waligórska (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013), 156.

Table 1. Selected Jascha Heifetz’s U.S. Programs including Estrellita by Manuel Ponce. Date Time Hall City, State January 27, 1928 8:15pm n/a Milwaukee, WI New York City (also January 29, 1928 3pm Carnegie Hall performed as encore) February 5, 1928 8:30pm Stanley Music Club Philadelphia, PA February 7, 1928 n/a Mrs. Wilson-Greene’s Concerts Washington, D.C. February 11, 1928 n/a Thursday Morning Music Club Roanoke, VA Boston, MA (also March 18, 1928 3:30pm Symphony Hall performed as encore) March 28, 1928 8:15pm n/a New London, CT April 20, 1928 n/a Irem Temple Wilkes-Barre, PA January 4, 1929 8:15pm Mizpah Auditorium Syracuse, NY January 9, 1929 8:30pm New Music Hall Cleveland, OH January 18, 1929 n/a Fulton Opera House Lancaster, PA January 22, 1929 n/a Tuesday Musical Club Akron, OH January 26, 1929 2:30pm Carnegie Hall New York City (as encore) March 6, 1929 n/a Lyric Theatre Knoxville, TN April 4, 1929 n/a Fair Park Auditorium Dallas, TX April 14, 1929 2:45pm Curram Theatre San Francisco, CA April 18, 1929 8:15pm Chromatic Concerts Music Hall Troy, NY

CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

On December 23, 1806, Franz Clement was the soloist in the first performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. The reaction was mixed. The concerto, all agreed, “could easily lead to weariness.” 52 However, after the performance of the concerto, Clement performed one of his own compositions – A Sonata on one string with the violin played upside down. That was a different matter: the audience was extremely pleased.53 Even though A Sonata on one string with violin played upside down was programmed by Clement and not an encore requested by the audience, nonetheless, this gesture embodied the essence of an encore, as it showed off his mastery of the instrument and, at the same time, captured the hearts of the audience.

Since then, the practice of playing encores is still common, but the choice of pieces has changed. During the nineteenth century, the public and violinists alike were highly influenced by the exuberant performance style of Paganini and Liszt; hence the encores at that time favored virtuosity and brilliance. With the rise of phonograph and LP recordings, the development in violin recital programming, and the new appreciation for sensuous beauty and coloristic finesse, encores of the twentieth century mesmerized audiences with dazzling transcriptions of famous folk tunes, opera arias, and compositions originally written for other instruments. Violinist during the twentieth century such as Jascha Heifetz, Mischa Elman, Joseph Szigeti, and Fritz Kreisler transcribed works from other instrumental genres and successfully transformed these works into gems of the violin repertoire. The highly idiomatic violin writing of these transcriptions highlights the unique expressive character of the instrument, as well as the performer. Many great violinists charmed audiences with these transcriptions and had them asking for more.

It is also quite fascinating to note how the encore etiquette has evolved. “Encore! Encore!” was once meant as a request for the performer to repeat a piece or song; however, it is now understood as a plea for more music to be played. Violinists in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries would perform at least four to seven encores after a recital, yet today we would

52 W.D. Armstrong, “Program Making,” The Violinist vol. 6 no. 4 (January 1909): 25-26. 53 Ibid., 26.

27 consider it a privilege to hear even just two encores. Contemporary violin virtuoso Hilary Hahn once wrote that, “Encores are addictive. Witty, moving, and challenging, they have been offered to enthusiastic audiences by the greatest musicians throughout history.”54 Encores are an acknowledgement by the performer of the audience’s appreciation and devotion. These pieces serve as a musical “thank you” for the audience by the performer; they are akin to the fireworks show at the end of a main event, sparkling with technical difficulty and musical beauty.

54 Hilary Hahn. Liner notes to In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores. Hilary Hahn (violin), Cory Smythe (piano). CD, 2013.

APPENDIX

SELECTED PIECES PERFORMED AS ENCORES BY VARIOUS TWENTIETH

CENTURY VIOLINISTS

Transcribers are listed when known and information is drawn from various sources including:

i) New York Times ii) Los Angeles Times iii) The Atlanta Constitution iv) University of Michigan’s President’s Report of the Board of Regents for 1952/1953 v) Chicago Daily Tribune vi) The Globe and Mail

Fritz Kreisler (1875–1962):

- 1925, Australian Concert Tour  Melbourne Concert  Londonderry Air – traditional folk tune (tr. Kreisler)  Ave Maria by Schubert (tr. Kreisler)  Hymn to the Sun by Rimsky-Korsakov (tr. Kreisler)  Indian Lament by Dvorak (tr. Kreisler) - March 7, 1927, Chicago Orchestra Hall  Humoresque by Dvorak (tr. Kreisler)  La Vida Breve by De Falla (tr.Kreisler) - December 14, 1929, Carnegie Hall  Londonderry Air – traditional folk tune (tr. Kreisler) - December 13, 1930, Carnegie Hall  Gypsy Caprice by Kreisler  Londonderry Air – traditional folk tune (tr. Kreisler ) - October 7, 1931, Carnegie Hall  Pièce en forme de Habanera by Ravel - December 12, 1931, Carnegie Hall  Vocalise by Rachmaninoff (tr. Heifetz)  Marguerite by Rachmaninoff  Irlandaise by Schelling (tr. Kreisler)  Grave in the style of W. Friedemann Bach by Kreisler  Variations on a Theme of Corelli in the style of Tartini by Kreisler

 Gypsy Caprice by Kreisler  La Gitana by Kreisler  Alt Wien by Kreisler  Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Debussy (tr. Hartmann) - October 27, 1932, Carnegie Hall  Melodie by Gluck (tr. Kreisler) - October 20, 1938, Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles  Rondino by Kreisler  Liebesleid by Kreisler  Schon Rosemarin by Kreisler - November 9, 1939, Atlanta, Georgia  Londonderry Air – traditional folk tune (tr. Kreisler)  Schon Rosmarin by Kreisler  Liebesfreud by Kreisler - November 26, 1944, Carnegie Hall  Londonderry Air – traditional folk tune (tr. Kreisler)  Rondino on a Theme by Beethoven by Kreisler

Mischa Elman (1891–1967):

- December 24, 1908, Carnegie Hall  Gavotte by Gossec (tr. Elman) - February 1, 1909, Manhattan Opera House, New York City  La Ronde des Lutins by Bazzini  Serenade by Richard Drigo  Nocturne by Chopin  Habanera by Sarasate - February 19, 1913, Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles  I Palpati by Paganini - April 18, 1914, Carnegie Hall  La Ronde des Lutins by Bazzini  Minuet in G by Beethoven (tr. Elman)  Vogel als Prophet by Schumann (tr. Elman) - April 1920, New York  Air on the G String by Bach (tr. Wilhelmj) - January 24, 1923, Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles  Ave Maria by Schubert (tr. Wilhelmj)  Adagio by Mozart

 Minuet by Haydn  Menuet in G by Beethoven (tr. Elman)  Eili, Eili – traditional Yiddish melody (tr. Elman) - July 20, 1934, Buenos Aires, Argentina  Tango by Isaac Albéniz (tr. Elman) - August 9, 1940, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Song Without Words by Mendelssohn (tr. Kreisler)  Gypsy Melodies by Cesar Espejo  Ave Maria by Schubert (tr. Wilhelmj)  Hora Staccato by Dinicu (tr. Heifetz) - July 16, 1946, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Caprice No. 24 by Paganini - June 29, 1951, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Ave Maria by Schubert (tr. Wilhelmj)  Tango by Albeniz (tr. Elman) - July 8, 1954, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Hebrew Melody by Joseph Achron  Airs Tzigane, Op. 11 by Cesar Espejo  Vubanaise by Miller  Malaguena by Kreisler - June 30, 1966, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Songs my Mother Taught Me by Dvorak  Schön Rosmarin by Kreisler

Jascha Heifetz (1901–1987):

- October 27, 1918, Carnegie Hall  Siciliano from Flute Sonata in E-flat Major, BWV 1031 by Bach (tr. Leopold Auer)  Turkish March from The Ruins of Athens by Beethoven (tr. Auer)  Ave Maria by Schubert (tr. Wilhelm) - January 3, 1922, Carnegie Hall  La Capricciosa by Franz Ries  Spanish Dance No. 5 by Granados (tr. Kreisler) - October 15, 1923, Carnegie Hall  Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov (tr. Heifetz) - March 11, 1925, Atlanta Auditorium, Georgia

 Le Bleu by Schenyl - March 10, 1928, Atlanta Auditorium, Georgia  On Wings of Song by Mendelssohn (tr. Heifetz)  Valse Bluette by Richard Drigo (tr. Auer) - January 22, 1930, Carnegie Hall  Hora Staccato by Heifetz - August 3 – 4, 1936, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Havanaise, Op. 83 by Saint-Saens  Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20, No. 1 by Sarasate - July 29, 1938, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Air on the G-string by Bach - December 8, 1940, Carnegie Hall  Ao Pé da fogueira by Flausino Valle (tr. Heifetz) - August 31, 1949, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles  Hungarian Dance No. 7 by Brahms (tr. Joachim)  Hora Staccato by Heifetz - University of Michigan 1952-53:  Jamaican Rumba by Benjamin Arthur (tr. Heifetz)  Sweet Remembrance by Mendelssohn (tr. Heifetz)  Zapateado by Sarasate - March 18, 1928, Symphony Hall, Boston  Estrellita by Manuel Ponce (tr. Heifetz) - Jan 26, 1929, Carnegie Hall  Estrellita by Manuel Ponce (tr. Heifetz)

Zino Francescatti (1902–1991):

- March 20, 1942, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra  God Save the Queen by Paganini - August 5, 1947, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Scherzo Caprice by Kreisler  Caprice by Wieniawski - August 1, 1950, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Caprice No.24 by Paganini  Recitative and Scherzo by Kreisler - June 24, 1953, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Caprice No.13 by Paganini

 Recitative and Scherzo by Kreisler - July 4, 1958, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Caprice No.13 by Paganini  Recitative and Scherzo by Kreisler - June 23, 1959, Robin Hood Dell, Philadelphia  Caprice No.13 by Paganini  Scherzo-Recitative by Kreisler - July 17, 1959, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Caprice No.13 by Paganini  Recitative and Scherzo by Kreisler

Nathan Milstein (1903–1992):

- December 21, 1929, Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles  a Caprice by Paganini - February 6, 1931, Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles  La Puerta del Vino by Debussy (tr. Heifetz)  Prelude in the style of Pugnani by Kreisler - March 23, 1934, Chicago Symphony Hall  Chaconne by Bach - April 11, 1938, Chicago Symphony Hall  a Caprice by Paganini  Habanera by Ravel  Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakoff  Jota by Manuel de Falla (tr. Kochanski) - July 25, 1943, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  two Caprices by Paganini - July 21, 1948, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City  Gigue from Partita No. 2 by Bach - February 3, 1954, Carnegie Hall  Prelude from Partita No. 3 by Bach - December 2, 1960, Tower Theater, Atlanta  Preludio from Partita No. 3 by Bach - March 7, 1964, Carnegie Hall  Song Without Words by Mendelssohn - October 12, 1979, Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario  Consolation by Liszt (tr. Milstein) - October 27, 1979, Ambassador Auditorium, Los Angeles

 Consolation by Liszt (tr. Milstein)  Hopak by Mussorgsky (tr. Rachmaninoff)  A movement from Sonata no.3 by Bach - November 14, 1981, Ambassador Auditorium, Los Angeles  Consolation by Liszt (tr. Milstein)  Allegro Assai from Sonata No. 3 by Bach  Sicilienne by Maria Theresia von Paradis - November 4, 1982, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles  Consolation by Liszt (tr. Milstein)  Allegro Assai from Sonata No.3 by Bach - November 11, 1983, Carnegie Hall  Consolation by Liszt (tr. Milstein) - November 13, 1984, Ambassador Auditorium, Los Angeles  Consolation by Liszt (tr. Milstein)  Hopak by Mussorgsky (tr. Rachmaninoff)

David Oistrakh (1908–1974):

- November 20, 1955, Carnegie Hall  Albumblatt by Wagner (tr. Wilhelmj) - February 17, 1978, David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City  Sonata No. 3 “Ballade” by Ysaye

Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999):

- July 24, 1965, Northumberland, Bamburgh Castle  Five Pieces for Violin and Piano op.84 (1964) by Malcolm Arnold (written for Menuhin to use as encore for his tour in USA) - “Concert Magic” DVD recording, 1947  Hungarian Dance No. 4 by Brahms (tr. Joachim)  Calabrese by Bazzini - 1957, New York Philharmonic  Prelude and Gavotte from Partita No.3 by Bach - 1982, Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig, East Germany  Allegro Assai and Largo from Sonata No.3 by Bach - 1952-53 at University of Michigan  Spanish Dance by Granados (tr. Kreisler)  Caprice Viennois by Kreisler

Ruggiero Ricci (1918–2012):

- August 6, 1979, University Musical Society - University of Michigan  Caprice No.25 by Paganini  Recuerdos de L’Alhambra by Tarrega (tr. Ricci) - October 3, 1985, Florence, Italy  Preludio from Partita No. 3 by Bach  Caprice No.17 by Paganini  Recuerdos de L’Alhambra by Tarrega (tr. Ricci)

REFERENCES

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Grabkowski, Edmund. “Henryk Wieniawski: Composer-Virtuoso-Teacher.” The Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, Ars Nova. 1996. Accessed March 5, 2017. http://www.wieniawski.com/life_and_creation.html. Griffel, L. Michael. “The Whys and Wherefores of Transcription,” The Juilliard Journal (February 2013). Accessed November 24, 2016. https://www.juilliard.edu/journal/whys- and-wherefores-transcription. Hahn, Hilary (violin), and Cory Smythe (piano). In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores. Deutsche Grammophon B0019103-02, 2013. Two compact discs. Liner notes by Hilary Hahn and Robert Kirzinger. Heifetz, Jascha. The Heifetz Collection Vol. 3: Arrangements and Transcriptions for Violin and Piano. New York: Carl Fischer, 2003. Horn, David and David Sanjek. “Record Labels/Companies: Victor” Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, edited by John Shepherd, David Horn, Dave Laing, Paul Oliver, and Peter Wicke. New York: Continuum, 2003. vol.1: 768-770. “Indiscriminate Encore Harmful Heiftez Asserts” Miami News, 1928. JHC LoC, 269. Kawabata, Mai. Paganini: The ‘demonic’ Virtuoso. Woodbridge, U.K.: The Boydell Press, 2013. Kirzinger, Robert. Liner notes to In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores. Hilary Hahn (violin), Cory Smythe (piano). CD, 2013. Kreisler, Fritz. Fritz Kreisler: Favorite Encore Folio. New York: Carl Fischer, 1922. Kolneder, Walter, Reinhard G. Pauly, ed. and trans. The Amadeus Book of the Violin: Construction, History and Music. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1999. Kozinn, Allan. Mischa Elman and the Romantic Style. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1990. Küzdö, Victor. “Solving the Program Problem for Violinist.” Musical America vol. 41 (March 1920): 17. Lawson, Colin. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Lebrecht, Norman. The Book of Musical Anecdotes. New York: The Free Press, 1985. Lehmann, George. “Violin Department” The Etude vol. 23, no.1 (January 1905): 163-164. Lerner, Laurence Marton. “The Rise of the Impresario: Bernard Ullman and The Transformation of Musical Culture in Nineteenth Century America” Ph.D. diss, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1970. ProQuest 7020854. Lochner, Louis P. Fritz Kreisler. London: Rockliff Publishing Corporation Ltd.,1941. Martens, Frederick H. Violin Mastery: Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1919.

“Mr. Sarasate's Concerts.” The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular vol. 30 no. 557 (July 1889) Musical Times Publications Ltd.: 408–. Accessed November 8, 16. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3359700. Moore, Hazel. "Kreisler Gives His Devotees a Perfect Day." Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963), Accessed March 7, 17. https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/180729682? accountid=4840. Moore, Jane, and John Strachan. Key Concepts in Romantic Literature. Hampshire, England: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. “Monday and Saturday Popular Concerts” The Musical Times vol. 36 (May 1895): 309-310. Moser, Andreas. Joseph Joachim: A Biography (1831-1899). London: Ballantyne Press, 1901. Nicholas, Jeremy. “More! The Surprising History of the Encore.” Gramophone vol. 91, no. 1107(March 2014): 14-15. Persinger, Louis. Why the Violin? Massapequa, New York: Cor Publishing Co., 1957. Powell, Maud. “Lessons on Famous Masterpieces by Distinguished Virtuosos: Wieniawski’s Legende.” The Etude vol. 32, no. 10 (1914): 719-720. Prod’homme, Jacques-Gabriel. Nicolo Paganini: A Biography. New York: Carl Fischer, 1911. Pulver, Jeffrey. Paganini: The Romantic Virtuoso. New York: Da Capo Press, 1970. Sarlo, Dario. The Performance Style of Jascha Heifetz. Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2015. “Saturday Popular Concerts.” The Musical Standard: A Newspaper for Musicians, Professional and Amateur vol. 28 (April 1885): 209-211. Schoenbaum, David. The Violin: A Social History of the World’s Most Versatile Instrument. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2013. Schwarz, Boris. Great Master of the Violin: From Corelli and Vivaldi to Stern, Zukerman and Perlman. London: Robert Hale, 1983. Sevier, Zay David. “Bach's Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas: The First Century and a Half, Part 2.” Bach vol. 12, no. 3 (April 1981). Riemenschneider Bach Institute: 21–29. Special Cable to The New York Times. “Encore Compelled by Riotous Audience.” New York Times (July 1934). Accessed September 24, 2016. https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/101119222? accountid=4840. Suchoff, Benjamin. Béla Bartók: Life and Work. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2001.

Stratton, Stephen Samuel. Nicolo Paganini: His Life and Work. London: E. Shore and Co., 1907. Strauss, Noel. “Ovation to Bartok and Szigeti Recital” The New York Times (April 1940): 18.

Stowell, Robin, ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Violin. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992. ______. Violin Technique and Performance Practice in the late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth centuries. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Rashkovsky, Itzhak. “Joachim’s Violin Romance in B flat” The Strad (August 2007). Accessed January 8, 2017. http://www.thestrad.com/free-sheet-music-joachims-violin-romance-b- flat-edited-itzhak-rashkovsky/. Roth, Henry. Violin Virtuosos: From Paganini to the 21st Century. Los Angeles, California: California Classics Books, 1997. ______. Great Violinists in Performance: Critical Evaluations of Over 100th Twentieth- Century Virtuosi. Los Angeles, California: Panjandrum Books, 1987. Trochimczyk, Maja, ed. A Romantic Century in Polish Music. Los Angeles, California: Moonrise Press, 2009. “Violin Recitals.” The Musical Times vol. 37 (July 1896): 456-457. Walden, Joshua S. Sounding Authentic: The Rural Miniature and Musical Modernism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Walls, Peter. “Encore.” The New Grove: Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., edited by Stanley Sadie and J. Tyrrell. London: Macmillan, 2001. vol. 8: 196. Weber, William. “Recital.” The New Grove: Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., edited by Stanley Sadie and J. Tyrrell. London: Macmillan, 2001. vol. 20: 913. Woolfe, Zachary. “So Nice, They Do It Twice.” The New York Times (Jan 9 2015), Accessed January 17, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/arts/music/calls-of-encore-bring- surprise-to-classical-music.html.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

A native of Malaysia, violinist Jia-Rong Gan began her violin studies at the age of five. She has since been a featured performer in the United States, Europe, and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician.

Gan has won numerous competitions, including the concerto competitions at Brevard Music

Festival and Western Illinois University, Young Musical Talent of Malaysia Competition, Music

Teachers National Association Senior String Category at the State Level, and the American

String Teachers Association National Solo Competition. She has performed as a soloist with the

Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Florida State University Symphony Orchestra, and Western

Illinois University Symphony Orchestra.

Orchestrally, Gan performs regularly with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra (FL),

Mobile Symphony Orchestra (AL), and Sinfonia Gulf Coast (FL). She has also served as concertmaster of the Florida State University Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Festival

Sinfonia, and Western Illinois University Symphony and Chamber Orchestras.An avid chamber musician, Gan was a member of the Western Illinois University President’s International String

Quartet throughout her undergraduate studies and is presently the violinist of the Eppes Quartet, in residence at Florida State University. She has also participated in various international chamber music festival such as the Moritzburg Music Festival Academy in Germany, Zodiac

Trio Festival in France, and the Vermont Mozart Festival.

Gan holds a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Music from Western Illinois University where she graduated summa cum laude. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music degree at Florida State University under the tutelage of Corinne Stillwell.