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Technical Analysis on HW Ernst's Six Etudes for Solo Violin in Multiple

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Technical Analysis on HW Ernst's Six Etudes for Solo Violin in Multiple Technical Analysis on Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst’s Six Etudes for Solo Violin in Multiple Voices In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS in the Performance Studies Division of the College-Conservatory of Music Violin by Shang Jung Lin M.M. The Boston Conservatory November 2019 Committee Chair: Won-Bin Yim, D.M.A. Abstract Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was a Moravian violinist and composer who lived between 1814-1865. He was a friend of Brahms, collaborator with Mendelssohn, and was admired by Berlioz and Joachim. He was known as a violin virtuoso and composed many virtuosic works including an arrangement of Schubert’s Erlkönig for solo violin. The focus of this document will be on his Six Etudes for Solo Violin in Multiple Voices (also known as the Six Polyphonic Etudes). These pieces were published without opus number around 1862-1864. The etudes combine many different technical challenges with musical sensitivity. They were so difficult that the composer never gave a public performance of them. No. 6 is the most famous of the set, and has been performed by soloists in recent years. Ernst takes the difficulty level to the extreme and combines different layers of techniques within one hand. For example, the second etude has a passage that combines chords and left-hand pizzicato, and the sixth etude has a passage that combines harmonics with double stops. Etudes from other composers might contain these techniques but not simultaneously. The polyphonic nature allows for this layering of difficulties in Ernst’s Six Polyphonic Etudes. There are many more examples like these that can be found in the etudes. The purpose of this document is to help performers master these layers of technical challenges in a systematic way. ii iii Purpose of Study Learning etudes is an important step for violinists to conquer different technical obstacles at different stages. They are useful for strengthening one’s technical abilities to more effectively perform standard repertoire. Based on Peter Ferreira’s The Violin Companion, there are ten levels of etudes indicating different levels of difficulty. Ernst’s Six Polyphonic Etudes fall into level ten, the highest difficulty level, alongside Paganini’s 24 Caprices, Op. 1, Wieniawski’s 10 Etudes-Caprices for Solo Violin, Op.10 and Etudes- Caprices, Op. 18.1 Ernst’s Six Polyphonic Etudes combine several technical challenges due to their polyphonic nature. In order to achieve this high level of difficulty, a violinist is not only required to conquer the technical obstacles but also sing the multiple lines musically. It is important to understand the complexity of each specific techniques. This document will discuss the techniques of this set of etudes in depth. 1 Peter Ferreira, The Violin Companion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), 53-54. iv Contents Historical Background .........................................................................................................1 Etude I- Ferdinand Laub ......................................................................................................3 Etude II-Prosper Sainton ....................................................................................................18 Etude III-Joseph Joachim ...................................................................................................25 Etude IV-Henry Vieuxtemps .............................................................................................32 Etude V- Joseph Hellmesberger .........................................................................................37 Etude VI- Antonio Bazzini ................................................................................................41 Summary/Conclusion .........................................................................................................53 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................55 v Historical Background Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (1814-1865), a Moravian violinist and composer, was known as “one of the most brilliant virtuosos.”2 Ernst closely followed Paganini and attended many of his performances and rehearsals, and later saw himself as the “legitimate heir of Paganini.”3 His virtuosity was deeply influenced by Paganini.4 Ernst showed his outstanding talent when he was little and performed in public when he was ten.5 Later he entered the Vienna Conservatory to study violin and composition.6 He played for Paganini four years later when he was fourteen and started following Paganini and his Italian aesthetic.7 Later Ernst and the master performed together in Marseille in 1837.8 After Ernst retired from the stage, he dedicated his late life in composition.9 He spent his last seven to eight years in Nice, focusing on composition.10 The Six Polyphonic Etudes were composed during this time.11 He was dedicated to exploring polyphonic composition on the violin—a melodic instrument.12 Ernst’s composition is filled with extreme technical difficulties.13 The Six Polyphonic Etudes are considered “the most 2 John S. Dwight, ed., "Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst," Dwight's Journal of Music, A Paper of Art and Literature XXV (1867), 138. 3 Franco Sciannameo, Experiencing the Violin Concerto: A Listeners Companion (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016), 57. 4 Ibid. 5 John S. Dwight, ed., "Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst," Dwight's Journal of Music, A Paper of Art and Literature XXV (1867), 138. 6 Stephen Samuel Stratton, "Nicolo Paganini: His Life and Work," The Strad XVII, no. 17 (1907), 80. 7 Franco Sciannameo, Experiencing the Violin Concerto: A Listeners Companion (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016), 57. 8 Ibid. 9 Christine Hoppe, Melanie Von Goldbeck, and Maiko Kawabata, eds., Exploring Virtuosities: Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, Nineteenth-Century Musical Practices and beyond (Hildesheim ; Zürich ; New York: Georg Olms Verlag, 2018), 41. 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid. 12 Ibid, 42. 13 Stephen Samuel Stratton, "Nicolo Paganini: His Life and Work," The Strad XVII, no. 17 (1907), 79. 1 difficult works ever conceived for the instrument” by Franco Sciannameo.14 Some of Ernst’s compositions were too difficult even for him to play.15 For example, Ernst never played his Six Polyphonic Etudes in public because he himself might not have been able to play it satisfactorily.16 Ernst’s Six Polyphonic Violin Etudes, composed with two-, three-, and four-part harmony is a set of six.17 Each etude is dedicated to a different violinist, and each has a different technical purpose based on the dedicatee. The first etude is dedicated to Ferdinand Laub, the second to Prosper Sainton, the third to Joseph Joachim, the fourth to Henry Vieuxtemps, the fifth to Joseph Hellmesberger, Sr., and the sixth etude is dedicated to Antonio Bazzini.18 Ernst’s Six Polyphonic Etudes are still well known today. The sixth etude, known as the “Last Rose,” the most famous of the set, is included in Hilary Hahn’s practice routine.19 It is in variation form and is based on an Irish tune that commonly sets the poem by Thomas Moore called “The Last Rose of Summer.”20 She describes the Ernst pieces in an interview as “good pieces,” and she works on them for technical studies.21 14 Franco Sciannameo, Experiencing the Violin Concerto: A Listeners Companion (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016), 57. 15 Henry Charles. Lahee, Famous Violinists of To-day and Yesterday (Boston: L. C. Page and Company, 1899), 146. 16 Musical Courier: A Weekly Journal Devoted to Music and the Music Trades 57 (1908), 5. 17 Peter Ferreira, The Violin Companion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), 53-54. 18 M. W. Rowe, Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst: Virtuoso Violinist (New York: Routledge, 2016), 288. 19 Mary VanClay, ed., Violin Virtuosos (San Anselmo, CA: String Letter Pub., 2000), 98. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 2 Etude I Introduction of dedicatee - Ferdinand Laub Ferdiand Laub, a Czech violinist and composer, lived 1832-1875.22 Laub was a well-known violinist during his life.23 He was the concertmaster of the Weimar Orchestra after Joachim, where he and Liszt played chamber music together.24 Laub was an organizer of chamber music events.25 (Hellmesberger, the dedicattee of Ernst’s fifth etude, was also organizing chamber events at the time.)26 Laub performed with many of the great performers of the time including Clara Schumann, Anton Rubinstein, and Joseph Joachim.27 He also attracted the attention of H. W. Ernst and Berlioz.28 Laub had a great technical repertoire including concertos by Mendelssohn, Joachim, Ernst, and Paganini.29 Tchaikovsky dedicated his third string quartet to Laub in return for Laub’s performances of his first two string quartets.30 Laub was famous for his gorgeous tone and virtuosity.31 In a public performance at age nine, Laub received a compliment from Ole Bull, a famous Norweigian violinist, for his virtuosity.32 22 Alena Němcová, “Laub, Ferdinand,” Grove Music Online (Oxford University Press, 2001), https://doi- org.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.16088 23 Ibid. 24 Ibid. 25 Ibid. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid. 28 Ibid. 29 Ibid. 30 Ibid. 31 Ibid. 32 Ibid. 3 Characteristics and Structure Ernst marked the first etude “Rondino scherzo” and “Con spirito.” It features dotted rhythms in a 6/8 meter with a light-hearted, dance-like atmosphere. Left Hand Specific Topics § Chords with awkward finger stretches due to the position of the second finger § Passages that require clarity of articulation must be played with unavoidable
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