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A Survey of the Unaccompanied Violin Repertoire, Centering on Works by Js

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A Survey of the Unaccompanied Violin Repertoire, Centering on Works by Js ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: A SURVEY OF THE UNACCOMPANIED VIOLIN REPERTOIRE, CENTERING ON WORKS BY J. S. BACH AND EUGENE YSAŸE Yu-Chi Wang, Doctor of Musical Arts, 2005 Dissertation directed by: Professor Gerald Fischbach School of Music Unaccompanied works provide a great challenge for violinists. The violin was originally designed to be performed with the support of other instruments. In addition, composers have developed various advanced techniques to enrich their solo violin compositions, for example to create polyphonic effects or to showcase the instrument’s capabilities or a performer’s virtuosity. Thereby, these works have become known for their technical challenges. A violinist thus faces unusual demands and stresses when performing solo violin works alone on the concert stage and may also use these pieces for musically gratifying and rigorous personal study. For this dissertation project, a selected series of unaccompanied violin works ranging from the Baroque period to the twentieth century have been performed in two recitals, recorded for archival purposes, and discussed in this written document. I have primarily chosen solo violin pieces written by the German composer J. S. Bach (1685–1750) and the Belgian composer Eugene Ysaÿe (1858–1931). I have also chosen to study works by Heinrich Biber (1644–1704) and Bright Sheng (b. 1955) as Biber exemplifies a predecessor of J. S. Bach’s and Sheng serves as one of Eugene Ysaÿe’s followers. The first recital, performed on May 8, 2002 in the Ulrich Recital Hall at the University of Maryland, College Park, included Passacaglia in G Minor (1676) by Heinrich Biber; Partita No. 3 in E Major (1720) by J.S. Bach; and Sonata no. 2, op. 27 (1923) by Eugene Ysaÿe. The second recital, performed on May 11, 2003 in the Main Chapel of the Memorial Chapel at the University of Maryland, College Park, included Sonata in G Minor (1720) by J.S. Bach; Sonata no. 4, op. 27 (1923) by Eugene Ysaÿe; and The Stream Flows (1990) by Bright Sheng. The written portion of this project presents a history of the solo violin genre, an overview of each composer’s life, and a discussion of connections and influences among the composers and their works through time. I also suggest fingerings, bowings, technical solutions, and musical interpretations of these pieces based upon my experiences in their study and performance. A SURVEY OF THE UNACCOMPANIED VIOLIN REPERTOIRE, CENTERING ON WORKS BY J. S. BACH AND EUGENE YSAŸE by Yu-Chi Wang Dissertation submitted to the Faculty for the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts 2005 Advisory Committee: Professor Gerald Fischbach, Chair Professor Bei-Lok Hu Professor Elisabeth Adkins Professor Evelyn Elsing Professor James Stern ii Acknowledgements Performing solo violin works is a wonderful and captivating experience. Unaccompanied violin works have always been and will no doubt remain one of my favorite genres. I feel highly privileged to perform these masterpieces. Being a violinist, I constantly feel blessed that I may connect with personal feelings and emotions through my music. I could never have completed this fascinating journey without my mentors and friends, and my family. Particularly I would like to thank Dr. Elisabeth Adkins for her guiding me through these challenging works. She was always there for me especially when I was almost overwhelmed by the incredible stress in preparing for my recitals. I would also like to thank Dr. Gerald Fischbach for his continuing support and generous help during my studies at the University of Maryland. I have great gratitude also to Dr. James Stern for his suggestions, editing and guidance during this project, and to Professors Evelyn Elsing and Bei-Lok Hu who served on my doctoral committee. I also want to thank Ms. Carol Stone for helping me improve the written portion of this dissertation project. My father, Professor Tsung-Tsai Wang, my mother, Ms. Ie Hsieh, and my brother, Yu Lun, have consistently offered their endless support during all my years of study. Above all, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my fiancée, Ping-I, who has given me his love and unbelievable patience throughout my ups and downs for all these years. Thank you all. iii Table of Contents Table of Examples .............................................................................................................. v Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose............................................................................................................................ 2 Project Components........................................................................................................ 3 Chapter One The Precursors of Bach’s Solo Violin Works .............................................. 4 The Influence of the Viol on Unaccompanied Violin Works......................................... 5 Precursors of Bach’s Solo Violin Works........................................................................ 6 Other Unaccompanied Violin Works by German Composers........................................ 7 Johann Jakob Walther and Johann Paul Westhoff: A Closer Look................................ 8 The Influence of Biber and his Passacaglia................................................................. 10 How Bach was Influenced by the Passacaglia............................................................. 19 Chapter Two The Six Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas and Partitas by J. S. Bach: History, Styles, and Performances.................................................................................... 21 The Stylistic Development of J. S. Bach ...................................................................... 22 The History and Performance of Bach’s Solo Violin Works ....................................... 26 Titles and Movements............................................................................................... 26 Stage Performances................................................................................................... 29 Arrangements............................................................................................................ 31 The Challenges.......................................................................................................... 34 Performance, Interpretation, and Analysis: The G-Minor Sonata and E-Major Partita ....................................................................................................................................... 38 Analysis of the Adagio and Fugue from the G-Minor Sonata.................................. 41 Adagio................................................................................................................... 41 Fugue .................................................................................................................... 44 Chapter Three Eugene Ysaÿe’s Six Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas, Op. 27................. 54 Developments in Violin Playing, from the Time of Bach to Ysaÿe ............................. 55 The Establishment of Violin Schools ....................................................................... 55 Unaccompanied Violin Works from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Century........... 58 Selected Unaccompanied Violin Works from 1700 to 1800 .................................... 60 Selected Unaccompanied Violin Works from 1800 to 1900 .................................... 63 Selected unaccompanied violin works from 1900 to 1950....................................... 65 Ysaÿe’s Unaccompanied Works for Violin: Innovative Techniques and Historical Accounts ....................................................................................................................... 69 Development of Innovative Techniques by Ysaÿe ................................................... 69 The Historical Context of Ysaÿe’s Six Solo Sonatas................................................ 71 Ysaÿe as Violinist and Composer................................................................................. 75 The Life of Ysaÿe ..................................................................................................... 75 Ysaÿe as a Violinist .................................................................................................. 77 iv Ysaÿe as a Composer................................................................................................ 78 Ysaÿe’s Influence on Modern Violin Technique ...................................................... 79 Innovative Techniques As Seen in Ysaÿe’s Unaccompanied Sonatas No. 2 and No. 4 ....................................................................................................................................... 82 Chapter Four Unaccompanied Violin Works after the Era of Eugene Ysaÿe (1950 to present): An Example by Bright Sheng ......................................................................... 97 The Life of Bright Sheng .............................................................................................. 99 Chinese Musical Components in Sheng’s Works....................................................... 102 Use of Folk Songs................................................................................................... 102 Use of the Chinese Notation System .....................................................................
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