KSKS55 OCR AS: La gazza ladra Overture, by Gioacchino Rossini
by Alan Charlton Alan Charlton is an author, composer and examiner and has written numerous books and articles on INTRODUCTION music education. He taught for a number of years at Bedford This resource is the second in a series to support the teaching of the three new OCR AS Prescribed Orchestral School, initially Scores in Unit G353: Introduction to Historical Study in Music, for examination in June 2016. The primary as a composer- focus of this article will be on The Expressive Use of Instrumental Techniques, Tonality (The Language in-residence, and has a PhD in of Western Tonal Harmony) and the Context of the work. Tips for comparing two recordings of the work are composition from also provided. the University of Bristol.
Exam board requirements
In the OCR AS specification, knowledge of the AS set works are tested in Sections B and C of the Unit G353 examination paper, Introduction to Historical Study in Music.
In Section B, students are provided with a short printed extract from the score from one of the three prescribed orchestral scores. They answer questions based on this and on two different recordings of the same extract. This section is worth 25 marks (the prescribed jazz works make up the remaining 15 marks available in this section).
In Section C, students answer one question from a choice of three on the background to the prescribed works.
Additional resources
A sheet detailing the Overture’s main themes is included with this resource.
Scores: Eulenburg and others publish cheap miniature scores of La gazza ladra.
Keyboard reductions of the Overture can be found in vocal scores of the work.
Recordings: a good recent performance is recommended, with perhaps an older recording (by, for instance, Karajan, Bernstein or Szell) for comparison.
CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND TO LA GAZZA LADRA
Giaocchino Rossini (1792–1868)
Rossini was an Italian composer best known for the many operas he composed in the first part of his career. Born to musical parents, he studied at the Bologna Academy from 1806 and was commissioned to write a comic opera in 1810 by a Venetian impresario. From then until 1823, he came to dominate Italian opera, producing over 30 operas for opera houses in Venice, Milan (La Scala), Rome and Naples. He was especially well-suited to the form of opera buffa (comic opera) with his witty, fast-moving style shown in works such as Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), but he also produced operas in the opera seria style (eg Tancredi).
In 1824, Rossini moved to Paris, composing more operas, including his last, Guillaume Tell (William Tell, 1829). His post there was as a composer to Charles X, but when Charles was dethroned in the 1830 Paris revolutions,
1 Music Teacher January 2016 Rossini returned to Italy. He composed very little for the remainder of his life, probably due to illness, but managed to produce two choral masterpieces in his Stabat Mater (1842) and the Petite messe solennelle (1864).
Rossini’s early Italian years coincided with the later years of the Classical period of music history (c.1750- 1827), in which the musical style of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven was the musical currency of the time.
Rossini’s La gazza ladra
La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) was the 20th opera by the young Rossini, who was only 25 when it was first produced. It was based on a melodrama by Caignez and d’Aubigny,La pie voleuse. It was supposedly based on a true-life story about a servant girl being sentenced to death for the theft of some silver cutlery that had been taken by a magpie.
Rossini’s opera was composed for the opera house of La Scala, Milan, which had been built in 1778 and quickly became one of the most important centres for opera in Europe. Many important operas received their first performances there, and other operas, such as those of Mozart, were regularly performed, firmly establishing them in the operatic repertoire. Rossini’s operas dominated the years 1812 to 1820, which included his La pietra del paragone (1812), Il turco in Italia (1814) and La gazza ladra (1817).
La Scala was financed by the state, the city of Milan, the holders of the theatre’s 194 boxes, impresarios and patrons. The impresarios, who arranged operatic seasons and booked singers and composers, took the financial risk, but this was reduced through subsidies from the state and other sources of income.
Therefore, a newly commissioned opera needed to be popular with audiences to become a financial success. Rossini proved highly popular since he had a musical style and technique that naturally produced attractive and memorable music: graceful, flowing melodies; clear and simple forms that incorporated a large amount of repetition; colourful and sometimes novel orchestration and dramatic orchestral effects (see the ‘Rossini crescendo’ under instrumentation below). Furthermore, he could write extraordinarily quickly: some of his operas are reputed to have been composed in a couple of weeks. This meant that the public was being given a new Rossini opera every few months, so he was always in the spotlight.
Popularity was also dependent on an audience being familiar with the musical style and the dramatic and musical conventions used in a new opera. In other words, new operas during Rossini’s time needed to be fairly similar to operas that the public were used to hearing. Rossini’s musical language was entirely typical of that of the Classical period and thus did not present an audience with any difficulty.
The forms and the handling of forces in La gazza ladra are also typical of opera of the time, consisting of separate ‘numbers’. A number is a movement that combines different elements, such as recitative, passages for orchestra alone, passages for operatic soloist(s) and choral sections. This meant that there were opportunities for frequent dialogue between characters, interjections, and mood-changing moments such as a character arriving with fresh news. Numbers had been replacing the strict alternation between recitative and aria of the 18th century for many years, and because of their flexibility, became the standard way of structuring an opera in the first half of the 19th century.
Music Teacher January 2016 2 Summary of La gazza ladra’s plot
If you have access La gazza ladra belongs to a genre called opera semiseria, or semi-serious opera. It is a mixture of opera seria to the Grove (serious opera) and opera buffa (comic opera), the two main traditions of Italian opera before the 19th century. Dictionary of Music and Musicians or to As the name suggests, the genre contains both comic and tragic elements. La gazza ladra was one of several Grove Music online, operas by Rossini in the genre; examples by other composers include include Bellini’s La sonnambula (1831) there is a synopsis and Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix (1841). The classic opera semiseria includes a bass ‘buffo’ role (ie a comic under the entry ‘gazza ladra, La’. part for a bass), playing a villain, and a leading role for a soprano whose innocence is questioned but who is later cleared of any wrongdoing.
It is not necessary to The plot of the opera can be loosely summarised as follows. memorise the details of the plot for the OCR examination, but since several Ninetta (soprano) is a servant girl in the house of a wealthy farmer Fabrizio (bass) and his wife Lucia of the Overture’s (mezzo-soprano). Ninetta is in love with the farmer’s son, Gianetto (tenor), who is about to return themes come from from the wars. Gianetto returns to a great feast, at which a homeless man appears, whom Ninetta the opera, some knowledge of the recognises as her father Fernando (bass-baritone). Fernando is an army deserter and is on the run. plot is useful for He needs money to survive and asks Ninetta to sell his silver spoon and leave the money in a nearby putting them in tree. The ‘podesta’ (village mayor, a buffo role sung by a bass-baritone) interrupts: he harrases Ninetta, context. who rejects his advances. News arrives that there is an army deserter on the run, and a description of Ninetta’s father is handed out. When asked by the mayor to read it out aloud, Ninetta deliberately changes the description to protect her father. While this is happening, a magpie flies in and steals one of the farmer’s spoons. Subsequently, Ninetta sells her father’s spoon to the pedlar Isacco, but in the meantime the farmer’s wife Lucia notices one of her own spoons has gone missing. After Isacco tells of Ninetta’s sale to him of her father’s spoon, Ninetta is falsely imprisoned for the theft of Lucia’s spoon.
In Act 2, in prison, Ninetta is visited by Gianetto (to whom she pleads innocence), then by the mayor (whose advances she again rejects) and finally by a young farmworker Pippo, whom she begs to sell her gold cross for money to put in the tree for her father. At her trial, Ninetta is found guilty and sentenced to death. Her father tries to intervene but is recognised as a deserter and arrested. Ninetta is then marched to the scaffold, but in the meantime the magpie is found to have stolen the spoon and other items. New of this discovery and a reprieve for Fernando from the king arrive at the last minute: Ninetta is spared death, the villagers celebrate and the mayor is humbled.
The themes referred to here (A1, B2, How is the plot reflected in the Overture? The military connection is strongly suggested in the march-like etc.) are included on theme in the introduction, the strong, dotted rhythms of the brass recalling parade grounds, and the prominent the downloadable roles for two snare drums and bass drum. The drum rolls that appear in the introduction perhaps recall the sheet included with this resource. gallows, where executions were often accompanied by solemn drum beats and rolls. In the allegro section, Their place in the firsttheme (A1) is taken from the prison scene in Act 2, when Ninetta is steeling herself for her impending the structure is execution. The theme at bar 220 (B2) is from earlier in Act 2, in which a magistrate is preparing the case detailed later in this article in the table against Ninetta for theft. However, despite these references, the Overture is not overtly programmatic: it does under Tonality and not tell a story, but instead simply introduces thematic material and sets an appropriate tone. Harmony.
The overture
The overture started life in the 17th century as a piece of instrumental music that introduced an opera, ballet or other dramatic work. In the 18th century, it developed into two forms: the French overture, which consisted of a slow, dotted introduction followed by a quicker second section, usually in triple time; and the Italian overture, a three-part composition often in the order fast–slow–fast. By the second half of the 18th century, the Italian overture had become the preferred form for introducing operas, evolving into a single-movement composition by the late 18th century. In opera seria, this would typically consist of a slow introduction followed by a sonata form movement without a development section. In opera buffa (comic opera), it tended to be a medley of tunes from the opera. During the 19th century, successful overtures went on to become stand-alone concert pieces, continuing to be performed long after the opera on which they were based had disappeared from the repertory. This proved to be the case with several of Rossini’s overtures. Composers from Mendelssohn onwards often composed overtures purely for the concert hall.
3 Music Teacher January 2016 THE EXPRESSIVE USE OF INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUES
Rossini’s use of instrumentation is generally typical of the later Classical period, but also shows early signs of what was to become a preoccupation for Romantic composers, of expanding the orchestra and exploring a more imaginative approach to using orchestral forces.
The orchestral forces used in the Overture to La gazza ladra
The instruments used and their transposition are summarised below:
Instrument Transposition Piccolo Sounds an octave higher than written. Flauto = flute 2 Oboi = 2 oboes 2 Clarinetti (La) = 2 clarinets They sound a minor 3rd lower than written. Therefore their key signature is that in A for G major, which is a minor 3rd higher than the sounding key, E major. To work out the sounding pitch of a note in the clarinet part, transpose it down a minor 3rd (3 semitones). Note that in bar 157, the marking ‘muta in Do’ appears on the clarinet stave. This is an instruction to switch to smaller clarinets in C, perhaps to facilitate the fingering or to enable them to more easily produce the high notes. As they are in C, no transposition is necessary in this passage: the sounding pitch is the same as the written pitch. In bar 291 they have the instruction ‘muta in La’, meaning that they switch back to clarinets in A, which they play for the remainder of the piece. The transposition here will thus be the same as in the first section of the piece.
2 Fagotti = 2 bassoons 4 Corni (1-2 Mi, 3-4 Sol) The pair in E (Mi) sound a minor 6th lower than written. The first two notes are = 4 French horns (1-2 in E, E and C at written pitch, which would sound as G sharp and E, fitting in with the E 3-4 in G) major chord played by the rest of the orchestra. The pair in G (Sol) sound a perfect 4th lower than written. The first two notes are E and the E an octave lower at written pitch, which would sound as Bs a perfect 4th lower. Note that at bar 291, this second pair of horns has the instruction ‘muta in Mi’, telling them to change their crooks to E crooks. They play in E for the rest of the work, and their transposition is therefore the same as the first pair of horns from this point, sounding a minor 6th lower than written.
2 Trombe (La) = 2 trumpets These would transpose the same as the clarinets in A: each written note would in A sound a minor 3rd lower than written. As with the clarinets and horn, the trumpets have a transposition change in the piece: at bar 291, they have the instruction ‘muta in Mi’, meaning that they change to trumpets in E. In this case the trumpets transpose upwards, so the sounding pitch is a major 3rd higher than the written pitch (note that the horns in E sound a minor 6th lower than written).
Trombone These were starting to be used more and more in the orchestra than in works of the earlier Classical period. Timpani = kettle drums Here there are two, tuned to E and B (the pitches in bars 4-5).
Music Teacher January 2016 4 Instrument Transposition Triangolo = triangle This high-pitched instrument expands the colour and upper range of the orchestra.
2 Tamburi piccolo = 2 snare This is an unusual and innovative feature. Rossini is able to produce antiphonal drums snare drum effects by this means.
Gran Cassa = Bass drum Violino 1 = First violins
Violino 2 = Second violins
Viola = violas They read alto clef, in which the middle line of the stave is a middle C.
Violoncello e Contrabassi = The cellos sound as written, and the double basses sound an octave lower than cellos and double basses written. The cello sometimes uses tenor clef (eg at bar 62), in which middle C is the second highest line on the stave. Notice how the two instruments are usually written on the same stave: they often have identical or very similar parts. They have separate staves when their parts are significantly different (eg bar 62).
GENERAL APPROACH TO ORCHESTRATION
ACTIVITY 1
To gain an overview of Rossini’s general handling of the different sections of the orchestra, ask students to glance through the score and locate examples of the following. This can be done as a whole class activity.
tutti sections (all, or nearly all instruments playing)
strings alone
woodwind alone
brass alone
strings + 1-3 woodwind instruments
combination of woodwind + brass instruments
a solo instrument
From this exercise, it should be apparent that Rossini uses many combinations of different sections of the orchestra, from small groups to the whole ensemble. By this means, he is able to create strong contrasts and express a range of different emotions across the work, while also being able to convey more subtle contrasts. To explore how he achieves this in more detail, we will look at how he writes for each instrument and instrumental section and his treatment of the orchestra as a whole.
It can be helpful to WRITING FOR WOODWIND annotate the score with the points on The general role of the woodwind is to play melodic solos (where they are frequently doubled), and to create instrumentation, homophonic textures that often have a strong rhythmic element, such as dotted rhythms. They will often tonality, etc., join forces with brass and/or stringed instruments for loud, full textures, such as the march-like ideas in the perhaps using introduction and passages such as bars 115-130. colour-coding for different elements. Occasionally there is dialogue between different woodwind instruments and groups of instruments, such as in the introduction, bars 10-12, and in the second group of themes in bars 171-218.
1 Writing for piccolo and flute. Rossini gives a large amount of melodic material to these two instruments, since they are the highest woodwind instruments available and have good agility. They thus have a more prominent role than the other woodwind instruments, which generally have more harmonic material. As
5 Music Teacher January 2016 mentioned previously, the piccolo adds brilliance to the overall orchestral sound, extending the upper range of the woodwind by an octave.
However, the melodies played by the flute and piccolo are always doubled, usually by the upper strings and sometimes by other wind instruments, for example: Piccolo and/or flute doubling the violins, eg bars 3-9, 20 (piccolo, flute, violin I and II); bars 88-110 (flute, violin I, viola); 175-179 (flute, violin I). Piccolo and/or flute doubling other wind instruments, eg bars 21 (flute, clarinet); 188-194 (piccolo, clarinet, bassoon) A trill on the piccolo adds a particularly brilliant effect and can be heard in the upbeats to bars 4, 6, 8, 14, 16, 18 and at other places in the introduction.
2 Writing for oboes. Rossini often writes for the oboes in pairs, as part of tutti passages, or reinforcing melodic material. They often contribute filler harmonies to accompaniments in conjunction with other wind and brass instruments.
Typical examples include: bars 4-8: the oboes contribute to the accompaniment, playing filler harmonies. bars 111-114: they reinforce the melody line in 3rds. bars 115-152: they contribute filler harmonies and add weight to and improve the rhythmic attack of the overall texture.
An important oboe solo is first heard at bars 171-175, repeated in 179-183 and elsewhere. Oboes also have melodic material in 3rds in places, eg bars 223-227.
3 Writing for clarinets. Like the oboes, the clarinets typically play harmonic material, either as part of the accompaniment or within an overall homophonic texture. They have a similar role to the oboes in the places listed above (bars 4-8, 111-114 and 115-152).
Melodic solos include bars 21 (with flute), 188-194 (with piccolo and bassoon); 223-225 (with violins and oboes) and 328-332. Note that all of these apart from the last are doubled by other instruments.
4 Writing for bassoons. The bassoons, the lowest instruments in the woodwind section, tend to double other bass instruments (cellos, basses, trombone), although they often play melodic solos along with other woodwind and contribute inner harmonies in homophonic textures. Examples of the bassoons’ role include: melodic solos: bars 22, 50, 161-170. melodic solos doubled by other instruments: bassoon 1 bars 3-9 (doubling flutes, etc); 115-138 and 276-291 (doubled by lower strings and trombone); 188-195 (doubled by piccolo and clarinet). bassline: bars 53-56, 235-274. inner harmonies: bars 58-61, 139-146, 314-316.
WRITING FOR BRASS Generally speaking, the brass mainly play in loud tutti passages, where they reinforce the rhythm and add harmony. The timbre of the brass instruments carries associations with the military, particularly in the march- like introduction.
Examples of rhythmic harmonic accompaniment material for brass include bars 32-37 in all brass and bars 111-151 in horns, trumpets and, later, trombone. Notice Rossini’s ingenuity in his handling of the four horns in these passages, finding playable notes in the harmony that allow all four horns to play at the same time.
Examples of melodic material for brass include: horn 1 bar 12; horn 3 bars 195-199; horn 3 bars 219-222; all horns bars 473-477. trombone bars 116-134 and 276-290.
1 Writing for horn. Rossini was writing for natural horns with no valves. They could play notes of the harmonic series in the key in which they were crooked, plus a few extra notes produced through the technique of hand- stopping. This entails closing off the bell of the horn with the right hand, altering the pitch of the note produced by a semitone or a tone. Examples of handstopped notes include horn 1’s written B in bar 11 and its written A
Music Teacher January 2016 6 and B in bar 12, as well as and horn 3’s written C sharp in bar 12.
Rossini also used a device that was fairly common at this time: employing two pairs of horns, each crooked in A crook is a piece of tubing different keys. This enabled two lots of harmonic series to be employed, increasing the total number of notes available in different that could be played by the horns. lengths, which, when inserted into the horn’s own The horns, being able to produce more notes than the trumpets through hand-stopping and the use of pairs of tubing, lengthens horns crooked in two keys, sometimes play short snippets of melody (eg horn 3 in bars 195-199) and generally the instrument by have more to play in accompaniment textures. different amounts. Therefore a crook in C would produce 2 Writing for trumpet. Rossini was writing for natural trumpets with no valves, and so could only use the notes the harmonic series of the harmonic series in the stipulated key (the horn’s technique of handstopping is not used on the trumpet). on C, a crook in B Because of this limitation, the trumpets have virtually no melodic material at all. They tend to play in loud tutti would produce the harmonic series on passages such as in the march ideas in the introduction and in the fanfare-like passages such as the coda, B, and so on. bars 477-481. Rossini gives them plenty of dotted rhythms, which contribute to the strong rhythmic drive of certain sections (eg bars 4-9 and 109-122). They also help to reinforce the syncopated second beat in the passage from bars 147-150 and occasionally play triplet quavers (eg bar 392).
3 Writing for trombone. The trombone, being fully chromatic above F one space below the bass clef, is able to play more extensive melodic lines, some of which are chromatic and contain wide leaps. It doubles the cello and bassoon bassline in some passages (eg bars 115-130) and has its own bassline in bars 131-137. Note that Rossini omits the triplet quaver upbeats during this passage that the cellos and bassoons play.
WRITING FOR PERCUSSION One of the novel features of the Overture to La gazza ladra is the percussion writing. The opening of the work is especially original: two side drums answer each other’s rolls antiphonally and then join forces in a dramatic crescendo. This immediately sets up the military background to the opera (the links with the army and Ninetta’s walk to the scaffold).
A similar passage In the introductory march-like idea, the side drums add their own distinctive rhythm to reinforce the feel of the occurs at bars 115- 146, but this time the march, with dotted rhythms, semiquaver triplets and trills (eg bars 4-11). The bass drum and timpani further timpani contribute reinforce the rhythmic nature of this idea, the timpani generally shadowing the brass section’s dotted rhythms less, as the two and the bass drum playing crotchets of beats 1-3 of the bar. pitches that they can play (E and B) are absent from some of The rolls on timpani and side drums at bars 53-61 would be especially dramatic, with a crescendo from the harmony. pianissimo to fortissimo. Again, the bass drum plays crotchets in this passage.
A more delicate use of the side drum can be heard at bars 219-246, where it decorates the upbeat to the beginnings of phrases with semiquavers.
In the passage from bars 251-266, the triangle is introduced, helping to create a waltz-like feel. Here, the bass drum plays on the first beat, the triangle on beats 2 and 3, and the snare drums have a quiet roll followed by a crescendo to fortissimo.
WRITING FOR STRINGS The strings are the most versatile section of the orchestra and play a mixture of melodic and accompaniment material. The first violins usually play melodic material, sometimes doubled by the second violins or violas. The second violins or violas tend to play mostly in accompaniment textures, and the cellos and basses usually provide the bassline.
A variety of string techniques and textures are used in the work.
1 Doubling of a melody in octaves. This adds weight to a melody, allowing it to be more sonorous as well as more clearly heard. A quiet, delicate melodic detail can come through more easily if doubled in octaves, whereas a louder, more purposeful idea can be made to sound more assertive or heroic. The choice of instruments is important, too: divided first violins in octaves produces a thinner sound than violins I and II together, while violin I and viola create a darker sound than the brighter doubling of violins I and II. The double basses usually double the cellos an octave below, giving the bassline depth and weight.
7 Music Teacher January 2016 Examples of octave doubling occur at: bars 3-10 (violin I and II in octaves) bars 53-56 (violin I and II in octaves) bars 63-77 (violin I and viola in octaves) bars 115-138 (viola, cello and bass in 3 octaves) bars 175-179 (violin I divided into 2) bars 454-460 (violins I and II in octaves)
2 Divisi strings (‘div’). This occurs frequently in the work. As sections have many players, a section such as violin I can be divided into two separate parts without losing too much tone quality or volume. String divisi enables a composer to achieve more flexibility and write fuller and richer textures.
Examples of divisi occur at: bar 4 (violas) bar 111 (violas) bar 175 (violin I) bars 380-408 (violin I) bars 420-430 (violin I, II and viola)
3 Double stopping. Double stopping is a technique on stringed instruments in which two notes on different strings are played simultaneously. The player must be able to produce the two notes by the fingers by the left hand, and with bowed double stops, the two notes have to be on adjacent strings.
Like divisi, double stopping enables the strings as a section to produce more notes at the same time, making thicker textures possible. Rossini often uses it in this work when a melody is being played in octaves in the strings. For instance, when the first violin and viola are playing the melody at bars 62–78, violin II has double stops to provide a fuller harmonic accompaniment with the bassline.
Examples of double stopping used in this way occur at: bars 57-61 (violin I) 62-78 and 88-110 (violin II) 115-130 (violin I and II)
Double stopping can also help to create a louder, more percussive sound. At bars 151-155, the first and second violins play double stops of the same note: D on the G string and the open string D. As the same note is being played twice, this produces a more powerful sound, contributing more to the orchestra’s fortissimo dynamic at this point.
4 Triple stopping. This is saved for more percussive moments: a triple-stopped chord needs to be played loudly for all the notes to sound together, and this has a strong percussive effect, useful for reinforcing strong rhythms and accented notes.
Examples of this occur at: bars 48-9 (violin I and II) bars 251-266 (violin II) bars 446-453 (violin II)
5 Pizzicato. This technique, where the string player plucks the string instead of bowing it, is occasionally used in more thinly scored sections and is confined to the double basses and cellos. An example can be seen at bars 171-187 (cellos and basses) and subsequent sections based on the same material.
6 Rapid repeated notes. This effect tends to be used to add excitement to loud, dramatic passages.
Examples can be seen at: bars 53-56 (violas) bars 275-286 (violins) bars 461-468 (violins and later all strings)
Music Teacher January 2016 8 ORCHESTRAL TECHNIQUES 1 The ‘Rossini crescendo’. Rossini’s trademark was his use of a long, gradual build-up from a soft to a loud dynamic. To achieve this, he uses an ‘orchestral crescendo’, gradually adding more and more instruments, expanding the overall register, creating more movement in the instrumental parts and using crescendo markings.
9 Music Teacher January 2016 ACTIVITY 2
In the passage from bars 219-291 (figures 6-8), a 16-bar phrase is repeated three times, each time with differences in orchestration and the musical material, producing the effect of a gradual crescendo. In the table below, describe the changes to the instrumentation and material that occur to the following eight elements of the texture. The first element (bassline beat 1) is completed as an example.
Textural element bars 219–234 bars 235–250 bars 251–266
bassline (beat 1) in basses, doubled by trombone in basses and trombones in trombones (and rhythm every two bars (now every bar) on bass drum)
chords on beats double stops in violin II and 2 and 3 viola; horns 3+4 join in bars 223-226 and 231-234
quavers in cellos
Phrase A triplet in horns 3+4 quavers, first heard at bars 219 beat 3–220 beat 1
Phrase A in clarinets and horns 3+4 crotchets first heard at 220 beat 2–221 beat 1
Phrase B, in oboes, clarinets and vn I chromatic thirds first heard at bars 223 beat 3–225 beat 3
Melody B, flute adds upper octave to downward scale oboes, clarinets and vn I at bar 226
Percussion snare drums 1+2 add upbeat semiquaver figure to melody A
Music Teacher January 2016 10 Answer:
Textural bars 219–234 bars 235–250 bars 251–266 element bass line in basses, doubled by in basses and trombones in trombones (and rhythm (beat 1) trombones every two bars (now every bar) on bass drum) chords on double stops in violin II and double stops in violin II; triple stops in violin II (and beats 2 and 3 viola; horns 3+4 join in bars horns 3+4 join in bars 239- rhythm on triangle) 223-226 and 231-234 242 and 247-250 quavers in cellos in cellos, bassoon and in bassoons, viola, cellos, viola basses (at lower octave) Phrase in horns 3+4 in horns 3+4, oboe 1 and in flute, oboes 1+2, A triplet clarinet 2 clarinets 1+2, horns 3+4 quavers, first and violin I (double stops) heard at bars 219 beat 3–220 beat 1
Phrase A in clarinets and horns 3+4 in flute, oboes, clarinets in piccolo, flute, oboes, crotchets first and horns 3+4 clarinets, horns 1-4, heard at 220 trumpets and violin 1 (triple beat 2–221 stops) beat 1
Phrase B, in oboes, clarinets and violin I in flute, oboes, clarinets in piccolo, flute, oboes, chromatic and violin 1, with flute clarinets, violin 1. Upper 3ds first adding upper octave part now higher than heard at bars previously as the doubling 223 beat in 3rds has been inverted 3–225 beat 3 into a doubling in 6ths
Melody B, flute adds upper octave to piccolo, flute, oboes, piccolo, flute, oboes, downward oboes, clarinets and violin I clarinets and violin 1. Note clarinets, violin 1. Note that scale at bar that piccolo extends range the highest part is higher 226 by adding a part a 3rd than previously higher than flute Percussion snare drums 1+2 add upbeat same as bars 219-234 bass drum on beat 1, semiquaver figure to melody A triangle on beats 2 and 3. Both snare drums have a continuous roll.
2 Orchestral dialogue. Rossini brings additional colour to the work through his use of orchestral dialogue: switching from one group of instruments to another. He often uses this technique to draw attention to the underlying phrase structure, for instance in a question-and-answer phrase, by scoring the answer in a different way to the question. Here are some examples of orchestral dialogue in the work: This is the reverse of the orchestral Bars 10-12. Here, a one-bar phrase is heard three times in different orchestrations: crescendo: each bar 10: piccolo, oboe, clarinet, and violins I and II on melody; bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombone, repetition of the percussion and lower strings on accompaniment. phrase is played by successively fewer bar 11: flute, oboe and clarinet on melody; bassoons, horns, trumpet and violas on accompaniment. instruments. bar 12: horn 1 on melody; clarinets, bassoon 1 and horns 2-3 on accompaniment. Bars 171-194. Here, the different phrases of a regularly constructed melody are orchestrated differently: bars 171-4 and 180-3: ‘question’ phrase of melody on oboe, light accompaniment on clarinet, bassons, horns and lower strings. bars 176-179 and 184-187: ‘answer’ phrase of melody on flute, violin I (divisi), accompaniment on lower strings. bars 179 and 187: the last bar of the answering phrase is emphasised with the addition of flute, clarinet and bassoon.
11 Music Teacher January 2016 bars 188-194: the second section of the melody is scored for piccolo, clarinet 1 and bassoon 1, with occasional accompaniment from the strings. bars 219-234. This was discussed in ‘orchestral crescendo’, and uses different combinations of instruments for different phrases of the melody.
TONALITY AND HARMONY
Rossini’s use of harmony and tonality in the work is fairly typical of his musical language and of the Classical period.
Structure and tonal structure
To understand the tonal scheme of the Overture to La gazza ladra, it is very helpful to know how the overall form works. The Overture is based on sonata form, omits the development section. This is called abridged sonata form, and its structure is as follows:
Introduction Exposition Recapitulation Coda Tonic 1st group in tonic 2nd group in 1st group in tonic 2nd group in Tonic another key tonic
(Note that the introduction and/or coda can also be omitted.)
Abridged sonata form often opens with an introduction. Then, in the exposition, two groups of themes are played, the first in the tonic key and the second in another key, usually the dominant or relative major/minor. A transition links the first and second group of themes, often using its own themes and modulating to the new key. In standard sonata form, a development section would follow the exposition, but this is omitted in abridged sonata form, perhaps being replaced by a short transition. In the recapitulation, the two groups of themes are played again, but this time the second group is in the tonic key. This means that the transition in the recapitulation will be different from the transition in the exposition. The movement is usually rounded off with a coda.
Rossini’s omission of the development section is common practice in an overture of this era. The role of an overture in the Classical period was to serve as an introduction to the main opera itself, setting its general mood and tone, presenting some of the main themes, and tending, especially in comic or semi-comic operas, not to include lengthy conflicts and extensive development of material, which a development section would entail.
Music Teacher January 2016 12 The structure of the movement can be summarised as follows:
Bar Section Subsection Themes Tonality numbers The theme names 1-61 Introduction Int1 (March) (3-52) E major, with several used in this table (Int1, Int2, A1, Int2 (semiquavers) temporary modulations. etc.) refer to the (53-61) Reaches B major at 49, downloadable sheet dominant preparation for included with this E minor resource. 62-114 Exposition First group A1 (triplets) E minor; E major at 88 115-170 Transition T1 (in bass) (115- E major ending in D 130) major at 139 (dominant T2 (triplets and preparation for G major) bassline) (131-159) T3 (chords) (162- 170)
171-274 Second group B1 (171-219) G major B2 (220-274) 275-298 Transition T1 (in bass) (275- G major modulating to B 291) major at 287 (dominant anticipation of A1 preparation for E minor) (292-298) 299-317 Recapitulation First group A1 E minor modulating to B major 318-327 Transition T3 (chords) modulates to E major 328-431 Second group B1, B2 E major
432-445 Transition T1 (in bass) E major 446-485 Coda New material E major
Points of interest in the tonal scheme include the following:
1) The first group contains a theme stated in the tonic minor (E minor), followed by the tonic major (E major). This represents a tonal conflict to be resolved later in the movement. 2) The second group is in the relative major (G major) of E minor. However, because most of the music that precedes it is in E major, G major is a slightly unexpected choice of key (a tertiary modulation). 3) There are several short passages whose main functions seem to be to prepare for the establishment of a new key and to create a sense of anticipation (eg bars 53-61, 81-87, 162-170, 292-298 and 318-327). The music seems to temporarily stop in mid-flow at these places, making the end of the preceding section and start of a new section fairly obvious to hear. Often these passages emphasise the dominant of the new key, serving as extended dominant preparations (eg the emphasis on B major in 53-61, 81-87 and 292-298, and the pedal B in 318-327).
Harmonic features
The harmonic language of La gazza ladra is typical of that of the Classical period, being based around tonic, dominant and subdominant harmonies, with occasional use of chromaticism, dominant 7ths, diminished chords, augmented 6ths and pedal notes. Rossini also generates harmonic colour through chromatic inflections in his melodies.
In many passages, particularly the melodic ones, Rossini’s harmony is very simple, often consisting of tonic and dominant chords with occasional subdominant harmonies. For example: 1) In theme B1, the harmonies are: I (bars 171-178); V7 (179-186); V (189); I (191); IV (193); V7 (194); I (195). This pattern is then repeated. 2) In theme B2, the harmonies are: I (bars 219-226); V (227-234). This pattern is then repeated.
13 Music Teacher January 2016 Rossini’s harmony includes many other features of interest: Rossini uses harmonic sequences in places, notably in the introduction where the underlying progression in bars 4-5 (I-Vb) is extended sequentially in bars 6-9 (vi-iiib-IV-Ib). The introduction contains temporary modulations such as to F sharp minor (bar 27) Perfect and imperfect cadences are commonly found. Pedal notes are occasionally used, such as the pedal D from bars 139-170. Rossini creates drama and tension through using notes and chords that are dissonant with the pedal note, eg the diminished 7th chord in bar 142, 147 beat 2 and in ensuing bars, and the descending chromatic scale in the lower wind in bar 139 and in the upper wind in bar 143. A 4-3 suspension is used in bars 167-8. An augmented 6th chord is heard in bars 467-8 (C-E-G-A sharp). Accented appoggiaturas are used in several of Rossini’s themes (eg in theme A, bar 64 beats 1 and 2). Chromatic appoggiaturas appear frequently (eg in theme B1, bar 172 beats 1 and 2). Double appoggiaturas also occur (eg theme B2, bar 224 beats 1 and 2).
TIPS FOR COMPARING TWO PERFORMANCES OF LA GAZZA LADRA
Rossini’s La gazza ladra Overture has been in the orchestral repertoire since the 19th century and has thus received countless interpretations. Many different possibilities have been explored and can be heard in the numerous recordings that are available.
Performance features to listen out for when comparing two recordings of the La gazza ladra Overture include:
Tempo
Is one extract played faster than the other? How much rubato is used (if any), and where? How long do pauses and silences last?
Instrumentation
Although the exact orchestration is specified in the score, there may be slight variations in the instrumental sound from orchestra to orchestra on different recordings.
How do the percussion instruments compare on the two recordings? Do the side drums sound different, for example? How full or rich is the string sound? (Larger string sections tend to sound richer.) How do the woodwind and brass instruments compare on the two different recordings? (Classical period instruments may have a thinner, less refined sound.)
Balance
Does a particular instrument or section come through more clearly in one recording rather than the other?
Style of playing
Do string players use portamento (slides between notes)? Do string players use vibrato? If so, do they use it all the time, or just in selected places?
Phrasing
How is the music bowed/slurred/phrased? Are there differences from the score or between the recordings?
Music Teacher January 2016 14 Articulation
Are there any differences in articulation between the two extracts? For example, is the staccato more pronounced in one than the other?
Dynamics
How do the dynamics compare in the two extracts? Are crescendos/diminuendos more pronounced in one recording?
SUMMARY
This resource should provide a useful exam preparation for OCR students, which can be enhanced with practice questions and practice in score-reading (eg reading alto clef, identifying musical symbols and markings).
By following this resource, students should have gained a confident level of understanding of: the background and original performance circumstances of the work. Rossini’s use of instrumental colour and instrumentation, especially his handling of different instruments and instrumental sections, and his use of devices such as the ‘Rossini crescendo’. the tonal structure of the Overture. the main harmonic features of the Overture.
They should also have a clear idea on what to listen out for when comparing two different interpretations of the Overture.
15 Music Teacher January 2016 Main thematic material used in Rossini, La gazza ladra overture
Introduction themes Int1 (March) Bar 3 etc. violin 2
Bar 53 Int2 vlns bsn/tbn/vc/cb Exposition: First group themes A1 (in minor) Bar 63 etc. 3 3 3 vn 1 3 3 3 3 A1 (in major) Bar 88 etc. 3 3 3 flute 3 3 3 3 Transition themes Bar 115 T1 etc. 3 fg/tbn/vla/vc/cb T2 T3 Bar 131 vn 1 Bar 162 etc. etc. 3 3 3 3 3 3 bsns vc. hns 3&4 Second group themes flute etc. Bar 171 B1 ob. 3 3 Bar 219 B2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 hns 3.4 clts hns 3.4 clts ob/cl/vn
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