Mozart’s Orchestral Cantabile Style: Eighteenth-Century Origins of String Performance Practices by David Bowser A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Graduate Department of Music University of Toronto ©Copyright by David Bowser (2015) Mozart’s Orchestral Cantabile Style: Eighteenth-Century Origins of String Performance Practices David Bowser Doctor of Musical Arts (2015) Graduate Department of Music University of Toronto A stylistic change in mid-eighteenth-century compositions inspired a decidedly lyrical concept of string playing characterized by connected bowing manner, sustained tone and legato phrasing. At the same time, string instruments and particularly bows were adapted to the changing performance style and became standardized. Mozart’s letters and other historical documents suggest that vibrato and portamento were characteristic to some degree of the string performance style of the late eighteenth century. While Roger Norrington contends that vibrato was not a feature of orchestral string performance before the mid-1930s, historical texts, score indications, string teachers and scholars imply that string vibrato saw a longer evolution over centuries. The instrumental cantabile style in Mozart’s music is inspired by the voice and its qualities. Two characteristics have bearing specifically on performance practices of the orchestral string repertoire: the voice possesses an innate sense of connectivity and a natural tendency to vibrate. This study examines compositional style and corresponding performance practices in orchestral string playing in the eighteenth century and traces the evolution of string vibrato into the twentieth century. It explores the stylistic changes during the mid-eighteenth century, tracking the development from old to new styles and the emergence of melody, the origins and development of the High Classical style of Mozart and Haydn, and the implications of this ii stylistic evolution for eighteenth-century performance practices, especially as they relate to compositions of Mozart. Included are an analysis of historical texts and treatises referring to string vibrato, a survey of current scholarly opinion, and a discussion of string vibrato indications in scores composed in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. This study examines research on vocal vibrato by vocal scientists and pedagogues while appraising Mozart’s statement that “the voice trembles naturally” and that “people imitate it…on stringed instruments.” Finally, this research addresses Norrington’s claims and investigates indicators of orchestral string vibrato application revealed in archival footage of Bruno Walter conducting in rehearsal, and in early twentieth-century archival films of German, French and British orchestras. iii Acknowledgements I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Mary Ann Parker for sharing her expertise and offering continuous guidance and unwavering support. I am grateful to Dr. Gillian MacKay, Dr. Robin Elliott, Dr. Katharine Rapoport and Maestro Timothy Vernon for their encouragement and interest in this research. I extend my thanks to the very knowledgeable and obliging archivists who assisted me in viewing and reviewing many hours of film footage. In particular I wish to recognize the kind assistance of David Parrett (Deutsches Bundesarchiv), Doris Hartmann (Deutsches Bundesarchiv), Werner Nowak (Landesarchiv Berlin), Günter Krenn (Film Archiv Wien), and Georg Wasner (Österreichisches Filmmuseum) Finally, I wish to thank my family and friends for their love and support. iv Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Eighteenth-Century Style and Mozart’s Cantabile .................................................5 I. Changing Compositional Style in the Mid-Eighteenth Century ...............................................5 German empfindsam aesthetics ............................................................................................5 Sensibility and Empfindsamkeit ...........................................................................................7 Learned and galant styles .....................................................................................................8 “Mozart was not an innovator” ............................................................................................9 II. The Hasse Era ........................................................................................................................12 “Digli ch’io son fedele” ....................................................................................................12 Mozart’s “Se al labbro mio non credi,” K. 295 .................................................................14 III. Graun, “the Father of our Music” ........................................................................................15 Der Tod Jesu ......................................................................................................................16 “Ein Gebet um neue Stärke” ............................................................................................18 Harmonic Expansion ..........................................................................................................21 Periodic Structure...............................................................................................................22 Simplification of Rhythm ..................................................................................................23 IV. Changing Performance Style in the Eighteenth Century .....................................................23 “Ordinary Manner” ...........................................................................................................23 Articulation ........................................................................................................................24 Bowing Techniques ...........................................................................................................25 V. String Instruments in the Eighteenth Century .......................................................................26 Mozart’s Violin ..................................................................................................................26 Tourte Bow ........................................................................................................................27 v VI. Mozart’s Expressive Style and Corresponding Performance Practices ...............................28 Eighteenth-Century Style Categories .................................................................................28 Vocal Works Composed for Aloysia Weber Lange .........................................................30 Doubling the voice: “Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben,” from Zaïde ..................................31 Finale of Act 4 of le Nozze di Figaro: “In tuono suppliche vole.” ....................................32 “Tamino mein! o welch ein Glück! – Pamina meine! o welch ein Glück!” .....................33 “Tenerezza dell'espressione” .............................................................................................33 Cantabile Viola in Così fan tutte ........................................................................................34 Mozart’s Church Music .....................................................................................................34 Elevated Expression in Die Zauberflöte ............................................................................35 Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488 ........................................................................36 Andante versus Adagio ......................................................................................................40 Chapter 2: Indicators of Historical Vibrato Applications .......................................................43 I. Current Opinion and Scholarship addressing String Vibrato .................................................43 Ornamental Embellishment in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries ..........................44 Eighteenth-Century Treatises .............................................................................................45 Leopold Mozart’s Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule ..............................................48 Tone and “endless melody” in the Nineteenth Century .....................................................50 Influential Teachers: Joseph Böhm, Louis Spohr, Charles de Bériot, Joseph Joachim .....51 II. Solo versus Ensemble Performance ......................................................................................53 Configuration of the Orchestra ..........................................................................................55 Concert Halls and Expanding Audience ............................................................................55 III. The Science and Nature of the Voice ...................................................................................56 Connectivity and Vibrancy ................................................................................................56 Scientific Evaluation of Vibrato ........................................................................................57 vi Breath and Muscular Antagonism .....................................................................................58 Vibrato Compared to Straight Tone ...................................................................................59