UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: November 18, 2004 I, Kyung ju Lee _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Doctor of Musical Arts in: Viola Performance It is entitled: An analysis and comparison of the clarinet and viola versions of the Two sonatas for clarinet (or Viola) And piano Op.120 by Johannes Brahms. This work and its defense approved by: Chair: Catharine Carroll Lee Fiser Steven Cohen 2 AN ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF THE CLARINET AND VIOLA VERSION OF THE TWO SONATAS FOR CLARINET (OR VIOLA) AND PIANO OP. 120 BY JOHANNES BRAHMS. A document submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati 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 2004 by Kyungju Lee B.M., Yeungnam University, 1996 M.M., University of Cincinnati, 2000 A.D., University of Cincinnati, 2002 Committee Chair: Catharine Carroll, D.M.A. 2 3 ABSTRACT Johannes Brahms was one of the first composers to appreciate fully the viola’s potential, allowing the instrument a chance to shine in his chamber music. Although Brahms’ Two Sonatas in f-minor and E-flat major, Op.120, were originally written for clarinet and piano, they are also greatly loved in the viola repertoire. Upon examination of the clarinet and viola versions of the sonatas, Brahms seems to have been keenly aware of the potential of each instrument. He intentionally sought different effects from these two instruments by composing two different versions. Each version is different not only with regard to its tone color or timbre, but also regarding practical techniques, such as vibrato, lip pressure, leap shifting, volume, and range. In my document, I will observe the differences between the clarinet and the viola versions, especially focusing on the unique characteristics of the each instrument. Then I will investigate why Brahms made such alterations for the viola, and I will also discuss how and why identical passages can sound and be expressed differently according to the instrument. In the first part of my document, I will provide a short historical background of the Op. 120 sonatas. I will also identify some of the composer’s musical idiosyncrasies, concentrating especially on his chamber music and his high regard for the role of the clarinet and the viola in these works. Secondly, I will compare the clarinet and viola versions of these sonatas and point out the possible reasons for the differences between these versions. Finally, the third part will focus on how identical passages can be heard and expressed differently according to each instrument. 3 4 4 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere appreciation and special thanks go to my committee, Mr. Lee Fiser, Mr. Steven Cohen and my deepest thanks go to my advisor, teacher, and committee chair, Dr. Catharine Carroll. Many thanks for your interest in my work and invaluable assistance. Thank you to my friend, Hayoung Choi, for her guidance and support in the preparation of this paper and answering all of my questions on writing a document. Thank you to my friend, Carl Larson for generously sharing his expertise and scholarly insight. Thank you to my family, Jiyeon Oh, Keysang and Siwon Yoo, for being the closest family in the Cincinnati. You made my stay in Cincinanti seem like home. Thank you to Pastor Mose’s family, Deacon Lee and Kyung Kim, Deacon Ahn’s family and the entire power mission church member for all your prayers, sacrifices and encouragement. Thank you to Mr. Kawasaki, who supported and encouraged me to continue my professional development. Without your patience, understanding, and support, I would not have completed all of my degree. A very special thanks goes to Mom, Dad, and Brother’s family for their continued support through all of my education. Thank you for your words of encouragement and comport through every hurdle I thought was difficult. Finally, my greatest thanks goes to God, who has always been there for me. Without His inspirations, I could not be able to end my doctoral program 5 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………….7 2. CHAMBER MUSIC WRITING OF JOHANNES BRAHMS…………………..10 His late years……………………………………………………………………..11 Brahms and Herr Mühlfeld………………………………………………………13 Brahms and Viola………………………………………………………………...16 3. COMPARISON OF THE VIOLA AND THE CLARINET VERSIONS OF THE TWO SONATAS…………………………………………………………………19 Differences between the two versions…………………………………………….21 Sound, Tone color…………………………………………………………………27 Range, Wide leap………………………………………………………………….31 Vibrato…………………………………………………………………………….35 4. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………..….37 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………..….…38 6 7 Johannes Brahms was one of the first composers to appreciate fully the viola’s potential, allowing the instrument a chance to shine in his chamber music. His two sonatas in F Minor and E-flat major, Op.120, represent the most substantial contribution of any of the great nineteenth-century composers to the viola sonata. Although Brahms’ two sonatas were originally written for clarinet and piano, they are also greatly admired and serve as an important part of the viola repertoire.1 From the early nineteenth century, violists began to transcribe works originally written for other instruments, such as the Six Cello Suites (BWV 1007-12) and Three Sonatas for Viola da gamba and Cembalo in G Major, D Major, and G Minor by J.S. Bach. Editions of the six Cello Suites for the viola appeared early in the twentieth century, including one published in the United States in 1916 by G. Schirmer.2 Editions for the viola and piano of the Viola da gamba sonatas appeared before World War II, most notably one arranged by Ernst Naumann and published by Breitkopf & Härtel. Four Romantic pieces in today’s repertoire, were not originally written for the viola: Beethoven’s Notturno, Op.42 (arranged from the Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op.8), Schubert’s Arpeggione sonata (written for a fretted cello called an arpeggione), and of course, the two sonatas by Brahms (written for clarinet). These transcriptions are an important part of the viola literature.3 Many transcribed works for viola were arranged by other composers or violists; however, Brahms transcribed the sonatas in F Minor and E-flat Major for the viola 1Riley, Maurice W. The history of the viola (Ann Arbor, Michigan: Braun-Brumfield, 1980), 189. 2Ibid., 113. 3Ibid., 187. 7 8 himself.4 Besides simply transcribing the clarinet part, Brahms added new passages and changed registers to make them more idiomatic toward the viola.5 Many critics, listeners, and performers prefer a specific version according to their tastes. For example, Malcolm Macdonald actually expresses a preference for the viola, “whose darker, huskier tone seems to suit their elusive moods even better than the veil and silken clarinet.”6 Michael Freyhan expresses his preference for viola in his journal: “the sonatas are just as much a gift for viola players, however, and many insist that the radiant warmth of the viola is even more appropriate to the music than the cool, liquid timbre of the clarinet.”7 On the contrary, Bruno Giuranna mentions “many of the sudden octave displacements and register changes in the viola part that destroy the musical continuity of several melodic phrases.”8 A German clarinetist, Dieter Klöcher, remarked on his recording: Viola compensates for the loss of the wind instrument except in lower passages, its tone on the C string is much richer and warmer than that of the clarinet, but on the other hand, the special quality of the music lends itself to the peculiar timbre of the clarinet and is better contrasted with some of the strange colorings of the pianoforte.9 4Brahms Sonata No.2 in Eb Major Op.120 for Viola and Piano, The composer’s arrangement of his Sonata for clarinet (or viola) and piano. N. Simrock, (London: Hamburg). 5Giuranna, Bruno. “Masterclass: Brahms’s Viola sonata in E-flat” The Strad 104 (1993), 552-557. 6MacDonald, Malcolm Brahms (London, 1990), 369. 7Freyhan, Michael. “The viola’s champion” The Strad (May 1997), 540-543. 8Giuranna, Bruno. “Masterclass: Brahms’s Viola sonata in E-flat” The Strad 104(1993), 552-557. 9Yates, Richard. “The transcriber’s art: Brahms” The GPA Soundboard ( Spring 2002), 43. 8 9 As the above opinions show, the two instruments possess distinctively different advantages. Each version of the sonata Op. 120 illuminates the many contrasting characteristics of each instrument. Brahms distributed skillfully the parts which show the contrasting appeal of the two instruments in each version. In my document, I will observe the differences between the clarinet and the viola versions, especially focusing on the unique characteristics of each instrument. Then I will investigate why Brahms made alterations for the viola, and I will also discuss how and why identical passages can sound and be expressed differently according to the instrument. Brahms intentionally sought different effects by composing two different versions for these two instruments. I will discuss what these specific effects are. The first part will include a short historical background of the sonata Op.120. I will also provide the composer’s musical characteristics, especially concentrating on his chamber music and his interest in the clarinet and the viola. In the second part, I will compare the differences between the clarinet and viola version written by Brahms. Then, I will point out the possible reasons for the differences in the two versions. The third part will demonstrate how identical passages can sound and be expressed differently on each instrument. 9 10 Johannes Brahms was one of the most skillful and accomplished composers, his great fame stemming from his unparalleled ability to produce solid textures, rich harmonies, and mature melodies.