MIECZYSŁAW KARŁOWICZ’S VIOLIN CONCERTO IN A MAJOR, OP. 8: HISTORY, STYLE AND PERFORMANCE ASPECTS by MAŁGORZATA MARIA STASZEWSKA (Under the Direction of Stephen Valdez and Levon Ambartsumian) ABSTRACT The Polish violin concerto literature includes a fine concerto that is rarely performed outside of Poland: Mieczysław Karłowicz’s (1876-1909) Violin Concerto in A major, Op. 8, written in 1902. Today the concerto is widely played in Poland, but it still has not earned a strong reputation abroad. The possible reasons for its lack of popularity are the short life of the composer, which gave him little time to promote the piece, and his conflict with the Polish musical establishment, which banned performances of his music. The literature regarding the piece is limited, especially in English. Occasional reviews/articles or CD liner notes mention its excellent idiomatic violin writing, but this issue is not discussed in detail. The lack of worldwide publications of the part, the rare recordings by international performers, and the absence of scholarly analyses on the performance aspects of the piece contribute to its obscurity. The goal of this study is to promote the piece by presenting its values: a skillfully outlined form, idiomatic violin writing, expressive musical content, and the combination of both virtuosic technique and musical interest. Chapter one provides a sketch of the historical background of the Polish violin concerto’s evolution, followed by Karłowicz’s biographical information and work style description focusing on his Violin Concerto. Chapter two is a formal analysis of the piece illustrated by analytical charts and musical examples. Chapter three discusses the technical and editorial violin issues, phrasing, and sound production problems related to its performance. Chapter four contains a discussion on the concerto’s style: its influences versus its original qualities, Polish or Slavic features, the comparison with preceding Polish violin concerti, the reasons for its lack of popularity, and reviews about the concerto’s value. The detailed analyses of multiple aspects presented in this document from the performer’s viewpoint demonstrate that Karłowicz’s Violin Concerto is worthy of international performances. INDEX WORDS: Karłowicz, Mieczysław; Polish violin concerto; Poland; Polish Modernism; Young Poland; Polish violin literature; violin literature. MIECZYSŁAW KARŁOWICZ’S VIOLIN CONCERTO IN A MAJOR, OP. 8: HISTORY, STYLE AND PERFORMANCE ASPECTS by MAŁGORZATA MARIA STASZEWSKA Master of Arts, Academy of Music in Cracow, Poland, 1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2007 © 2007 Małgorzata Maria Staszewska All Rights Reserved MIECZYSŁAW KARŁOWICZ’S VIOLIN CONCERTO IN A MAJOR, OP. 8: HISTORY, STYLE AND PERFORMANCE ASPECTS by MAŁGORZATA MARIA STASZEWSKA Major Professor: Levon Ambartsumian Stephen Valdez Committee: Mark Neumann David Starkweather Roger Vogel Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2007 iv DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my beloved family – to my parents who gave me life and their talent for music, and who supported its growth; and to my loving husband, Maciek, who makes our life a happy journey. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my professors who guided me through the DMA program with support. I would especially like to thank Dr. Levon Ambartsumian, my violin professor, who is a continuous inspiration for my performing career, and Dr. Stephen Valdez, who, as co-major professor, spent a lot of his precious time to help me write this document, and who was encouraging in difficult moments. I also would like to express my deep gratitude to all the violin teachers who led me through my music studying years, especially those in Poland: Professor Antoni Cofalik and Professor Ewa Jargoń. Their knowledge, experience, and demanding attitude deepened my love of music. Above all, I thank my first and forever music teachers, my parents, for raising me in a musical environment and helping me in various ways to become a musician, and my husband, for being the editor and most patient assistant in producing this document. Thank you all! I am most grateful to my friends, Stephanie Wilson and Greg Brown, who spent time on this document to make my English understandable. Special thanks for your friendship, Stephanie! vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................................................VIII LIST OF EXAMPLES ......................................................................................................................... IX CHAPTER 1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND........................................................................................ 1 1.1. Beginnings of Polish violin concerto genre....................................................................... 1 1.2. Polish violin concerto flourishing: Lipiński ...................................................................... 5 1.3. Further development: Wieniawski................................................................................... 13 1.4. The minor composers between Wieniawski and Karłowicz............................................ 20 1.5. Mieczysław Karłowicz; a biographical note.................................................................... 21 1.6. Karłowicz’s works ........................................................................................................... 24 1.7. Karłowicz’s Violin Concerto ........................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 2 FORMAL ANALYSIS .................................................................................................. 29 2.1. First movement: Allegro moderato.................................................................................. 33 2.2. Second movement: Romanza (Andante).......................................................................... 50 2.3. Third movement: Finale (Vivace assai) .......................................................................... 61 CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS OF TECHNICAL AND MUSICAL ASPECTS.................................................... 82 3.1. First movement. Techniques applied. .............................................................................. 82 3.2. Second movement, Romanza......................................................................................... 110 3.3. Finale ............................................................................................................................. 121 vii CHAPTER 4 STYLISTIC DISCUSSION ........................................................................................... 143 4.1. Influences....................................................................................................................... 143 4.2. Polish or Slavic features................................................................................................. 146 4.3. Lack of popularity.......................................................................................................... 147 4.4. Positive opinions, values, and development .................................................................. 151 4.5. Personal imprints ........................................................................................................... 153 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................... 157 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 160 Books .................................................................................................................................... 160 Articles.................................................................................................................................. 163 Theses and dissertations........................................................................................................ 165 Dictionary and encyclopedia articles.................................................................................... 165 Sound Recordings ................................................................................................................. 166 Scores.................................................................................................................................... 167 viii LIST OF FIGURES Page FIGURE 1. ANALYTICAL CHART OF THE FIRST MOVEMENT. ........................................................... 30 FIGURE 2. ANALYTICAL CHART OF THE SECOND MOVEMENT. ....................................................... 31 FIGURE 3. ANALYTICAL CHART OF THE THIRD MOVEMENT. .......................................................... 32 ix LIST OF EXAMPLES Page EXAMPLE 1-1: BEETHOVEN, VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR, OP. 61, FIRST MOVEMENT, MM. 339-341 SOLO PART; LIPIŃSKI, VIOLIN CONCERTO IN F-SHARP MINOR, OP. 14, NO. 1, SECOND MOVEMENT, INTRODUCTION. .........................................................................................8 EXAMPLE 1-2: LIPIŃSKI, VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR MILITAIRE, OP. 21, NO. 2, MM. 33-38. ...............................................................................................................................9