Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2015 The Cultural Influences of Ernest Bloch's Violin Concerto Joshua Hermann Friedlander Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC THE CULTURAL INFLUENCES OF ERNEST BLOCH’S VIOLIN CONCERTO By JOSHUA HERMANN FRIEDLANDER A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2015 © Joshua Hermann Friedlander Joshua Hermann Friedlander defended this treatise on March 3, 2015. The members of the supervisory committee were: Jane Piper Clendinning Professor Directing Treatise Charles E. Brewer University Representative Bruce Holzman Committee Member Corinne Stillwell Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the treatise has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to all of who were so kind to respond to my request for interviews for my treatise. Their interviews were an essential component in finding valuable information about Ernest Bloch’s life and understanding his Violin Concerto much better. These interviewees were: Dr. Tara C. Browner of the University of California-Los Angeles, Dr. John-Carlos Perea of San Francisco State University, Ernest Bloch II, a grandson of Ernest Bloch, George Dimitroff, a grandson of Ernest Bloch, Sita Milchev, a granddaughter of Ernest Bloch, and Lucienne Allen, daughter to Sita Milchev. I thank Dr. Perea in guiding me regarding Native American music resources and giving a wonderful interview. I cannot express my appreciation enough to Dr. Browner. She helped me figure out where Native American music examples from Bloch’s Violin Concerto came from and giving me a name of a person who might have spurred Bloch to use Native American sounding motives in his Violin Concerto in the first place. I also thank Sita and Lucienne in allowing me to access information on Bloch from the Ernest Bloch Society in Gualala, CA. I like to thank Dr. Jane Piper Clendinning for becoming my major professor on my committee when my violin professor Eliot Chapo retired. Her extensive edits were so vital in completing my treatise. I am so thankful for Dr. Clendinning in believing in me. I thank my dad Michael Friedlander, Dr. Dorothy McCall, and my wife, Marguerite Friedlander for reading parts of my treatise, and helping to do preliminary editing on my work. I also thank my mom Lois Friedlander for starting me playing the violin at the age of four. Without her finding the best teachers in Pittsburgh, I wouldn’t be the violinist I am today. My two sons, Anshel and Rafi, I love you dearly. You and my wife have been my inspiration. iii Finally, I wish to thank my committee members Charles E. Brewer, Jane Piper Clendinning, Bruce Holzman, and Corinne Stillwell for having the patience and the willingness to work with me while I completed the work required for my doctorate. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures................................................................................................................................vii Abstract............................................................................................................................................x 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................1 History of Bloch’s Violin Concerto ............................................................................................1 Purpose of Treatise .....................................................................................................................3 Method of Research ....................................................................................................................4 2. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY AND COMPOSING STYLE OF BLOCH..............................................6 Brief Biography of Bloch ............................................................................................................6 The Native American ..................................................................................................................8 The Judaic .................................................................................................................................15 The French ................................................................................................................................17 The German ..............................................................................................................................19 Bloch’s Studies in Frankfurt and his Symphony in C-Sharp Minor ....................................20 Bloch’s Crucifix ..................................................................................................................21 Bloch’s Four Trees ..............................................................................................................24 3. CULTURAL INFLUENCES IN BLOCH’S VIOLIN CONCERTO ........................................28 The Native American Influence ................................................................................................28 Bloch’s America..................................................................................................................28 Bloch’s “Pueblo Indian Song” in America ........................................................................29 Solomon Bibo .....................................................................................................................31 Bibo Brief Biography ..........................................................................................................32 The Bibo Recordings ..........................................................................................................35 Possible Bibo and Bloch Interactions .................................................................................35 Bloch Native-Influenced Examples ....................................................................................36 Bloch’s Primitivism (1930-1938) .......................................................................................40 Native American-Influenced European Composers Similar to Bloch ................................42 The Judaic Influence .................................................................................................................44 The Mishebeyrakh ...............................................................................................................44 The Dreydlekh .....................................................................................................................48 Avodah Hakodesh Influence ...............................................................................................50 The French Influence .................................................................................................................54 Debussy’s Pentatonic Scale ................................................................................................54 Open Fourths and Fifths......................................................................................................56 French Cyclic Design ..........................................................................................................60 v The German Influence ...............................................................................................................67 Poème Mystique Influence ..................................................................................................68 The Pastorale Melodic Gesture ..........................................................................................71 Strauss-like Tutti Sections...................................................................................................73 4. CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................................76 APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................82 A. NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC EXPERT INTERVIEWS ......................................................82 Dr. Tara C. Browner Interview at University of California-Los Angeles ...............................82 Dr. John-Carlos Perea Interview at San Francisco State University .....................................101 B. GRAND AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN OF BLOCH INTERVIEWS .........................108 George Dimitroff Interview in Tumwater, WA .....................................................................108 Sita Milchev and Lucienne Allen Interview in Gualala, CA .................................................113 Phone Interview with Ernest Bloch II ....................................................................................123 C. BLOCH VIOLIN CONCERTO RECORDINGS ...................................................................127 D. COPYRIGHT PERMISSION FORMS ..................................................................................128 E. INTERVIEW CONSENT FORMS .........................................................................................148 References ....................................................................................................................................156