FRANZ BERWALD’S QUARTET FOR PIANO AND WINDS: ITS HISTORICAL, STYLISTIC, AND SOCIAL CONTEXT Document Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Hild Breien Peersen, BME, MM ***** The Ohio State University 2005 Document Committee: Approved by Professor James M. Pyne, co-advisor ________________________ Professor Charles M. Atkinson, co-advisor ________________________ Professor Katherine Borst Jones Co-Advisors Graduate Program in Music i © Copyright by Hild Breien Peersen 2005 ii ABSTRACT The Quartet in Eb for Piano and Winds by Franz Berwald (1796-1868) was written during a period and in a country that is under-represented in the clarinet literature. Composed for the unusual ensemble of clarinet, horn, bassoon, and piano, the work was written in 1819 and premiered in 1821. The quartet is an attractive piece in its own right, and provides an opportunity to explore the artistic atmosphere in Stockholm in the early nineteenth century, particularly as it applies to wind playing. Research for this document has revealed that three prominent wind instrumentalists, Bernard Henrik Crusell, Frans Carl Preumayr, and Johann Michael Hirschfeld, were the inspiration for this work as well as for works by other composers at this time. The document also explores Swedish history from roughly the period 1771 – 1872, highlighting the reign of Gustav III (1771- 1792), with a special emphasis on its patronage of the arts. Franz Berwald is considered Sweden’s best Romantic composer, although he has not reached the stature of the other well-known Scandinavian Romantic composers Grieg, Sibelius, and Nielsen. This document examines Berwald’s life and the social climate in which he lived in an attempt to achieve a better understanding of the circumstances that may have led to his relative obscurity. The majority of the literature on Franz Berwald is written in either German or Swedish. This document augments the English portion of Berwald research. It includes ii in its appendices several English translations from Franz Berwald’s letters and other writings. The appendices also contain a family tree of the musical Berwald family. Included in the document is an analysis of the Quartet in Eb for Piano and Winds. The analysis explores Berwald’s compositional style as it pertains to form, melodic development and orchestration. A live recording of a 2004 performance of the Quartet at The Ohio State University is available with the pdf file. iii For Ken iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor Professor James M. Pyne for his support during my studies at Ohio State. I sincerely express my gratitude to Professor Charles M. Atkinson for his assistance in the writing of this document. His guidance in this process has helped me grow as a writer in ways that will surely benefit me greatly in future endeavors. In addition, I would also like to express my appreciation to Professor Katherine Borst Jones for her encouragement. I gratefully acknowledge the Bärenreiter Music Corporation for granting permission to reprint the musical examples used in Chapter Seven and the documents in the Appendices. Heartfelt thanks are due to Professor Christopher Weait, Lynn Singleton and Heidi Wick for performing the Quartet in Eb with me. After studying the piece at length it was a treat to be able to perform it with these fine musicians. I am indebted to my father Dag Ryen for his translations of the Swedish texts. I would also like to thank my mother Lajla and the rest of my family for their support. I owe a special “Thank you” to Jane Ellsworth for her friendship and good attitude, especially during the year of the ClarinetFest! Lastly, I am most grateful to my husband, Ken Williams, for his patience, support, humor, and encouragement in the process of completing this document. v VITA September 14, 1970……………………….Born – Arendal, Norway 1993……………………………………….B.M.E. with High Honors, Michigan State University 1995……………………………………….M.M., Clarinet Performance, Arizona State University 1995-1997…………………………………Music teacher, Walled Lake Public Schools, Walled Lake, Michigan 1997-2000…………………………………Graduate Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University 2001-present……………………………….Instructor of Clarinet, The College of Wooster 2003 (Fall)…………………………………Visiting Instructor of Clarinet and Saxophone, Kenyon College 2004-present……………………………….Instructor of Clarinet, Mount Vernon Nazarene University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Music Studies in: Clarinet Performance and Pedagogy Music History vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii Dedication………………………………………………………………………………...iv Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………v Vita………………………………………………………………………………………..vi List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………..ix List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………….xi Chapters 1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………..1 2. Review of the Literature…………………………………………………………..6 3. Swedish History: Royal Patronage and the Arts…………………………………11 4. The Life of Franz Berwald……………………………………………………….25 5. Musicians in Early Nineteenth-Century Stockholm……………………………..39 6. Chamber Works with Winds…………………………………………………….49 7. Analysis of the Quartet in Eb for Piano and Winds……………………………..55 8. The Premiere and Ensuing Literary Battle………………………………………93 9. Concluding Thoughts…………………………………………………………..106 vii Appendices A. Letter From Franz Berwald to Ernst Leonard Schegel…………………………111 B. Review in Argus………………………………………………………………...117 C. Berwald’s Reply………………………………………………………………...122 D. The Critic Replies………………………………………………………………125 E. Berwald’s Last Word…………………………………………………………...130 F. Form of Movement One………………………………………………………...135 G. Form of Movement Three………………………………………………………138 H. Berwald Family Tree…………………………………………………………...141 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………147 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 7.1 Form of Allegro ma non troppo (movement one)………………………………..56 7.2 Exposition (primary theme group)……………………………………………….59 7.3 Recapitulation (primary theme group)…………………………………………...59 7.4 Exposition (secondary theme group)…………………………………………….61 7.5 Recapitulation (secondary theme group)………………………………………...61 7.6 Exposition (closing theme group)…………………………………………….….64 7.6 continued: Exposition (closing theme group)……………………………………64 7.7 Recapitulation (closing theme group)……………………………………………64 7.7 continued: Recapitulation (closing theme group)………………………………..64 7.8 Development (movement one)…………………………………………………...71 7.9 Form of Adagio (movement two)………………………………………………..75 7.10 Form of Finale (movement three)………………………………………………..79 7.11 Exposition (primary theme group)………………………………………….……81 7.12 Recapitulation (primary theme group)…………………………………………...81 7.13 Exposition (secondary theme group)…………………………………………….85 7.14 Recapitulation (secondary theme group)………………………………………...85 ix 7.15 Exposition (closing theme group)………………………………………………..86 7.16 Recapitulation (closing theme group)……………………………………………86 7.17 Development (movement three)…………………………………………………88 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 7.1 first movement, mm. 1-7 (Introduction)…………………………………………57 7.2 first movement, mm. 8-14 (theme 1P)…………………………………………...59 7.3 first movement, mm. 14-22 (theme 2P)………………………………………….60 7.4 first movement, mm. 31-34 (theme 1S)………………………………………….61 7.5 first movement, mm. 54-61 (theme 2S)………………………………………….62 7.6 first movement, mm. 81-86 (theme 3S)………………………………………….63 7.7 first movement, mm. 91-96 (theme 1K)………………………………………….65 7.8 first movement, mm. 104-106 (theme 2K)……………………………………….66 7.9 first movement, mm. 113-120 (theme 3K)………………………………….……66 7.10 first movement, mm. 113-120……………………………………………………67 7.11 first movement, mm. 124-127……………………………………………………68 7.12 first movement, mm. 319-321 (theme 4K)……………………………………….68 7.13 first movement, mm. 140-144……………………………………………………70 7.14 first movement, mm. 54-59 (theme 2S)- Original Form…………………………71 7.15 first movement, mm. 157-165 (theme 2S1)- Developed Form…………………...72 7.16 first movement, mm. 157-165 (theme 1P)- Original Form……………………...73 7.17 first movement, mm. 183-187 (theme 1P1)- Developed Form…………………..73 7.18 first movement, mm. 81-86 (theme 3S)- Original Form…………………………74 xi 7.19 first movement, mm. 189-192 (theme 3S1)- Developed Form…………..….……74 7.20 first movement, mm. 208-215 (theme N)………………………………...………74 7.21 second movement, mm. 1-5 (theme 1P)……………………………….….……..76 7.22 second movement, mm. 12-13 (theme 2P)……………………….….…………..77 7.23 second movement, mm. 22-24 (theme 1S)……………………….…..…………..77 7.24 second movement, mm. 26-27 (theme 2S)…………………………..…….……..78 7.25 third movement, mm. 1-5 (theme 1P)……………………….……….…….…….81 7.26 third movement, mm. 40-44 (theme 2Pa)…………………….….………………83 7.27 third movement, mm. 51-54 (theme 2Pb)…………………….….………………83 7.28 third movement, mm. 56-63 (theme 3P)………………………..………………..84 7.29 third movement, mm. 64-66 (theme 1S)………………………..………………..85 7.30 third movement, mm. 85-88 (theme 1K)………………………..……………….87 7.31 third movement, mm. 100-105 (theme 2K)……………………..……………….87 7.32 third movement, mm. 111-112 (theme 3K)……………………..……………….88 7.33 third movement, mm. 119-125 (theme 1N)……………………..……………….89 7.34 third movement, mm. 146-150 (theme 2N)………………………..…………….90 7.35 third movement, mm. 279-285 (theme 3N)……………………….….………….91 7.36 third movement, mm. 308-311 (theme 4N)…………………….……………….92 xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Denmark has Carl Nielsen, Finland has Jean Sibelius, Norway has Edvard Grieg and Sweden has Franz Berwald; a man who has been called one of the most neglected composers in music history.1