Musica Viva! Heavenly Treble—Marilyn Banner Sunday, August 23, 2015 7:30 PM 7502 Flower Avenue Takoma Park http://www.dcmusicaviva.org PROGRAM Program Notes Berg, Sonata, Op 1 for piano. Berg first studied Alban Berg (Feb 9, 1885 – Dec 24, 1935) under Arnold Schoenberg in the autumn of 1904, taking lessons in harmony and counterpoint. Later, in Sonata, Op. 1 (1909) autumn 1907, he returned to begin studies in Single movement, primarily in B minor composition, which ended with a study of sonata movements. Several draft sketches of sonata movements Frederik Chopin (May 7, 1833 - April 3, 1897) date from this period and it is thought that Op. 1 followed from these drafts. The exact date of composition is unknown; although the Mazurkas, Op. 6 (1830) second reissue of the score bears the date 1908, sources suggest 1. M.M. ♩= 132 in F♯ minor that the Sonata was not composed until the spring or summer of 2. Sotto voce in C♯minor 1909. The premiere of the Piano Sonata, Op. 1 was given in Vienna on 3. Vivace in E major 24 April 1911 by Etta Werndorff. Other works by Berg and Anton 4. Presto ma non trope in E ♭ minor Webern were also played at that concert. Pianist Léo-Pol Morin notably performed the work for its Parisian premiere in 1922. Mazzurkas, Op. 7 (1824-31) The sonata is not in the typical classical form of three or four 1. Vivace in B♭major contrasting movements, but consists of a single movement centered 2. Vivo, ma non trope in A minor in the key of B minor. Berg originally intended for the Sonata to be a 3. Mazurka in F minor more traditional multi-movement work, the opening movement followed 4. Presto in A♭ major by a slow movement and a finale. However, for a long period he lacked 5. Vivo in C major any ideas for these other movements. Berg turned to Schoenberg, who commented that the lack of inspiration meant that '[Berg] … had said Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) all there was to say'. Following Schoenberg's advice, Berg decided to Sonata No. 3, in F minor, Op. 5 (1853) publish the finished movement and let it stand by itself. Although the piece has the nominal key of B minor, Berg makes I. Allegro Maestoso frequent use of chromaticism, whole-tone scales, and wandering key II. Andante: Andante espressivo centers, giving the tonality a very unstable feel, which only resolves in the III. Scherzo: Allegro energize final few bars. The structure of the piece is traditional sonata form, with IV. Intermezzo: Andante molto an exposition, development and recapitulation; however, the composition V. Finale: Allero moderato ma rubato also relies heavily on Arnold Schoenberg's idea of "developing variation", a method to ensure the unity of a piece of music by deriving all aspects of a composition from a single idea. In this case, much of the Carl Banner, Piano composition can be traced back to the two opening gestures. Chopin, Mazurkas, Op. 6 & 7. Over the Brahms, Piano Sonata No. 3. This sonata is years 1825–1849, Chopin wrote at least 69 unusually large, consisting of five movements, as mazurkas for piano, based on the traditional opposed to the traditional three or four. When he Polish dance, of which 58 have been published. wrote it, the genre was seen by many to be past its The remainder are either in private hands or lost. heyday. Brahms, enamored of Beethoven and the His composition of these mazurkas signaled new classical style, composed Piano Sonata No. 3 with ideas of nationalism, and influenced and inspired a masterful combination of free Romantic spirit and other composers to support their national music. strict classical architecture. The Sonata is infused with the instantly recognizable motive from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony during the Chopin based his mazurkas on the traditional Polish folk dance of the same name. However, while Chopin used the traditional first, third, and fourth movements. It was the last work that Brahms mazurka as his model, he was able to transform his mazurkas into submitted to Schumann for commentary. Brahms was barely 20 an entirely new genre, one that became known as a "Chopin years old at the time. genre”. He started composing the mazurkas in 1825, and The first movement begins with fortissimo chords that span continued composing them until 1849, the year of his death. almost the entire range of the piano register. A movement in sonata Since Chopin's mazurkas connect to the already established form, it consists of two musical subjects. The first is in F minor, traditional Polish mazurka, some of the characteristics of the followed by a brief episode that features the "fate motif" from genre remain the same in his interpretation. For example, both the Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor. The second subject begins traditional mazurka and his version contain a great deal of in A-flat major but ends in D-flat major. These keys are used in the repetition. This makes sense in the traditional dance even though same manner in the second movement of this sonata as well. After he did not compose his mazurkas so they could be danced to. It the beginning of the recapitulation, the piece moves directly to the is clear Chopin kept the original form in mind, however. Many of second subject, by-passing the C-minor episode, in the parallel key of the rhythmic patterns of the traditional mazurka also appear in F major, and finishes with an extended coda. his compositions so they still convey the idea of a dance, but a The second movement begins with a quotation above the music of a more stylized dance piece." Chopin did try to make his mazurkas poem by Otto Inkermann: “Through evening's shade, the pale moon more technically interesting by furthering their chromaticism and gleams/While rapt in love's ecstatic dreams/Two hearts are fondly harmony, along with using classical techniques, such as beating.” Symbolizing the beating hearts are its two principal themes, A- counterpoint and fugues. In fact, Chopin used more classical flat major and D-flat major, which alternate throughout the movement. Like techniques in his mazurkas than in any of his other genres. One the second subject of the first movement, this one exemplifies progressive of these techniques is four part harmony in the manner of a tonality as it ends in D flat major rather than that in which it began.. chorale. The third movement, a scherzo and trio, begins in F minor Scholars have asserted that Chopin’s main influence was folk with a musical quotation from Mendelssohn. After the tumult of music, but in 1921, Bartok wrote that Chopin had not known the scherzo, the trio in D-flat major is calm and lyrical. Once authentic Polish folk music, but instead was influenced by ‘national’ the trio brings back the movement's opening material at its music more common to the urban areas that Chopin frequented. close, the scherzo is repeated in whole. The fourth movement is marked as an intermezzo and is given Marilyn Banner. Marilyn the title "Rückblick," or "Remembrance." It begins with the initial Banner is the artist whose music- theme of the second movement, but in the key of B-flat minor. Like related paintings grace the cover the opening and third movements, the "Fate" motif figures prominently of these programs each month. throughout the intermezzo. Spend a little time during The fifth and final movement is a rondo in the home key of F intermission browsing her works minor. It explores several ideas that become intertwined in the on display in the music room, then triumphant close. The first diversion from the rondo theme begins see more on her web site at with a musical cryptogram that was a personal musical motto of his marilynbanner.com. In addition to providing the visual lifelong friend Joseph Joachim, the F-A-E theme, which stands for diversion at her Flower Avenue studio, Marilyn also Frei aber einsam (free but lonely). The second episode, in D-flat finds time to preside over the Board of Directors of major, uses four pitches, F, E-flat, D-flat, A-flat, as the basis for the Musica Viva, as well as the 2015 Takoma Park Art musical material that follows. Like Brahms's second piano sonata, Walk held annually. this sonata's finale also ends in the parallel major. give up music and get a real job.’ Following a PhD in cell biology at Harvard, he worked at NIH. But he never completely The Artist abandoned music, and after returning to DC in 1982, he ‘assembled groups of very good amateurs’—the NIH Chamber Carl Banner— Carl began his musical career Players and the Rock Creek Chamber Players, with whom he at age 7, taking piano lessons with his aunt, a performed, and later the Millennium Ensemble and the Cezanne well-known DC piano teacher, chamber musician Trio, and initiated a regular concert series at several area venues. and dance accompanist. Her husband was a In 1988 Carl and his wife formed the nonprofit violist, and the couple held weekly chamber music Washington Musica Viva, ‘to bring the kind and quality of performances in their DC home, that young Carl chamber music that I dreamed of to the public.’ Banner feels he often listened to (sometimes from under the is ‘bringing some new life to the form’ of the piano recital. He piano). When his family relocated to St. Louis, he credits his approach ‘more to my chamber music experience continued his lessons.