Download Don Quixote Suite (selections) - University of Chicago Presents

ANightatBach’sCoffeehouse
G.P.TELEMANN(1681-1767)
DonQuixoteSuite(selections)
Overture
DonQuixoteawakens
Hisattackonthewindmills
SighsofloveforthePrincessDulcinea
SanchoPanzatossedinablanket
DonQuixoteasleep
J.S.BACH(1685-1750)
BrandenburgConcertono.4inGMajor,BWV1049
Allegro-Andante-Presto
OlivierBrault,violin
FrancisColpron&KathieStewart,recorder
--Intermission–
J.S.BACH
BrandenburgConcertono.5,BWV1050
Allegro–Affetuoso-Allegro
JeannetteSorrell,harpsichord
KathieStewart,traverso|OlivierBrault,violin
G.F.HANDEL(1685-1759)
ChaconnefromTerpsichore(Ilpastorfido),HWV8c
A.VIVALDI/arr.Sorrell
LaFolia(Madness)
OlivierBrault&JohannaNovom,violins
ProgramNotes
ACoffeehouseJamSession
ByJeannetteSorrell
AsCantoroftheThomasschuleinLeipzig,JohannSebastianBachhadadifficultlife.Inchargeofthe
musicforallofthetown’sprincipalchurches,hisdutiesincludedcomposingnewcantatasvirtuallyevery
week,engagingandrehearsingmusicianstoperformthecantatas(adifficultyduetotheshortageof
“freelance”musicians),andteachingtheboysoftheThomasschuleeveryday.
SuchaworkloadwouldnodoubthavebeenjoyouslystimulatingtoamanofBach’sgenius,wereitnot
forthehostileworkenvironment.From1720onward,Bach’srelationshipwiththeLeipzigTownCouncil
becameaconstantlitanyofargumentsandcriticism.Severalyearslater,forbiddentoperformaPassion
forGoodFriday,Bachnotedbitterlythatitwouldhavebeen“justaburdenanyway.”
Againstthisbackdropofconflict,itisnotsurprisingthatBachenjoyedlettinghishairdowninthelively
atmosphereofZimmerman’sCoffeehouse,asortofStarbuck’sof18th-centuryLeipzig.Gottfried
Zimmerman,amiddle-classentrepreneur,sponsoredcasualweeklyconcertsinhiscoffeehouseinthe
Catherstrasse.Inthesummer,theconcertswereheldoutdoorsinthe“coffeegarden.”Themain
attractionoftheconcertswastheCollegiumMusicum,theinformalstudentorchestraoftheUniversity
ofLeipzig.Bachbecametheirdirectorin1729,andquicklybeganfocusinghiscompositionalenergyon
theorchestraattheexpenseofhischurchwork.PerhapstheCollegiumwasjustmorefunthanhis
laboriouschurchduties?Inanycase,hesettoworkcreatingconcertosthatcouldbeplayedbyhimself,
hissons,andhisfriendswiththeCollegiumMusicum.
MostofBach’sconcertoshadalreadybeencomposedduringhispreviousemploymentasCapellmeister
oftheorchestraofthePrinceofCöthen.AtCöthenhehadpresidedoveranexcellentensembleof8-10
musicians,mostofwhomweretruevirtuosi.Soin1729,hebeganrecyclingandtranscribingthese
concertossothattheycouldbeplayedbytheavailablemusiciansinLeipzig.
TheCollegiumMusicumhadbeenfoundedyearsearlierbyalivelyandpopularlawstudentnamedG.P.
TELEMANN.Butsincethen,Telemannhadgoneontogreaterthings:hehadbecomeMusicDirectorfor
thewealthycityofHamburg.(HehadalsobeenchosenoverBachfortheMusicDirectorpostinLeipzig.
Buthedeclinedtheoffer,andtheposteventuallywenttoBachafteritwasalsodeclinedbyGraupner
andFasch.)BachandTelemannseemtohavemetwhenbothwereintheir20’s.Despitetheinevitable
competitionbetweenthem,thetwowereclosefriends.In1714,TelemannbecamegodfathertoBach’s
sonCarlPhillipEmmanuel.BachpaidtributetoTelemannbystudyingandtranscribinghismusic,andby
performingitwiththeCollegiumatZimmerman’s.
ThoughTelemannwasfouryearstheelder,hewasdefinitelythemoretrendyandforward-lookingof
thetwocomposers.Hissenseofmusicalhumor,lightness,anduseoffolkelementsgreatlyendeared
himtothepublic.ThefactthatTelemann’smusicisnotonlylighterbuteasiertoplaythanBach’swould
havealsocontributedtohiswidespreadpopularity.Whereasonlyadedicatedprofessionalcould
masterBach’sworks,manytalentedamateurscouldplayTelemannforpleasure.Infact,Telemann,
whoreceivedfourtimesasmuchspacein18th-centuryGermanmusicencyclopediasasBachdid,was
praisedfornotcomposinglikeBach.
Telemann’sDonQuixoteSuiteisinspiredbyCervantes’1605novel,inwhichthecrazedand
impoverishedSpanishnobleman,Quixote,setsoutwithhislong-sufferingservant,SanchoPanza,to
revivethegloryofmedievalknighthood.Hissearchforadventuresincludesanattackonsome
windmills,whichhemistakesforfearsomegiants.(Wehavefunwiththewindinessofthismovement.)
DonQuixote’ssighsforthePrincessDulcineaareintermingledwiththequickenedpitter-patterofhis
heart.Themovemententitled“SanchoPanzaberné”(SanchoPanzatricked)portraystheincidentin
whichtheunfortunateservantiscaughtbyroguesandtossedinablanket,whilehismasterescapes.
Thefinale,withitsironictitleof“DonQuixoteasleep,”isafrenetic,perpetual-motionpieceevokingthe
racingmindoftheSpanishmadman.
Bach’sBrandenburgConcertoshadbeenwrittenintheearlierCöthenperiod,whenhehada
professionalvirtuosoorchestraathisdisposal.TheMargraveofBrandenburg,towhomBachdedicated
thesetofsixBrandenburgConcertos,willforeverliveininfamybecauseheneverhadthepieces
performedorsentBachathank-younote.However,itisactuallynotsurprisingthathedidn’tarrange
foraperformance;hedidn’thaveanorchestraofthecalibertoplaysuchvirtuosoconcertos.Inany
case,theconcertoswereundoubtedlyperformedbytheCollegiumMusicumunderBach’sdirectionat
Zimmerman’sCoffeehouse.
BrandenburgConcertono.4featuresrevolutionarypyrotechnicsfortheviolin.Therecorderpartsare
ratherdevilishaswell.ThefirstmovementisinDacapoform(likeabaroquearia)andsparkleswith
buoyancyandlilt.Thepoeticslowmovementisanexpressivediscoursebetweenthetrioofsolo
instrumentsandthelargerstringsection.Forme,thismovementisanexcellentexampleofthe
baroqueuseofrhetoricinmusic:eachphraseislikeaspokenquestionoranswer,eitherpropellingthe
actionforwardorleadingusintorepose.Thefinale,withitstriumphantcounterpoint,provesonceand
forallthatthatfugalwritingcanbefun.
BrandenburgConcertono.5requiresfromtheharpsichordistalevelofspeedinthescalarpassages
thatfarexceedsanythingelseintherepertoire.Onehastotrainforthispiecethesamewayonetrains
foranathleticevent.Also,theunusualroleoftheharpsichordinthisConcerto--startingoffplaying
bassocontinuo(easy),thenplayingsolomelodiesindialoguewiththefluteandviolin(moderately
difficult),thengettingcarriedawayintovirtuososcales(verydifficult),andfinallyleavingtheothersin
thedustasonecontemplatestheuniverseinahugesolocadenza(mountaintopexperience)--makesthis
pieceauniqueemotionalexperienceeachtimeoneplaysit.
Bachmadeathoroughpracticeofstudyingtheworksofcomposersheadmired.Partofhismethodfor
absorbinganothercomposer’sstylewastotranscribethepiecesforotherinstruments.Thecomposer
whoseworkshemostoftentranscribedwasANTONIOVIVALDI.Thereisnosurvivingrecordofany
meetingbetweenBachandVivaldi,butBach’sadmirationforVivaldimusthavebeenverygreat.He
arrangedatleastsevenofVivaldi'sviolinconcertosintokeyboardpieces.Thesearrangementsbearthe
nameofJ.S.Bachonthemanuscripts,withnomentionofVivaldi,andthustheycarryBWVnumbersin
thecatalogueofBach'sworks.TheunsuspectinglistenerthereforewouldnotrealizetheyareVivaldi's
compositionsifnotinformed.
VivaldiwasconsiderablymorefamousthanBachduringthefirsthalfofhiscareer;asmusicmasterat
theprestigiousPietàinVenice(aspecialschoolfororphanedgirlsandillegitimatedaughtersofthe
nobility,withanextraordinaryemphasisonmusic),VivaldiattainedgreathonorthroughoutEurope.
TouristsfromasfarasEnglandflockedtoVenicetoattendtheconcertsofthe"red-headedpriest"and
hisgirls.
ThegreatFolliaorfoliatuneanddanceservedasinspirationforVivaldiaswellasseveralotherbaroque
composers(Corelli,Marias,Geminiani,andC.P.E.Bach.)Scholarsbelievethatthedanceoriginatedin
Portugal,whereyounggirlswouldengageinthe“folly”or“madness”ofawilddancearoundthefire.
Thefolliaisatriple-metergroundbass,beginninginahaughtysarabande-likerhythm,andtraditionally
growingfasterandfastertowardtheend.Thetuneisfullofthedramatictensionofcourtshipand
seduction.Vivaldi’sversion,whichIbelieveisthefinestofthemall,wasoriginiallyatriosonata;I
arrangeditasaconcertogrossosothatallofuscouldjoininthefray.
InhisCoffeehouseconcerts,Bachshowedawarmsenseofcollegialityandrespectforhismore
successfulcolleagues,TelemannandVivaldi.Ifhefeltanyenvyoftheirsuccess,wehavenosignofit.
Hisgenerousspiritandthesenseofcommunalgatheringattheseinformalconcertsmake
Zimmermann’sCoffeehouseaninspiringmodelformusic-makingtoday.
©JeannetteSorrell
Cleveland,2015