Download Tuesday Baroque July 23, 2013 Fancois Couperin II, Le Grand

Tuesday Baroque July 23, 2013
Fancois Couperin II, Le Grand
French composer and organist
Born: November 10, 1668 in Paris
Died: September 11, 1733 in Paris
Concert Pieces for Cello and Piano
I. Prelude
II. Siciliene
III. La Tromba
IV. Plainte
V. Air de Diable
François Couperin "Le Grand" was the most celebrated member of a
family dynasty of composers which extended from the late 1500s through the
early 20th century. For almost two centuries the family provided a continuous
line of organists at the Church of St. Gervais, located in the legendary Marais
section of Paris.
Often revered as the heir to J.S. Bach, Couperin Le Grand wrote hundred
of instrumental works, many with evocative titles, of which the current suite is a
fine example. The set was adapted for solo cello and chamber strings by the
celebrated French cellist Paul Bazelaire (1886-1958), who also served on the
faculty of the Paris Conservatoire from 1918 through 1956.
Bezelaire was surely influenced by another famous suite devoted to the
music of 'Le Grand,' i.e. Ravel's brilliant Le Tombeau de Couperin. (a
'Tombeau' is a tribute form of poetry or music, written as a memorial).
Bazelaire set all five movements in a modal tonality of G, which provides
an ideal register for the soloist to highlight the lyrical themes and savvy
virtuosity along the way.
The suite begins with a stately Prelude, swinging between minor and major.
The main theme is like a cantilena, chanted over tender harmonies in the strings
and brushed with exquisite dissonances. A Sicilienne is a plaintive, often sad
narrative in the manner of a Baroque arioso, often representing a pastoral
reverie.
A Tromba is an Italian trumpet and a familiar 'stop' on the Baroque organ.
The sprightly theme emulates the 'bugle' intervals heard on the natural trumpets
of the era. The fourth movement Plainte (marked slowly and sadly) often
represented poetic heartache in courtly ballet scenes.
Air de Diable (The Devil's Song) is a witty, joyful delight, full of melodic
and rhythmic mischief. We are reminded of the insight of the English playwright
and London music critic George Bernard Shaw who quipped: "The devil always
gets the best tunes." Voilà..!
Johann Sebastian Bach
German composer and organist
Born: March 21, 1685, Eisenach
Died: July 28, 1750, Liepzig
Violin Sonata in E major, BWV 1016 Adagio
I. Allegro
II. Adagio ma non tanto
III. Allegro
The influence of J.S. Bach on the evolution of serious music can be put in
a single word: profound. No other composer in history is so widely praised by
listeners, composers, performers, historians and critics - at last they all agree on
something: the music of Bach is without parallel in the power of its spiritual
expression and in its poetic blend of science and art.
Listen to any work by J.S. Bach - the message is indelibly clear - the
harmony is perfectly lucid, the counterpoint sounds like bouquets of heavenly
geometry, the rhythm seems dictated by a mystical clock that finds the perfect
tempo for any simple or virtuosic phrase, the melody is exquisitely spiritual or
inscrutably human (Bach used many folk tunes - even in his liturgical scores).
Bach's Violin Sonata in E major is the third of six he wrote just after he
moved to Leipzig in 1723. Originally scored for violin and harpsichord, the
work is widely performed today with piano. Cast in E major, the opening
Adagio represents the composer's 'all-for-glory' manner, as if Bach were tonepainting a Renaissance canvas. In the same key, the second movement Allegro
offers an unexpected contrast, buoyant, even dance-like, with savvy
counterpoint in the keyboard. Set in C-sharp minor, the third movement
conjures a glorious arioso, with sublime timbres and harmonies - a celestial
cantabile.
Returning to E major, the closing Allegro is a joyful dash for both
instruments. A middle section of triplets in the violin over 16ths in the keyboard
adds rhythmic intrigue before the upbeat final measures.
L'Allegro
In notes with many a winding bout
Of linked sweetness long drawn out,
Untwisting all the chains that tie
The hidden soul of harmony.
- John Milton (1608-1674)
Georg Philipp Telemann
German composer
Born: March 14, 1681, Magdeburg
Died: June 25, 1767, Hamburg
Trio Sonata for Flute, Oboe and Continuo in A minor, TWV 42:a4
I. Largo
II. Vivace
III. Affettuoso
IV. Allegro
Georg Phillip Telemann was prolific - indeed the word is barely big
enough to represent his vast catalog of more than 3000 original works. For
reference;; he scored even more music than his compatriot, Johann Sebastian
Bach (they were close friends). Georg Philipp also composed in every possible
genre, including sacred and secular cantatas, masses, oratorios, passions, operas,
hundreds of instrumental concertos, songs and a wealth of chamber music.
Completed in Frankfurt in 1718, the Trio Sonata in A minor was
originally written for the recorder, a role often filled today by the flute (a close
acoustical cousin, despite appearances). The continuo part is usually taken up by
the cello or bassoon, with background harmony from the harpsichord.
Telemann enjoyed particular success with his many trio sonatas. In his
memoirs he wrote:
"How could I ever remember all I invented for string and wind
instruments? I focused on writing trios and arranged it so that the second part
appeared to be the first, and the bass voice carried a natural melody, close-knit
with harmonies where each note has to be just so and cannot be changed. Some
have flattered me saying that the trios are my finest work."
Set in four movements, all in A minor, the work begins with an aria-like
theme in the flute, replied by a tender dialog from the other players. Marked
Vivace, the second movement is a sprightly Baroque dance, with dashing filigree
on the fly in breezy 16ths, à la Vivaldi.
Affettuoso is the style cue for the poetic narrative of the third movement
- an affectionate sonnet for soprano and baritone, with Renaissance tone
painting from the heart. For the final Allegro, like courtly jesters, the trio springs
to life with strutting accents in the continuo and a tour de force of fleet
virtuosity from the flute and oboe. Pure charm.
Antonio Vivaldi
Italian composer
Born: March 4, 1678, Venice
died: July 28, 1741, Vienna, Austria
Trio for Flute, Bassoon and Continuo in A minor, RV.86
Largo
Allegro
Allegro cantabile
Allegro molto
Antonio Vivaldi produced a catalog of more than 850 works, including at
least 475 concertos, 94 operas, and a generous assortment of chamber music.
With regard to his life and times, complete biographies reveal a worldly
individual with enough color and zest for a Hollywood film.
Antonio became an ordained priest in 1703 (a means to the best education in
Italy). By 1709 he was assigned to teach music at the Ospedale della Pieta in
Venice, a school for abandoned or orphaned girls. During that time he picked
up his famous name tag - il prete rosso 'the red priest' - because of his flaming red
hair and ecclesiastical office. (To be sure, his celebrated flamboyance also had
something to do with the nickname). Della Pieta was a first class institute, with
many gifted students. Under Vivaldi's direction both the school orchestra and
choir flourished and became known around Europe for their regular Sunday
concerts.
Vivaldi produced the greatest body of his catalog for those performances,
including the Four Seasons and specialty pieces like the current work. The Trio
for Flute, Bassoon and Continuo, RV.86 is believed to date from about 1740.
In fact, the work was originally scored for recorder, which at the time rivaled the
Baroque flute with regard to dynamics (loudness) and technical agility. It would
require another 60 years or so for the standard flute to approach the full-voiced,
tonal presence of our present-day instruments. As for the continuo player, the
accompanying role was generally filled by the harpsichord or cello.
Most trio sonatas of that era were written in the Baroque tradition of three
movements (fast-slow-fast). But in RV.86 Vivaldi adds an alluring Largo,
reflecting a praeludium (prelude) which had gained favor in solo works for
violin or organ by J.S. Bach and others of the Late Baroque.
Johann Sebastian Bach
German composer and organist
Born: March 21, 1685, Eisenach
Died: July 28, 1750, Liepzig
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major S. 1047
In May of 1718, Johann Sebastian Bach, Kapellmeister (music director) to
Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen, accompanied his royal employer to Carlsbad,
where the Prince periodically went to take the waters as the fashionable spa
there. In all probability, it was during this journey that Bach met Margrave
Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg, a music-loving Prussian nobleman who
maintained at his court in Potsdam a small instrumental ensemble as well as an
excellent library of works by the noted composers of that time. Some two and a
half years later, Bach sent to the Margrave a meticulously hand-written set of six
concertos which was prefaced with an elaborate and flowery dedication couched
in elegant French prose. It is generally assumed that these concertos were a
response to a request or a commission from the Margrave;; however, it is also
possible that Bach may have been seeking a post at the Margrave's court and
submitted them as an example of his abilities.
Regardless, the Margrave apparently was not impressed with them
because, judging from the absence of tell-tale marks on the manuscripts, he did
not even bother to catalogue them, let alone favor them with a performance.
Moreover, when the Margrave's library was being disposed of following his
death in 1734, these concertos were auctioned off for the approximate
equivalent of eight cents apiece.
Fortunately for posterity, the manuscripts soon came into more preciative
hands, namely those of Bach's pupil Johann Philipp Kirnberger, a composer,
conductor, and theorist. He in turn passed them on to one of his pupils,
Princess Amalie, the sister of Frederick the Great, and she eventually
bequeathed them to the Royal now State) Library of Berlin.
Finally published in 1850, these six concertos are today regarded as being
among the crowning glories of the Baroque era. Ironically, under their collective
title of Brandenburg Concertos, an appellation which was bestowed upon them
in 1880 by Bach's first biographer, Philipp Spitta, they alone perpetuate the
memory of the indiscriminate Margrave of Brandenburgr to whom they were
dedicated and who thought so little of them.
Each of the six Brandenburg Concertos is scored for a different
ombination of instruments. The Second Concerto borrows its form from the
Italian concerto grosso. Here, a small group of soloists, or concertino.
Consisting of solo violin, flute (Bach specified a recorder), oboe, and trumpet
are contrasted with the accompanying group of strings, or ripieno. The
harpsichord fulfills a continuo role by playing in unison with the bass line and
filling in harmonies.
The high, clear sound of the trumpet dominates the lively outer
movements, although the other soloists also have their share of the spotlight.
In the aria-like middle movement, the trumpet is given a chance to catch
its breath while the violin, flute, and oboe expressively interweave a gracefully
arching melody above a basso ostinato provided by the cello and harpsichord. Kenneth C. Viant