Qualifying written test for , April 6, 2022
Related field: Early Music – Professor Paul Leenhouts
Questions:
1) who were the most significant cello composers, performers and makers during the baroque era?
Antonio Vandini.
The 18th century Italian cellist, composer, Antonio Vandini, also a priest. In 1720, he worked briefly at the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice with Antonio Vivaldi. In all the baroque printed cello methods, speaking of the bow grip, we never find the under hand position. Probably this happens because the first printed method is French, published in 1741.
The underhand grip comes naturally from the consideration that the nearest instrument to the cello, as bowed string bass instrument, is the viola da gamba, which is played underhand. The cello bow held the viol-way, after considering 259 paintings, drawings prints and other images of from to 1800, the under hand grip was much more spread than that upper hand. Most probably with the fall of the viola da gamba in Italy and the rise of the violin schools, considering also that at that time musicians usually played various instruments, the violin grip developed also at the cello.
He wrote 7 cello sonatas and few concertos. He has old-fashion way underhand grip. Cellists also held their bows a variety of ways, not always over handed like modern cellist do, but underhanded in the manner of a viol player. This is similar to what modern day bass players call the “German” bow grip.
The underhand grip positioning was considered somehow an innovation in both technical and musical way.
2. The under hand grip allow a very sensitive control of the hair tension, allowing a great variety of expression
3. Antonio Vandini’s instrument was different with the modern violoncello that was more suitable for underhand grip.
2) describe the contents and specifics of the three following baroque forms:
Sonata
During the baroque period, sonata was not as details as it was in the Classical period. They ears form the end of the 17th century to the middle of the 18th represent a moment of equilibrium in the interaction of counterpoint and monody that had created the Baroque sonata. The term sonata usually referred to a musical composition of several movements for a solo instrument with basso continuo accompaniment. Many baroque sonatas were two violins and harpsichord. A violin was sometimes replaced with a flute or an oboe. There are several types of sonata were discover during this period and they are the Sonata da chiesa also known as the Church Sonata, Sonata da camera (the Chamber sonata) and also Trio sonata.
Concerto
The concerto grosso is probably the most important type of baroque concerto, characterized by the use of a small group of solo instruments, called “concertino” or “principale”, against the full orchestra, called “concerto”, “tutti” or “ripieni”. The concertino usually consists of two violins and continuo (the same ensemble that constitutes the Baroque trio sonatas). The ripieni are a small string orchestra, later occasionally including wind instruments (trumpets, oboes, flutes, horns). “Concerto gross” originally signified the “large consort,” that is, the orchestra, as opposed to the “concertino” or “little consort,” the group of solo instruments. Later, the term “concerto grosso” was applied to the composition which used these opposed groups.
c) Suite
Bach most likely composed the Bach cello suites during this period 1717-1723. At that time, he served as a Kapellmeister in Kothen. Prince Leopold who was strong support to Bach and amateur cellist. The Bach had a group of instrumental musicians and had 17 soloists. The best musicians in the soloist group were 6 former member of the Prussian ensemble. Cellist Lienicke, Lute player Weiss, Gambist Abel and his son Carl Abel who played the viola da gamba.
Why he composed the Bach cello suite? Because all of the sudden, he saw the possibilities that the cello viola da gamba could play solo instrument. It is very important that the Bach suite was the first cello solo piece until he composed. The cello was only an accompaniment instrument, but the Bach heard that the cello could be a solo instrument.
Also every suite is little bit different musically and technically more difficult. Because perhaps Bach was also learning how to write for cello. Also I think that he was also teaching the audience the cello can be a solo instrument because the audiences not used to listen to the cello playing something solo, so 1st suite is very simple, so he was training the audiences probably the chords on the playing.
Suite is from French word, meaning “to follow”. There is 4 specific types of dance: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue. These principal movements may be introduced by a Prelude and/or augmented by inserting optional dances (Minuet, Bouree, Gavotte) between the Sarabande and Gigue. Each movement is based on the same tonic key. Both the original manuscript and fair copy of the cello suites have been lost. All we have are early copies by Anna Magdalena Bach and Johann Peter Kellner.
Prelude: comes from French prelude. Preludes have been used for pedagogical purpose and may also provide an opportunity to demonstrate skill in performance or improvisation.
Allemande: 4/4 Allemande means “German” in French. French composers of the 16th century wrote two types of Allemande: Processional dances (Bach suite number 1, 2, 5, and 6) and concert pieces (3 and 4). Either in a slow or fast tempo and slow quadruple meter or duple meter. Each of the two main parts begins with a single short upbeat leading to a full chord.
Courant: 3/4, 3/2 “Running” in French. Begins with a short pick up, and there is 2 types – Italian and French.
Italian style is Bach suite #1-4 and #6. After triple meter, running 16th to 8th notes.
French style is Bach suite #5. Moderate triple meter with more complicated rhythmic patterns, more elegant and complex.
Sarabande: 3/4 Bach wrote more Sarabande than any other dance form, 39 movements titled Sarabande. The signature characteristic of the Sarabande accentuation on the second beat in triple meter.
Composer of the Baroque period were also experimenting with the incorporation of other dance movements into the suite. These called “optional movements” typically appeared between the Sarabande and Gigue. The first and second suite contain two Minuets, the Third and fourth suites contain two Bourees, and the fifth and sixth suited contain two Gavottes. Each of these was originally rural dances from provinces of France that were later incorporated into the music of the French court.
4th suite – Bouree 1 is extended and lively while Bouree 2 is short and syncopated.
5th suite – Gavotte 1 is emphatic and varied in rhythm while Gavotte 2 is flowing and unified in rhythm.
Minuet – 3/4 meaning “small” or “delicate”. The Minuet had become the most popular dance in the courts of Europe.
Bourees: “to stuff” in French. The original dance came from the French region. As dance moved to the French court, it became more refined.
Gavottes: 4/4. It is in moderately fast tempo and in simple duple meter. Characteristically, the Gavotte begins with a pick-up of two half beats.
Gigue: 3/8, 6/8, 9/8 (Up north) or 12/8 (Ireland or England). The Gigue was probably never a court dance, it was danced by nobility on social occasions, and several court composers wrote Gigues. (Imported from England and Ireland) It often has accents on 3rd beats. Probably came from “jig”, the name for lively folk dance in the 16th century England, especially in Ireland, however, it could have come from the medieval French verb Gigue meaning “to dance”, or it could be related to the German word for violin.
French type: compound duple meter in a moderately fast tempo, rhythmic variety and complexity, and frequently but now always imitative contrapuntal texture.
Italian type: usually simpler, faster and more homophonic (Bach suite Number 3, 4, and 6). Many Gigues have characteristics that lie somewhere between these two types, and there is some debate about the proper classification of the Gigues of the cello suites.
3) provide some insight in the life and works of Antonio Vivaldi
Vivaldi is 1678 Venice Italian composer. Many of his compositions were written for the female music ensemble of the Ospedale dela Pieta in Venice, for orphaned girls, a home for abandoned children where Vivaldi. Vivaldi trained all of the orphans for learning how to play the musical instruments. This was 18th century Venice, and the institution in question was the Ospedale della Pieta, a foundation that cared for abandoned and orphaned children. Because there is nothing else quite like in the history of music, the Pieta has been the subject of considerable fascination, chronicled in movies, novels, and on recordings. The orphans they were named after the instrument they played.
Bach was one of the biggest fans of the Vivaldi. Vivaldi composed the concerto fast- slow – fast and tutti – solo – tutti – solo etd. So, the concerto is very virtuosic solo passages. The tutti is going to move through different tonalities. Couple of the concertos including cadenza. He supplied instrumental music to patrons and customers throughout Europe. Vivaldi wrote 27 cello concertos, 9 cello sonatas, 1 double cello concerto (G minor fast- slow – fast), at least 4 double concertos for Violin and Cello, 1 for Violin and 2 cello, 50 double concertos for different instrumentations, 264 violin concertos. Vivaldi wrote more cello concertos than anyone else. Ritornello form – the form of the first and often the last movement of a Baroque concerto and repeated but changed. The Ritornello is a form that uses a device of bringing back a melodic idea in different key. He is also called father of the concerto. Vivaldi’s concertos follow a general pattern. 1st movement Allegro, in which a Ritornello punctuates the entire of the solo instrument, is followed by a solo movement. The last movement again allegro, can be in duple or triple meter and there may be some variety in the form that the ritornello takes.
Vivaldi has lots of students, and there are 2 most of famous students. Anna Maria and Pisendel.
Anna Maria – She was the best violin player in the Europe at that time. Most infants left at the Pieta, Anna Maria had no last name. She had been passed through a secret opening large enough only to fit a child in 1696. The orphanage named her Anna Maria dal Violin. And under the instruction of composer-in-residence Vivaldi she became one of the most celebrated violinists of her time. Vivaldi wrote at least 28 concertos just for her. “Sic Violin Concertos for Anna Maria,” a disc by violinist Federico Guglilmo, features the highlights.
Pisendel- Johann Pisendel was a German Baroque musician, violinist and composer who for many years led the court orchestra in Dresden. Pisendel accepted a place in the Dresden court Orchestra. He remained with the Dresden orchestra for the rest of his life, though he accompanied his new master, the Crown Prince, on a tour of Europe. He was given leave to remain in Italy for nine months, during which time he studied in Venice with Vivaldi. Johann Pisendel’s compositions are few in number but high in quality and are mostly in an Italian style influenced by Vivaldi. All of his surviving works are instrumental. They include 10 violin concertos, 4 concertos for orchestra, 2 sonatas for violin, a Sinfonia and Trio. However slight the number of his own compositions, the influence of Johann Pisendel on music was great. Vivaldi, Telemann, or Albinoni dedicated sonatas and concertos to him.
Who were the Pieta students?
In 1703, a 25 year old Vivaldi was ordained as a priest and joined the Pieta as maestro di violin. Fits of coughing, likely due to asthma, had forced him to give up celebrating Mass, but the Pieta held a liturgical function through its performances. The Pieta was one of four ospedali grandi in Venice, and home to nearly a thousand students. The boys lived separately in the home and learned a trade. The girls studied music, and the most accomplished were placed in a special class- the figlie di coro, (daughters of the choir) – where they could attain a certain celebrity and, if lucky, marriage offers from the nobility.
In the 1730s Vivaldi’s career gradually declined. The French traveler Charles de Brosser reported in 1739 with regret that his music was no longer fashionable. Vivaldi’s impresarios forays became increasingly marked by failure. In 1740 he traveled to Vienna, but he fell ill and did not live to attend the production there of his opera L’oracolo in Messenia in 1742. The simplicity of his funeral in 1741, suggests that he died in considerable poverty.
4) in your future career, what elements play an important role to decide to include baroque works in your repertoire and teaching?
Many of the well known personalities from the first part of the Baroque period hail from Italy, including Monteverdi, Corelli and Vivaldi. Many of the forms identified with Baroque music originated in Italy, including the cantata, concerto, sonata, oratorio, and opera. Although Italy played a vital role in the development of these genres, new concepts of what it meant to be a nation increased the imperative of a “national style.” Differences between nations are often audible in music from the period, not only in the way music was composed, but also in conventions of performance; particularly obvious was the contrast between Italy and France. While certain countries may seem to claim a larger piece of our experience of Baroque music today, however, every nation played a role. As musicians traveled all over Europe and heard each other’s music, the new conventions they encountered made subtle impressions on them. Some of the best known composers from the period include the following that we should know is Monteverdi, Frescobaldi, Corelli, Vivaldi, Domenico, and Alessandro Scarlatti from Italy. France: Lully, Rameau, Couperin, and Charpentier. From Germany: Bach, Handel, Telemann, Praetorius, Schutz, Scheidt, and Schein. From England is Purcell.
One of the major philosophical currents in Baroque music comes from the Renaissance interest in ideas from ancient Greece and Rome. The Greeks and Romans believed that music was a powerful tool of communication and could arouse any emotion in its listeners. As a result of the revival of these ideas, composers became increasingly aware of music’s potential power, and cultivated the belief that their own compositions could have similar effects if they correctly emulated ancient music.
The new interest in music’s dramatic and rhetorical p[possibilities gave rise to a wealth of new sound ideas in the Baroque period. Contrast is an important ingredient in the drama of a Baroque composition. The differences between loud and soft, solo and ensemble, different instruments and timbres all play an important role in many Baroque compositions. Composers also began to be more precise about instrumentation, often specifying the instruments on which a piece should be played instead of allowing the performer to choose.