Carolyn Hunter
Music 700
November 1, 2009
Mini-Research Paper #2
History of the Viola’s Role in Part-Writing for Chamber Music
There is considerable debate amongst scholars as to whether the birth of the viola preceded or succeeded that of the violin. However, iconographic and documentary evidence indicate that the violin, viola, and cello most likely evolved together as a family of instruments very early in the sixteenth century and almost certainly in northern Italy.
Part-writing for the viola in chamber music has changed dramatically over time. By the end of the seventeenth century, while the violin had remained popular in chamber music, the viola was very much neglected. It was not until the end of the eighteenth
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The end of the eighteenth century marked a change in the treatment of the viola in chamber music. The change “came about partly because a basic concept of late eighteenth century chamber music was that a single player played each part (thus setting chamber music apart from the orchestra where each string part . . . was played by several players).”[2] A greater equality of part writing can be observed in the mature chamber music, especially string quartets, of Mozart and Beethoven. In Mozart’s last string quartet (K. 590, 1790), the part writing is equalized, and solos are given to the viola, with a considerable degree of virtuosity demanded of the instrument. In the passage below, the first violin states the melody and then two bars later the viola plays the same passage just an octave lower. Example 1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, String Quartet no. 23, k. 590, 1st Movement, mm. 51-54[3]
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This example clearly demonstrates equal part-writing for the viola with that of the violin or the other instruments. In conclusion, it is difficult to answer the question as to why the viola fell out of favor in chamber music from the time period following its birth in the early sixteenth century to the end of the seventeenth century. One possible reason is that no parts of
This paper will begin with a brief discussion of sonata form, which will define many of the terms used in the remainder of the paper. Next, a detailed explanation of first-movement concerto form as it was understood in Mozart’s time. Following this, Mozart’s habits of altering tradition will be established, and there will be an analysis of the alterations he makes to first-movement concerto form in his Clarinet Concerto K 622, and how they foster unity.
Antonio Vivaldi is a famous Italian baroque composer, known by most Suzuki violin students who study his concertos or by audiences everywhere who have heard and love his composition of the Four Seasons. Having grown up as students of the Suzuki Violin Method, we recognize this composer and have experience performing his pieces. In addition to his many concertos written for solo violin, Vivaldi composed many concertos intended to be performed by two solo violins, accompanied by a small orchestra. Because we are both violinists, we chose to analyze the second movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, RV 522, included in his L’Estro Armonico works.
One such piece was Yankee Doddle. Undoubtedly, the power of this piece was due, in no small part, to the concertmaster Zach De Pau. An excellent violinist, his fingers seemed to glide across his instrument, even in the most complex sections. His composure was thrilling and captivating. Dressed in a white polo and long khakis, his vapid attire camouflaged his spirited finger work and vivacious movements. I was enthralled. At every opportunity, De Pau made it his duty to display his virtuosity of the violin. His initial calm composure was quickly debunked during his many
For my concert report, I chose to attend a University Chambers Players performance. Within this classical genre of music, the pieces performed were all homophonic in texture and each melody introduced was supported by chordal accompaniment. All of the pieces performed ranged from an eighteenth to twentieth century time period, and furthermore, each performance employed the use of western world instruments, such as the piano, cello, violin, and viola.
So first I went to Christian Eggerts. When I went there and asked for the viola they held for me, I was sorely disappointed. The viola they had, had the exact same timbre as my school viola which, though not bad, wasn’t what I was looking for. I was disappointed, so I decided to look at the other music shop, called The Baroque Violin Shop. When I walked into the white walled room, the first thing I noticed was the three tables full of violins and violas. I walked around for a while, before working up the courage to ask one of the workers if they had any 16 and ½ or 17 inch violas. They had one, a 16 and ½ inch with a light finish, and slight striations on the wood. The strings are worn, and my fingers have grey lines indented on the tips, after I’ve played for hours. The sides of the face are chipped from two years of wear and tear, for it goes everywhere I go. I have a pretty indepth knowledge of what this viola looks like. Unlike most instrument owners, I haven’t given this viola a name yet. I don’t know why, I just haven’t found the right name yet. I have put so many hours into this viola, you think I would be able to think of a name, since every day I’ve played for at least an
A great interest in hearing only instrumental music tell the story without text arise. The development of the concerto grosso which is a small unit of soloists against a full orchestra (Wright, 7-4) brought about one of the most popular and recognized concerto pieces, Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in E Major (the “Spring). As one of
How is Elizabethan Era music different from the music that we listen to during this period of time? The music during the Elizabethan era is different from today’s music; For example the music during the Elizabethan era is very significant to them due to the fact that it was history being made. This paper will provide you with more information about the music during the Elizabethan era. In fact, Elizabethan tried to please people in the entertainment industry with different music. She played different types of instruments such as the violin, which was called a viol during the period of time. Afterwards Elizabethan started playing different types of music on the streets of her home town. She played many types of popular
In the stretch of a hundred years, the orchestra underwent considerable change in developing into the standard symphony orchestra of the modern age. When it is first found in the late 1600s during
On Monday afternoon, January 23rd, I tuned into NPR and classical radio for the 3-4 pm hour of classical music. The radio host was Gigi Yellen who was very knowledgeable about the pieces she had in the playlist for that afternoon. In between pieces she would usually make a comment or two about some extra-musical fact regarding the piece or composer. It was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed the hour of listening. There was not an expressed theme or organization to the playlist when I tuned in, so I had no preparation for the pieces that were to come. I actually enjoyed this position of surprise and anticipation because it left me with a completely open mind without
Violins, flutes, ruffs, and farthingales. Where are they all from you ask, the Elizabethan Era. Music has always been important to society, but during the Elizabethan Era it played an extreme role. This paper will give readers a deeper understanding of the music during the Elizabethan Era and what it was to be a musician in that time. Welcome to the Elizabethan Era.
Claude Debussy’s First Violin Sonata was completed in 1917, in the year before Debussy’s passing. These three fiery movements represent some of the more aggressive music that Debussy has written, rather than the more mellow Preludes he is commonly known for. The harmonic vocabulary of Debussy would quickly make one realize that instead of gleaming the Sonata Principal out of the relationship between I and V, Debussy would do that with the relationship between sonorities that are unstable and even less stable.
Following this climactic section, the cello leads a duet with the first violin in measure fifty-five. The duet, accompanied by the second violin and viola, mimics cello part of the poco agitato section in the exposition, but now in style of an inverted fugue (marked in blue). The combining of the exposition’s themes suggest that measure fifty-five to the end of the movement is, collectively, the
6). At last, in the 20th century the violin was well known everywhere and reached the epitome of “technical and artistic aspects.” Isaac Stern and Fritz Kreisler where two of the most well known violinist of the time (Estrella, Espie).
The performance practice techniques that dominated musical performance and composition of the Baroque musical period have greatly influenced today’s modern musical techniques and historical practice, as evidenced by the works of J.S Bach, one of the most prolific composers of the Baroque era. J.S. Bach’s unaccompanied Cello Suites, composed in the early eighteenth century, are amongst the most commonly performed and acclaimed solo string compositions, having been adapted for many instruments throughout history. This investigation will explore a number of key performance practice issues related to the “Gigue” from J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2 and discuss the most effective methods to create a historically informed performance of the piece. The performance of the Cello Suites on marimba will be examined in depth by discussing the historical context of the piece and analysing scholarly opinions of Bach’s compositional tactics, including the tonality of the modern instrument, instrumental technique, and added ornamentation. Through the consideration of musical devices and techniques of the time, the modern interpretation of the “Gigue” on marimba will be assessed, proving that through effective and appropriate historical performance practice, the piece’s intended expressive content can be effectively conveyed in the modern interpretation of the “Gigue”.
In regards to the decoration of Baroque music, amateurs often think that Baroque music is extremely ornamented. This practice is a more recently acceptable practice: scholar Ronald