1850-1899 Cello Concerto & Technical Studies Flashcards
1
Q
Name 8 cello concerti ca.1850-1899.
A
- Robert Schumann: Concerto in a for cello and orchestra, Op. 129 (1850)
- Camille Saint-Saëns: Concerto No.1 in a for cello and orchestra (1872)
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra, Op.33 (1876)
- Édouard Lalo: Concerto in d for cello and orchestra (1876)
- Johannes Brahms: Double Concerto in a for Violin and Cello, Op.102 (1889)
- Richard Strauss: Don Quixote for cello and orchestra, Op.35 (1896-7)
- Victor Herbert: Concerto No. 2 in e for cello and orchestra, Op. 30 (1894)
- Antonín Dvořák: Concerto No.2 in b for cello and orchestra, Op.104 (1894–1895)
2
Q
Piece: cello concerto by Schumann.
A
Robert Schumann: Concerto in a for cello and orchestra, Op. 129 (1850)
- The piece was completed in a period of only two weeks, but was never played in Schumann’s lifetime.
- the concerto is considered one of Schumann’s more enigmatic works due to its structure, the length of the exposition, and the transcendental quality of the opening as well as the intense lyricism of the second movement. On the autographed score, Schumann gave the title Konzertstück (concert piece) rather than Konzert (concerto)
- the concerto utilizes both fully realized and fragmentary thematic material introduced in the first movement, material which is then quoted and developed throughout. Together with the concerto’s relatively short, linked movements, the concerto is thus extremely unified both in material and in character, although the work’s emotional scope is very wide. Schumann’s use of the same themes but in very different contexts and moods lends the cello concerto a strong sense of character development and an extended emotional arc, from its opening measures vacillating between deeply meditative and agitated to the brilliant, affirmative conclusion.
- The first movement of the concerto begins with a very short orchestral introduction followed by the presentation of the main theme by the soloist.
- The second movement is a very short lyrical movement. It features a descending fifth, a gesture used throughout the piece as a signal and homage to his wife, Clara Schumann. Also, the soloist has a duet with the principal cellist, an unusual texture and one that could be interpreted as a conversation between Clara and the composer.
- The third movement is a lighter, yet resolute rondo. At the end of the movement, there is an accompanied in-tempo cadenza, something unprecedented in Schumann’s day.
- Schumann famously abhorred receiving applause between movements. Schumann’s skill in handling the two transitions between the three movements are among the concerto’s most striking features.
- As for the concerto’s virtuosity, Schumann earlier in his life declared “I cannot write a concerto for the virtuosos. I must try for something else”; in the cello concerto, while exploiting the instrument to the fullest, the writing for the soloist generally avoids virtuosic display prominent in many concertos of the time.
- Initial reactions to his score were mostly very negative.
3
Q
Piece: cello concerto by Saint-Saëns, 1.
A
Camille Saint-Saëns: Concerto No.1 in a for cello and orchestra (1872)
- technically difficult and transparent, requiring the skills of a virtuoso.
- The cello concerto was premiered by cellist Auguste Tolbecque, a performance which was considered a mark of Saint-Saëns’ growing acceptance by the French musical establishment.
- Instead of using the normal three-movement concerto form, he structured the piece in one continuous movement. This single movement contains three distinct sections. Those sections, tightly-structured, share interrelated ideas.
- Instead of the traditional orchestral introduction, the piece begins with one short chord from the orchestra.
- This turbulent opening movement leads into a brief but highly original minuet, in which the strings are muted, and which contains a cello cadenza.
- Saint-Saëns very often uses the solo cello here as a declamatory instrument. This keeps the soloist in the dramatic and musical foreground, the orchestra offering a shimmering backdrop.
4
Q
Piece: cello concerto by Tchaikovsky.
A
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra, Op.33 (1876)
- The Thema is not Rococo in origin, but an original theme in the Rococo style.
- Part of the difficulty of the piece lies in this seemingly disingenuous format involving eight sections that follow one another without a break, devoid of the usual extended orchestral tuttis allowing the soloist to rest for a few moments.
- Wilhelm Fitzenhagen gave the premiere, and was the dedicatee. Fitzenhagen chose additionally to alter the sequence of variations, possibly for the opportunity of soloistic display. Tchaikovsky had in fact asked Fitzenhagen to go through the Variations. In the autograph score the majority of the solo part is actually in Fitzenhagen’s hand and the cellist apparently exercised the role of reviser vigorously enough to lead Jurgenson to protest to Tchaikovsky, “Horrible Fitzenhagen insists on changing your cello piece. He wants to ‘cello’ it up and claims you gave him permission. Good God!”
- The structure he intended in his ordering of variations was subverted by the work’s dedicatee.
- In the composer’s original order, the first five variations show “a progressive expansion and evolution of the theme’s structure … the sixth briefly recalling the original phrases of the theme before the seventh, C major variation, new in meter and key,” reveals “a vast melodic sweep,” providing “the real peak of the piece,” after which the final variation (the one Fitzenhagen eventually jettisoned) would guide listeners back toward the point where the piece had started.
5
Q
Piece: double concerto by Brahms.
A
Johannes Brahms: Double Concerto in a for Violin and Cello, Op.102 (1889)
- Dedicated to and premiered by cellist Robert Hausmann and violinist Joseph Joachim. It was a gesture of reconciliation towards Joachim.
- Brahms’ final work for orchestra.
- The concerto makes use of the musical motif A-E-F, a permutation of F-A-E, which stood for a personal motto of Joachim, Frei aber einsam (“free but lonely”).
- It has always been hampered by its requirement for two brilliant and equally matched soloists.
6
Q
Piece: tone poem for solo cello by Strauss.
A
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote for cello and orchestra, Op.35 (1896-7)
- Premiered by Friedrich Grützmacher.
- The work is based on the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. All of the “episodes” are taken directly from the Cervantes novel.
- Written in theme and variations form, with the solo cello representing Don Quixote, and the solo viola, tenor tuba, and bass clarinet depicting the comic Sancho Panza.
7
Q
Piece: cello concerto by Dvořák.
A
Antonín Dvořák: Concerto No.2 in b for cello and orchestra, Op.104 (1894–1895)
- It was written in 1894–1895 for his friend, the cellist Hanuš Wihan, but was premiered by the English cellist Leo Stern.
- Hanuš Wihan, among others, had asked for a cello concerto for quite some time, but Dvořák always refused, stating that the cello was a fine orchestral instrument but totally insufficient for a solo concerto. According to Josef Michl, Dvořák was fond of the middle register, but complained about a nasal high register and a mumbling bass.
- Victor Herbert, finished his Cello Concerto No. 2 in E minor, Op. 30, and shortly after, premiered it. Dvořák heard at least two performances of the piece and was inspired.
- The third movement was a tribute to the memory of his recently deceased sister-in-law. Specifically, the slow, wistful section, before the triumphant ending, quotes his series of songs “The Cypresses”, her favorite piece.
- Dvořák agreed and proposed to conduct the premiere of his Cello Concerto with Wihan as soloist. The date proposed was not convenient for Wihan (it clashed with concert dates for the Bohemian Quartet, to which Wihan was already contracted). The Philharmonic Society insisted on the date and hired the English cellist Leo Stern without consulting Dvořák.
- Wihan then released Dvořák from his promise. All was eventually agreed, and the premiere took place with Dvořák conducting.
- The large-scale sonata-form first movement starts with a lengthy introduction by the orchestra, which states both themes and allows the soloist to expand on each. The first theme is played throughout the movement and during the last part of the third movement, giving the concerto a cyclic structure.
- The second movement (Adagio) is a lyrical movement which features a cadenza-like section with double stops and left hand pizzicato.
- The final movement is formally a rondo.
- Dvořák’s friend and mentor Johannes Brahms had written a double concerto for violin and cello in 1887, eight years before Dvořák’s cello concerto. He corrected the proofs of Dvořák’s concerto for the composer and hence he knew the work intimately from the score.
- In 1896, Robert Hausmann played it at his home with Brahms’ piano accompaniment, and Brahms is reported as saying: “If I had known that it was possible to compose such a concerto for the cello, I would have tried it myself!”
- Some of Dvořák’s music written in America, such as the American String Quartet, written in Spillville, Iowa, and the New World Symphony, was notably influenced by the American environment, specifically pentatonic scales used in African-American and Native American Music. For the Cello Concerto such influence is less clear.
8
Q
Name 5 technical studies ca.1850-1899.
A
- Sebastian Lee: 40 Easy Etudes for solo cello (1854)
- Carlo Alfredo Piatti: 12 Caprices for solo cello (1865)
- Bernhard Cossmann: Studies for Developing Agility on the Cello for solo cello (1876?)
- Friedrich Grützmacher: 24 Etudes for solo cello (ca.1880), Daily Exercises for solo cello (ca.1880)
9
Q
Who was Piatti?
A
Carlo Alfredo Piatti (1822–1901)
- Most famous for his 12 Caprices for solo cello (1865)
- When Piatti fell ill during an engagement, at around 16 years of age, he was forced to sell his cello to cover the medical costs. Franz Liszt invited him to appear as a guest performer at one of his recitals; stunned by what the boy could do on a borrowed cello, Liszt presented him with a superb new instrument.
- His pupils were many, and included Robert Hausmann (Brahms’ cellist).
10
Q
Who was Tolbecque?
A
Auguste Tolbecque (1830-1919) was the cellist who premiered Camille Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No.1 in a for cello and orchestra (1872).
11
Q
Who was Cossman?
A
Bernhard Cossmann (1822-1910)
- Most famous for his Studies for Developing Agility on the Cello for solo cello (1876?)
- Dedicatee of Piatti’s 12 Caprices for solo cello (1865), with whom he was closely acquainted and shared mutual admiration.
- He worked for the Grand Opera in Paris and became acquainted with Franz Liszt, with whom he went to Weimar.
12
Q
Who was Grützmacher?
A
Friedrich Grützmacher (1832–1903)
- His most famous compositions are his 24 Etudes for solo cello (ca.1880) and Daily Exercises for solo cello (ca.1880).
- Friend of the famous cellist Karl Davydov, and teacher of Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, and Hugo Becker.
- Grützmacher is most famous today for taking samples of four different cello concertos by Luigi Boccherini to form his own edition of Boccherini’s Concerto in B-flat, which is still being published and performed.
- He is also known for rearranging J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites with additional chords, passages and embellishments.
- His cadenzas for the cello concertos by Boccherini and Joseph Haydn are often performed to this day.
- He played the first performance of Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote in Cologne in 1898.
- Premiered Edvard Grieg’s Cello Sonata in a (1882), though the piece was dedicated to Grieg’s brother, John, a keen amateur cellist.
13
Q
Who was Fitzenhagen?
A
Wilhelm Fitzenhagen (1848-1890)
- Pupil of Friedrich Grützmacher.
- Fitzenhagen’s playing at the 1870 attracted the attention of Franz Liszt who attempted to talk Fitzenhagen into joining the court orchestra. Fitzenhagen, however, had already accepted a professorship at the Moscow Conservatory.
- He formed a friendship with Tchaikovsky, and gave the premieres of Tchaikovsky’s…
- String Quartet No.1 in D, Op.11 (1871)
- String Quartet No.2 in F, Op.22 (1873)
- String Quartet No.3 in e-flat, Op.30 (1876)
- Piano Trio in a, Op.50 (1882)
- Fitzenhagen also gave the premiere Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra, Op.33 (1876), which was dedicated to him.
- The composer had already allowed his soloist a great deal of freedom in modifying the solo part, but Fitzenhagen chose additionally to alter the sequence of variations, possibly for the opportunity of soloistic display.
- Fitzenhagen told Tchaikovsky that, at the premiere, Liszt said to him, ‘You carried me away! You played splendidly,’ and regarding the piece, he observed: ‘Now there, at least, is real music.’
- In 1878, Tchaikovsky complained to his publisher that Fitzenhagen had proofread the piece badly.
- When cellist Anatoliy Brandukov approached Tchaikovsky just before the full score was published in 1889, he found the composer “very upset, looking as though he was ill. When I asked: ‘What’s the matter with you?’ Pyotr Ilyich, pointing to the writing table, said: ‘That idiot Fitzenhagen has been here. Look what he’s done to my piece—he’s altered everything!’ When I asked what action he was going to take concerning this composition, Pyotr Ilyich replied: ‘The devil take it! Let it stand as it is!’”
14
Q
Piece: cello concerto by Lalo.
A
Édouard Lalo: Concerto in d for cello and orchestra (1876)
- Written in collaboration with Parisian cellist Adolphe Fischer who gave the premiere of the work.
- Written with a clearly palpable Spanish flavor, much like Lalo’s even more famous string concerto which was written only 2 years prior, the Symphonie Espagnole (1874). The piece has Spanish motifs throughout, and launched a period when Spanish-themed music came into vogue. (Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen premiered a month after the Symphonie espagnole.) Lalo’s style was likely influenced by the violinist for whom the Symphonie Espagnole was written (Pablo Sarasate).
- The concerto is written in three movements.
- Prelude, lento – Allegro maestoso: The Cello Concerto starts with a slow and impressive introduction, interrupted by three ‘ad libitum’ passages for the soloist, who then, in the following Allegro maestoso, launches into the principal subject of the movement, contrasted with the major key of the more lyrical secondary theme. The movement features many fast and aggressive arpeggios, and quick and relentless sixteenth notes. Elements of the introduction are to return throughout, but specifically in the course of the central development. The abridged recapitulation brings back the two subjects, followed by a coda of some brilliance, capped by ominous reference to the slow introduction.
- Intermezzo, andantino con moto – Allegro presto – Andantino – Tempo I: The Intermezzo combines slow movement and scherzo, with the opening G minor Andantino con moto breaking into a G major Allegro-Presto, a process that is repeated. The solo cello ends on pizzicato chords with the orchestra.
- Introduction, andante – Allegro vivace: There is a Spanish touch in the Introduction of the last movement, and this continues intermittently in the lively thematic material that follows, present in both melody and in jaunty rhythmic elements.. The solo cello opens with a slow andante in the third movement; the orchestra joins in and then takes over. The music becomes a lively rondo marked allegro vivace, the cello solo returning with a forceful entry into the rondo theme. The main theme is based on a D major scale and a quick fall down. The rest of the movement continues at allegro vivace tempo. The solo cello ends with a very fast scale that lands on a C sharp trill that resolves to the tonic.
15
Q
Who was Adolphe Fischer?
A
Adolphe Fischer (1850-?)
- Premiered Lalo’s Concerto in d for cello and orchestra (1876).
- Pupil of Adrien-François Servais.
