TWENTEETH CENTURY USE OF THE
CONCERTO 63.0550 TECHNIQUE

Thesis for the Degree of M. M.

MECHSGAN STATE UNIVERSSTY

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TWENTIETH CENTURY USE
OF THE
CONCERTO GROSSO TECHNIQUE

BY

Loupatti Katherine Miller

a THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF MUSIC
Department of music Education

l966

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
CHAPTER
I. HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
II. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED WORKS . . . 26
5 Fugal Concerto for 3219.132: 932$, and String
Orchestra, 92. 51:2. 91:3,. g by Gustav Holst . 26
Concerto Grosso £93.; String Orchestra gig};
2.1.199. Obbliqato by Ernest Bloch . . . . 40
Capricorn Concerto, 93. 2;; by Samuel Barber . 59
Concerto _e_r_1_ 33/ mg; Orchestra E Cordes by
Igor Stravinsky . . . . . . . . . 73
III. SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
APPENDIX...............96

BIBLIOGRAPHY O C O O I O O O O O O O O O 98

ii

PREFACE

The author, during the course of research in
the field of the early concerto grosso, became conscious
of the tremendous depth and scope f the twentieth-century
deveIOpment in this field. The modern idiom combined
with the eighteenth-century form, seemed like a fasci-
nating subject for study, and a worthwhile one, in view
of the dearth of material about the twentieth-century
concerto grosso.

The analysis of contemporary works in this
category illustrates the adaptability of the Baroque form
to twentieth-century techniques. The four works were
chosen because the compositions, modern in idiom but
traditional in their structural principle, are among
the outstanding examples of the Neo-classic movement.
The individuality as well as the technical competence
of the composers sets these works apart for study since
the ideals and spirit of the two periods were fused into
a successful medium of expression. The compositions
and their composers have been recognized by substantial
publishing houses and well-known orchestral groups.

The author wishes to express her sincere appre-

ciation to the librarians of Michigan State University

111

Library, Detroit Public Library, Michigan State Library,
Port Huron Public Library, and the University of Michigan
Library. Thanks goes to Dr. William Sur for his valuable
assistance. To her adviser, Dr. Theodore Johnson, who
played a vital role in the preparation of this thesis,

she expresses her deepest gratitude.

iv

CHAPTER I

HISTORY

CHAPTER I
HISTORY

An investigation into the use of the concerto grosso
technique in the twentieth century must be based on an under-
standing of its development of this form during the Baroque
period, as well as a thorough knowledge of its use in the
hands of the classical masters. Although the concerto
principle itself has never been long out of use with comp
posers since its earliest manifestation in certain forms of
sixteenth-century vocal and instrumental music, the pOpu-
larity of the concerto grosso as a compositional form had
until recent years been limited to the relatively short
period of the late Baroque. Preliminary investigation will
therefore be focused on this period, in an effort to find
a musical common denominator which will serve as a guide to
the study of the contemporary concerto grosso.

The confusion which exists regarding the derivation
of the word "concerto" is reflected in a similar ambiguity
in many of the early compositions bearing that title. The
Latin concertare, meaning to compete, contend, or debate, is
in apparent apposition to its Italian counterpart, to accord
together or play in concert. Although the element of con-

tention and contrast seems to be the most characteristic of

3
concertos found in the repertoire today, the concertato
style of the late sixteenth century implied not only the
setting of one chorus against another (the 225i spezzati of
the Venetian school), but also simply the use of instru-
mental accompaniment with choral music (e.g., the Penitential
Psalms of Andrea Gabrieli). Composers of this period made
little or no differentiation between their choral and
instrumental style, often merely doubling voice parts with
instruments, or leaving the substitution of instruments for
voices to the discretion of the performer. Yet in many of
these early Baroque compositions we find one or more of the
essential features of the concerto as we know it today--
virtuosity, alternation between differing tonal masses, and
solo writing with instrumental background.

Virtuosity appeared first in vocal writing, in the
ornamental monody of the early operas, and in the secular
madrigals such as those by Monteverdi. John Culshaw, in
his book on the concerto, considers virtuosity and con-
trast to be essential elements of the concerto, and goes
so far as to say the following about their basis in sixteenth-
and seventeenth-century vocal music:

The concerto is a dramatic form, and its real origins,

so far as they can be traced, are to be found not so

much in instrumental music as in one of the most 1
dramatic of all musical forms-~the operatic aria.

 

lJohn Culshaw, The Concerto (New Yerk: Chanticleer
Press, 1949), p. 10.

4
Vocal music of the church also played an important part in

he development of the concerto style, especially with

(.f

regard to the element of contrasting tonal masses. One of
the earliest instances of the use of the word "concerto" in
a title occurred in the Concerti . . . Egg zggg gt stromenti,
a collection of motets and madrigals for double chorus and
instrumental accompaniment by Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli,
published in 1587. The Concerti ecclesiastici of Adriano
Banchieri (1595) and Ludovico Viadana (1602, 1607) con-
sisted of several volumes of church motets in a similar
vein. Abraham Veinus makes the following comment on the
contribution of Viadana:

. . . [yiadangl pared the concerto principle down to

one, two, three, four voices singing to an instrument

(the organ): and in so doing . . . Entroduced] the

possibilities of pitting a solo voice (rather 2
than a massed chorus) against an instrumental tutti.

In the realm of purely instrumental music, Giovanni Gabrieli
made a significant contribution to the development of the
concerto principle in his Sonata pian' e forte of 1597,
which makes use of high and low instrumental groups to
achieve an element of tonal contrast not unlike that of the
concerti grossi of a century later. Also important in this
connection are his canzonas, which allow various instru-
ments to appear momentarily as soloists during the course

of a single work. But Gabrieli was ahead of his time, and

 

2Abraham Veinus, The Concerto (Garden City, New
York: Doubleday & Doran, 1944), pp. 3f.

5
his canzonas and sonatas were, in the end, little more
than spiritual ancestors of the concerto as it finally
emerged.

Throughout the seventeenth century the development
of a concerto-like style continued. German composers such
as Schein and Schfitz wrote beautiful if not virtuoso sacred
concertos for voice or voices with instrumental accompani-
ment. Lully, in his Operatic writing, made use of rondo
and chaconne forms with an alternation of string tutti and
woodwind trio episodes, anticipating the classical minuet-
trio form. But it was the talians in particular who were
reSponsible for the final changes in existing forms which
ultimately led to the concerti grossi of Corelli and
Vivaldi.

Composers of the early Baroque had begun writing
canzonas for varying chamber ensembles, under the titles
canzon g3 sonar,sinfonia, or simply sonata. Merula's
Senate Concertate d3 chiesa e_§§ camera3 of 1637, and
Valentini's sonata for violin, cornettino, bassoon, and

trombone (1639), in which each instrument has a solo

 

3The terms "da chiesa" and “da camera" are usually
translated "church“ and "chamber," and indicate whether a
composition was intended for sacred or secular purposes.
Church sonatas and concertos contained no obvious dance
movements, while chamber works in the same category even-
tually developed into full-blown dance suites. There was
also a differentiation in the keyboard instrument used to
realize the figured bass: the organ was used in the church,
while a harpsichord was commonly the accompanying instru-
ment in performances of secular works.

6
section, are early examples of this form. The general
structure of the canzona was retained, with some modifi-
cations. The normal sonata of this period consisted of a
varying number of movements of contrasting tempo and texture,
usually beginning with a chordal introduction and including
one or more fugal movements and a slow dance form. Solo
and trio sonatas were the most popular combinations, and the
literature for these groups is extensive. The solo sonata
was scored for one violin and continue, the trio sonata for
two violins and continuo. Since the continuo part was

usually realized by a keyboard instrument with a cello or

viola da camba doublinc the bass line the total number of
.4...— J I

 

players involved was actually more than the "solo" or
“trio“ designation would indicate.

Sonatas for three or more melodic instruments were
also common among the works of the seventeenth-century comp
posers, but it was the solo sonata which became the proving-
grouni for the many innovations in violin technique which
the rapidly-improving instruments and performers of this
period made possible. Composers of string music were able
to introduce such devices as multiple stops, pizzicato,
harmonics, col legno, and passages in the higher positions
with assurance that they could be played. Composers such
as Gabrieli, Fontano, Marini, Turini, Usper, Neri,
Valentini, Buonamente, Frescobaldi, and many others gradually

enriched the form of the old Venetian canzona. An

7
eminent authority has said about them: "Their works furnish
the tenuous line between the ensemble canzona and the
concerto proper of the late Baroque period."4
Alessandro Stradella (9. 1645-1682) is generally
credited with having been the first composer to make the
all-important distinction in his works between a concertino
and a concerto grosso instrumental group.5 This'division
occurred first as an accompaniment device in his Operatic
and oratorio writing. He subsequently used it in two
Sinfonie a 2;g instrumenti, which appeared about the year
1680. But it remained for Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
to realize more fully the potentialities of this inno-
vation in the arrangement of the orchestra. Corelli
received his musical education in Bologna, and appears to
have been a celebrated violinist and teacher as well as

an admired composer during his lifetime. He is said to

have concertized widely, visiting Germany and France

 

4Manfred Bukofzer, Music $3 the Barggue Era (New
York; W. w. Norton, 1947), p. 55.

5The term “concerto grosso" was used as early as
the sixteenth century to denote a group of accompanying
instruments. It continued to be used in this way, although
it later acquired the additional significance of a generic
title. It has sometimes been translated "grand concerto.“
As a generic term it usually implies an orchestra divided
. into two distinct groups: the "concertino" or small group
of soloists (also called ”8011"), and the "concerto grosso”
or large accompanying group (also called "tutti” or
“ripieno"). Another term which is sometimes used to denote
solo players is “obbligato” which supposedly means an
obligatory rather than ad libitum solo passage, and usually
refers to a part which is of secondary importance in
relation to the composition as a whole.

8

before finally settling in Rome under the patronage of
Cardinal Ottoboni, some time before 1685. Although the
publication date of the twelve concerti grossi which com-
prise his 92. Q is usually given as 1712, it is generally
believed that they were composed much earlier. Georg
Muffat (9. 1645-1704), a student of the styles of both Lully
and Corelli and a composer of concerti grossi in his own
right, makes the following comment on the number of per-
formers in the preface of his Concerti Grossi (1682):

J' entendis avec etonnement quelques fym honies siéfl

de M. Arcangelo Corelli tres belles, a si§| tree 6
bien executées par un bon nombre de Muficiens [Eidfl.

I heard with amazement some symphonies of M. W
r—tzezlmmnmznm my mm b, a
9 .

Even without this evidence, their conservative style would
indicate that Corelli's works belong among the earliest in
that form. They adopt the indefinite formal organization
of the church and chamber sonata of the day, and are, if
anything, even more episodical in character. Corelli's
trio sonatas, for instance, are composed of four move-

ments, while his church concertos (22- g, Nos. 1-8) were

subdivided into as many as nine or ten different sections.

 

6Guido Adler, ed., Denkmaler der Tonkunst in
Osterreich, XI. Jahrgang, 2 (Graz, Austria: Akademische,
1959), p. 20.

7Charles G. Forton,.trans. Exchange Teacher, Port
Huron High School: Doctor of music - Lemmens Institute,
Malines, Belgium.

9
More often than not, however, the slow sections serve
merely as introductions or bridge passages, and almost
invariably end on a half cadence, commonly the Phrygian
Cadence. These concertos contain mostly movements using .
ABA, ABAC, A:”88:u, and fugal forms, although various other
arrangements also occur. The concerti g§_camera (ggg, 2:12),
on the other hand, are generally made up of more distinct
dance movements beginning with a Preludio and including a
varying number of the more common idealized dance forms
(those used by Corelli are the Allemanda, Corrente, Gavotta,
Sarabanda, Minuetto, and giga).

The form of Corelli's concerti grossi did not differ
materially from that of his solo and trio sonatas. The
distinguishing features of these works pertain not to form,
but to orchestration and texture. Even here we find Corelli
borrowing from the past, for his concertino consists of the
combination of two violins, cello, and cembalo used in the
trio sonata. When this group is projected against the
background of a string orchestra (with its own cembalo),
an infinitely wider range of effects becomes possible.
veinus, observing the broadening scape of the orchestra as a
result of the advent of the concerto grosso, makes the
following comment:

The juxtaposition of two such unequal choirs
brought into play a whole category of orchestral
‘effects. The grosso was necessarily a heavier,

louder, more deliberate body of tone: the concer-
tino lighter, softer, and more agile. The continual

10
shifting from choir to choir produced a fascinating
Chiaroscuro of,dynamics, weight, and movement: and when
the concertino was taken over by the wind trio [p post-
Corellian innovatiOfl against a grosso of strings, a
rich and easy source of color contrast was instantly
brought to hand. Clearly this was too fruitful a tech-
nique to remain the exclusive property of one instru-
mental form: and so we find the concerto grosso as a
principle of orchestration applied in such diverse
fields as the Opera (A. Scarlatti), the sacred cantata
(Graupner's Mein Herze schwimmt i3 Blut), and the \
oratorio (the Sinfonia terribile in Domenico Freschi's
Maracolo del Mago).8

'

The fact that Corelli and his immediate followers did not at
once take advantage of all the new effects is certainly I
understandable. Corelli himself, although considered the
founder of modern violin technique, was a virtuoso only in
relation to violinists of his day, and he was content to
require no more than third position of his string players.
His concertino parts are no more difficult than the corre-
sponding ripieno parts, nor is there any significant
structural differentiation in his treatment of the two
groups, other than that suggested by their obvious tonal
inequality. Thus he makes use of the various effects pre-
viously explored by composers of music for multiple choruses:
alternation of phrases from one group to the other, punc-
tuation of a dialogue in one group by chords in the other,
and the echo effect. It is significant that the whole con-
certino usually appears rather than separate groups of
instruments. In fugal movements Corelli usually gives the

first few entrances to the solo violins, achieving a dramatic

 

8Abraham Veinus, pp. cit., p. 14.

ll
climax when he finally brings in the ripieno basses, then
the full orchestra. When the tutti and soli appear together,
they play the same parts.
It remains only to mention briefly that Corelli was
harmonically quite advanced. Bukofzer says that he "can take
the credit for the full realization of tonality in the field

"9 Many of his slow'movements con-

of instrumental music.
tain chromatic sections, although a simple dominant-tonic
background or a harmonic sequence suffice for the numerous
violinistic broken-chord passages of his fast movements.
Harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic patterns of the late
Baroque all abound in his music.

Among the contemporaries of Corelli are many whose
concerti grossi, although not well known or even available
for study today, most certainly contributed to the develop-
ment of that form. Concerti grossi by A. Scarlatti, Valentini,
Gregori, and Torelli were published even before those of
Corelli. Guiseppe Torelli (2, 1660-1708), although better
”known for his solo violin concertos than for his works in
other forms, was also a prolific composer of the sinfonia,

10

the orchestral concerto, and the concerto grosso. His

concerti grossi adopt the three-movement plan which Vivaldi

 

9Manfred Bukofzer, 92, cit., p. 222.

10The orchestral concerto, or concerto for orchestra,
combines the characteristics of the concerto grosso and the
sinfonia. Like the sinfonia it is written for an orchestra
with no solo instruments designated, but stylistically it is
much closer to the concerto. This fine line of distinction
may be observed in the orchestral works of many of the
composers of the early eighteenth century.

12

also used, the usual arrangement being fast-slowafast.
Probably his best known works in this form are included in
his 92- g, published in 1708 and consisting of six concerti
grossi for two violins and string orchestra, and Six solo
violin concertos. In addition to reducing the number of
movements to three, Torelli also departed from the style of
Corelli in the matter of differentiation between tutti and
soli. The ritornello, a constantly recurring thematic idea
whose possibilities were explored by Vivaldi and Bach in
their instrumental works as well as by the operatic comp
posers of the day, became the dominant factor in the contrast
between ripieno and concertino. The full orchestra intro-
duced the ritornello theme at the outset. A solo section of
a different character followed, then the tutti ritornello
interrupted in a different key, and so on. Although the
soloists might elaborate upon the gitornello theme, they were
also given thematic material distinct from that of the tutti
sections. Consistent use of the ritornello device produces
an effect similar to that of the rondo form, although in
the case of the rondo, subsequent entries are usually made
in the key of the original.

Even more than Torelli, Antonio Vivaldi (g, 1675-
s. 1741) was responsible for popularizing in his concerti
grossi the three-movement plan and the Eitornello form. A
well-known violinist and teacher as well as a priest by
profession, Vivaldi traveled widely throughout Europe and

did much to spread interest in the instrumental forms which

13
had previously been almost exclusively Italian. Much of his
prolific output of operas, sonatas, and concertos has never
been published. Vivaldi's 92- g, L'Estro Armonico (Harmonic
Ehim), ranks along with Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos
and Handel's twelve concerti grossi, Qp.Ԥ in historical
significance. It includes twelve concertos with the con-
certino as solo instruments (Vivaldi did introduce wind
solos in some of his other works). Four are concertos for
solo violin, four contain solo parts for four violins (two
of these with cello obbligato), and the remaining four are
for two violins or two violins and cello. Concertos Nos. 2,
g, and l begin with a slow introduction in concerto g3 chiesa
fashion, while the rest are cast in the three-movement form,
fast-slowafast, which led eventually to the classical con-
certo form. Vivaldi's treatment of the solo group differs
from Corelli's in that it is used not primarily as a unit of
contrast, corresponding to a second choir, but as a group of
individual virtuoso soloists. Some of the constant alter-
nation and echo effect common in Corelli's music is present,
but it is as often achieved by a contrast of volume within.
one group or the other as it is by an alternation between
the two. Vivaldi at times introduced additional solo
players, such as solo viola, or solo string quartet, to
supplement the resources at hand. He felt free to dispense
‘with the cembalo during solo passages, although by contrast
there are also instances in which the cello and cembalo are

momentarily supreme.

14

With regard to form, Vivaldi used the common device:
of imitation to further the dialogue between the principals.
They are also given a liberal portion of broken-chord and.
arpeggio figures, bariolage, and scale passages, which are
usually related to the thematic idea of the tutti. Allegro
movements usually contain four or five appearances of this
tutti ritornello, while the slow movement is often fugal or
through-composed. Vivaldi's complete mastery of form and
the clarity of his thematic ideas made his works popular
throughout Europe. Other composers tried to emulate him,
and among his contemporaries are some who had great insight
aS'well as many who continued to follow the stylistic pattern
of the trio sonata yi§_Corelli. A few of these composers
'are: Albinoni, Bonporti, Bonocini, Albicastro, Aldrovandini,
dall'Abaco, Gasparini, Manfredini, Taglietti, Tessarini, and
Venturini. Several have been mentioned previously; others
belong to a later generation (Marcello, Barsanti, Sammartini,
and the two famous pupils of Corelli, Geminani and Locatelli,
who experimented with the use of a string quartet as con-
certino, and carried the concerto grosso form to England and
Holland, respectively). But it remained for a German comp
poser, Johann Sebastian Bach, to appreciate fully and expand
the form of the Vivaldi concerto grosso.

In Bach's hands the Baroque period reached its
ultimate fruition. His concerti grossi are generally recog-
nized as the highest achievements in that form, both from

the standpoint of a full realization of the possibilities

15
of an already existing form, and because of their refreshing
creative genius and imagination. Bach's best-known concerti
grossi are the six Brandenburg Concertos, commissioned by the
Margrave of Brandenburg for his chamber music collection,

and completed in 1721 while Bach was Kapellmeister and

 

director of court chamber music at Cothen. He also wrote
several double, triple, and quadruple concertos besides
transcribing works of Vivaldi, which would probably best be
classified as concertos.

Unlike Corelli and Handel, Bach did not make use of
the traditional string trio as concertino. The number of
solo instruments he did choose ranges from that of the nine
string parts in Concerto fig. 3, which together produce the
illusion of both soli and tutti, to the violin part in
Concerto E9. 3 which is the equivalent of a solo violin part.
In his analysis of these works, Hugo Leichtentritt describes

the concerto grosso principle, then adds:

The resulting contrasts of sound and the more or less
vivid repartée between the various instrumental groups
offer many interesting problems and opportunities for
impressive effects. In the application of these basic
constructive ideas, Bach showed a very independent
mind. His Brandenburg Concerti show more deviations
from the typical form than is found in the concerti
grossi of any other master. They differ not only from
the generally acknowledged models of the species, but
also among themselves, each one establishing a new,
characterispic type, different from the other five
companions. ‘

 

11Hugo Leichtentritt, musical Form (Cambridge, Mass:
Harvard University Press, 1951), p. 361.

l6
Concerto fig. A in F major is scored for three oboes,

12 string orchestra, and

bassoon, two horns, viOlino piccolo,
cembalo. The concertino of Concerto fig. g (also in F major)
consists of an unusual combination of four treble instru-
ments (violin, flute, oboe, and trumpet), while Concerto
fig. 3 in G major has no concertino as such: three violins,
three violas, three cellos, bass, and cembalo provide both
solo and tutti effects through the various methods in which
they are subdivided or combined. Concerto fig. §,in Bb major,
scored for an even more restricted and homogeneous-sounding
group (two violas, two yiglg,gg gambas, cello and thorough-
bass), might have been less successful in the hands of a
less imaginative composer than Bach. However, the canonic
dialogue between the two concertino violas in the first
movement, and the lyric beauty of the second, testify to his
mastery of the form. Concerto fig. 5 in G major has a solo
group of violin and two flutes, while Concerto fig. g in
D major is written for solo cembalo (an innovation), flute,
and violin with the usual tutti.

The last two great composers of concerti grossi in the
Baroque era were Handel and Bach. Handel wrote in a much.

more conservative vein even though his works appeared after

Bach's. In a sense it can be said that he took the examples

 

12The violino piccolo is a small violin tuned a major
third higher than the normal size instrument. Bach_also
scored for corno g3 caccia, viola gg gamba, flute g pgg (or
recorder, which be indicated for the second or fourth con-
certos) and other obsolete instruments whose parts are now
usually taken by an appropriate modern instrument.

17
of Corelli as a point of departure, while Bach developed
more in the Vivaldi tradition.

A detailed study of the six Brandenburg Concertos is
very revealing regarding what may be considered the final
form of the classical concerto grosso. Not only are Bach's
concertino groupings unusual, but they often seem to merge
with the orchestra (e.g., Concertos figg. A and 3) resulting
in what might be called a forerunner of the twentieth-
century concerto for orchestra. The method of changing solo
instruments from movement to movement occurs occasionally,
as does the practice of minimizing the full orchestra part
during a slow movement (Corelli and Handel seemed to prefer
the opposite, i.e., that the ripieno should predominate in
the slow movements). Bach also inherited from Vivaldi a
preference for treating solo instruments independently of
each other instead of considering them as a group to be
contrasted with the tutti. Bach's technical demands on
soloists are not extreme, although some difficulties are
encountered today because certain parts are played on instru-
ments which do not have the natural range of their Baroque
counterparts. Bariolage, arpeggios, scale passages, and
double stops are frequent in the violin solo parts.

Bach was a master of contrapuntal writing. Vivaldi
used imitation as a convenient method of presenting the solo
instruments. Bach, like Corelli, wrote entire fugal move-
ments which were masterpieces in their own right. Bach's

harmony is fuller than that of his predecessors, and his

18
intricate polyphonic treatment of voice-leading, infinitely
more advanced. He expanded and clarified the formal system
of Vivaldi, upon occasion transforming the ritornello
structure into a gg,ggpg form (e.g., the first movement of
Concerto fig. ;, which forms the ABCDEBA pattern). His slow
movements are Often based upon a free basso ostinato figure
or a repeated fugal exposition which results in AA'A“
structure. Three movements arranged in a fast-slow-fast
order are most common, although Concerto fig. ;,has four
movements (the last, an expanded minuet-trio form, may have
been added later), and Concerto fig. §,has only two movements
(the sl w movement is missing, although two chords remain
which may be part of a longer movement, or may indicate that
an improvisation by the first violin was expected at this
point). Taken fig Eggg, Bach's concertos represent a wealth
of creative ideas from.which the neo-classic composer of the
twentieth century has benefited immeasurably.

In many ways the music of Bach found its complement
in the works of his countryman, George Frederick Handel
(1685-1759). Each of these composers was in a sense the
culmination of the Baroque spirit and ideals, yet in his
own individual way. Much has been written about the differ-
ences between the temperaments and styles of these two great
composers: Bach, the introsPective, sedentary, contrapuntal
craftsman: and Handel, the extroverted, worldly, improvi-
sational genius. Although this analysis by opposites can be

misleading if carried too far, it does serve to illustrate

19

graphically the basic influences which were brought to bear
on their music. Thus we find that Bach wrote fewer concerti
grossi than Handel, but imbued each one with a degree of
individuality and integrity which one cannot claim for the
works of Handel. Handel, on the other hand, using basically
the same form and instrumentation that Corelli had used
before him, was more prolific in his output, with the help of
a few adaptations from his own and other composer's works.
It was Handel who first indicated that an improvised cadenza
was to be allowed the soloists.

Handel's 92. g which consists of twelve concerti
grossi for winds and strings was written probably about
1733. The concertino consists normally of pairs of violins,
cellos, flutes, oboes, and bassoons, although Handel's
practice was to vary the group from one movement to the next.
These concertos are sometimes called oboe concertos, although
the oboe is not consistently prominent enough to warrant
this designation. Handel's gaggg Concertos 92, g, a set of
twelve concerti grossi for the more orthodox concertino of
two violins and basso continuo, was composed in 1739, during
the short space of one month. R. 0. Morris says about the
quality of these works: "Their emotional range is wide, and
they display superb ease of style and mastery of form."13
Beside the two sets of concerti grossi, several single works

in the form are known to have been written by Handel,

 

13R. 0. Morris, The Structure g§_Music (London:
Oxford University Press, 1935), p. 63.

20
including a double concerto. In Egg Violin Concerto Frederic
Emery describes this work: i
. . . Eta has nine movements and is written for two
concertini, each consisting of two hautboys, one
bassoon, and two horns in F, thg4whole being accomp
panied by strings and continuo.
One seldom hears these works performed.

Handel tends to vary his concertino from movement to
movement, at times, reducing the concertino to one player,
as in the fourth movement of Concerto 92. g, fig..g,_Which is
practically a violin solo. By contrast, the concertino
merely doubles the tutti parts in the final movement, while
in the third, the soloists as a group alternate, in the style
of Corelli, with the full orchestra (which usually includes
the concertino in unison with the tutti players). Various
other combinations are used, such as different Violin II
concertino and ripieno parts, as Opposed to similar Violin I
parts. In other works Handel wrote in seven more or less
independent parts. Although he didn't restrict himself to
certain stereotyped techniques of combining his instrumental
forces, neither did he give distinctive thematic material to
his concertino, so that the total effect does not seem
independent.

At first glance Handel's use of forms seems to be

quite similar to Corelli's, since he favored a sectional

 

l4Frederic B. Emery, The Violin Concerto (Chicago:
The Violin Literature Publishing, I928), p. 75.

21
treatment of from two or three to six movements instead of
the more advanced three-movement scheme. However, he seems
to be rather indiscriminate in his use of dance forms side
by side with the more serious forms of the church concerto,
so that the distinction between church and chamber concerto
is obscured. The polonaise, musette, and siciliano are
used, as well as the more familiar dance forms; and fugal
movements, gg.gggg airs, variation forms, and movements in
French overture style are as common as the ritornello
structure. Thus Handel cannot be said to be completely in
conformity with the tradition of Corelli any more than Bach
can be said to have copied Vivaldi.

In this chapter the problem has been to discover the
meaning of the concerto grosso as understood by the composers
of the Baroque period who created the form. Veinus describes
the concerto grosso form in this manner:

. . . in its broadest sense the concerto grosso is any

composition written for a group of solo instruments15

contrasted with a larger mass of tutti instruments.
Donald Grout makes the following comment on the terminology
of the concerto grosso:

Concerto Grosso 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 appléed to the composition
which used these opposed groups.

 

15Abraham Veinus, gg. cit., p. 32.

16Donald J. Grout, A Histogy gg‘Western Music (New
York: W. w. Norton, 1960), p. 363.

22
The Bach concertos for two, three, and four claviers with,
orchestra, the Double Violin Concerto, and the Triple Egg:
lggggg fig §_g;ggg may be thought of as concerti grossi.
Classification of these works is somewhat determined by a
fine line of distinction separating the concerto grosso from
the solo concerto for more than one solo instrument. Corelli
had little difficulty classifying his work since his
concerto grosso is strictly defined as a division between
choirs.

Most narrowly the concerto grosso might be described
as the contrasting of two unequal tonal bodies. The con-s
certino is simply the smaller choir, not a grouping of
individual solos. Had the concertino dissipated into
individual solo instruments Corelli might have considered
this contrary to the strict principle of the concerto grosso.
Vivaldi did this in his concerti grossi and still called
them concerti grossi. Form, individual virtuosity, and
stylistic idiom are of secondary importance in defining
what is and what is not a concerto grosso since these
factors do not constitute the difference between the con-
certo grosso and any other compositional method or tech-
nique of the Baroque, e.g., the trio sonata.

There are works which make use of the concerto
grosso technique in varying degrees. In 1779 Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart wrote several concertos in the sinfonia
concertante style, i.e., orchestral worksrwith several

solo instruments. Sinfonia Concertante fi. 364 is

23
scored for violin, viola, and orchestra and was his most
significant work of that year. Its slow movement alone
ranks it among his most subtle works. Veinus concludes:
. . . in his treatment of the solo instruments he has
already mastered fully the most crucial aspect of the
art of concerto writing, i.e., to fuse a maximum of
instrumental virtuosity into a maximum of significant
musical expression for thf enhancement of both and
the detriment of neither. 7
Ludwig von Beethoven composed the Triple Concerto. 22.,ég
pp 9 major for piano, violin, cello, and orchestra in 1804-
1805. This concerto interweaves the solo trio and the
orchestra producing stimulating and pleasing tonal textures.
The work “was intended to be a renovation of the concerto
18 ‘
grosso style.“ Homer Ulrich describes the first movement
of the Double Concerto for violin and cello, 9p. 102, which
was composed in 1887 by Johannes Brahms, as marking a
return (to :
. . . pro-Classical concerto form, for it consists
essentially of an alternation between passages for
full orchestra and for the solo instruments--analogous
to the old concerto grosso--with, of course, wigs-
ranging developments in both types of passage.
Among the factors which define the spirit of the

concerto grosso are the intimacy of the chamber orchestra,

 

17Abraham Veinus, gp. cit., p. 96.

18Huntington watts, from notes on record cover of
Beethoven's Triple Concerto ;p 9, Columbia Masterworks Set

19Homer Ulrich, Symphonic Music (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1952), p. 215.

24
absense of virtuoso display, the dynamic and textural con-
trast between the different-sized groups, prevalence of the
string idiom, echo effect, use of tutti ritornello with
episodes for concertino, and tempo and mood contrast in

successive movements.

CHAPTER II

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED WORKS

CHAPTER II
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED WORKS

5 Fugal Concerto for Flute, Oboe, and String Orchestra,
92-.291 §2°,3
by

Gustav Holst

One twentieth-century composer who has followed
quite literally the example of Bach and the Baroque masters
in the writing of a concerto grosso is the English composer
Gustav Holst. His Eggs; Concerto seems to contain no
trace of the mysticism and visionary impulse which is so
much a part of many of his compositions (most notably gpg
Planets, one of the works for which he is best known). His
interest in the English folk song and its use in contem-
porary composition has been of greater influence, and a
quotation from an old English dance tune appears in the
third movement. The 2332; Concerto does, however, belong
to the realm of absolute music because it adheres strictly
to a conservative, unprogrammatic approach to harmony and
melody. Tovey believes that Holst “turns the genuine old
forms to new purposes of wit and fancy,“1 a theory which

Percy M. Young echoes in his statement, “Holst shows a

26

27
love of the Tudor composers in his style, and an awareness
of the value of Bach to the modern world (see the first

movement of the Fugal Concerto.)"2 Because of the influence

\

 

of the English tradition in his music and thought, one is
not surprised to find Holst hailed as a typical English
composer,along with Elgar and vaughan Williams.

Holst was born in Cheltenham, England, in 1874,
and died in London, in 1934. He received his education
at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied
composition with Stanford, winning the composition award
given by the school. He later held several teaching
positions (Morley and Reading Colleges, St. Paul's School
for Girls, and the Royal Academy), and spent a great deal
of his time compOsing. His £3331 Concerto, 9p. gQ,_§g. g
was written during a tour of America in 1923, and received
its first performance at Queen's Hall in London the same
year. Novello has published the work both in its original
version and in an arrangement for solo instruments and
piano. An alternate concertino of two violins instead of
flute and oboe is suggested by the composer. Technically,
there are no great difficulties involved with either comp
bination: an infrequent use of g"' constitutes the upper

limit of the flute part, and the oboe is kept considerably

 

1Donald Francis Tovey, Essays in Musical Analysis
(London: Oxford University Press, 19337, Vol. II, p. 208.

2Percy Ybung, Biographical Dictionapx p§,Composers
(New Ybrk: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1934 , p. 165.

 

28
beneath this. The ripieno string parts are usually written
to lie within the third to fifth position.

All three movements of the gpggl,Concerto are fugal
in character, hence its title. Contrary to expectation,
the work is quite light, and appears to have been conceived
in the style of a miniature. The first movement, a
Moderato, is more strict in its formal development than
the other two. Of its total of fifty-three measures, only
four do not contain the subject, and these occur immediately
after the first exposition. The material introduced in
this section is derived from the last measure of the fugue
subject, and appears later as a counter-melody to the

subject. The subject is given below.
Example 1a, Mbderato, page 1.

MoJeRa‘fo

    

Violin I

29

Example 1b, 4 measures before <:), page 3.

 

Oboe

The light character of the first movement, and the com-
paratively infrequent use of contrasting material (practi-
cally half of the movement is scored in unison or octaves
without any real secondary voice line), tend to give the
impression of the texture of a ritornello. However,
there are no episodes.

The initial exposition of the Moderato consists
of a four-voice fugue with the respective entrances on
the tonic (D major), dominant, tonic, and dominant. The
subject is first presented in octaves by the strings, then
by oboe and flute solos, and finally by the cellos and
basses. The subject itself dominates the entire expo-
sition, with no material sufficiently distinctive to be
considered a counter-subject appearing. The motive (Ex.
1b) used in the first episode is followed by a statement
of the subject in inverted form in the cellos and basses
on the dominant, A major, with material from the episode
appearing as a counter-subject. The various instruments
enter in turn with incomplete versions of the subject
in inversion (Ex. 2a), and with the subject built on a

minor triad instead of a major triad (Ex. 2b).

30

Example 2a, 4 measures after CPD , page 4.

 

‘-

Flute

Example 2b, 6 measures after @ , page 4.

    

l’

Oboe

This eleven-measure development passage is supported by a
pedal "A" in the lower strings which eventually resolves
as the dominant of D. At this point the fugue subject is
recapitulated in its entirety by the lower strings, while
the violins emphasize its return with multiple stops. A
statement by the violins, and partial inversions in the
oboe and flute, lead to the final return of the fugue
subject which is extended and contrapuntally treated,
pianissimo.

The second movement, Adagio, exhibits the influence
of Bach, an influence which extends to melody and
harmony as well as to orchestration and form. The movement

uses ABA form, with predominately imitative writing for

31
the solo instruments, as do many of Bach's slow movements.
The only unorthodox technique from the eighteenth-century
standpoint occurs in the rhythm of the bass line through-
out most of the two A sections. A duple pattern is super-

imposed on the basic 3/4 beat.

Example 3, Adagio, page 9.‘

AJ‘ Ia

 

f V

f

Flute, Oboe, Cello and Double Bass .

MelOdically and harmonically the Adagio, basically in D
major, is conventional except for the insecurity of its
key feeling. The A section consists mostly of fairly
strict imitation in the flute and oboe, with the upper
strings entering toward the end. In the B section the
concertino again presents a subject in imitation, which is
closely related to the first. Compare Example la with

Example 4, which is shown below.

32

Example 4, (:>, page 10.

 

i ‘ / A JI‘M ,

Oboe

The strings join the imitation in stretto, gradually
diminishing to a pianissimo as the viola introduces the

fugue subject of section A again. A condensed version of

the stretto section appears below.

Example 5, 6 measures after <:), page 10.

05% Flu. r. '
I“

  
   
   
 

: Vic Effls P

d a ____.
I A

   

an“:

A
/-.

  

 

/-

  
      

   

         

an}: ‘5: ;:r- 4‘43 “fi'C;

   
 
  

/"-\

/o

/‘

  

30”,: .‘57 ::='

-Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Flute, Oboe

The third section of this movement presents a return of
the subject similar to that of the first A section, except
that the viola leads in the imitation. The oboe and flute
follow, completing a three-part texture (plus bass line),

which continues until the violins enter with a portion of

33 .
the subject. The flute concludes the movement with a similar
portion of the subject against sustained chords in the
strings (D major, followed by the first inversion of a
G“ diminished tried).

The irregular staccato fugue subject of the Allegro
is introduced by the strings immediately upon the con-
clusion of the second movement. Again Holst built most
of the movement from the material of a single subject, and
in this case, the subject is eventually destined to become
the counter-subject for an old English dance tune (Ex. 15).
The movement is divided into four sections: the first
section contains a fugal eXposition of the original
staccato subject in the strings, the second section has a
similar exposition in the concertino, the third section
is characterized by a string episode which treats the
subject in contrapuntal fashion, and the fourth section
introduces the dance tune ianoth winds and strings
against counterpoint provided by the original fugue
subject.

The fugue as it appears in the first section is
scored basically in four parts: cello and bass, viola,
second violin, and first violin. The full string section
plays continuously, one part doubling another until all
four parts have entered. The subject (Ex. 6a), which has a
rhythmic pattern not coinciding with the 6/8 beat, provides

many opportunities for use of cross accents and stretto

34
imitation (Ex. 6b). These devices are utilized in the

ensuing episode.

Example 6a, Allegro, page 13.

:4”: (a

 
 
 

 

 

43,, ‘7 ,. 7'
‘7“ coat

Violin I

Example 6b, 4 measures before (:), page 13.

 

Violin I, Violin II, Viola

A climax in unison ends abruptly with a grand pause after
two measures of the theme.

The second exposition in the oboe and flute follows
much the same lines as the string exposition. The viola
presents a new counter-melody which is imitated a fourth
higher by Violin II.

35

Example 7, 6 measures before <:), page 15.

    

P\ ____a
Viola
The second episode makes use of strings as well

as short oboe and flute cadenzas to make the transition

to the third section.

Example 8a, 3 measures before (:), page 16.

   
  

¢J I!" .

   

*—

Oboe

Example 8b, 1 measure before <:>, page 16.
b

 
  
   

.‘Jht

   

Flute

This third section can be called an episode also,
but only in relation to the four larger sections. It
is exclusively for the strings, and can be divided into
two parts. The first of these uses the devices of
inversion and contrary motion to develop the thematic‘

material (the fugue subject).

36

Example 9, (:), page 17.

5f‘¢¢¢7‘3

    
    
 

  

f .mg,
Otto

, 'o I.” 7 7

I“?

inc-#083. ‘ _ ‘ .-..

Violin I, Viola
This part ends with six measures in 2/4 meter instead of
6/8 meter. The first three notes of the fugue subject

enter in unison fortissimo. This pattern is repeated

twice providing momentum for the coming climax.

Example 10, 9 measures after (:), page 17.

 

Strings

The conclusion of the 2/4 passage is emphasized by multiple
stops in the violins which increase with each rise of the
scale steps. The multiple stops, made possible by a

pggg ritardando, become more impressive by the use of scales

in contrary motion, marked pesante, in the lower strings.

37
Example 11, 12 measures after (:), page 17.

£9544”;

relay};

fess mfg

 

’14.va

Strings

The subject is similarly treated in the second part, except
that the lower strings remain in 2/4 while the upper strings
are in 6/8. The fugue subject is given at the original level

and an inversion of the fugue subject occurs in the viola.

Example 12, 15 measures after <:), page 17.

’ r

 

7

   

(Violin I, Viola, Cello and Bass

38
An accelerando leads into the final section, which
introduces the old English dance tune, FIf all the world
'were paper," over a pedal "G" and “D“ in the viola

(probably in imitation of bagpipes).

Example 13, <:), page 19.

 

 

Flute, Viola

A second statement is accompanied by the original fugue
subject (now a counter-melody) in the flute and oboe with

the drone in Violin II.

. Example 14, 9 measures after <:), page 19.

7 O ' . ‘ ’ ' ’ '

          
   

 

 

Violin I, Violin II, Flute

39
The oboe then takes the dance tune against statements of
the counter-melody in the muted basses and cellos,
respectively. The fugal appearances of both themes con-
tinue, the flute and oboe taking the dance tune, while the
strings pass the counter-melody back and forth. The last
two measures of this theme are treated sequentially by
the flute and cello, and the Fugal Concerto draws to a
close with a diminuendo trill in the winds, and a con-
tinuous ascending version of the fugue subject, pizzicato,
in the strings.
In conclusion, a passage from Tovey's analysis of

the Fugal Concerto bears quoting, if only to insert a
little of the spirit of this work. Tovey makes the
following comment on the last movement:

After various adventures, including lackadaisical

cadenzas, apropos of its last notes, on the oboe

and flute, followed by attempts at inversion and

a ferocious transformation in square time (2/4),

this subject fulfills its destiny. For it is

obvious to the meanest capacity that it was

destined to be a counter-subject to the Old

English Dance Tune, "If all the world were paper.‘

Even the double-bass,knows that, though he has

a severe cold in his head--technically known as

a sordine. After this revelation has been ex-

pounded, the little concerto trots peacefully

away, until, suddenly getting up and scratching

itself, it disappears in a trill for the two
wind-instruments and a rising pizzicato scale . . . .

3

 

3Tovey, pp. cit., p. 209f.

Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra
With Piano Obbligato
by

Ernest Bloch

Ernest Bloch was another of the group of composers -
who translated the Baroque concerto grosso into the con-
temporary idiom in his Concerto Grosso pppString ngpy'
pgppg,pipp,§igpp’Obbligato.4 Composed between December
1924 and April 1925, this work received its first performance
on June 1, 1925 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, con-
ducted by the composer, who was then director of the
Institute. It was published by Birchard, in Boston, and
recorded by several different companies. At present it is
one of the best-known of the contemporary concerti grossi.

Born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1880, Ernest Bloch.
received his musical training in Europe before coming to
the United States in 1916. At this time he began making a
conscious attempt to portray in his music the Hebraic
tradition of his race in such works as the Israel Symphony
and Schelomo for cello and orchestra, which are among his

most famous works. The rhapsodic and highly emotional

 

IEQ. ;, He wrote a second concerto grosso for
double string orchestra in 1957.

40

41
element which is particularly prominent in these works
appeared to a lesser degree in his Concerto Grosso. These
works seem to have begun another period in his creative
style which David Ewen believes has produced “those works
that represent the fullest and ripest expression of his
genius."5 His romanticism is softened by the use of clas-
sical forms and devices, and John Tasker Howard states

'

that:

Bloch is an acknowledged master of his craft.
Technique, whether of harmony and counterpoint, of
form, or of orchestration, is his servant, so that
one rarely thinks of the means.he has used: it is
the music itself, and sum total of effect that
carries its message, and causes the listener to feel
the primal urge that inspired it.6

Bloch uses a fast--slow--mixed--fast pattern
in the four movements of his Concerto Grosso but main-
tains an extremely close unity throughout the work.
His concertino group is not pre-determined, but varies
according to the material of each movement. The piano
has only an occasional solo passage and generally supports
the string harmonies somewhat in the manner of the harpsi-
chord in the Baroque concerto gg camera.

In the last three movements of this concerto both

single and multiple string solos occur. The ordinary

 

5David Ewen, ed., The New Book pg Modern Composers
(New YOrk: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961), p. 95.

6John Tasker Howard, Our Contem ora Composers
(New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, I941), p. 125.

 

42
string texture is expanded considerably by divisi writing
with all the instruments except the double bass.

Cyclic treatment contributes to the unity of this
work. The third movement contains suggestions of thematic
material from.the Qipgp, while the last movement uses
melodic and rhythmic patterns similar to those found in
the Prelude, besides quoting several passages more directly.

In describing the music, Douglas Moore has this to say:

. The music is] vehement and passionate, now
introspective with wailing dissonance, now savagely

rhythmical. These elements are controlled by a fine
sense of musical architecture and a discipline
usually lacking in the ardent Romantic . . . . Blocfil
attempts to write in the objective vein of Hands ,
with emphasis on line rather than on color, and in 7
the rich contrapuntal texture of the baroque style.

The Prelude, marked Allegro energico g_pesante,
consists of three sections of approximately equal length.

 

Each section is introduced by a broad chordal passage of
unusual rhythmic irregularity and modal quality. The

first appearance of this ritornello in the strings and
piano uses the Dorian mode: the second appearance, in
which the piano part appears below, gives the effect of the
second exposition of a piano concerto, but appears in the
dominant key with the strings emphasizing the piano chords
by repeated notes on "A": the third appearance, on “D“, is

characterized by a quasi inversion of the theme, with the

 

7Douglas Moore, Fm Mdri al pp Modern Music
(New Yorks‘W. W. Horton, 1942 , pp. 302ff.

 

43
two chords of each measure exchanging places and time
values. The second and third appearances of the theme
are marked 3 pgppg and Eggpg|£, having been preceded
by an allargando chordal passage related to the main

theme.

Example 15, <:>, page 4.

¢+¢MOA A A A
f ' a a f a

    

{F a fee,”

Piano

Each of the three sections appears in a similar ABA' form,
with A' differing enough from the original to provide an
appropriate introduction to the next entrance of the
same theme. The B part of the outer two sections is
built on several sequentially-treated sixteenthp and
eighth-note motives, while the middle section consists
of a more lyrical treatment of material from both the
A and B parts.

The first movement makes no use of string solos
. and only limited use of divisi writing. Multiple stops

for the upper strings create an effect of broadness.

44
For the most part, the piano is lbmited to doubling the I
string parts or reinforcing the bass. The use of arpeggios
and repeated chords indicates a non virtuoso keyboard
style similar to that of the Baroque rather than the
nineteenth century-virtuoso technique. However, some
of the figurations in the string parts are reminiscent

of the Baroque treatment of the violin.

Example 16a, (:), page 4.

, me. Haic.+.

f I'M- Metce f3

 

r 00" M04eafo . E f

Strings

Example 16b, ., page 6.

H

.57

    

Violins

45
The contrasting second movement, a pipgg in 0%
minor, is characterized by the romantic expressiveness
and melancholy of the string writing. The tempo is
Andante moderato and the time signature, predominately
3/4 alternating with 4/4 and 2/4 passages. The move-
ment uses a three-part pattern, with a metrical scheme

similar to that of a Sarabande.

Example 17, Andante moderato, page 8.

     

AvJflK MOJ¢fltj§\ ’—

' .

 

Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello

The first A section is divided into two parts with a
two-measure extension of the cadence added. The first
part consists of a parallel period. Changes of scoring
occur in the second period where the melody is given

to the violas, which appear above the upper strings
(Ex. 21).

46

Example 18, , page 8.

ca'hemfa

    

nnf

 

 

Violin I, Violin II, Viola

A chromatic "sighing" passage in eighth notes begins the
second part, followed by material of the first part
developed against acrid dissonances in the bass line.

A solo violin introduces a new melody in section B
which is accompanied by close harmony in the three other
solo violins and triplet arpeggios in the solo viola

and piano.

Example 19, 1 measure after @ , page 10.

' you °' ' A. 51

P QSFAC5S.

 

i

    
   
 
   

 

P 35f A655.

Strings

47
various other combinations of divisi and solo accompani-
ments are utilized, and the solo violin is several times
interrupted by the other solo violins in a return of

motives from the A section.

Example 20a, , page 11.
4F’__\~ - "—‘\

   

  
  

   

 

”F > 3
Solo Violin II, Solo Violin III, Solo Violin IV

Example 20b, @ , page 12.

4 U

 

”fvfg-g >- >1

Solo Violin II, Solo Violin III, Solo Violin IV

Near the end of the B section, a sequential passage of
great intensity results from a striking use of the strings
in their higher register, which leads into the recapitu-
lation.

The second appearance of A begins with a piano
solo, the only one in the movement, and continues in a
free restatement of themes from the first section. The

quoted melody (Ex. 17) appears in the base at , and

48
then is given to the violas, which appear above the upper

strings in a passage similar to that at .

Example 21, , page 14.

3

 

    

AQP __7 l__

 

Violin I, Violin II, Viola

The neo-classic nature of the Concerto Grosso is apparent
throughout, despite the use of techniques which were not
ordinarily used by the Baroque composers. Divided cellos,
use of harmonics (outside the normal range of the violins)
(Ex. 22a), use of ponticello and tremolo (Ex. 22b),
position work on the G string of the violin (Ex. 22c), and
the chromatic treatment of material at @ (Ex. 22d) are
among the devices which differentiate Bloch's treatment

of the string orchestra from that of the Baroque composers.

Example 22a, ® , page 12.

      
   

PP
Solo Violin I

49

Example 22b, 6 measures after , page 11.

Jul foal-77cc ll;

   
 
   

ff

Altri Violin I

Example 22c, 4 measures before , page 13.
IV

I

    

 

22:2. FZF”'

Violin I

Example 22d, ® , page 9.

‘7__\

 
 
  

  
 
 

7>—‘b

 
  
   
 

7A

    

‘7’

  
   

7 CACSY. 7 A 7
7

    

    

7L——\

Piano

Douglas Moore makes the following comment about

the third movement, entitled Pastorale and Rustic Dances:

This movement is intended to follow without pause.
It is an alternation in mood and design between a
reflective pastorale music . . . with sustained
accompaniment, and lively dance tunes, one of which

suggests the French folk song §p_pgssant par Lorraine.8

 

8Douglas Moore, 2p. cit., p. 304.

50
There is no clear traditional pattern discernible in its
formal structure. Tempo marks as well as meter signatures
change constantly, the basic indications being Appg;,;gppp_
and Allegro giocoso. The movement begins and ends in the
tonality of F, but many other keys are touched upon during
the course of its develOpment. The three main themes

appear below.

Example 23a, measure 3, page 15.
I )

 

Ant-rd: 3 7" 3

Solo Viola

Example 23b, Allegro giocoso, page 19.

         
   

   

.F A

Violin I

Example 23c, @ , page 19.

V

   
   

Violin I

Themes 1 and 2 contain the same melodic contour and retain.

the triplet rhythmic pattern, even though.Theme 1 uses

simple meter and Theme 2, compound meter.

51
Another comparison may be made in the relationship of whole-
‘and half-steps. The similarities become apparent when Theme
2 is transposed down to the tonal level of Theme 1, as in

the following example.

Example 24a, 2 measures after beginning, page 15.

    

Solo Viola

Example 24b, . , page 15.

A" .6

    

owf‘

R" {7'1 is 0

Solo Viola

Themes 4, 5, and 6 are similar in the melodic contour and
range. Another likeness exists in the rhythmic pattern of
Themes 3 and 4. The same emphasis upon the basic chord
tones and the use of the same scale degrees for the melody
are also observed in Themes 3 and 5. Theme 4 occurs in a

different position of the scale.

Example 25a, @ , page 19.

V

 

«F ’

Violin I

52

Example 25b, @ , page 19.

7 I

   

Violin I

Example 25c, , page 23.

  

lflr
Lo

Viola

These themes are alternated, combined, or treated contra-
puntally in the free manner of a fantasia. The first two
sections of what might be broadly analyzed as an ABCB

form are more clearly delineated than the rest. Section

A is basically an exposition of the first theme by the

solo viola, violin, and cello, in turn, with interpolations
of the second theme, while Section B, the Allegro giocoso,
consists mainly of the several rustic dances in alter-
nation. This second section contains some quotations

from the Dirge:

Example 26a, @ , page 21.

 

53

Example 26b, 7 measures before , page 21.

3
:JN. :‘-\ A

    
   

   

. ”F . 7"
Violas

A return of the Pastorale theme is followed by an impres-
sive melody somewhat related to the third themerquoted in
Example 23c, and taken by the violas, which have been
divided into four parts. The dance tunes return and are
combined with the viola melody in a section which is
characterized by its contrapuntal ingenuity. The final
climax is reached and sustained through a return of the
Pastorale and dance themes. This movement is not con-
cluded by the original lyrical melody but rather by dance
-tunes in a new guise.

“Except for string solos in the A section which
are accompanied by several solo violins as well as divisi
tutti parts, this movement is predominately for full
orchestra. The piano is used to double the harmonies or
bass line, and appears only once in a solo capacity with
the solo Violin I, at one measure after @ . It under-
lines the quotation of a bass motive from the second move-
ment at @ , page 21, and is conspicuous by its absence
in several other passages.

Perhaps the most characteristic concerto grosso

movement is the last, the Fugue. The tempo indicated is

 

54
Allegro and the movement begins in the key of D minor
but finishes in major. The movement is almost entirely in
4/4, with the exception of several 2/4 measures which occur
near the end of the movement as a result of a short recapitu-

lation of the theme of the first movement.

Example 27, , page 43.

 

Violin I, Violin II, Viola, and Piano

The distinctive five-measure fugue subject first appears
in the violas on D (Ex. 28a). After a linking measure,
Violin II states a tonal answer while the Viola continues

with a counter-subject (Ex. 28b).

55

Example 28a, Allegro, page 31.

A “69 ‘0 ,4 7 7 1

   

Aelcaf;

 

Viola

Example 28b, 7 measures after beginning, page 31.

 

Viola

Two measures after the cellos state a tonal answer
with the countersubject in Violin II. Violin I is given
the subject at .. with the countersubject in, the cellos.
The piano gives a real answer at the fifth at with a
quasi-statement of the countersubject in Violin I. The
traditional exposition is followed by a lighter episode
which because of the alternation between tutti and solo
sections seems as though it might have been taken directly
from an example by Corelli. Example 29 shows its second
appearance following several additional entrances of the
fugue subject in major. Except for the piano, which
takes the part of the fifth voice in the original expo-

sition, and a later entrance of the fugue theme in the

56
solo violin with a characteristic figured bass accompani-
ment, the only solo sections are in the episodes. The

piano is treated as previously, as an accompanying cembalo'

instrument.

Example 29, @ , page 36.

a fiflra 50/0 I

 

1m;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orchestra

57
The exposition and contrasting episodes are
followed by a gradual build up to a climax, which is
achieved through inversions and augmentations of the
theme and a use of the driving eighth-note rhythm of the

episode figure.

Example 30, 5 measures after @ , page 40.

    

FF-
Violin I

A mirror statement of the subject occurs in the Piano

and Violin I.

Example 31, , page 47.

’ 7’, 7

        

     

4?

Violin I

The climax leads into a short section which quotes
passages from the first movement with the addition of
descending runs in the violins (Ex. 27). The use Of

a Neopolitan sixth chord at a cadence point, similar

to one used at , page 33, leads to a final recapitu-
lation of the fugue and episode themes.

58
Example 32, , page 44.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Violin I, Violin II, and Piano

The following subdued string section precedes the final
climax, which is reached through sequential treatment of

fragments of the fugue subject.

Capricorn Concerto, Qp.‘g_
by
Samuel Barber

A study of Samuel Barber's Capricorn Concerto for
flute, oboe, trumpet, and strings reveals certain similar-
ities to some of the concerti grossi of Bach. For example,
the instrumentation, string orchestra and a concertino
group of flute, oboe, and trumpet, is almost identical to
that of Brandenburg Concerto fig. 2, which differs only
in that it uses an additional violin solo and cembalo
part. Formal and textural similarities are also evident.
Each work has three movements and employs the concerto
grosso technique by treating the solo group as an entity
in itself, rather than as a group of individual soloists.

Barber is comparatively young to have received
the degree of attention and admiration Which has come to
him from.both music critics and the public. Born in West
Chester, Pennsylvania in 1910, he received his formal
musical training at the Curtis Institute under Scalero
and Reiner, among others. His early success was partially
due to his conservative, romantic style. His awards include
the Pulitzer Prizes in 1935 and 1936, the American Prix de
Rome in 1935, and a Guggenheim.Award in 1945. Edward

59

60
Tatnall Canby discusses the sudden development of Barber's
style as follows:
But just as Beethoven, at the height of his success,
began suddenly to produce music that shocked his
erstwhile supporters . . . so Barber, in a milder
manner, developed during World War II a new personal
style that is fully modern, dissonant, influenced,
but by no means dominated by the leaders of the
present elder generation.
Barber's Capricorn Concerto is cast in this new style.
Composed in 1944 for the Saidenberg Little Symphony during
a leave from his service in the Army-Air Force, the work '
is named after the house which he shares with Gian-Carlo
Menotti near Mount Kisco, New York, overlooking Croton
Lake. The edition used for this study is published by
G. Schirmer, Inc.

The material of the Allegro pg,n0n Troppg of the

Capricorn Concerto diSplays melodic and rhythmic motives

 

typical of Barber's earlier style. Wide leaps, synco-
pation, and off-beat accents characterize the material of
this brief 2/4 section, which is scored for string tutti
in unison and consecutive fourths. The stretto beginning
in measure six with the upper strings is suggestive of
the strict canon in the first movement of Bach's
Brandenburg Concerto fig. Q. Unity is achieved by the use

of material similar in melodic outline but contrasting

 

9Edward Tatnall Canby, Netes on Barber's Ca ricorn
Concerto, 92. g; (Concerto Hall Society Limited Edition),
ReIease A 4.

61
in tempo. The following examples illustrate this idea.
The chromatic intervals in the first two examples are
identical. The material of the third example is similar
in contour but the melodic intervals are simply expanded
a semitone. The chromatic semitone is maintained in

each example.

Example 33a, Allegro pg non troppg, page 1.
A117 (.0 3 Me New ‘fLo/Ava

 
 
 

 

   

{3

.Violin I

9?

Example 33b, Adagio con moto, measure 3, page 2.

AJeJ/o 6M! n of.

   
 

Oboe

Example 33c, Allegro, page 5.

AI! ‘0 ‘ g . O

    

f’

Flute

The subject of the Andante con moto, the second
section of this movement, is stated fugally by the oboe,

flute, and trumpet in turn.

62

Example 34, Adagio con moto, page 2.

Adnjlafi A Afl’

    

Within the basic eighth-note background there is a con-
stant change of meter signature. Following a twelve-
measure exposition in the concertino, the subject is
stated by the basses and cellos, and answered in stretto
by the violas and violins, in turn, until the wind group
re-enters. The oboe, trumpet, and flute each state the
subject, supported by sustained chords in the violins. A
four-measure string episode, using the opening melody in
the violas, is followed by an echo in the concertino,
with the flute appearing pggg_§gg§g, the oboe, EEEEQr

piano, and the trumpet, pianissimo, all at the same time.

 

Example 35, (Z), page 4.

 

Viola

This material, repeated several times in the string section,
bridges into an unusual Allegro section characterized

by sixteenth-note.figures.

63

The Allegro functions somewhat as a development
section: the character of the thematic material it uses
has been altered substantially. The rhythmic pattern
has been changed from triplet rhythm to a syncOpated
sixteenth- and eighth-note rhythm (Ex. 27a and Ex. 27c).
The concertino, rather than the full orchestra, is given
the first statement of the theme, and the dynamic
indication is piggg instead of £9532. Fragmentary use
of various short motives persists throughout the move-
ment, and a string passage dominates. The absence of
strings is noticeable at <:) on page 8 for twenty-three
measures, although occasional pizzicato support is given
to the concertino group. A passage in which the strings
prevail follows, prefaced by a section for flute and
solo string quintet playing a complex syncopated pattern.
Another flute solo precedes the repeated string chord
pattern which leads into the return of the beginning
material.

The first movement suggests the arch principle,
ABCBA. The final section is composed of two parts; one,
a restatement in the trumpet of the Andante theme and
the other, an Alle ro, Eggs primg, developed from the
last four measures of the Allegro mg_ggg,troppo and given
first by the winds and then full orchestra., "A" serves
as a tonal center throughout. Each section begins on "A“

and uses ”A“ as center. The comparatively short BA

64

section serves to tie the movement together into a
balanced whole, much in the manner of several of Bach's
fast movements which also recapitulate earlier themes in
reverse order, particularly the first movements of the
Brandenburg Concertos Egg. l_and g. The movement
exhibits variety in the use of fast and slow tempos and
in the varying length of the sections. The beginning AB
sections are lengthy, the C section developmental in
nature, and the final BA section, very brief.

The second movement of the Capricorn Concerto
is cast in ternary form: Allegretto, mgl§g_mggg_mg§§g,

and Tempo I. The basic tonality is "Eb", the most remote

 

tonal level from the "A" tonality of the first movement.
Each wind, in turn, takes the melodic line, which is
characterized by a chromatic figure. As in Bach's
slowumovement scheme the concertino predominates in the
A sections and the strings become more prominent in the
middle part, which is very brief. In the A sections the
strings are restricted to one broken-chord pizzicato
line which moves from viola to cello and back again.

One wind taking the melody line is supported by a second
wind having a staccato chromatic accompaniment figure

and-a pizzicato figure in the viola.

65

Example 36, Allegretto, page 16.

A ”ejKe‘fi/‘o

I

A»; 5cm?”

CON 30440

O t

I

”f 564-1,le.
izz,

 

1nf'

SOMPRe

Oboe, Trumpet, Viola

In the A section the orchestration defines a
small three-part form. The oboe, accompanied by the
viola and muted trumpet, states the theme, repeating
it in a slightly varied form before participating in a
brief dialogue and then resigning its solo position to
the flute. The flute restates the first eight measures
of the theme a minor third higher than the original
accompanied by the oboe and viola. After an abrupt
break, a third statement of the theme by the trumpet
' leads into a 6/8 section, mgl§g_mgng,mg§§g, for muted
strings.

The mood of the middle section is much more
lyric, although many of the rhythms and melodic inter-

vals of the A section reappear. The texture here

66
contrasts with that of the first section in that it is

scored for string choir alone.

Example 37, 5 measures after (:>, page 18.

 

I‘D/+0 ACNU NOJJd Jr"- /—"—‘§ / \

 

 

Pas/u)

Strings

The oboe joins the divisi strings to conclude the middle
section.

The initial phrase of the principal theme returns
in the flute, trumpet, and oboe successively. The trumpet,
as if unaware of the ending of the oboe solo, continues
its chromatic ramblings in its extreme low register,

until the pizzicato cellos lead the movement to a close.10

 

10Although the trumpet part in the score is written
in C, a Bb.trumpet is indispensible in the second move-
ment from Tempo I’to the end because of the use of the
extreme low register of that instrument.

67

The trumpet fanfare which introduces the main
theme of the Allegro £93 brig recalls the famous Bach
trumpet theme in Brandenburg Concerto No. a. The theme,
accompanied by C major chords in the strings seems
stylistically akin to a Bach trumpet fanfare, except
for the superimposed meter (two measures of triple on
three measures of duple) and the five-note melodic
pattern. The following examples show the trumpet theme
and also the violin variation which predominates in
later appearances of the ritornello. The variation of
this energetic theme is emphasized by both Violins I and
II playing an octave higher for added brilliance. The
upward line of the theme is further stressed by Violin I
continuing up to "E" and holding this note while Violin

II persists in presenting the variation on the theme.

Example 38a, Allegro con brio, page 21.

A ”cg/L0 I.” batio

jefi’l a .70 l

7A 7

 

Trumpet, Strings

68

Example 38b, 8 measures before A , page 21.

   

”

   

’
v

4:

Violin I, Violin II

There is a strong structural resemblance between this
movement and the Bach ritornello form. In this form
each movement begins with a complete exposition of the
theme by the full orchestra. Alternating with solo
episodes, the material of this tutti exposition recurs
once or twice slightly modified and in different keys,
and the movement is rounded off and brought to a close
with a final tonic tutti practically identical with the
opening one. A tutti which recurs in this way in a con-
certo is called a ritornello. The form is something like
that of the rondeau, with the important exception that in
a concerto all the ritornellos except the first and last
are in different keys. The concerto therefore combines
the principle of recurrence with the equally important
principle of key relationship. However, in the Capricorn
Concerto the ritornellos always appear in the tonic.
The ABACADA design of the third movement makes little
use of unrelated material except in the slow section D,
the Andante, up 2393 mg.

From the beginning a prominent stylistic trait

of the Allegro movement is the use throughout of individual

69
solo wind instruments. The first A section contains
trumpet and oboe solos, a string tutti section, a con-
certino solo, and an imitative string section.

The B section is governed by the flute, with
small detached portions or fragments in the oboe and
trumpet, and a pgnticello accompaniment of measured
trills and bowed tremolo in the strings. The time sig-
nature remains constant for this section, in contrast
with the changing meters of section A. The themes are
mainly obtained from earlier material. The first theme
is derived melodically, and to some extent, rhythmically

from the theme in section A.
Example 39a, <:>, page 24.

A/~,fi,

  
 

 

 

Flute

Example 39b, 3 measures after beginning, page 21.

 

Trumpet

70

Example 39c, 8 measures after beginning, page 21.

A f.

    

‘f

Violin I

Some fragments from section A are varied in this section,
in a dialogue, first between the oboe and flute, and later

between the trumpet and the strings.

Example 40, <:>, page 24.

OLoe F/d‘é 777 i“

   

   

r 4f 7" ' s===

Flute, Oboe

The themes in this section are assigned to the flute,
which uses its wide variety of tonal color, and then to
the violins, in turn.

The return of the A section is announced by the
trumpet in C major but in a different position of the
scale and supported by a I9 chord. As a sudden contrast,
the briefly espressivo string section then becomes more
marcato while exploring the possibility of a new theme
derived from the old material by short imdtative and .

rhythmic fragments.

71

Example 41, 4 measures after <:), page 27.

7A I a ’ o , ‘ , ‘

   
  

       
   

   

P ‘ .===: ===?-
H“C'

Violin II

The concertino group enters together, the oboe fashions a
more lyrical melody from.the main theme, and the strings
again take over the melody.

A third variation of the main theme leads directly

into the D section.

Example 42, (:>, page 28.

O

     

F

5d: (Alan/Jo

Oboe

This section includes an oboe solo, a short Spiccato
string passage somewhat similar rhythmically to the main
theme, and a flute and oboe solo. A pianissimo utterance
of the trumpet theme by the cellos and basses forms a
bridge into the Andante, gg’pggg.mg§§g, a section domi-
nated by pedal tones on "B" and “C" in the form of an
ostinato in the lower strings. The heavy, characteristic
chords occur first in the concertino with cello and bass
ostinato accompaniment, then in the strings with an

ostinato, which is transferred to the flute. In the

72
final fortissimo appearance, the trumpet theme and the
theme in Example 39b appear in counterpoint simultaneously

in C major.

Example 43, Tempo I, page 35.

7:..f..r’ ,av

        
   

 

geNza, SORGL

4?

Trumpet, Oboe

/
Concerto pp 3p

\
Pour Orchestra g Cordes

 

by
Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky was inspired by the musical forms
and ideas of the Baroque to write the Octet for wind
instruments, the Dumbarton Oaks Concerto for chamber
orchestra, and the Concerto pp géifor strings, yet these
works remain comparatively unknown to the musical public
today. The economy and formal clarity of neo-classicism
have been an integral part of his style since he first
departed from the grandiose orchestral palette in such
works as Petrushka and £9 Sacre Qp_Printemp§ (The Rite
9; Spring), just prior to the 1920's. David Ewen noted
a change of style:

A radical metamorphosis had come over his style,
beginning with the satirical Renard (1917), in
which he abandoned the role of the fiery rebel
peering into the future, and assumed that of the
neo-classicist, turning to the past for his idiom
and style.1

/
The Concerto pp,gp is a recent example of Stravinsky's

tendency toward a classic simplicity and design.

 

11David Ewen, pp, cit., p. 68.

73

74

Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum, near St.
Petersburg, Russia, in 1882. He studied form and orch-
estration with Rimsky-Korsakov, and in 1908 began a
I collaboration with Diaghilev, the impressario of the
Ballet Russe, which, with the performance in 1910 of his
first ballet score, EfOiseau gp_Feu (The Firebird),
brought him world-wide fame. The attention he received
from this and later works premiered by Daighliev in Paris
was by no means entirely favorable: his unmitigated
dissonances, rhythmic complexity, bizarre orchestral
effects, and primitive melody retarded its acceptance
by both lay audiences and music critics. Yet it was
not a reactionary public which led him to cultivate the
classical forms (the public soon began clamoring for
more works in his early style), but rather his own per-
sonal desire for increased objectivity and restraint.
In adapting the classical forms and devices to his own
twentieth—century idiom, Stravinsky succeeded in creating
a new and cohesive style. Ingolf Dahl in his notes on
the Dumbarton 925p.Concerto shows that ". . . [it differs]
in several ways from the eighteenth-century prototype,
[and] could best be called a portrait of the Concerto

12

Grosso." In many respects this simile applies equally

well to his Concerto pp 33.

 

12Ingolf Dahl, notes on the record jacket of
Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks Concerto and Card Party,
Mercury Classics MG 10014.

75

Stravinsky's Concerto pp Ré’was written in 1946 on
the occasion of the Basel Chamber Orchestra's twentieth
anniversary and dedicated to the Orchestra and its con-
ductor, Paul Sacher. This three-movement work, lasting
approximately twelve minutes, is recorded by RCA Victor with
the composer conducting. In 1962 another recording by
London with the English Chamber Orchestra with Colin Davis
conducting was released. The score used in this analysis
was published by Boosey and Hawkes.

Although the mood of each movement is quite dif-
ferent, an organic unity is achieved through the subtle use
of similar motives and rhythms throughout. A striking
similarity occurs in the melodic materials of the first two
movements, both of which are based upon the minor second
and its inversion, the major seventh. Example 44a shows the
use of Ffl as the third of the tonic chord of D major with
its lower neighboring tone of E#. This melody is pro-
jected from the harmony given by a chord supplied by the

strings at the opening of the movement (Ex. 44b).

Example 44a, (:>, page 1.

m

73% \'

 
    

   

I

Violin I

76

Example 44b, measure 3, page 1.

 

Strings

The minor second also manifests itself as a lower aux-

iliary as shown in Examples 45a and 45b.
Example 45a, @ , page 8.

/' ""“/’ "x

    

Violin I
Example 45b, , page 18.

A.

    

Violin I

A second unifying factor is the rhythmic figure

fl J. j ' or I7 J J 7.! as 1"- appears in the compound

meter of the first movement. This often is found in con-

 

junction with leaps of a seventh or a ninth (another

77

manifestation of the second, by inversion and by octave
expansion). The prevalence of these intervals seems to
indicate that they might also be considered as motives.
With these comparatively simple structural materials, and
the further self-imposed limitation of an extremely trans-
parent score, Stravinsky is able to attain his artistic
objectives of continuity and clarity of design,

Since Stravinsky's use of the concertino group is
rather restricted, it seems best to discuss it in relation

13 Aside from using several solo

to the work as a whole.
instruments in purely chordal passages (e.g., the transition
section at 6:) in the first movement which juxtaposes
chords in five solo violas with chords in harmonics in the
same number of cellos), Stravinsky made rather specialized

use of his concertino.

. Example 46, , page 13.

junk

   

 

V I

54“ij 5"; i 7 ‘v
/A

 

7 ’_/
‘9‘“. F

Viola, Cello

 

13Stravinsky has experimented with a concertino
grouping in various works. In additionfito his two concertos
for chamber and string orchestra, a Concerto for Piano app
Wind Instruments, Capriccio for piano and orchestra, Ebony
Concerto, and parts of his Sypphony pp Four Movements all
make use of this device to a greater of lesser extent.

78
The concertino make-up varies, the most usual combination
consisting of two or three solo players, although several
passages are written for one solo instrument. The most
prominent group solo in the first movement is a fifteen-
measure lyric passage for violin, viola, and cello whidh
contrasts sharply with the bright staccato section pre-

ceding it.

Example 47, 1 measure after (:9 , page 7.

J... J.

 

 

      

1""‘2.

Solo Violin I, Solo Viola, Solo Cello

The Arioso contains only two short passages, both of
which contain bridge material preceding a very emphatic
VaI cadence in‘the lower strings. The first of these
results in the echo effect, which was a favorite device of

the Baroque concerto grosso.

79

Example 48, 2 measures before , page 19.

0:0 MONO M9530

50/9

    

Strings

The only example of the use of a single solo instrument
occurs at the beginning of the Rondo where the legato cello

solo doubles a staccato Violin I theme.

Example 49, 3 measures after , page 24.

7

”Hf 3R4: 7050

5

 

na‘

Violin I, Solo Cello

80
A viola solo is prominent at the introduction and con-

clusion of the first movement.

Example 50a, 1 measure before <:>, page 1.,

a —.. - "V -'

. 3,1'66.

    

Viola

Example 50b, @ , page 16.

JO '1. ‘0‘” Made.

 
  

 

 
 

{

 
   

”f7

. ~HI")

Viola

The slow movement contains no solos as such, and much of the
important material is given to the first violin and cello’
sections.

Stravinsky's use of melody is for the most part
quite fragmentary: his meters have a tendency to change
constantly (although the last movement uses 4/4 through-
out): and his harmonies are usually piquant dissonances or
less often, satirically-used consonances. His indicated
tonality serves as a point of departure for many varied and
abrupt modulations. ‘

There is a logical continuity in Stravinsky's

writing: yet, it is difficult to outline its over-all

81
structure. The conception of form as a series of blocks
all more or less inter-related through a consistent use of
rhythmic and melodic motives has been described by William

Brandt as an "additive“ construction.

The first movement[:of the Symphong pp Three Move-
mentsg'contains no thematic development, but rather
a kin of "additive" construction which regards
music as consisting of clearly defined blocks which
are given unity and coherence by the continuity of
steadily and logically evolving organic force . . . .
this is the SOphisticated outcome of the primitive
repetitive quality of the Russian composers - the
preference for repetition and addition of material
rather than the develOpment of themes.

 

An example of this construction occurs in the first move-

/
ment of the Concerto pp_3p.

Example 51a, <:>, page 2.

 

Violin I

 

14William E. Brandt, The Way 2; Music (Boston:
Allyn & Bacon, 1963), p. 527.

82
Example 51b, (:> , page 8.

a J"? 3 ’
M 125074 /‘I

   
 
 
 
   

 

 
    

-‘J0/cc Cami-f.
'7 u 5:? /"’=~* .— .J'“

Violin I

The first block contains two complete statements of the theme.
Elsewhere portions of it are inverted, used in sequence, and
developed in various contrapuntal ways.

A spiccato viola motive is also woven into the fabric,
although it often degenerates into an accompaniment figure
(Ex. 44a).7 Just prior to the first Moderato appears the con-
certino solo for three strings, which has been shown in
Example 41. Several interpolations of the chromatic figure
intthe original theme serve to_relate this section to the whole.

The B section is mainly of harmonic significance: it"
is melodically quite fragmentary and for the most part
rhythmically uncertain (Ex. 45b). The recapitulation, at

the Con moto, is vague and rhythmically varied.

Example 52, Con moto, page 11.

 

' 4’ ' 1 '. . I
.5“ ‘ _ ‘F ' sf? ‘”
Vidlin I ’

83
It is only after an extended bridge passage at that
the original theme (beginning at ). appears in its
entirety. This disintegrates rapidly into a nine-measure

Moderato, which contains a variation on the main theme.

Example 53, Moderato, page 16.

MOJc 114.7:

M"3

M J M

       

   

Violin I

This variation leads into a return of the Eggpg’;|at (:> .
Only the viola (Ex. 44b) and the last section of the

main theme are utilized here, however, and the movement
ends indecisively with harmonics in the cellos and divisi

basses, as shown below.

Example 54, 1 measure after , page 17.

ran

  

Solo

    
 
  

  
    

r

0/. 1 not, file].

7

 
 

 
  

  
 

F

Solo (Ti-’1 ‘41P

 

Cellos, Double Basses

84
Stravinsky's second movement, except for the blunt
V-I cadences signifying the end of the first and second
sections, might perhaps be called "Waltz in 4/4“ rather than
Arioso. In the several occurrences of the melody, the
accent of the measure falls in different places each
time, while at the end of each presentation of the melody

beats are also omitted.

Example 55a, 1 measure before (:9 , page 18.

 

I II I

 

Violin I

Example 55b, 1 measure before , page 19.

l l I
wp/I'M I

 

. i .
(“I/O Tiff-I. l/I'o/[N J— WA, ...

     
   
 
     

 

    
    
 

.3 ‘7 P
$471446. Jaw/6%
Violin I, Cello
Example 55c, 2 measures before. , page 20.
I l l l ,.7. I
Viol/Iv ISO/o V’s/I” “1%,. ‘

Via/a"

      

          

Violin I, Viola

\

7

' ‘F Megc,7 Pele/cc ‘0‘”7‘:
Even though the bass line and off-beat accompaniments are
in four, the character of the melody, the slurred leap

in a dotted rhythm, the pizzicato figure in the middle

 
 

85
strings, and the addition of a 3/4 measure now and then,
all give the impression of a waltz style. The dotted
rhythmic figure falls on the second beat in each example

of the melody after each has been re-barred in 3/4.

Example 56a, Andantino, page 18.

 

r
Ayah; Nfi'A/o r1

 
 
 

 

 

F\, V' ;_/

:@ O/O/c c e qmle.

 

 
 
  

 
 
  
 
 

P ’ ’ I ’ ' t ’ A Q ’
~9
Jo/ce, e5/04c55 Dfl’fi' /\

 

2: -r

i 411/. 4.x“;

 

P P’kzo

Violin I

Example 56b, @ , page 18.

 

I l

l

/"

I/‘\’/T’/‘:\\____~

      
 

Violin I

86

Example 56c, 1 measure after , page 20.
1 I I 'T
'b’t==e

.—

 

A

   

Al

     
   

. f Jo/ce
Violin I

Example 56d, 1 measure after 68 , page 21.

l I l l T

     
   

I

       

F Jo/CQ can/t '
Violin I

Formally the second movement falls into an ABA
pattern. The third section (beginning at one measure
after ) presents a condensed version of the first
section. The B section (one measure after ) starts
in the same manner but develops some comparatively new

chromatic material.

Example 57, , page 20.

    

Violin I, Violin II

87

ri-

The firs section also contains some development of the
theme. In this version the notes are the same as at the
opening but expanded by an octave. The violin skips

down to the Bb an octave lower so that the cello is left
alone on the high Bb in a sort of hocket device, although

the aural effect is negligible.

Examxle 58, (:9 , page 18.

 

Violin I, Cello

The Rppgp of this concerto, an Allegro, is not
built of clear ritornello and episode sections, although
it can be broadly analyzed as an ABACA structure. The
A section is characterized by a passage of repeated
sixteenth notes in the viola, and is made up of several
equally important motives as well as distinctive and

technically-difficult sixteenth-note figures.

88

Example 59a, 4 measures after (:9 , page 22.

n r. ”‘4'” 14’? Vic/e .
f 71" ft - fif‘"; ' "J- ”7 f ‘

I
fit _,

F/‘F 7: ‘5;

POGO

 
 
  

 

          
 

qf

M
50", F P060 5f

dag

 
   

v“

F

Violin I

Example 59b, 1 measure before , page 23.

42H: cau'f.

Violin I, Viola, Cello

The B section starts with a theme which seems

contemporary Russian in flavor.

Example 60, 3 measures after , page 24.

7L——\\\’

   

m5:

911 aziosa
Violin I

89

The cello doubles this melody in a legato style (see

DJ

'x. 42). A section follows in which the violins are

given the melody.

Example 61, 1 measure before , page 26.

’

A

b“ L ——\

    

   

W‘F Gauf. QJPRQu-‘s-

 

v

my): Cox/f. eS/sdejs.

Violin I, Violin II

A brief return of the A section occurs at two
measures before . The cello is given a melody con-
taining the characteristic sixteenth-note figures and

is joined by the viola in a duet.

Example 62, 1 measure after , page 28.

 
     
  

   

  
  

I I ' . '
csrflcs‘s ’”

awf

/—

Viola, Cello

90
Section C consists of duets between two violins,
and later, two violas, and corresponds to the solo episode

of the Baroque concerto grosso.

Example 63, , page 29.

4»?e$ffl“s-

    

._/../

7v . , ’ ,.
sf 7’ ’I’T‘F eszCv‘é.
Solo Violins I

A third recapitulation of the A section at
deveIOps into a free-for-all of sixteenth-note passages
for all the strings, and the movement is drawn to a

brilliant close.

CE‘RPTER I I I

S U MFA RY

CFnszTER II I

S UI'ZIQXRY

The concerto grosso, which flourished and became
one of the most important types of orchestral compositions

during the Baroque period, is an orchestral piece based

£1

pen the opportunities for contrast between two tonal

U’

odies of unequal size, the concertino and the ripieno.
Corelli, Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel form the group of
composers who developed the concerto grosso form and
raised it to its ultimate success.

Corelli selected a string trio with its own cembalo
for a concertino and generally used four or more move-
ments. Handel, greatly influenced by Corelli, was con-
servative in the solo sections and likewise used the multi-
movement form. Vivaldi established the three-movement
standard which Bach later used in his Brandenburg Concertos,
the most inSpired and complex concerti grossi of the Baroque
era. Characteristics usually associated with the con-
certo grosso technique, as used by these composers, are
the lack of virtuosity for its own sake, the use of

terraced dynamics, and the ritornello device.

92

93

The twentieth-century composer, searching for fresh
insights, returned to the past to merge the aesthetic
quality and the fundamental characteristics of the con-
certo grosso with the linear and vertical sonorities of
the modern period. Two major manifestations of the con-
certo grosso have been used by contemporary composers,
i.e., the alternation of predetermined concertino and
ripieno blocks, and the obbligato style with individual
instruments stepping out of the orchestra for brief solos.
In the Concerto Grosso Egg String Orchestra pigp 2&222
Obbligato by Bloch the piano is used as an obbligato instru-
ment although, because of its range, it virtually constitutes
a concertino group in itself. Holst, in his gpgg; Concerto
£25 {$332, ngg, 328 String Orchestra, 9p. 29, pg. g,
employs a string orchestra ripieno, with flute and oboe
Operating as obbligato solos. Stravinsky's Concerto pp
3g, with transparent texture and instrumentation, utilizes
the concerto grosso style by setting solo instruments with
and against_the rest of the orchestra. In the Capricorn
Concerto by Barber, the concertino is sometimes melodically,
rhythmically, and dynamically very important, and at other
times simply a part of the accompanying fabric.

The composers of the seventeenth century who
developed the concerto grosso technique, perhaps did not
visualize the extent to which it would be used in the

future. However, later realizations of this technique,

94
such as those found in the four representative works
discussed here, illustrate its high degree of adaptability

to the styles of different periods and individuals.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX

Discography

Barber, Samuel

Capricorn Concerto

 

Hanson, Eastman Or. + Medea
Mer. 50224, 90224.

Bloch, Ernest
Concerto Grosso No. for Strings and Piano

Hanson, Eastman-Rochester Sym. + Con. Grosso 2.
Mer. 50223, 90223.

Kubelik, Chi. Sym. + Gould
Mer. 14034, 18034.
Stravinsky, Igor
Concerto pp 33’

Davis, English Ch. Orch. + Danses: “Dumbarton“,
Oiseau 50219, 60050.

De Stoutz, Zurich Ch. Orch. + “Dumbarton”,
Bartok: Divert.
Van. 1086, 2112.

Page, Boston Orch. Soc. + Bach: Brandenburg 3:
Suite: Villa-Lobas: Bachianos 5
Cook 1062, 1062.

96

BIBLIOGRAPHY

'TWENTIETH CENTURY USE OF THE CONCERTO GROSSO TECHNIQUE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
General Reference Works

Adler, Guido (ed.). Denkmaler der Tonkunst pp Osterreich.
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Apel, Willi. Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, Mass.:
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Baker, Theodore. Baker's Biqgraphical Dictionary'pg
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Buck, P. C. (ed.). Oxford History pf Music. Second
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1938.

Darrel, Robert D. Schirmer' s Guide to Books on Music and
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Grove, George. Grove' 3 Dictionaryo of Music and Musicians.
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Heyer, Anna Harriett. Historical Sets, Collected Editions,
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New Ybrk: American Library Association, 1957.

 

 

Scholes, Percy Alfred. The Oxford Companion §g_Music.
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Slonimsky, Nicolas. Music Since 1900. Third edition.
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Thompson, Oscar. Thompson' 3 International Cyclopedia of
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98

99

Young, Percy M. Biographical Dictionary 2: Composers.
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Brandt, William E. The 9m ay of Music. Boston, Mass:
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Bukofzer, Manfred F. Music in the Baroque Era. New
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Burney, Charles. A General History of Music. Edited
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& Brace: 1935.

. 25. Burney's Musical Tours pp EurOpe. Edited
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Carse, Adam. Musical Wind Instruments: AHistory of the
Wind Instruments. New York: Macmillan, 1939.

 

. The Histopy p: Orchestration. New York: Kegan
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Chrysander, Frederick. G. F. Handel. 3 vols. Leipzig:
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Culshaw, John. The Concerto. Edited by G. Frankenstein
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Press, 1949.

 

Dallin, Leon. Technigpes pg Twentieth Centupy Composition.
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Dart, Thurston. The Interpretation of Music. London:
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David, Hans T. and Arthur Mendel. The Bach Reader. New
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Davidson, Archibald. Bach and Handel. Cambridge, Mass.:
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Demuth, Norman. Musical Forms and Textures. London:
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100

Deutsch, Otto. Handel: A Documentary Biography. New
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Dickinson, Alan. Bach's Fugal Works. London: Pitman,
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Dolmetsch, Arno1d. The Inte_pretation of the Music of the
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Emery, Frederic. The Violin Concerto. Chicago: The
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Gannett, Kent. Bach's Harmonic Progressions. New York:
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101

Geiringer, Karl. Musical Instruments. Translated from
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Glyn, iargaret. Theorv 9; Musical Evolution. London:
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Goss, Made line. Modern Music-Makers: Contemporary American
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Green, Douglass. Form in Tonal Music. New York: Holt,
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Grout, Donald Jay. é History 9£_Western Music. New‘York:
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B’ansen, Peter. An Introduction to 20th Century Music.
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Hill, Ralph. The Concerto. London: Penguin Books, 1952.

Howard, John Tasker. Our American Music. Third edition.
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Lang, Paul Henry. Music in Western Civilization. New
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Leichtentritt, Hugo. Musical Form. Translated and
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. Music, History, and Ideas. Cambridge, Mass.:
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Lucas, Clarence. The Story 9: Musical Form. Edited
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Machlis, Joseph. Introduction Lo Contemporary Music.
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. The Enjoyment 9; Music. Revised edition.
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Macpherson, Stewart. Form i3 Music. New York:
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Menke, W. Historv g: the Trumpet 2g Bach and Handel.
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Moore, Douglas. From Madrigal 32 Modern Music. New York:
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Morris, Reginald. The Structure 2: Music. London:
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Newman, William. The Sonata $2 the Baroque Era. Durham,
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Parry, Charles Hubert. Johann Sebastian Bach. New York:
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. The Music of the Seventeenth Centugy. London:
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Persichetti, Vincent. Twentieth Century Harmony. New
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PinchErle, Marc. Corelli, His Life, His Music.
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Sachs, Curt. Our Musical Heritage. Second edition.
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104
Veinus, Abraham. The Concerto. Garden City, N. Y.:
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Record Covers

Canby, Edward Tatnall. Barber's Capricorn Concerto,
92. 3;. Concerto Hall Society Limited Edition,
Release A4.

 

Dahl, Ingolf. Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks Concerto and
Card Party. Mercury Classics MG 10014.

 

Watts, Huntington. Beethoven's Triple Concerto $_ 9.
Columbia Masterworks Set M-MM-327.

Music

Barber, amuel. Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21. New York:

5
G. Schirmer, 1945.

Concerto Grosso. Boston, Mass.:
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Muffat, Georg. Concerti Grossi. Edited by Johannes
Wolf. In Denkmaler der Tonkunst in Oesterreich,
XI. Jahrgang 2. Teil. Vienna: Artaria, 1959.

 

I
Stravinsky, Igor. Concerto 3g 32. London: Boosey &
HaWkeS , 1947 o

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