Virtuosity and composer-performer collaboration in the viola works of Darius Milhaud and Paul Hindemith

<p>This thesis considers the position of Darius Milhaud’s Viola Concerto No. 1, op. 108 (1929–30), and Viola Concerto No. 2, op. 340 (1955), in the modern viola repertoire. Milhaud’s understanding of the viola as a solo virtuoso instrument is displayed particularly clearly in his two Concertos, which were specifically inspired by his relationships with two influential virtuoso violists of the twentieth century – Paul Hindemith and William Primrose. A further, related issue that is explored, is the direct and indirect impact of Paganini’s compositions on these two works. Milhaud’s virtuosic writing for the viola was strongly influenced by his friendships with these two musicians – Hindemith and Primrose – each of whom played a critical role in the emergence of a new breed of viola virtuosos during the course of the twentieth century. Milhaud’s friendship with the first of these men, Paul Hindemith, produced not one, but two important pieces of the virtuoso viola repertoire: Milhaud’s first Viola Concerto and Hindemith’s Konzertmusik. Aspects of the cross-­‐influence between composers and virtuoso performers are addressed here through a comparison of the technical and musical elements, as well as the structure of these two works. Another prominent violist of the twentieth century, William Primrose, who was nicknamed the ‘Paganini of the Viola’, commissioned Milhaud’s second Viola Concerto. Primrose’s desire for new concert repertoire for his instrument, together with his unequalled technical prowess, both impressed and inspired Milhaud, who wrote the Viola Concerto No. 2 with Primrose's technical virtuosity in mind. Strikingly, however, unlike the first Concerto, this work has been largely neglected for almost fifty years. Significantly, both Milhaud’s viola concertos display very strong technical similarities with Paganini’s music written for the violin. Yet the position of Paganini’s music in the viola repertoire, and the value and importance of his compositions for this instrument, traditionally ignites arguments amongst performers, critics and listeners alike. This is a complex issue, which raises various questions such as the physical suitability of Paganini’s compositions for the original qualities of the viola, with its larger fingerboard, slower responding strings and heavier and shorter bow. In the present thesis this problem is addressed through a comparison of the technical elements used by Paganini in his writing for the viola (as exemplified in his Sonata per la Grand Viola) with techniques from his 24 Caprices, Milhaud’s viola concertos, a selection of Primrose’s transcriptions of Paganini’s works and Hindemith’s own compositions for viola. By examining Milhaud’s Viola Concerto No. 2 in relation to the evolution of the composer’s writing for viola, from his encounters with Paganini’s compositions to his collaboration with Hindemith, and, finally, to his engagement with Primrose, this thesis attempts to demonstrate that this work should be reintroduced to the contemporary virtuoso viola repertoire.</p>

Virtuosity and composer-performer collaboration in the viola works of Darius Milhaud and Paul Hindemith

<p>This thesis considers the position of Darius Milhaud’s Viola Concerto No. 1, op. 108 (1929–30), and Viola Concerto No. 2, op. 340 (1955), in the modern viola repertoire. Milhaud’s understanding of the viola as a solo virtuoso instrument is displayed particularly clearly in his two Concertos, which were specifically inspired by his relationships with two influential virtuoso violists of the twentieth century – Paul Hindemith and William Primrose. A further, related issue that is explored, is the direct and indirect impact of Paganini’s compositions on these two works. Milhaud’s virtuosic writing for the viola was strongly influenced by his friendships with these two musicians – Hindemith and Primrose – each of whom played a critical role in the emergence of a new breed of viola virtuosos during the course of the twentieth century. Milhaud’s friendship with the first of these men, Paul Hindemith, produced not one, but two important pieces of the virtuoso viola repertoire: Milhaud’s first Viola Concerto and Hindemith’s Konzertmusik. Aspects of the cross-­‐influence between composers and virtuoso performers are addressed here through a comparison of the technical and musical elements, as well as the structure of these two works. Another prominent violist of the twentieth century, William Primrose, who was nicknamed the ‘Paganini of the Viola’, commissioned Milhaud’s second Viola Concerto. Primrose’s desire for new concert repertoire for his instrument, together with his unequalled technical prowess, both impressed and inspired Milhaud, who wrote the Viola Concerto No. 2 with Primrose's technical virtuosity in mind. Strikingly, however, unlike the first Concerto, this work has been largely neglected for almost fifty years. Significantly, both Milhaud’s viola concertos display very strong technical similarities with Paganini’s music written for the violin. Yet the position of Paganini’s music in the viola repertoire, and the value and importance of his compositions for this instrument, traditionally ignites arguments amongst performers, critics and listeners alike. This is a complex issue, which raises various questions such as the physical suitability of Paganini’s compositions for the original qualities of the viola, with its larger fingerboard, slower responding strings and heavier and shorter bow. In the present thesis this problem is addressed through a comparison of the technical elements used by Paganini in his writing for the viola (as exemplified in his Sonata per la Grand Viola) with techniques from his 24 Caprices, Milhaud’s viola concertos, a selection of Primrose’s transcriptions of Paganini’s works and Hindemith’s own compositions for viola. By examining Milhaud’s Viola Concerto No. 2 in relation to the evolution of the composer’s writing for viola, from his encounters with Paganini’s compositions to his collaboration with Hindemith, and, finally, to his engagement with Primrose, this thesis attempts to demonstrate that this work should be reintroduced to the contemporary virtuoso viola repertoire.</p>

Genre and style specifics of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by Paul Hindemith

Statement of the problem. The works of Paul Hindemith, one of the most outstanding composers of the twentieth century, is distinguished by its universality. P. Hindemith is known as the author of a large number of sonatas for various instruments, among which is Sonata for Double Bass and Piano. The genre and style specificity of P. Hindemith’s chamber sonatas cannot be considered in isolation from the peculiarities of the instruments chosen by the composer, the sound image of which contributed to the formation of certain specific genre features. Sonata for Double Bass and Piano, which became the culmination of the development of double bass music in the composer’s work, can be considered indicative in this respect. Analysis of recent research and publications. There is a great deal of research works devoted to P. Hindemit’s compositions, particularly chamber sonatas, as well as to the peculiarities of his style. One of the most fundamental works is the monograph by T. Levaya and O. Leontieva (1974), which deals with the works of the composer. Among other researchers who turned to the work of Hindemith, we should mention B. Asafev (1975), V. Polyakov (1987), T. Morgunova (2000), V. Batanov (2016). Despite the fact that the stylistic and genre principles of P. Hindemith’s work are outlined in detail in the works of domestic musicologists, most researchers have overlooked the Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith, which certainly deserves a detailed analytical understanding both in the context of the genre and in terms of the development of double bass performance. Main objective of the study. Today, Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by Paul Hindemith, the performance of which requires significant technical and artistic skill from double bass players, occupies an important place in the double bass repertoire, which is why this article is relevant. The purpose of the article is to determine the genre and style specifics of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith in order to further understand the development of solo and orchestral double bass means of expression and rapidly increase the repertoire for double bass in modern art. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the insufficient study of P.Hindemith’s double bass work in the context of Ukrainian double bass school. As a result of the structural-compositional and genre analysis it was possible to conclude about the uniqueness of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith as a vivid example of the composer’s search for non-standard means of expression, which lies in choosing the timbre of the solo instrument and the specifics of formative factors. The research methodology includes the following scientific methods: &#9679; historiographic approach (in the aspect of clarifying the data on the double bass compositions by P. Hindemith); &#9679; stylistic approach (in connection with the study of the composer’s work); &#9679; genre approach (which is necessary for referring to certain genres of P. Hindemith’s work); ек &#9679; structural and functional approach (which is used in analytical descriptions); &#9679; comparative, which is applied in connection with the study of different editions of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith. Results. In the course of the study, a detailed structural and compositional analysis of P. Hindemith’s Sonata for Double Bass and Piano was carried out, as well as a comparative analysis of two editions of this sonata. The filling of the classical sonata form with modern musical language, the appeal to the means of polyphonic music, the introduction of the genre features of the instrumental concerto, the traditional German song Lied and operatic intonations make this work a vivid example of neoclassicism in the repertoire of double bass players around the world. The varied palette of lines and the flexibility of the imaginative sphere of the Sonata generalize the long-term composer’s search for individual means of expression in contrabass music. Conclusions. The result of the evolutionary path traversed by the double bass from a modest instrument of a symphony orchestra to a brilliant solo instrument was Sonata for Double Bass and Piano – a vivid example of P. Hindemith’s chamber work, which embodied the features of the composer’s mature period. Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith poses difficult technical and artistic tasks for the performers, the solution of which must be associated not only with the use of all the skills and abilities of the musician, but also with a deep understanding of the internal structure and specifics of the compositional and dramatic solution of the author’s intention.

“Three Anecdotes for Radio”: The Fate of PauL Hindemith’s Forgotten Opus

В данной статье рассматривается малоизвестное произведение Пауля Хиндемита, изначально названное «Три анекдота для радио» («3 Anekdoten Fur Radio»). Автор подробно описывает обстоятельства создания опуса, дополняет их сведениями из биографии композитора, соотносит с историческими событиями. На основе рукописных и документальных материалов из архива Хиндемита, и особенно его переписки с издательством Шотт, освещаются факты, связанные с исполнениями и публикацией сочинения. Дополнительно приводятся сведения о запланированных и состоявшихся премьерах, об откликах в прессе и рецензиях влиятельных музыкальных критиков того времени. The subject oF this article is the little-known work oF Paul Hindemith, which is first called “Three Anecdotes For the Radio” (“3 Anekdoten Fur Radio”). The author describes in detail the circumstances oF his appearance, supplements them with inFormation From the biography oF the composer, correlates with historical events. On the basis oF handwritten and documentary materials From the Hindemith archives and especially his correspondence with the Schott Publishing House, unknown Facts are revealed related to the perFormance and publication oF the work. Additionally, inFormation is provided on the planned and held premieres, on press responses and reviews oF influential music critics oF that time.

The Émigré Walt Whitman: Songs of Mourning, 1943–1948

Musical settings of Walt Whitman’s poetry were ‘beyond the nation’ from the very beginning. The first of them was composed in 1880 by an Alsatian immigrant to the US, Frédéric Louis Ritter, and until around 1930 the majority of Whitman settings came from German and British composers. The majority of those settings, in turn, dealt with war and its aftermath in mourning. Whitman’s poetry of the American Civil War provided a template for grappling musically with later conflicts, from the Boer War to World War I to World War II. The years 1942 and 1948 saw major war-themed settings from four German and German-émigré composers: Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith in America, and Hans Werner Henze and Karl Amadeus Hartmann in Germany. A common thread among these pieces, exemplified most explicitly in Weill’s setting of ‘Come Up from the Fields, Father’, is the question of whether and how the act of transposed mourning can make the collective trauma of war ‘livable’ – in a sense of the term derived from T. W. Adorno and Judith Butler, for whom ‘livability’ is measured by the power of publicly avowed mourning to integrate trauma into the symbolic systems on which social life depends.

La construcción musical temporal interpersonal en la fila de orquesta

En este trabajo se estudia la construcción temporal de un fragmento musical en una situación espontánea de reinterpretación en fila de orquesta. Tres violistas de fila fueron convocadas para ensamblar en vivo un fragmento musical de 13 compases de la sección introductoria del 3er movimiento de “Mathis der Maler” de Paul Hindemith, en la que el orgánico de cuerdas interpreta al unísono y octava. Una vez completada la tarea, las ejecutantes resuelven rehacer espontáneamente el compás final correspondiente a la cadencia y cierre del fragmento. Se analizó la variabilidad horizontal y vertical de intervalos de tiempo entre ataques sonoros (ITEA) comparativamente entre la versión inicial y la reinterpretación de dicho final. El análisis de la interacción entre ejecutantes fue abordado en base a las nociones líder/seguidor. Los resultados muestran una elevada sincronización entre intérpretes. Las diferencias entre ITEA entre versiones evidencian una participación activa de las violistas para alcanzar un toque al unísono, independientemente de los roles asignados. Notoriamente, la variabilidad temporal entre intérpretes se redujo al mínimo a la vez que la sincronización aumentó en puntos de inflexión relativos a la estructura métrica de la música. El alineamiento detrás de la voz del guía convive con el anclaje métrico como forma organizativa de la ejecución. Como surge de las entrevistas, la construcción temporal unívoca en fila de orquesta sugiere una acción continua e interdependiente de microajustes y compensaciones momento a momento, de naturaleza adaptativa, incluyendo la conducta flexible, dinámica y colaborativa del guía, quien participa activamente del objetivo común.

The originality of neoclassic principles reflection in the Sonata for two pianos by Paul Hindemith

Background. The neoclassicism of the first decades of the 20th century turned to be a kind of opposition to atonalism, which captured many radical composers. The supposed “bilingualism” of neoclassicism opened wide perspectives for individual concepts realization, broadening the boundaries of new knowledge of the Baroque and early classicism. Instrumental sonata, including the Sonata for Two Pianos naturally entered the neoclassical trend mainstream in a number of others, non-symphonic classical and romantic genres, compensating for the rejection of effective dramaturgy by enhancing the contrast between the cycle’s parts, thus tending to Baroque cyclic compositions. For Paul Hindemith, whose name is always associated with this art movement, “communication” with musical past was not an instant hobby but something that determined the focus of his creative thought. Objectives. The article’s purpose is to reveal the peculiarity of neoclassic principles embodiment in the Sonata for Two Pianos by P. Hindemith, to consider its composition, semantic and structural units. Methods. The study’s methodology is based on historicism principle, which involves the study of artistic phenomena being connected with the established musical art experience, and a comprehensive approach that allows involving of different methods of music analysis. Results. Sonata for Two Pianos (1942) consists of five movements; each one has its name. P. Hindemith’s individual approach to the sonata genre is usually evaluated in terms of the artist’s refusal of traditional composition, changes in sonata form, which often includes dramatic function changing. This is due to the desire to make equal all the forms involved in the cycle, in particular the most important polyphonic ones. The movements’ names “The Bells”, “Allegro”, “Canon”, “Recitative”, “Fugue” reveal the suite’s features. “The Bells” opening the cycle show a wide range of musical associations: from French harpsichordists gravitating to sound expression to representatives of different national cultures of the 20th century. The textured thematic drawing of the part reveals another modus of play with tradition expressing itself in improvisational principle domination and Baroque fantasy revival. The Old English verse text preceding “Recitative” reminds of 16–17th century program compositions and shows connection with opera art. “Recitative” combines concise musical phrases typical for Baroque culture vocal genres and typical rhythm formulas that embody the freedom of language intonation and bring in improvisation and allusion on basso continuo. The reference to Baroque era polyphony is evidenced by “Canon” and “Fugue”. In the “Canon”, polyphonic interaction is reached by two piano parties and not by individual voices of the four-voice ensemble texture. The slow tempo Lento, the static movement of musical thought, where “step” pulsation is felt in 4/8 metrics, unusual for classic and romantic culture, the predominance of quiet sound implies tragic pathetic element in “Recitative”. These two parts, “Canon” and “Recitative”, constitute a complementary semantic pair as play modes of tragic imagery embodiment through Baroque era high style, its objective and subjective beginnings. Actually, sonata genre is represented only by the second part “Allegro” with its fast tempo, clarity of form, volitional character of the main theme, scherzo grace of the subsidiary theme, large coda. The composer maintains contrast method choosing his complex of expressive means for each exposition sections. The Sonata is finished by a grand three-theme fugue with metro-rhythmic design associated with the corresponding polyphonic music structures, and more, the initial fifth step corresponds to J. S. Bach’s “Fugue Art”. The first theme’s imperative character establishes the dramatic imagery as fundamental in Sonata’s artistic concept. Its intonational content is characterized by fourth and fifth interval structures, some of them are creating the frame of the whole cycle. The second theme is more melodic and contrasting. The bass register of the third theme in rhythmic augmentation, the wave-like pattern of its melodic line covering the range of the diminished octave, is perceived as embodying of the modern thinking tension, the “echo” of Baroque era aesthetic ideas. The artistic idea of the Sonata for Two Pianos by P. Hindemith is built on drama concentration, overcoming suite separation of the parts and reflecting the full life realities and the inviolability of Universe laws. Conclusions. Sonata for Two Pianos by P. Hindemith returns to its origins thanks to the 20th century artists’ interest to the Baroque culture, demonstrating irregular genre boundaries and the ability to maintain high polyphony means, unregulated cycle and synthesis of several compositional principles within one work. The neoclassical principles did not deprive the Sonata of being presented in that time’s social and spiritual events, and allowed it to generalize modern world conflicts with the help of established semantic and compositional units. Thus, P. Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos preserves its own approach to musical experience and possibilities of ensemble technique distinguished in almost full absence of performing competition idea, dialogism in its traditional reflection while retaining the parties’ equality.

МЕТАМОРФОЗИ ОБРАЗУ ТУРАНДОТ У СИМФОНІЧНОМУ СКЕРЦО ПАУЛЯ ГІНДЕМІТА

Порушується питання втілення образу Турандот у жанрах симфонічної музики, зокрема, у «Метаморфозах» П. Гіндеміта. Докладний структурно-семантичний аналіз дозволяє визначити рівень кореспонденції з темами К.-М. Вебера, які лягли в основу твору Гіндеміта як вияв неокласичних тенденцій, а також прослідкувати музичні маркери, застосовані композитором щодо цього образу, відтвореного засобами сучасної музики в іронічно-пародійному плані. Контекстуальне поле прочитань образу китайської принцеси у музиці ХХ століття збагачується за рахунок «Турандот» П. Гіндеміта симфонічною та балетною версіями, рівночасно демонструючи специфічний аспект орієнтальної тематики.Ключові слова: Турандот, орієнталізм, Пауль Гіндеміт, Скерцо, Метаморфози, пародія, балетні втілення, імагологія, імагосемантика. The aim of this paper is to determine the peculiarities of reading Turandot's image by Paul Hindemith in «Metamorphoses» for symphony orchestra. The methodology of the research is based on the application of the structural-semantic analysis of Scherzo's «Turandot» by P. Hindemit, which is considered using the principles of imagological research in the contextual field of reading the image of a Chinese princess in musical art.Results. In P. Scerzo's P. Hindemith, Turandot's brazen takes on a new meaning: in response to contemporary to the composer political and social conditions through the prism of parody, and extends the boundaries of traditional «Chinese», which is characterized by a vibrant jazz component and a neoclassical dimension, transporting the idea of a Chinese princess through reading an early romantic overture by K. M. von Weber from music to F. Schiller's drama «Turandot». Such specific «polystylistics» in the embodiment of this theme by expanding the intercontinental sound space reveals globalist tendencies and perpetuates humanistic ideals in a kind of grotesque form. The imagosemantics of Turandot's image in P. Hindnmith also contains stable musical markers (toy-puppet theme as a fairy-tale imaginary princess, chromatic-tortuous theme as an imago femme fatale, state imago – fanfare motif as a symbol of imperial-empathetic, motif drums in the spirit of «Chinozerii»). However, a parody-ironic approach to the solution of the image, the genre of eccentric, overflowing with total shock exaltation and warlike scherzo, in which the composer etymologically rethinks the serious challenges of the plot and the image of the heroine itself (the metamorphosis of the delicate «air China» theme into a distorted chromatized dissonance-false fanfare) – appears for the first time. Turandot in the music of the second half of the twentieth century will act more as a representative of totalitarian political structures, nominally representing ChineseOrientalism of the postmodernist type.Novelty. For the first time in national musicology, Turandot's embodiment in the music of the twentieth century was demonstrated, in particular, in the Scherzo of P. Hindemith's Metamorphosis for symphony orchestra, and the features of reading this image in the dimension of oriental imagosemantics were determined.The practical significance. In this article, Ukrainian and foreign musicologists may find information useful for exploring Turandot's image in twentieth-century music, particularly in Paul Hindemith's work in symphonic and ballet incarnations.Key words: Turandot, Orientalism, Paul Hindemith, Scherzo, Metamorphoses, Рarody, Ballet Еmbodiments, Imagology, Іmagosemantics.