J. S. BACH Jonathan Berkahn - Victoria University - Victoria ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

These critics were not necessarily stultified Beckmessers; their aesthetic was perfectly defensible and self-consistent, and against these comments we must set the far more numerous expressions of admiration and approval for this exciting young talent. The mid-eighteenth century had a very well thought out theory of musical aesthetics and communication. If seventeenth-century musicians thought in terms of rhetoric and affect, eighteenth-century musicians favoured clarity and naturalness. The pioneer here was Johann Mattheson (1681-1764), who developed his theories— prefiguring those of Jean Jacques Rousseau—as early as the 1730s. For Mattheson (or at least Mattheson the theorist), melody was everything: there are a thousand more reasons why the lower voice has to be governed by the higher melody, as the servant by the master, or the maid by her mistress. My advice has been given above . . . on initially completely omitting the accompanying bass if one wants to do an exercise on this; since I well know how one generally is very eager to give it something to do and thereby sometimes neglects that which is more essential. Besides, what does the bass have to do with melody? it pertains to harmony. One must not mix these two things that way. 68 In other words, Mattheson presupposed an absolute functional polarisation between melody and bass. The four characteristics Mattheson required of melody were that it be facile, clear, flowing, and charming; and he drew up a list of rules for each. The rules for ‘facility’ give a fair account of his aesthetic approach: 1. There must be something in all melodies with which almost everyone is familiar 2. Everything of a forced, far-fetched, and difficult nature must be avoided. 3. One must follow nature for the most part, practice to some degree. 4. One should avoid great artifice, or hide it well. 68 Mattheson, Der vollkommene Capellmeister, tr. E. C. Harriss (Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1981), p.311 [Pt.II, ch.5:48]. 342
5. In this the French are more to be imitated than the Italians. 6. Melody must have certain [vocal] limits which everyone can obtain. 7. Brevity is to be preferred to prolixity. 69 On the whole this is a good summary of the galant aesthetic. One reason for these principles was that a piece of music had to make its impression on the first performance, because it was unlikely to get another chance. This explains the massive redundancy of Haydn and Mozart’s structures, the clarity of their texture, and the conventional nature of much of their material. Both Haydn and Mozart had a remarkable instinct for the extent to which they could momentarily obscure this clarity without seriously endangering the connection with their audience. Although the Classical style of the 1790s was a vastly enriched idiom compared to that of mid- century, Haydn and Mozart could mostly be said to have upheld Mattheson’s principles; at least in spirit. Beethoven, by contrast, was a musician who from the first sought out obscurity and difficulty for its own sake—nor was he one to take much notice of journalistic criticism. It is quite clear that he never saw himself as anything other than a great composer—a view soon shared by many of his contemporaries. 70 The peak of his fame and celebrity came during what we now call his ‘second period’. Romantic attitudes to the arts had begun to percolate through all levels of society and the extrovert, grandiose, emotionally frank music Beethoven was writing at this time quickly achieved the popularity it has never really lost since. A group of powerful critics including Rochlitz, Hoffmann, and Marx wrote influential articles in his praise. How 69 Mattheson, Vollkommene Capellmeister, p.426 [Pt.II, ch.12:37]. 70 As early as 1798 Beethoven expressed the desire that a publisher might grant him an income for life, in return for the right to publish all he wrote, an arrangement he believed Goethe and Handel benefitted from late in their careers. When a guest of Prince Lobkowitz showed amusement at his presumption, Lobkowitz attempted to smooth the waters, and Beethoven responded hotly: ‘with men who will not believe and trust in me because I am as yet unknown to universal fame, I cannot hold intercourse!’ (Thayer-Forbes, Beethoven, p.241). Something very like this arrangement became a reality with the agreement he signed in 1809 with Archduke Rudolph and the Princes Lobkowitz and Kinsky. 343
Page 1 and 2:
WRESTLING WITH THE GERMAN DEVIL: FI
Page 3 and 4:
ABSTRACT ‘After’ can be taken b
Page 5 and 6:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many peo
Page 7 and 8:
INTRODUCTION ‘Every hearer enjoys
Page 9 and 10:
esponse was: ‘the fugue is no lon
Page 11 and 12:
instrumental fugues of Joseph Haydn
Page 13 and 14:
world of their own. The study concl
Page 15 and 16:
facts and the ‘soft technology’
Page 17 and 18:
DEFINING FUGUE But what are they? W
Page 19 and 20:
elow). For how many voices or parts
Page 21 and 22:
indeed a complete counter-expositio
Page 23 and 24:
on two pitches throughout, tonic an
Page 25 and 26:
already become the historicising na
Page 27 and 28:
Catholic tradition, but Albrechtsbe
Page 29 and 30:
the texture as a whole coincides in
Page 31 and 32:
kind experimentalism of Samuel Wesl
Page 33 and 34:
The clearest sign of things to come
Page 35 and 36:
Perhaps a clue can be found in the
Page 37 and 38:
CHAPTER 1 THE CIRCLE OF J. S. BACH
Page 39 and 40:
FINE DISTINCTIONS (1): MISATTRIBUTE
Page 41 and 42:
sounding object, nothing has change
Page 43 and 44:
Mendelssohn, Schumann, Spitta, Wido
Page 45 and 46:
pieces are known from a single copy
Page 47 and 48:
very good; and the ends of both mov
Page 49 and 50:
ever, could have written it?’ 23
Page 51 and 52:
incorrectly prepared suspended four
Page 53 and 54:
has a number of doubtful features.
Page 55 and 56:
einforces them. Its texture is impo
Page 57 and 58:
of thinking over long spans.’ 44
Page 59 and 60:
W. F. Bach and Krebs have always en
Page 61 and 62:
the equitable distribution of his e
Page 63 and 64:
slender volumes, including many pie
Page 65 and 66:
In style (there is no particular th
Page 67 and 68:
and it is the least comfortable bit
Page 69 and 70:
voices inverted, and serve the purp
Page 71 and 72:
each line in a polyphonic texture a
Page 73 and 74:
If its general type is old, however
Page 75 and 76:
thematic material. The subject coul
Page 77 and 78:
Karl Geiringer makes an almost emba
Page 79 and 80:
prolix F minor fugue, the expressiv
Page 81 and 82:
Kittel, and Krebs himself. 76 Inevi
Page 83 and 84:
[that] a keyboard composer can and
Page 85:
Ex.1.12b shows the start of a fugue
Page 88:
Egypt) did not prevent him from bei
Page 92 and 93:
The very slow harmonic rhythm, howe
Page 94 and 95:
If not inimitably characteristic, t
Page 96 and 97:
As we saw in the first part of this
Page 98 and 99:
subject is also expansive; it too c
Page 100 and 101:
to expand and elaborate the surface
Page 102 and 103:
The significance of this sort of st
Page 104 and 105:
By the time the halfway point is re
Page 106 and 107:
‘originality’—of historical p
Page 108 and 109:
to follow in his father’s footste
Page 110 and 111:
CHAPTER 2 J. S. BACH IN LONDON: CON
Page 112 and 113:
of the mark. 4 Handel’s influence
Page 114 and 115:
that would perpetuate his oratorios
Page 116 and 117:
—also remained strongly Handelian
Page 118 and 119:
118
Page 120 and 121:
in the Overture to Alcina (1735). A
Page 122 and 123:
Root-movement is quite unpredictabl
Page 124 and 125:
124
Page 126 and 127:
Superficially they have much in com
Page 128 and 129:
situations; but his influence outla
Page 130 and 131:
130
Page 132 and 133:
ounded too closely by early Methodi
Page 134 and 135:
At first the real focus of attentio
Page 136 and 137:
surprisingly grammatical, confirmin
Page 138 and 139:
138
Page 140 and 141:
the subject (where again he seems n
Page 142 and 143:
in Bath) recommended that Charles
Page 144 and 145:
have, to a head-injury sustained in
Page 146 and 147:
146
Page 148 and 149:
The ending is rather curious: he re
Page 150 and 151:
hectic week, he could choose betwee
Page 152 and 153:
152
Page 154 and 155:
even have had an informal agreement
Page 156 and 157:
Unlike Handel, however, there no tu
Page 158 and 159:
Throughout the nineteenth century t
Page 160 and 161:
Here, however (especially once the
Page 162 and 163:
162
Page 164 and 165:
published separately over the next
Page 166 and 167:
166
Page 168 and 169:
Likewise does the fugue subject of
Page 170 and 171:
A little more Bach can be seen, per
Page 172 and 173:
attitudes were representative, or e
Page 174 and 175:
consciously parodying his Methodist
Page 176 and 177:
his nature to be exclusive about an
Page 178 and 179:
elieve) in German, the compleatly w
Page 180 and 181:
no other way one could hear operas,
Page 182 and 183:
a stretto treatment (at one minim
Page 184 and 185:
have had a rich Treat in chewing th
Page 186 and 187:
admirable Musick might be played in
Page 188 and 189:
At this point one might have expect
Page 190 and 191:
This is soon accompanied by quaver
Page 192 and 193:
The C minor entry in b.50 destabili
Page 194 and 195:
WESLEY’S LAST YEARS During this p
Page 196 and 197:
Wilhelm Friedemann (see chapter 1).
Page 198 and 199:
describes it well: ‘The concertan
Page 200 and 201:
with sixteen-part orchestra’ (Car
Page 202 and 203:
would be of interest to a budding c
Page 204 and 205:
wrestling with the problem of integ
Page 206 and 207:
Clearly, Haydn is letting fugal thi
Page 208 and 209:
By contrast, the fugue which closes
Page 210 and 211:
unknown in any other Haydn fugue (a
Page 212 and 213:
around b.54, homophonic quaver figu
Page 214 and 215:
very little to it, which is of cour
Page 216 and 217:
When Haydn wrote string quartets, t
Page 218 and 219:
place, socially and musically; and
Page 220 and 221:
of the minuet, both here and in man
Page 222 and 223:
The distinction that Kirkendale dre
Page 224 and 225:
variety of keys as well: not just I
Page 226 and 227:
detail. As far as the tastes of Pri
Page 228 and 229:
constructed in an entirely new mann
Page 230 and 231:
Note the extent to which Haydn’s
Page 232 and 233:
A clear example of this can be seen
Page 234 and 235:
Haydn would write only one more fug
Page 236 and 237:
At any rate, the effect of later ei
Page 238 and 239:
appears not wholly to satisfy Kirke
Page 240 and 241:
Junker and others were neither part
Page 242 and 243:
sentimental’ (c.1814?), Haydn’s
Page 244 and 245:
intensity of the debate? This is ho
Page 246 and 247:
is an almost perfect instrument for
Page 248 and 249:
CHAPTER 4 MOZART, FINISHED AND UNFI
Page 250 and 251:
as such—at times even creating th
Page 252 and 253:
thought and practice until very rec
Page 254 and 255:
sonata movement sets up certain exp
Page 256 and 257:
organ music: from the death of J. S
Page 258 and 259:
(to us) the direct influence of J.
Page 260 and 261:
and back without a sign that anythi
Page 262 and 263:
is not necessarily at variance with
Page 264 and 265:
conclusion is not perfectly in acco
Page 266 and 267:
there can be no doubt that Mozart,
Page 268 and 269:
to enclose your letter to me?’ 35
Page 270 and 271:
The Dean was in a state of great ex
Page 272 and 273:
‘passive’ voices; Ex.4.5 shows
Page 274 and 275:
274
Page 276 and 277:
276
Page 278 and 279:
against itself, augmented and inver
Page 280 and 281:
Andante also found favour, but part
Page 282 and 283:
enewed application to this task. Wh
Page 284 and 285:
for a child of twelve. The subject
Page 286 and 287:
These masses mark the two poles of
Page 288 and 289:
After this exposition the cadential
Page 290 and 291:
is a much less dramatic tale, of ca
Page 292 and 293: happened, on October 26 1783 at Ben
Page 294 and 295: the voices. There is a single expos
Page 296 and 297: ascending, descending (or both), st
Page 298 and 299: 298
Page 300 and 301: (apart from particella for wind and
Page 302 and 303: up to Mozart’s standard, the melo
Page 304 and 305: weight than Süssmayr’s say-so. B
Page 306 and 307: crisis [Lebenskrise] from which, in
Page 308 and 309: all, please few with counterpoint a
Page 310 and 311: of much that was excellent’. 3 In
Page 312 and 313: continually surpass his own creativ
Page 314 and 315: This ethical approach to music, so
Page 316 and 317: Like Mozart, Beethoven was a great
Page 318 and 319: There are a few reasonably complete
Page 320 and 321: It is, in part, a question of autho
Page 322 and 323: voice ‘Parthie’, an oboe concer
Page 324 and 325: although it is in a different key;
Page 326 and 327: which had such a similar subject (E
Page 328 and 329: 328
Page 330 and 331: his early life is there a single re
Page 332 and 333: ‘Metaphorically, Beethoven was al
Page 334 and 335: On the other hand, whilst there is
Page 336 and 337: of a sort that has if anything tend
Page 338 and 339: To thus posit ‘lateness’ about
Page 340 and 341: historical development; 61 all thes
Page 344 and 345: could anyone have expected that Bee
Page 346 and 347: hear it more often. Well, once more
Page 348 and 349: development came the flood of ‘mu
Page 350 and 351: Sometimes, it is just noise, in the
Page 352 and 353: At times, so eccentric are his text
Page 354 and 355: eighteenth century; and however muc
Page 356 and 357: Carpani; from the time he entered E
Page 358 and 359: His opp.1bis, 5, and 6, however, (p
Page 360 and 361: 360
Page 362 and 363: nineteenth century—the style of H
Page 364 and 365: 364
Page 366 and 367: movement. There is no danger of irr
Page 368 and 369: time, whereas the glory of many a B
Page 370 and 371: On the other hand, the tonal range
Page 372 and 373: It is with some surprise that we he
Page 374 and 375: A canon at the fourth below, ‘we
Page 376 and 377: Clementi. In this respect the issue
Page 378 and 379: turns out to be none other than our
Page 380 and 381: None of these, in any case, remotel
Page 382 and 383: traditional form.’ 125 Weber expr
Page 384 and 385: Arioso into the rest of the movemen
Page 386 and 387: eturned by b.248. On the other hand
Page 388 and 389: grise, it nevertheless exerts consi
Page 390 and 391: century fugal writing more satisfac
Page 392 and 393:
CONCLUSION ‘Like most other disci
Page 394 and 395:
from Fux to Haydn to Bruckner was n
Page 396 and 397:
were written for the organ. 7 While
Page 398 and 399:
prelude/fugue pair. Perhaps rather
Page 400 and 401:
practice is less concerned with the
Page 402 and 403:
Baroque, but did so subtly, without
Page 404 and 405:
periodicity and its fluctuating ton
Page 406 and 407:
eauty with ‘an excess of art.’
Page 408 and 409:
(op.35/1) is a model of textural co
Page 410 and 411:
410
Page 412 and 413:
inhospitable to fugue.’ 30 To the
Page 414 and 415:
W. F. Bach, Fugue in F minor BRA 88
Page 416 and 417:
Exx.2.11-13 S. Wesley, ‘4 Fugues
Page 418 and 419:
Chapter 4 Mozart, finished and unfi
Page 420 and 421:
ed. Joseph Joachim and Andreas Mose
Page 422 and 423:
BIBLIOGRAPHY [anon.] ‘The organ r
Page 424 and 425:
Beethoven, Ludwig van, The letters
Page 426 and 427:
Brown, Clive, ‘Perspectives on Be
Page 428 and 429:
______ Beethoven (Oxford: Oxford Un
Page 430 and 431:
zu Köln 1998, 315-321. ______ and
Page 432 and 433:
Fisk, Josiah, ‘Classical music an
Page 434 and 435:
______ ‘The “Grosse Fuge”: an
Page 436 and 437:
1967). Horowitz, Joseph, ‘Mozart
Page 438 and 439:
______ Fugue and fugato in Rococo a
Page 440 and 441:
und ihrer frühen Rezeption’, Arc
Page 442 and 443:
(1991). MacArdle, Donald W., ‘Bee
Page 444 and 445:
contrappunto sopra il canto fermo (
Page 446 and 447:
Nicolosi, Robert, T. S. Eliot and m
Page 448 and 449:
______ Double counterpoint and cano
Page 450 and 451:
Routh, Francis, Early English organ
Page 452 and 453:
Schwarz, John I. jr, ‘Samuel and
Page 454 and 455:
______ ‘Beethoven’s ninth symph
Page 456 and 457:
Record, 90 (1960), 163-74. ______
Page 458 and 459:
and Baroque’, Church, stage, and
Page 460 and 461:
Winter, Robert S., ‘Of realizatio
show all

J. S. BACH Jonathan Berkahn - Victoria University - Victoria ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?