Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Considered as one of the greatest composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach was born on a large family of north German musicians. Bach was admired by his contemporaries as an outstanding harpsichordist and organist. Bach’s contributions for the development of the history of music are unquantifiable.
Born into a musical family, Bach received his earliest instruction from his father. After his father's death in 1695, Bach moved to Ohrdruf, where he lived and studied organ with his older brother Johann Christoph. He also received an education at schools in Eisenach, Ohrdruf, and Lüneburg. Bach's first permanent positions were as organist in Arnstadt (1703-1707) and Mühlhausen (1707-1708). During these years, he performed, composed taught, and developed an interest in organ building. From 1708-1717 he was employed by Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar, first as court organist, and after 1714, as concertmaster. During this period, he composed many of his best organ compositions; in his capacity as concertmaster, he was also expected to produce a cantata each month. In Weimar, Bach's style was influenced by his study of numerous Italian compositions (especially Vivaldi concertos).
Bach's next position, as Music Director for the Prince Leopold of Cüthen (1717-1723), involved entirely different activities. Since the court chapel was Calvinist, there was no need for church compositions; Bach probably used the Cüthen organs only for teaching and practice. His new works were primarily for instrumental solo or ensemble, to be used as court entertainment or for instruction. Among the important compositions at Cüthen were the Brandenburg Concertos, the first volume of Das wohltemperirte Clavier (The Well-Tempered Clavier), the "French" and "English" Suites for harpsichord (although the "English" Suites may be from the Weimar period), and most of the sonatas and suites for other instruments. Bach also composed a few cantatas for special occasions (birthdays and New Year’s).
In 1723, Bach was appointed cantor at the St. Thomas Church and School, and Director of Music for Leipzig, positions which he retained for the rest of his career. His official duties included the responsibility of overseeing the music in the four principal churches of the city, and organizing other musical events sponsored by the municipal council. For these performances, he used pupils from the St. Thomas School, the city's professional musicians, and university students. Bach divided his singers into four choirs (one for each of the four main churches); he personally conducted the first choir, which sang on alternate Sundays at St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. His usual performing group consisted of around sixteen singers and eighteen instrumentalists, although these numbers could be augmented for special occasions. During his first six years in Leipzig (1723-1729), Bach's most impressive compositions were his sacred cantatas (four yearly cycles), and the St. John and St. Matthew Passions. Bach apparently gave virtuoso organ recitals in Leipzig and on various tours, although he had no official position as organist in Leipzig.
After 1729 Bach no longer concentrated so completely on composing sacred vocal music. For services, he re-used his own substantial repertory of cantatas, and turned increasingly to the music of his contemporaries. In 1729-1737 and 1739-1741, he was director of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum, an organization which had been founded by Telemann in 1704. This group of professional musicians and university students performed weekly concerts (out-of-doors in the summer, and at Zimmerman's coffee-house in the winter). Although no specific programs for these concerts have survived, Bach apparently revived and many of his instrumental compositions from Cüthen, wrote new works (e.g., secular cantatas), and conducted pieces by other composers. During the 1730s, Bach renewed his interest in keyboard compositions, and prepared the first three volumes of his Clavier-Übung (Keyboard Practice) for publication (1731, 1735, 1739); the fourth volume appeared in 1741-1742. In the 1730s, he also showed considerable interest in the royal court at Dresden and was named "Hofkomponist" (court-composer") in Dresden in 1736.
During Bach's last decade (the 1740s), he completed or revised several large-scale projects which he had started earlier. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Vol. II; a manuscript collection of chorale preludes (known as the "Leipzig 18", comprising revisions of Weimar pieces), and the B minor Mass. Other new works showed an increased interest in fugal and canonic writing: Musikalische Opfer (Musical Offering); the canonic variations for organ on "Vom Himmel hoch"; and Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue). In the 1740s, Bach made various journeys, most notably to the court of Frederick the Great in 1747. He continued a lively interest in the building of organs and kept informed about the latest developments in the construction of harpsichords and pianofortes.
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Orchestral Suite in D Major BWV 1068 (1729-1731)
Among the 4 orchestral suites written by Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the particularities is the immense popularity of 2 movements the Air from Suite No. 3, and the Badinerie from the Suite No. 2. They are often heard in different contexts such as movies, weddings or even ring tones in our modern phones. However, the importance of these movements as part of the entire work, presents a different perception to the listener, understanding the concept of the suite.
The Overture (as it was called by the time) or Suite (as it was rebaptized later) can be considered the baroque predecessor of the Symphony as a musical form. The term overture evolved to suite, because overture encompassed the title of the first movement, while the term suite was more suitable for a multimovement work.
The Suite No. 3 in D major was composed ca. 1730, although there is no manuscript of the work, the most accepted editions are based on a volume of orchestral parts currently preserved in the Staatsbibliothek Preussisher Kulturbesibitz in Berlin. Following the standard layout of an orchestral suite (by the time) this Suite contains several movements: Overture, Air, Gavotte I & II, Bourrée, and Gigue. In brilliant use of the French-style overture, the opening of the piece is a grand exordium of the orchestral forces, with a big tutti, where the entire instrumentation is presented (3 trumpets, the timpani, the 2 oboes, and the strings). A slow and processional introduction of 24 bars, establishes the noble character of the piece; then, the mastering of the contrapuntus is developed in the body of the Allegro, which is constructed from the fugue as a compositional technique in the form of the concerto grosso (solo vs ripieno). A shortened reprise of the slow introduction is placed at the end of the movement, creating an overall form of slow-fast-slow (A-B-A’).
The second movement is the Air, which is one of the most popular pieces in the history of music. The long extended (and apparently simple) melody departs from the third of a D major chord accompanied by a simple bass line mostly in ascending or descending scales. One of the most interesting features of this movement is how Bach exchanges the octaves in the bass line, creating a walking bass in opposition to the long and steady melody. The Air is divided into two parts: The first one just with 6 bars where the melody is mostly performed by the 1st violins with occasional shared lines by the 2nd violins; and the second part, which is extended to 12 bars as a sort of development, the use of the voices become more complex due the use of complementary countermelodies creating a denser texture.
The Gavottes I & II have the general form of AABB each of them. However, Bach introduces a couple of musical jokes in these movements. The displacement of the natural accent in binary music: which consists of to have a stronger accent displaced to the weakest part of the bar. The second gavotte uses a cellular material where Bach quotes himself from the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 but keeps the accent displacement.
The Air, the Bourrée, and the Gigue shared the AABB form but a difference from the Gavottes, these movements also shared the proportion of the B sections of each movement, being the exact double or triple number of bars in comparison with the A section. Air (6-12), Bourrée (8-24) Gigue (24-48.)
The Bourrée is written in duplex meter, having a fast call and response between melody and accompaniment. This feature contributes directly to the sense of fast narrative in the movement. In a quasi-attacca, the Gigue starts with its dance-like duplex rhythm with a ternary division of the beat in 6/8.
Program Note by Régulo Stabilito
George Enescu (1881-1955)
Born in Romania, George Enescu was considered a child prodigy since he started composing at an early age. Admitted to the Vien Conservatory at the age of 7 from where he graduated at the age of 12. Later Enescu studied in the Conservatoire de Paris. Many of his works have the influence of Romanian folk music, among his orchestral works were three symphonies, two Romanian rhapsodies, and an overture on Romanian folk themes. National themes are also used in his opera Oedipe (1936). In his later years, he became the leader of the Romanian school of composers. He was also greatly respected as a violin teacher.
On 8 January 1923, he made his American debut as a conductor in a concert given by the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Carnegie in New York City and subsequently visited the United States many times. He also taught at the Mannes School of Music in 1948 having among his students legendary violinists such as Yehudi Menuhin, Christian Ferras, Arthur Grumiaux, Uto Ughi, and more. Enescu died on May 4, 1955, and was buried in Paris.
Prelude a l’unisson from the Suite No. 1, Op. 9 (1903)
The Prelude a l’unisson is the 1st movement of the Suite no. 1 in C for orchestra, it was premiered under the composer’s baton by the Bucharest Philharmonic Society on February 23, 1903. The opening movement is scored for strings and timpani, playing a unison melody. The arc of the movement seems rather simple; however, its complexity is developed through the increase of intensity in the narrative of the melody. Starting with in the low register with an accented articulation the first theme has the strongest character. A second theme appears with more cantabile character and longer extension, giving the sense of growing to the melody. Suddenly, a recapitulation of the initial statement arrives but the narrative becomes even more complex developing the material to a climatic event reinforced by the timpani entrance in a continuous roll for 44 bars. The initial tension achieves its climax dissolving in cantabile character and higher register.
Program Note by Régulo Stabilito
Caroline Shaw (b. 1982)
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Caroline Shaw is a musician who moves among roles, genres, and mediums, trying to imagine a world of sound that has never been heard before but has always existed. She works often in collaboration with others, as producer, composer, violinist, and vocalist. Caroline is the recipient of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, several Grammy awards, an honorary doctorate from Yale, and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. This year’s projects include the score to “Fleishman is in Trouble” (FX/Hulu), vocal work with Rosalía (MOTOMAMI), the score to Josephine Decker’s “The Sky Is Everywhere” (A24/Apple), music for the National Theatre’s production of “The Crucible” (dir. Lyndsey Turner), Justin Peck’s “Partita” with NY City Ballet, a new stage work “LIFE” (Gandini Juggling/Merce Cunningham Trust), the premiere of “Microfictions Vol. 3” for NY Philharmonic and Roomful of Teeth, a live orchestral score for Wu Tsang’s silent film “Moby Dick” co-composed with Andrew Yee, two albums on Nonesuch (“Evergreen” and “The Blue Hour”), the score for Helen Simoneau’s dance work “Delicate Power”, tours of Graveyards & Gardens (co-created immersive theatrical work with Vanessa Goodman), and tours with So Percussion featuring songs from “Let The Soil Play Its Simple Part” (Nonesuch), amid occasional chamber music appearances as violist (Chamber Music Society of Minnesota, La Jolla Music Society). Caroline has written over 100 works in the last decade, for Anne Sofie von Otter, Davóne Tines, Yo Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, LA Phil, Philharmonia Baroque, Seattle Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Aizuri Quartet, The Crossing, Dover Quartet, Calidore Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, Miro Quartet, I Giardini, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Ariadne Greif, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Britt Festival, and the Vail Dance Festival. She has contributed production to albums by Rosalía, Woodkid, and Nas. Her work as vocalist or composer has appeared in several films, tv series, and podcasts including The Humans, Bombshell, Yellowjackets, Maid, Dark, Beyonce’s Homecoming, Tár, Dolly Parton’s America, and More Perfect. Her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite smell is rosemary.
Entr’acte (2011, orch. 2014)
Entr’acte was written in 2011 after hearing the Brentano Quartet play Haydn’s Op. 77 No. 2 — with their spare and soulful shift to the D-flat major trio in the minuet. It is structured like a minuet and trio, riffing on that classical form but taking it a little further. I love the way some music (like the minuets of Op. 77) suddenly takes you to the other side of Alice’s looking glass, in a kind of absurd, subtle, technicolor transition.
Program Note by Caroline Shaw
Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)
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Biography for Jennifer Higdon
Jennifer Higdon is one of America’s most acclaimed figures in contemporary classical music, receiving the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, a 2010 Grammy for her Percussion Concerto, a 2018 Grammy for her Viola Concerto and, most recently, a 2020 Grammy for her Harp Concerto. Higdon’s first opera, Cold Mountain, won the International Opera Award for Best World Premiere and the opera recording was nominated for 2 Grammy awards. In 2018, Higdon received the prestigious Nemmers Prize from Northwestern University, awarded to contemporary classical composers of exceptional achievement who have significantly influenced the field of composition. Most recently, she was invited to become a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Higdon enjoys several hundred performances a year of her works and her works have been recorded on more than seventy CDs.
Dr. Higdon's music is published exclusively by Lawdon Press.
For more information, visit www.jenniferhigdon.com
The Light We Can Hear (2021)
“The Light We Can Hear” is the title of a flute concertino written by the Pulitzer winner Jennifer Higdon in 2021. The piece was a commission of The National Flute Association for the 50th Annual Convention and premiered in August 2022 by Valerie Coleman accompanied by the Chicago Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Slatkin.
The work is written in a continuous single movement which starts with a flute solo, as we can perceive the distant bright of a light, in this case represented by the soloist. The syncopated rhythm is used by Higdon as a musical reflection of the visual traveling of the light. Although it is practically impossible to see with the bare eye the travel of the light, Higdon translates into music that displacement in the melody and countermelody in several sections of the piece.
The work starts with a slow pace denoting distant travel, the melody’s narrative becomes faster gradually while the orchestration becomes denser. The second part arrives with a minimalist repetition of the notes from where the new fragmented melody emerges. During this section scales take the soloist part searching for the climatic section where those scales are fragmented and exchanged with a low-register melody performed by the orchestra.
A restatement of the opening gesture arrives, this time with more elaborated intervention by the orchestra, initially by the horn trio with the soloist, then in a continuation of the flute melody now in woodwind and violins. The use of the scales becomes almost frenetic preceding the return of the minimalist section. However, the melody this time is assigned to the entire string section. A brief memory of the initial theme is performed by the soloist, this time accompanied by harmonics and short rhythms by the vibraphone. This interlude serves as a quick transition to the energetic search to complete the fragmented scales. The goal is achieved just before the end of the piece with 2 chromatic scales, one descending and the last one ascending, assuring the triumphant and bright aspect of the reflection of the light, "The Light We Can Hear.”
Program Note by Régulo Stabilito
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Haydn holds a place in the history of music one of the most important figures in the development of the Classical style in music during the 18th century. He helped establish the forms and styles for the string quartet and the symphony.
Having initiated musical education from a cousin at the age of 5 his life changed decisively when he was eight years old. The musical director of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna had observed the boy on a visit to Hainburg and invited him to serve as chorister at the Austrian capital’s most important church. Haydn’s parents accepted the offer, and thus in 1740 Haydn moved to Vienna. Haydn participate of this important music influence until his voice change and was expelled from the choir.
After few years of Through the recommendation of Fürnberg, in 1758, being just 26 years old, Haydn was engaged as musical director and chamber composer for the Bohemian count Ferdinand Maximilian von Morzin. Haydn was put in charge of an orchestra of about 16 musicians, and for this ensemble he wrote his first symphony as well as numerous divertimenti for wind band or strings.
In 1766 Haydn became musical director at the Esterházy court. He raised the quality and increased the size of the prince’s musical ensembles by appointing many choice instrumentalists and singers. The Esterhazy’s were one of the wealthiest and most-influential families of the Austrian empire and boasted a distinguished record of supporting music. His employment by the Esterházy family proved decisive for his career, and he remained in their service until his death.
He frequently visited Vienna in the prince’s retinue, and on these visits a close friendship developed between himself and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The two composers felt inspired by each other’s work. Mozart declared that he had learned from Haydn how to write quartets and dedicated a superb set of six such works to his “beloved friend.” Haydn’s music, too, shows
Symphony in D minor Hob. 80 (1784)
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Symphony No. 80 was composed in 1784 while Haydn was still in service of the Eszterházy family; unfortunately, this symphony had the fate of being left to posterity with no nickname, and it was unlucky enough not to come from either its creator Sturm und Drang period or from his sets of Paris or London Symphonies.
The Symphony No. 80, along with the numbers 79 and 81 were intended for the international market; although they were performed initially by the court orchestra, Haydn not only sold them to his publishers in Paris, London, and Vienna but also distributed them in manuscript copies. An example of this can be found in the fact that Mozart programmed it at one of his concerts in Vienna in 1785, on the first half of a bill that also featured his cantata Davidde penitente, the first version of the Great Mass in C minor.
One of the exceptional characteristics of the piece is that it is written in a minor key, a factor that is rare in Haydn’s symphonies; in fact, out of his 104 symphonies, just 10 are written in a minor key.
Symphony No. 80 is scored for 1 flute, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns and strings. It starts with a dramatic gesture on the first theme proper from the Sturm und Drang. The use of sforzandos and the placement of the melody on the lower register instruments also contribute to the dramatic opening. The second theme presents a lighter character, it can resemble a lullaby for its simplicity over pizzicato accompaniment. The short development uses the exchange of characters and dynamics from both themes from the exposition with a clear predominance of the second theme. The recapitulation never arrives in its pure form, instead of the expected recapitulation, Haydn uses the opening gesture transformed and shortened as the end of the development, ending on the dominant and giving path to the second part of the exposition, this time presented in the D major key to end the movement.
The second movement marked Adagio is a gem where the simplicity of the melody of the first theme is contrasted by the intensity of the second theme and its arpeggiated accompaniment. As expected, the second movement is written in B-flat major, and its overall form is AABB.
The initial character of the symphony is somehow re-phrased in the Minuet, while the trio takes the arpeggiated accompaniment from the second movement’s second theme. The Finale arrives with ludic syncopated material that at at first glance can trick the listener. This syncopated material drives the entire movement. Written in a brilliant presto, the Finale triumphalist mood is perfectly portrayed in the use of the fast rhythms, short responses, and the use of the D major key.
The Symphony No. 80 is rarely performed; however, it shares the overall arc (traveling from D minor to D major) as one of the most important symphonies in the history of music: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which moves from the turbulent C minor to a triumphant C major.
Program Note by Régulo Stabilito