Four Centuries of Great Music March 5, 2023 Chamber Music That Must Be Programmed Episode 9

Chamber Music 9

Chamber music that needs to be programmed

Carl Nielsen:  Wind Quintet, Op. 43

Nielsen’s Wind Quintet  Op 43 was composed in 1921 and premiered in 1922 and combines aspects of neo-classicism and modernism.

The work consists of three movements: a) Allegro, b) Minuet and c) Prelude – Theme with Variations.  The first movement is in sonata form, the second is a minuet with a rustic quality and the third opens with a short praeludium followed by a set of variations.  The theme for these variations is the melody from one of Nielsen’s spiritual songs, which has here been made the basis of a set of variations, now merry and quirky, now elegiac and serious, ending with the theme in all its simplicity and very quietly expressed.”

The first movement marked Allegro ben moderato begins with a statement of the theme in the bassoon in E followed by a reply in the upper winds before being repeated by the horn in the key of A major, which is then followed by fragmentations of the theme. The second theme enters in D minor and is played first by the horn, followed by the oboe and bassoon, all the while being accompanied by triplet figures in the flute and clarinet. The development begins after a restatement of the first theme. The recapitulation begins in E major and the second theme is in B minor and is now harmonized in thirds with the horn and bassoon. The movement eventually ends in the key of E. Overall, the movement appears to be written in the key of E, the dominant of the following two movements which are predominantly in the key of A.

The second movement  the minuet is fairly neoclassical and scores the horn lightly, allowing the player to rest. The first theme is presented as a duet between the bassoon and clarinet, and similarly, the second theme is also presented as a duet between the flute and oboe. This material is fairly simple, and all instruments are present when the first theme recaps. The trio, played by the bassoon, oboe, and flute, is canonic and contrapuntal in nature, contrasting with the simpler first and second themes.

In the third movement, the Praeludium, the oboe is replaced by the cor anglais, English Horn,  providing a different tone colour to an already colourful work. This change is thought to have been inspired the cor anglais solo during a performance of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique that Nielsen conducted in Bremen at the time of the composition of this piece.  The variations are based on Nielsen's own chorale tune My Jesus, make my heart to love thee).  This movement is the most complex part of the piece and consist of the theme, 11 variations, and a final restatement of the theme


Jacques Ibert: Trios Pièces Brèves

French composer Jacques Ibert was one of the early 20th Century composers to rediscover the wind quintet as a form, though he composed only one.  Ibert was among the young composers who rejected the  excesses of the Romantic Era of music with its gargantuan orchestras and extremely long, pathos-driven music.   Ibert, one of “Les Six” of French composers looking for new musical expression, was for a time at the forefront of Neo-Classicism. In 1930 he turned to the Classical promise of the wind quintet, and from that was born one of his most cherished chamber works: Trois Pièces Brèves.

Ibert’s charming Quintet shows him at his colorful and inventive best. Ibert fashioned it so that its movements could be played in any order or independently, without any compromise to the work as a whole. He found the five-wind ensemble to be an opportunity to show boundless colors in simple combinations. He also delighted in writing works as sheer entertainment, which Trois Pièces Brèves provides brilliantly.

The rather puffed-up, and lovely, introductory fanfare of the first movement marked allegro becomes gently sarcastic when it devolves into a bird-call passage. More wittiness follows when the sprightly march-like theme evolves into a waltz. The march and waltz then battle for supremacy, and Ibert chooses the dance.

The second movement, marked andante,  is a surprise in color and beauty from only two instruments, the flute and clarinet, ending by adding a few more instruments to prepare for the jocular third movement.

In the finale, marked Assez lent, allegro scherzando,  Ibert again flexes his talent for sonority – all five instruments here combine for some wonderful colors and a whirlwind of whim and fun. A slightly drunken jig-like theme is punctuated with vocalistic roulades (a flurry of quick notes just before the next note in a melody), and hints of good old-fashioned 1930’s dance hall music. Trois Pièces Brèves is a delicious wonder.


Paul Hindemith: Quintet for Wind Instruments, Op. 24 No. 2

Paul Hindemith's very large catalog is liberally dotted with works featuring the winds. Notable among these are the sonatas with piano for, in chronological order of composition, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, horn, trumpet, English horn, trombone, and tuba. Before embarking on the sonatas, apparently thinking there was safety in numbers, he gathered five winds - flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon - for an adventurous quintet romp.

The quintet, with the title "small chamber music," appeared in 1922 as his Op. 24, No. 2

The dry, caustic timbre of the winds is matched perfectly to the lean materials of the neo-classic musical style.  This is music that, while invoking the outdoor wind divertimentos of the 18th century, sneers at the late 19th century's sonorous and emotional indulgences.

The very opening of the first movement, marked Playful, Moderately Fast, sets the thoughtful  tone that pervades the work. The main theme in clarinet is comprised of three motifs which are subjected to expansion, development, and repetition.  There is a pervasive ostinato underlying this movement.  A contrasting theme in oboe suggests a relaxation of tension, although the propulsive three-note rhythm of the opening supplies energetic locomotion to its incipient lyricism. After a repeat of the main theme (in oboe, with a buffoonish figure, not in bassoon, but clarinet), the bassoon recalls the lyric tune, and then the movement ends in a puff of whimsical, dissonance.

The second movement, marked waltz, dances a satiric waltz, whereas the third movement, marked Placid and Simple, has a dirge-like archaic character.

The fourth movement marked Rapid, is a brief interlude that is really just a bridge to the finale.  It exploits the repeated notes that Hindemith has seized upon with such relish in the preceding movements. Within its mere 23 measures, each of the instruments has a mini-cadenza, with the repeated note figures forming the connective tissue which links all of these mini-cadenzas.

The whirlwind last movement is coolly sophisticated, bracingly syncopated, and bristling with the  the by-now-familiar ostinatos and repeated notes.

August Klughardt:  Wind Quintet Op 79

Returning to the more romantic tradition, August Klughardt’s Wind Quintet  composed in 1898 and published in 1901 is one of his most timeless works. Inspired somewhat by the stylings of Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner and Robert Schumann, Klughardt’s music is conservative for the time, with his efforts going mostly into writing chamber music and symphonies. His Wind Quintet, in 4 movements encapsulates Klughardt’s classic style perfectly.
 
The first movement marked Allegro non troppo begins with a rich and sonorous slow introduction that introduces all of the voices of the quintet, but soon jumps into a playful character. The use of syncopated secondary themes add interest to the music as Klughardt’s masterful orchestrations shine through. The central tutti theme returns throughout the movement, bringing together the voices for a split second before the call and response structure returns. This movement has been described as having a set of interludes that takes us through the characters of each instrument in the quintet. Warm in style, the opening movement concludes with a delicate return of the opening theme.
 
The second movement, marked Allegro vivace, is a spritely scherzo that is full of fast and intricate movement. The peppy upper winds add delicate decorations to the strong theme from the horn and bassoon. Klughardt uses dotted rhythms throughout this movement to bring together the themes. Klughardt’s orchestration allows for each voice to be heard easily both alone and within the overall quintet sound. After a slow trio section that explores the minor tonality, Klughardt brings the music back to the spritely opening theme before concluding with a light theme.
 
The third movement, marked  Andante grazioso, is set as a stately minuet, which is sweet in character and is initially led by the flute and clarinet. The warm addition of the lower winds adds a support foundation for the melodic instruments to sit on. Rich textures and soaring melodies taking centre stage. Intricate voices intertwine to create a beautiful timbre that is utilised throughout. This movement ends quietly.
 
The finale, marked Adagio-Allegro molto vivace opens with an extended slow introduction which is very spacious in style, with long unaccompanied solo lines that showcase each instrument. As the ‘Allegro molto vivace’ opens up, the acceleration across a number of bars adds excitement to the music as the voices band together to big tutti flourishes. After a short recapitulation of the theme, the quintet concludes together, with the voices reuniting one final time. 


Franz Danzi: Wind Quintet in B flat major, Op. 56, No. 1

We are opening this last half hour of today’s program with the classical  and early romantic period composer Franz Danzi and the first of his Trois Quintetti Op. 56, published in 1821.

These three works are dedicated to Antoine Reicha, who had composed  24 wind quintets during the years1810-1820. Each of Danzi's quintets follows the same four-movement scheme as Reicha's: sonata form, slow movement, scherzo, finale. It is significant that Danzi, who worked in Germany chose the Parisian publisher Maurice Schlesinger to present his first three quintets, for it was in Paris that Reicha's superb quintet players were in residence at several of the most prominent theatres in town.

The First Movement marked Allegretto is set in a sonata form. It must be said that Danzi’s extreme neatness in the execution of this classic structure is a sight to behold and beautiful to hear. The exposition contains two principal themes.  An extensive transition connects the two primary themes. The development/recapitulation begins with Theme 1 followed by some of the transitional material of the exposition after which Theme 2 appears with some modifications to the closing themes at the end. There are two places for cadenzas before the start of Theme 2: the one in the exposition is for horn, whereas the one in the recapitulation is for clarinet.

Second Movement, marked, Andante con moto has a form similar to that of a minuetto, in that two distinct thematic structures are followed by a da capo of the first. The feel of this movement is clearly that of Early Romanticism: the music of Franz Schubert comes to mind.

Third Movement marked Menuetto allegretto is a Menuetto begins conventionally; but at the Trio it becomes a different dance form, the Ländler, the German folk dance.  By classical standards this movement is quite short

The Fourth Movement marked Allegretto is set in rondo-sonata form. However, there is no development section, so one finds but three repetitions off Theme1 surrounding two couplets, each of which contains the Theme 2. Another piece of cleverness is the way in which Danzi shortens the refrain of Theme 1 each time it comes around. 

Overall, this quintet is a light composition: very little development is involved in any of its four movements. The large initial movement is balanced by the three shorter movements which follow it.


Heitor Villa-Lobos: Quintette en Forme a Choros

Villa-Lobos composed the work in Paris in 1928, during the same period in which he was working on the series of fourteen Chôros.
It was premiered 1930 at the Salle Chopin in Paris, on the same concert as part of the Festival de Musique Moderne with the premieres of Chôros bis (for violin and cello), the Cirandas (for piano), and the Chansons typiques brésiliennes.

The Quintet consists of a loose succession of five large sections played attacata, each of which can be parsed into smaller subsections. The change from one large section to the next is marked by a decided change of texture and tempo.  A free rhythmic organization, reflected by frequent changes of metre and tempo and reinforced by a deliberate tonal freedom, produces a quality of spontaneity.