Bruch - Scottish Fantasy For Violin And Orchestra

Max Bruch was born in 1838 and died in 1920. He lived through almost the entire Romantic age of music and into the dawn of the Modern era, but he never followed the 'new' music school of Wagner and Liszt. He composed music which can be described as 'classical romantic', somewhat in the style of Felix Mendelssohn.

He was a teacher, conductor and violinist as well as a composer. His most popular composition is his first violin concerto in G minor, a work that tended to eclipse all of his other works for violin and orchestra, a fact which he grumbled about many times in his life. The Scottish Fantasy was inspired by the writings of Sir Walter Scott, a popular author among the Romantics. He included a harp in the work as he thought of it as a Scottish instrument, along with the violin.  Although Bruch never visited Scotland until three years after he composed the piece, he had an interest in folk music and used some Scottish folk tunes in the work.

Bruch wrote the work at the request of the Spanish virtuoso Pablo Sarasate. Bruch wrote the first half of the work very quickly, and contacted Sarasate and requested a meeting to discuss its progress. Sarasate failed to reply, and Bruch then turned to  Joseph Joachim who advised him and in return Bruch asked him to give the premiere of the work.  Bruch was not pleased with Joachim's performance, and he reconciled with Sarasate who went on to play the piece with great success.

The Scottish Fantasy is in four movements:
I. Introduction; Grave - Adagio cantabile - The introduction is dark and represents Scotland, the land of myth and mystery. The Adagio cantabile is the beginning of the first movement and is based on the Scottish tune Through the Wood Laddie.

II. Scherzo; Allegro - The next movement is based on the song The Dusty Miller and is played on the violin while the orchestra plays a bagpipe-like accompaniment. There is a short transition to the third movement and  a fragment of Through The Wood Laddie is heard.

III. Andante sostenuto - Bruch uses a derivative of the tune I'm A' Doun for Lack O' Johnnie to showcase the lyrical singing of the solo violin.  The movement grows quiet and ends peacefully.

IV. Finale; Allegro guerriero - The last movement is based on the song Scots, Wha Hae and other tunes. Bruch varies the main tune, interlaces it with other tunes. The directions Allegro guerriero (fast and war-like)  may be a clue that the music is a tribute to the Scottish history of courageousness  in battle.  A part of Through The Wood Laddie makes one final appearance before the work ends.

Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1 In G Minor

While many concertos for violin were written by virtuoso violinists, the acknowledged masterpieces of the genre were written by non-violinist composers. There are of course exceptions, such as Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 2 In D Minor, but the violin concertos of  Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Tchaikovsky are the acknowledged masterpieces of the genre. While these composers were not virtuosos of the instrument, often times they had the assistance of violinists who gave them advice on the technical aspects of their works.

Another of the non-violinist composers was Max Bruch, who finished composing his popular Violin Concerto No. 1 in 1866, although the concerto was begun as early as 1857.  Bruch also had a violinist assist him in the technical aspect of the solo part, Johann Naret-Koning, the concertmaster of the Mannheim Orchestra. Bruch conducted the premiere later in 1866, and made substantial revisions to the work shortly thereafter. The violinist who gave Bruch help with the revision was Joseph Joachim, who twelve years later gave advice to Brahms on his violin concerto. Bruch's revised concerto was given its first performance by Joachim,and it was a rousing success. It was not only Bruch's first major composition for orchestra, but was the work that brought him his earliest fame.

As with any exceedingly popular work, the first violin concerto came to overshadow Bruch's other compositions, especially those for violin and orchestra. He composed two more concertos for violin, but neither came close to the popularity of the first. Bruch grew quite vexed about the whole thing, not only from an artistic viewpoint, but because he had sold the work to a publisher for a one-time payment and never reaped any of the benefits of the concertos repeated performances. it is in three movements:

I. Vorspiel: Allegro moderato -  Bruch designates the first movement vorspiel, or prelude. This acts as an extended introduction to the slow movement. The work begins with a quiet roll of the timpani, the orchestra follows with a short section, after which the violin plays a short cadenza. The orchestra and violin alternate like this again. The orchestra then increases in volume and leads to the first theme by the violin. A second theme of a more lyrical nature is played by the violin.  The violin embellishes the first theme, and the orchestra plays a section that recalls the drama of the opening. The music grows more quiet and the orchestra and violin alternate twice as in the beginning. The orchestra once again plays a short interlude that leads to the slow movement without a break.

II. Adagio - This movement has three powerfully romantic themes that are presented by the soloist with a gently moving orchestral accompaniment. The movement builds to a powerful climax after which it reaches a peaceful end. The last movement begins directly after.

III. Finale: Allegro energico -  A short introduction is played by the orchestra before the violin presents the dancing first theme of the finale, which is adorned with multiple stops.  The second theme is begun by the orchestra before it is clarified by the soloist. There is a short development section based on the first theme, which leads to the recapitulation of both themes. In the coda the tempo increases as the first theme returns as the violin plays virtuoso figures and fragments of the first theme before it rises to the top of its range. The movement ends with two brief chords.

Bruch - Symphony No. 2 In F Minor

Max Bruch is perhaps more well known for his works for solo violin and orchestra. His Violin Concerto No. 1 is still popular and the Scottish Fantasy for violin and orchestra still garners performances in the concert hall and on recordings, and during his lifetime was most well known for his vocal music. But he wrote over 200 compositions and made contributions to most of the traditional musical forms of the late 19th century. The style and character of all of his works puts him squarely in the conservative Brahms camp versus the progressive Liszt/Wagner camp. He lived a long life (1838 - 1920) and became somewhat of an anachronism. But his music is very well constructed, and the best works have a late Romantic drama to them that is more appreciated now then in the last years of his life.

Bruch's musical education began with Ferdinand Hiller and continued in music theory with a friend of his father's. Bruch's general education was not neglected, as he learned to speak and understand French and English as well as German. He was nine when he composed his first piece, and held many different positions as kappelmeister and teacher. He retired from teaching in 1911 and devoted the rest of his life to composition.
Bruch's successful  Symphony No. 1 In E-flat Major (1867) was followed by his Symphony No.2 In F Minor (1870).  The work is in three movements:

I. Allegro passionato, ma un poco -  This movement is in sonata form and begins with a short, dark introduction by the timpani and strings. The main theme is sounded out quietly by the strings and then loudly by the full orchestra.  The next theme is a more flowing one that remains in the minor. A third theme appears, just as dramatic as the preceding ones. Other themes enter, the number of which depends on what the listener's ear makes of the material whether it is an actual theme, a connecting melodic bridge to a theme, or a short motif. Themes are developed as the music constantly moves towards the end of the movement, when the opening theme quietly closes out the movement.

II. Adagio ma non troppo - The strings carry the main theme of this movement in music lighter in feeling than the first movement, but still in the minor mode, this time of C minor. Bruch follows the same general procedure as the first movement by introducing themes and developing them in a loose sonata form. The movement closes with a gentle reference to the main theme, and goes directly to the last movement without pause.

III. Allegro molto tranquillo -  The movement begins with a syncopated figure played by the strings. The music swells slightly until the main theme in F major is played by the strings. The woodwinds have their turn with the theme. A theme in dotted rhythm is played by the strings as the volume increases and the horns state an extension of the second theme which is developed until it reaches a climax with the full orchestra in dotted rhythm. The development section begins with the first theme played in the oboe and parts of the theme are then passed to other members of woodwind.  The recapitulation has themes return, some in different keys. The end of the symphony emphasizes the dotted rhythm in the horns and brass while the strings add rapid and surging figures as accompaniment.

The symphonies of Bruch aren't ground breaking works by any means. Thematic material isn't very striking, and his forms and developments aren't overly original. But what is evident is his skill in musical construction and orchestrating, as well as his sense of the dramatic.

Bruch - Symphony No. 1

Max Bruch's music aesthetics put him squarely in the camp of Brahms and other so-called conservative composers.  But the fact that a composer is or isn't conservative only refers to their style and content of their compositions. Like many other labels, it groups people into a readily identified unit that by its very nature is broad and somewhat prejudicial.

It's not that the conservative label doesn't fit Bruch, for it certainly does. But the conservative label doesn't mean that Bruch was a mediocre composer. On the contrary, he had a wonderful melodic gift and he was a master of orchestration,  as his popular Violin Concerto No. 1 and Scottish Fantasy For Violin and Orchestra readily attest.  So it's good to try and go further than just the labels that are put on people. This is pretty good advice for all facets of life, not just music. When we acquiesce to a label given to someone, we cease to think, discover and explore about that person for ourselves. We are in essence taking someone else's opinion without question or examination, an opinion arrived at through their own particular frames of reference, knowledge, taste, and yes, prejudice.

Bruch's Symphony No. 1 in E -flat was composed in 1867 and dedicated to Johannes Brahms. It is in the traditional 4 movements:
1) Allegro maestoso -  Bruch was a master of sonata form and used it in his own way to express himself musically.  The first movement is in sonata form and opens with a grand theme stated by bassoons and horn:

This is not the initial theme of the exposition proper. It is a type of introduction to the initial theme which follows shortly after. After the initial theme is heard, the introductory theme is restated, and the second theme is played. At the end of the second theme, parts of the introduction appear again and the exposition continues with the repeating of the initial and secondary themes. The introduction also plays a large part in the development section as it plays off and against the other themes until the theme itself is varied and leads directly into the recapitulation of the other two themes of the first movement. Bruch's personalized use of sonata form shows why the form was so prevalent for so long in classical music. It is a way to give form and direction to a piece of music while still maintaining a semblance of allowable variation in the use of the form itself to suit the music and the composer.

2) Scherzo. Presto -  This scherzo scurries along somewhat like the music of Mendelssohn, a composer that Bruch emulated in his popular Violin Concerto.

3) Quasi fantasia. Grave -  A heart-felt slow movement, somber in orchestration.

4) Finale. Allegro guerriero -  The Finale begins without pause and is marked 'guerriero' - war-like or militarily. Not so much as a struggle as between two enemies in war, but as a swaggering, self-confident military unit passing by on galloping horses .