Dvořák - String Quartet No. 12 'American'

During Dvořák's tenure as Director of the National Conservatory in New York he spent one summer in 1893 in the small town of Spillville, Iowa. The town had a Czech community and spending the summer there gave him a break from the hustle and bustle of New York, eased his homesickness and gave him time to compose. He wrote three works during that Spillville vacation; String Quintet No. 3, Symphony No. 9, and String Quartet No. 12.

The music of America, especially Negro spirituals and songs, inspired Dvořák to write works that used themes reminiscent of the folk music he heard. Dvořák talked about how American music inspired him in a letter written in 1893:

"As for my new Symphony, the F major String Quartet and the Quintet (composed here in Spillville) – I should never have written these works 'just so' if I hadn't seen America. As to my opinion, I think that the influence of this country (it means the folk songs that are Negro, Indian, Irish, etc.) is to be seen, and that this [the symphony] and all other works written in America differ very much from my earlier works, as much in colour as in character..."

Dvořák was also quoted in the newspaper New York Herald as saying:

 "In the Negro melodies of America I discover all that is needed for a great and noble school of music."

Dvořák didn't use any song directly in these works, but he used the pentatonic scale (represented by the five black keys on the piano) in  the original themes he used. The pentatonic scale is used in many kinds of folk music around the world and Dvořák was familiar with it from his native Czech folk music. His composer's ear picked up on the nuances that made American music unique and he imitated them in his themes.  The quartet is in 4 movements:

I. Allegro ma non troppo - The viola states the first theme over a simple accompaniment. The theme is expanded until there is a transition to the lyrical second theme. The two themes are repeated, and the development section begins with the first theme. The development ends with a short fugal section. The recapitulation repeats the first theme and prepares for the key change given to the second theme. After the second theme is worked through there is a short coda and the movement ends.

II. Lento - The melody that predominates in this movement is, like the two themes of the first movement, is predominantly pentatonic, but it is in the minor mode of D minor.  The sound and style of the theme captures the sound and mood of American Negro or Native American music that many listeners thought Dvořák used an authentic American melody but it is a Dvořák original theme. The theme is developed, and returns in the cello as the other strings accompany it with pizzicato notes alternating with bowed notes. The theme gently winds down and the movement ends with one last sad chord.

Scarlet tanager

III. Molto vivace - Dvořák's F major scherzo is an energetic tune full of jumps and offbeats. Supposedly he heard the birdsong of the scarlet tanager on his walks in the woods around Spillvile and used the song in the scherzo. His treatment of the song can be heard high in the first violin.  The following section which serves as the trio is a variant of the scherzo played in F minor. The scherzo and trio are played through again with slight variations in the trio. The scherzo plays once more, the tempo slackens and the movement ends gently.

IV. Finale: Vivace ma non troppo -  The main theme is an energetic one and is repeated four times with new material sandwiched between the repeats. The main theme appears for the fourth time and a short coda whips the music to a faster pace and the movement ends.

Dvořák's three-year tenure as Director of the National Conservatory in New York City changed him as a composer and  influenced on American composers to rethink their musical models and to change them from a European style to a more idiomatic American style. 

Litolff - Piano Trio In D Minor Opus 47

Henry Litolff made a name for himself during his life as a virtuoso pianist, music publisher, composer and friend to many fellow musicians. He also had quite a reputation as a ladies' man. He was married four times and he seems to have kept on the move for most of his early years, perhaps for good reason. Although born in England, he lived most of his life in Europe. He was a prolific composer, but the majority of his music has suffered from neglect. He was primarily a composer of works for the piano, orchestra and stage, but he did write a few chamber works; three piano trios, a string quartet and a serenade for violin and piano.  He wrote the first piano trio in 1847 when he was in his late twenties.

There have been a few recordings of his Concerto Symphoniques for piano and orchestra, and a few recordings of piano pieces, but the only chamber work available on CD is the Piano Trio In D Minor.  It is in 4 movements:

I. Allegro - The cello plays a plaintive melody to open the work. The violin takes up the melody, and after the piano plays a short lead-in, the actual first theme of  the movement is heard. It is a dramatic theme that Litolff develops until the second theme is heard. The second theme is in contrast to the first as it is more lyric, but it continues a feeling of tension. The first theme returns to round out the exposition. There is a slight pause before the development begins. The first theme is heard in the solo cello, and then the piano takes it up for a short time. Litolff then shifts gears and uses the first theme for a fugue. The second theme appears as an episode in the fugue, and then the second theme gets a full hearing and is developed. The recapitulation has the first theme go through a transition that leads to the repeat of the second theme in D major. The first theme is played in the major, then a short pause before the piano begins the coda and the piece ends with a D major chord, at least in the recording linked at the end of this article. The score itself has this chord as D minor.

II. Andante - The piano presents the theme in F major and the violin and cello join in. The tension and drama of the music slowly increases until the piano plays triplet eighth note chords while the cello expands the theme. The violin joins the cello, and the instruments pass a fragment of the theme back and forth. The piano plays a variant of the theme along with the violin and cello. The piano chords change to a more regular eighth-note pulse, the strings and piano unwind the melody until the movement ends with F major as it had begun. 

III. Scherzo - Litolff starts the scherzo with a bar for solo piano followed by a run for the piano while the strings play a pizzicato note then a wide-spread chord: 

The scherzo is high-energy and scurries onward to a development of the theme, or rather the persistence of the dotted eighth-sixteenth-eighth rhythm. Litolff makes much of this slight motif, the scherzo is repeated, a short coda is added and the movement ends. 

IV. Finale: Presto - The first theme scurries about while the second theme is more lyrical and gentle. The development has the first theme treated contrapuntally. The recapitulation brings back the first theme. The second theme returns. An impassioned coda throws out fragments of the first theme as the tension increases. The key changes to D major and the drama increases as the instruments chromatically descend into a flurry as the tempo increases and the music ends in a glory of D major.  

Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 1 In C Major

When Dmitri Shostakovich's first symphony was performed when he was nineteen, he was heralded as a prime example of Soviet artistry. Famed conductors Bruno Walter and Leopold Stokowski showed interest in the work amnd performed it. Shostakovich's career as a composer was launched.

But before too many years, Shostakovich was officially denounced in "Muddle Instead Of Music", an article that appeared in the official soviet newspaper Pravda in 1936. The article focused on the composer's opera Lady Macbeth Of The Mtsensk District (written in 1932) and accused the work of being 'formalist, coarse and vulgar'. This was a shock to Shostakovich as the opera had previously been lauded as:

 "the result of the general success of Socialist construction, of the correct policy of the Party...could have been written only by a Soviet composer brought up in the best tradition of Soviet culture."

Times became desperate for Shostakovich as commissions and performances of his works stopped, and his income dropped to less than half of what it had been.Shostakovich was forced to withdraw his 4th Symphony from rehearsal as well. With the writing of his 5th Symphony, subtitled 'An artist's creative response to just criticism', Shostakovich got back into the graces of the powers that were (Stalin), but only for a time. Further denunciations and trials awaited the composer for the rest of his life.

Shostakovich changed as a composer after the first denunciation, at least with his overtly public compositions. He was in his early thirties when he began his first attempt at a string quartet, shortly after he finished his 5th Symphony.  Shostakovich said:

I began to write it without special ideas and feeling, I thought that nothing would come of it. After all, the quartet is one of the most difficult musical genres. I wrote the first page as a sort of original exercise in the quartet form, not thinking about subsequently completing and releasing it. As a rule, I fairly often write things I don’t publish. They are my type of composer’s studies. But then work on the quartet captivated me and I finished it rather quickly. Don’t expect to find special depth in this, my first quartet opus. In mood it is joyful, merry, lyrical. I would call it 'spring-like'.

Indeed the first quartet is of a different style and mood of the 5th symphony and much of Shostakovich's previous works of his early years.  It is neoclassical in style, lyrical, uncomplicated and gives little indication of the mood and style of his later quartets.

Shostakovich continued to write string quartets for the remaining 35 years  of his life, and his 15th quartet was completed only months before his death. Shostakovich used the string quartet form as a haven for his more personal and private compositions. String Quartet No. 1 is in 4 movements:

I. Moderato - A simple melody opens the work, played by the first violin and supported by the other instruments. The second theme is another simple melody accompanied by a sliding figure in the cello. The development section is short and wandering. The return of the first theme in the recapitulation emerges from the wanderings of the development. The second theme returns and the movement winds down and ends quietly.

II. Moderato - The viola presents a folk-influenced theme that goes through seven variations and ends with the theme being played as in the beginning of the movement.

III. Allegro molto - This scherzo cavorts about, the middle trio sings a short song before the scherzo returns for another cavort until the end.

IV. Allegro - In a shortened sonata form this movement is more complex than the others. It has two themes that are rapidly exploited before a short coda ends the work in C major.

Dvořák - Mazurek For Violin And Piano

Dvořák originally composed this piece for violin and orchestra and dedicated it to one of the great violin virtuosos of the 19th century, Pablo de Sarasate. Dvořák's publisher encouraged him to write works in the style of his Slavonic Dances, no doubt because of the popular appeal of these works. This Mazurek is related to the Polish folk dance that Chopin made popular.

Dvořák was an accomplished orchestral viola player and was well acquainted with violin technique as well. The Mazurek begins with a rustic theme in double stops for the violinist. The recurring theme continues in double stops that make this a difficult piece for the violinist to play in tune. The next section has a more lyrical theme that is well in keeping with the overall folk-like sound of the work while acting as a contrast to the more robust main theme. The first theme returns but is interrupted by the second theme once again. The first theme repeats and ends the work.

This short work is a good example of Dvořák's gift for writing original melodies that have the feeling of folk music. He brought this skill to many of his pieces, and in the larger works integrated his melodic gifts with masterful compositional techniques.

Rubinstein - Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Minor

In the beginning of the Romantic era in the early 19th century, the virtuoso pianist/composer emerged. Major composers such as Hummel, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Thalberg and many others dazzled audiences with their own compositions for piano and orchestra. At the top of them all were Liszt and Rubinstein.

Due to musical tastes changing with time, Liszt's music has been more appreciated now than in his own time. The politics of the music scene of late 19th century Romanticism, the Wagner versus Brahms debate, no doubt added to the problems Liszt's music had in gaining a more solid foothold in the repertoire. The opposite has happened with the music of Rubinstein. Once regarded just as important a composer as pianist, his works are now performed infrequently, more of a novelty than anything else.

Perhaps Rubinstein himself put his finger on the reason that his compositions suffered so much neglect later on when he said:

I write on the spur of the moment, driven by an inner force; I could not... criticize, file and brood over my compositions. They are indeed improvisations and have the virtues and vices of improvisations.

Rubinstein's piano concertos fare better than some of his other works and a few are occasionally performed.  He wrote 5 in all, along with three other works for piano and orchestra. His first concerto was written in 1850 and is a rather traditional piano concerto in form, but the force of Rubinstein's personality and prowess at the keyboard can be felt in it. It is in the traditional 3 movements:

I. Moderato - The first movement is in a traditional concerto sonata form. The orchestra plays through the themes of the concerto before the soloist enters playing the main theme of the movement. The lyrical second theme appears in a piano solo with a very slight orchestral accompaniment. A third dance-like theme is taken up by the piano. The development section expands on the themes. The recapitulation follows the same order of themes along with modulations to other keys. Further development of themes occur in the coda and Rubinstein increases the drama with a short section for piano and timpani. The tempo quickens as the beginning of the main theme is tossed about in different keys.  The virtuosity of the piano part increases as the orchestra helps build tension. There is a sudden dying away of volume as the piano and clarinet have a short dialog. The piano plays quietly, and a sudden loud chord for piano and orchestra sounds to end the movement.

II. Andante con moto - The horn plays the beginning of the main theme of the second movement. The piano takes up the theme. The horn and piano alternate with the theme. A dramatic middle section  presents the strings playing a persistent long-short-short rhythm as the low strings and bassoon play a short motif. The piano accents the proceedings with loud chords. The horn and piano have a dialog between presentations of the strings dramatic pulse. The main theme come to the fore again after a short transition and continues to play until near the end of the movement when the strings dramatic pulse interrupts a few times until the lyrical main theme ends the movement.

III. Con moto - There is a short introduction by the woodwinds before the main theme of the movement is played by the piano. This theme occurs throughout the movement along with other themes, most notably a march-like theme,  until the coda is reached. The coda is a double octave tour de force for the soloist as the orchestra plays the march-like theme at full volume.

Reinecke - Piano Concerto No. 1 In F-sharp Minor

There is hardly a musician of the 19th century who was the pupil of so many famous musicians as well as the teacher of so many famous musicians as Carl Reinecke. He was born in Germany in 1824 and studied withLiszt, Schumann and Mendelssohn. Some of the students he taught as a teacher were Edvard Grieg, Isaac Albéniz, Max Bruch, Felix Weingartner and many others. In his teen years he was an orchestral violinist as well as pianist.

Reinecke held many positions in various conservatories in Germany and in 1860 was appointed music director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra concerts in Leipzig and was professor of piano and composition at the Conservatorium until 1895. After his retirement from directorship of the orchestra in 1895  and from the Conservatorium in 1902 he concentrated on composition and at the time of his death in 1910 his opus numbers ran to almost three hundred pieces.

By most accounts he appears to have been a genial man as well as belonging to the more conservative group of composers in the middle and late 19th century. He admired Liszt's piano playing abilities, but disregarded Liszt's compositions as well as Wagner's.  He was also a virtuoso pianist and gave many recitals in his life.

He completed the Piano Concerto No. 1 In F-sharp Minor in 1867 and the concerto was very popular for many years, but like much of Reinecke's music it was almost forgotten. It is in 3 movements:

I. Allegro -  The first movement begins with a short introduction before the strings sound out the first impassioned theme. The full orchestra enters and the theme is played until the solo piano joins in as the theme is repeated and expanded upon. The strings segue to the second theme and after a few bars of it the piano enters and this theme is expanded upon. The development section begins as the dotted rhythm of the first theme returns in the strings. The piano takes up a different section of the first theme and develops it over the accompaniment of the winds. The solo piano returns with the dotted rhythm of the first theme and develops it, with the orchestra adding to the texture. The second theme returns in the orchestra as the piano throws out an accompaniment in octaves. There is a slight pause and the cadenza for soloist comments on both themes until a chain of trills in both hands which leads to a change to a 12/8  time signature and an increase in tempo molto più animato as the first movement races to its close.

II. Adagio, ma non troppo -  This movement is written in the key of D-flat major (which is the enharmonic equivalent of C-sharp major). A gentle D-flat major chord is played by the orchestra with a violin solo followed by a D-flat minor chord. This musical sigh is repeated after which the theme proceeds to the entrance of the piano that plays an accompaniment to the sigh. A second theme is played by the piano and echoed by the solo violin. The solo violin is joined by a solo cello as the piano plays a rippling accompaniment. The opening sighing theme is then played on the piano with a light accompaniment. The cello and violin continue their duet until the final chord.

III. Allegro con brio - The dominant theme of this movement is in F-sharp major and first played by the solo piano:

This theme appears throughout the movement, sandwiched between various episodes. The concerto comes to an end in the major mode.

Reinecke remained a musical conservative all of his life. He himself said that his compositional ideal was found in the works of Mendelssohn. He lived a long life of dedication to music making and music instruction. He died in 1910 at the age of 85.

Mendelssohn - The Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave)

The Hebrides are made up of a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland, some of which have a long history of human habitation that goes back to 6500 BCE. The islands have been further divided into two areas; the Outer Hebrides and the Inner Hebrides.  Felix Mendelssohn toured the area in 1829 and while in the Inner Hebrides group he visited the uninhabited island of Staffa where the famous tourist attraction Fingal's Cave is located.  Staffa is noted for its hexagonal columns of basalt that form the island and the opening to the cave. The cave has a naturally formed arched ceiling and is known for its bizarre echoing effects caused by the waves of the ocean.  The cave has been known for centuries, but came to be called Fingal's Cave after the hero of an 18th-century epic poem by James McPherson.

Fingal's Cave

Mendelssohn was inspired by the sounds of the echoing waves in the cave and wrote down his first sketches for the overture shortly after he visited the cave and sent them in a letter to his sister Fanny. Mendelssohn completed the overture in 1830 and originally called it The Lonely Island, but he revised the score in 1832 and renamed it The Hebrides. The overture was first performed in London in 1832.

The overture begins with a theme that Warner Brothers cartoon aficionados will recognize, for it was used in their cartoon of 1943 titled 'Inki and The Myna Bird', a  cartoon that has not withstood the test of time because of its racial political incorrectness. There is a Myna bird that appears throughout the cartoon and every time it does, this theme accompanies it. It wasn't the first time Warner Brothers, Walt Disney and other animators used parts of classical music pieces for a cartoon. If nothing else, the music was free to use as it was in the public domain.

This first theme was inspired by Mendelssohn's visit to the cave, the sketch he sent to his sister Fanny. It is in B minor and begins in the low pitched instruments of the orchestra and swells up into the higher pitched instruments in imitation of the swells and waves of the sea.  The second theme is in a major key and also begins with the low pitched instruments and is more expansive in nature. These two themes comprise the basic elements of the overture. Mendelssohn transforms them and modifies them in various ways as he works towards the coda which develops the opening theme until a climax is reached. The clarinet states the first theme once more in muted dynamics, the flute echoes the clarinet in a short fragment and the work ends.