Category Archives: Music

Nicolò Jommelli: The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – XIV

This is the fourteenth installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

In addition to Jommelli’s operatic achievements, his reputation was [well known] in England, thanks to his sacred work Le passione that had been performed several times in London, starting in 1764.[1] Therefore, it must have been something of a coup for Bremner to obtain a symphonic work from him to include in the British series. To create his contribution, Jommelli combined two pre-existing components: a transposed version of the first movement of his sinfonia for the opera Demetrio, coupled with a chaconne that is identified as “Op. V, No. 13” in the Conservatorio di Napoli library.[2] Michael Kelly (1762–1826)—a singer/composer who studied with Mozart for a time—reported that this “chacoone” had been used for operatic dance music in Stuttgart.[3] The conservatory manuscript itself is undated, and there is also controversy concerning the dating of the opera. Its libretto lists the premiere as taking place in Parma in the spring of 1749, and that information is reproduced in most standard reference works.[4] Nevertheless, Helmut Hell cites a 15 September 1750 letter from the librettist Metastasio to the castrato Farinelli, commenting that Jommelli had just received the Demetrio libretto and was currently at work on composing the score. Hell also believes the letter implies that Jommelli was composing the opera for Madrid (where Farinelli was employed).[5] A scholarly consensus has not been reached, but it is clear that Bremner announced the publication of the composite version on 31 May 1766. The advertisement gave special billing to the second movement, which he described as “the delightful Chaconne.”[6]

There is plenty of proof that audiences indeed found the “symphony with chaconne” delightful. Scholar Jenny Burchell has tabulated sixteen documented performances by the Edinburgh Musical Society between the years 1768 and 1786, as well as ten performances in Oxford occurring between 1788 and 1799, along with a 1793 performance in Bath.[7] In 1785, a Moravian community was founded in Fairfield, England, and Jommelli’s Periodical Overture No. 14 was among the works in their music library.[8] Clear into the nineteenth century, various publishers issued keyboard arrangements made by William Smethergell (1751–1836), a “T. Lyon,” or a “W. Watts.” Four-hand versions were also issued, by an uncredited arranger for Preston and again by Watts for Lonsdale. It is very likely that the “overtura” found by Robert Stevenson in the Colegio de Santa Rosa collection in Morelia, Mexico, is also a copy of the Periodical Overture.[9] More than thirty years after Bremner first printed the work, Michael Kelly was responsible for assembling the music for a gothic drama titled The Castle Spectre (1797). In his Reminiscences, he recalled, “For the situation in which the Ghost first appears . . . to her daughter . . . I selected the chacoone [sic] of Jomelli, as an accompaniment to the action. This . . . was thought an odd choice of mine for so solemn a scene; but the effect which it produced, warranted the experiment.”[10] Thereafter, published scores cited The Castle Spectre on their title pages as an additional marketing effort. The 1798 publication by L. Lavenu made the theatrical reference particularly explicit: The Favorite Movement, Performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, During the appearance of the Ghost, in the Drama, of the Castle Spectre, adapted for the Piano Forte, by T. Lyon.[11]

It is not clear what led Jommelli to select the first movement of the Demetrio sinfonia to serve as the “Allegro di Molto” in Periodical Overture No. 14, especially since it necessitated a transposition from the operatic overture’s F major to the E-flat major key used in Bremner’s publication. However, it has an effervescent spirit that makes a nice contrast with the subsequent chaconne. The score calls for Bremner’s standard eight parts, including paired oboes and horns, but the basso part contains bassoon cues as well. The movement’s form is a pattern that James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy label a “Type 1 Sonata,” which is sometimes called a sonatina; it is, essentially, a sonata form without development.[12] It opens with three hammer blows that return two bars later after busy sixteenth-note flourishes. The second theme (m. 15) features numerous neighbor-motion oscillations. The “Jommelli crescendo”—that would soon be more widely credited to the Mannheim composers—begins in measure 43 during the recapitulation; it acts as the bridge between the first (m. 28) and second (m. 47) themes.

The “celebrated Chaconne,” marked “Andante,” relies on a steady four-measure phrase structure in triple meter rather than strict repetitive melodic or harmonic patterns. Although certain motifs recur from time to time, the movement’s primary interest is in the variety of material offered during the regular phrases, which resemble a slow minuet.[13] Jommelli showcases the winds at several points, particularly in measures 62, 94, 138, and 154. The accompaniment, too, employs a wide array of different figurations, adding another appealing layer of variety to the texture.

The impact of Bremner’s publication is apparent in the numerous imitations that it spawned. Some retained Jommelli’s two-movement structure, such as François-Hippolyte Barthélemon’s Op. 6, no. 5, William Smethergell’s Op. 5, no. 4, and the overture to Stephen Storace’s No Song, No Supper (1790).[14] Probably the most popular chaconne-only imitator was Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi, who used that structure in the overture to Le pazzie d’Orlando (1771).[15] It is regrettable that Jommelli himself did not live to see the extended influence of his creativity.

Alyson McLamore

[1] McVeigh, Concert Life in London from Mozart to Haydn, 150.

[2] Dinko Fabris, commentary for “Niccolò Jommelli: Ciaccona op. 5 n. 13,” Veni Creator Spiritus, Cappella de’ Turchini, conducted by Antonio Florio, Tesori di Napoli Vol. 9, transl. Avril Bardoni, Opus 111 OPS 30-254, 10.

[3] Aubrey S. Garlington, Jr., “‘Gothic’ Literature and Dramatic Music in England, 1781–1802,” Journal of the American Musicological Society 15, no. 1 (Spring 1962): 56.

[4] McClymonds et al., “Niccolò Jommelli,” 182.

[5] Helmut Hell, Die Neapolitaniche Opernsinfonie in der ersten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts: N. Porpora—L. Vinci—G. B. Pergolesi—L. Leo—N. Jommelli, Münchner Veröffentlichungen zur Musikgeschichte, Vol. 19 (Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 1971), 594.

[6] The Public Advertiser, 31 May 1766, p. 1.

[7] Jenny Burchell, Polite or Commercial Concerts?: Concert Management and Orchestral Repertoire in Edinburgh, Bath, Oxford, Manchester, and Newcastle, 1730–1799, Outstanding Dissertations in Music from British Universities, ed. by John Caldwell (New York: Garland Publishing, 1996), 309–374 passim.

[8] Karl Kroeger, “An Unknown Collection of Eighteenth-Century Instrumental Music,” Fontes Artis Musicae 35, no. 4 (October–December 1988): 277, 280.

[9] Robert Stevenson, Renaissance and Baroque Musical Sources in the Americas (Washington, D.C.: Organization of American States, 1970), 189.

[10] Garlington, “‘Gothic’ Literature and Dramatic Music in England, 1781–1802,” 56.

[11] The British Library, h.721.bb.(2).

[12] James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 345–6.

[13] Simon McVeigh, “The Symphony in Britain,” in The Eighteenth-Century Symphony, ed. Mary Sue Morrow and Bathia Churgin, Vol. I of The Symphonic Repertoire (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2012), 647; McVeigh, Concert Life in London from Mozart to Haydn, 142.

[14] McVeigh, “The Symphony in Britain,” 648.

[15] McVeigh, Concert Life in London from Mozart to Haydn, 139.

Thomas Alexander Erskine (The Earl of Kelly): The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – XIII

This is the thirteenth installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

(Johann) Stamitz’s shadow is evident in many … features of (The) Periodical Overture No. 13, but not in the total number of movements: (Thomas) Erskine limited himself to the more conservative three-movement structure, perhaps knowing that this kept his work more in line with British taste. The first movement—a lively “Allegro” in cut-time—conforms to the binary-sonata pattern that James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy call a “Type 2 Sonata,” albeit without repeats and with a third theme; it can be diagrammed as || a/I b/V c/V a/V b/I c/I ||.[1] Fans of the Mannheim school would appreciate the “hammer blows” (or premier coups d’archet) that open the work, followed by the surprising timbre of the oboes who play the first moving line, a conjunct descending melody that is repeated after a second group of hammer blows. The strings, meanwhile, launch measured tremolos and a “murky” bass in the ninth bar, and the violins present the second theme (m. 24) in a contrasting piano dynamic level. The closing theme (m. 43) showcases all the winds; the flutes and oboes perform an engaging series of calls-and-responses, supported harmonically by the horns (and a bit by the lower strings). In the last portion of the movement, starting in m. 101, the ensemble presents a thrilling Mannheim crescendo after the second appearance of Theme 2, making the return of the closing theme particularly exciting.

Erskine’s “Adagio ma non troppo” movement contains the typical reduced scoring of strings alone; it shifts to the subdominant key of A-flat major and is set in common time. Here, too, Erskine employs the Type 2 sonata form, this time with the customary repeats and with only two themes: ||: a/I b/V :||: a/V b/I :||. The conjunct first theme is filled with sudden dynamic contrasts—sometimes as many as four changes in a single measure—while the more disjunct second theme (the anacrusis leading to m. 11) emphasizes the tension of frequent appoggiaturas. All through the movement, Lord Kelly plays with juxtaposed dotted-note groupings and triplets, along with off-beat syncopations.

The gigue-like finale, in time, returns to the tonic E-flat major and the full orchestra. Like the other movements, it is a Type 2 sonata form, with three themes. “Drum 8ths” and measured tremolos support much of this “Allegro,” with the strings presenting the first theme, consisting of essentially upward motion. The flutes get a soli showcase for the second theme (m. 21) and—probably to everyone’s surprise—the horns get a brief moment to shine at the start of Theme 3 (m. 41). Other features that add to the zest of the finale are the uneven phrase lengths, making the movement less predictable in many places. The generally expansive writing and inventive instrumental coloring support the British scholar Charles Cudworth’s view that “after the middle of the century, the Earl of Kelly was undeniably our most gifted symphonist.”[2]

Alyson McLamore

[1] James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 353–4.

[2] Cudworth, “The English Symphonists of the Eighteenth Century,” 48.

Johann Stamitz: The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – XII

This is the twelfth installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

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The musicologist Eugene Wolf, regards No. 12 as a middle-period work by Stamitz, dating from approximately 1748–1752.[1] Perhaps for that reason, the opening movement’s sonata-form is somewhat vestigial. After three crisp “hammer-blow” strokes, or premier coups d’archet, followed by a series of arpeggiated chords, the first theme proceeds into a measured-tremolo passage (a characteristic “Mannheim” gesture) that is repeated via a descending sequence.[2] Stamitz’s orchestration skill is evident in a delicious passage occurring first in measures 31–34, in which an upward-leap motif is quickly tossed between various families of the ensemble. The second theme (m. 47) is more lyrical; after ten piano measures, it ascends through a forte sequence above “drum 8ths.” It, too, is followed by a repetition of the upward-leap interplay, and the exposition concludes with arpeggiation that resembles the opening. The development (m. 79) begins with the hammer blows, now in C major, but the recapitulation (m. 141) starts with the second theme, and only a small fragment of the first theme’s arpeggiated material returns to wrap up the movement (m. 195).

As is the case with many early-Classic symphonies, the second movement shifts to the subdominant key of B-flat major and employs a binary-sonata pattern that James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy call a “Type 2 Sonata”; it can be diagrammed as an ||: a/I b/V :||: a/V b/I :|| structure.[3] The first theme is filled with energetic sixteenth-note triplets that are often performed homorhythmically by the strings-only ensemble; rapid dynamic changes occur every one or two measures. The second theme (m. 32) is conjunct and more lyrical, but it, too, features multiple dynamic contrasts. The first theme is presented in the dominant F major at measure 44, while it is only the second theme that returns to the tonic in measure 86.

In several ways, the “Presto” finale meets the expectations of its era: it is in a gigue-like 3/8 meter and conforms to a standard sonata-form structure. The bouncy first theme arpeggiates the home key of F major and the melody is soon underpinned by Mannheim-esque measured tremolos and drum 8ths. Stamitz’s surprise arrives with the second theme, however, which is in the dominant minor mode (m. 44). Only with the closing theme (m. 63), with its forceful quadruple-stop chords, do we arrive at a full-fledged C major. The themes are presented in the same order during the recapitulation (m. 134), but the second theme retains its minor mode (m. 180). Again, however, the multi-stop closing theme (m. 198) steers the movement back into major mode, leading to an extended and robust coda.

Alyson McLamore

[1] Wolf E., The Symphonies of Johann Stamitz, 391.

[2] David D. Boyden and Peter Walls, “Coup d’archet,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan, 2001), Vol. 6: 579.

[3] James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 353–4.

Johann Stamitz: The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – No. XI

This is the eleventh installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

In 1826, a correspondent … wrote to The Quarterly Musical Magazine and Review in response to a previous issue’s article “The Great Symphonists.” He listed a number of mid-eighteenth-century symphonists whom he felt had been unjustly ignored. He credited (Johann) Stamitz with introducing the crescendo and diminuendo, and pointed to Periodical Overture No. 11 as possessing “beautiful specimens” of the crescendo in its first and last movements.[1] Then, in 1980—two centuries after the symphony’s heyday—Claude V. Palisca published Stamitz’s first movement in the inaugural edition of the Norton Anthology of Western Music.[2] He based his score on the venerable Denkmäler Deutscher Tonkunst edition from 1902.[3] That selection has therefore given generations of collegiate music students an introduction to characteristic “Mannheim” features in this vigorous opening; it also make the first movement of Bremner’s edition seem like a familiar friend.

One of the memorable gestures of Periodical Overture No. 11 is the use of three sharp “hammer-blow” strokes, or premier coups d’archet, that immediately grab listeners’ attention.[4] This “Allegro assai” is structured as a quadruple-meter sonata form without repetitions (characteristic of Stamitz’s later symphonies), and the first theme is underpinned by measured tremolos in the second violins and violas and by “drum 8ths” in the “Basso” part.[5] Distinctive horn calls resound in the second half of the theme (m. 11), and one of the transition’s most exciting elements is the use of Mannheim crescendos, which begin building in measure 18 and again in measure 27. The oboes are showcased in the more lyrical second theme (m. 47), which also plays with antiphonal effects between sections of the orchestra. After the modulatory development (m. 75), the recapitulation reverses the order of the themes, with the lyrical oboes reappearing in measure 108, the horn calls in measure 132, and the hammer-blows in measure 139 for a resounding conclusion.

The “Andantino” shifts to the dominant key of B-flat major, and it employs a binary-sonata pattern that James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy call a “Type 2 Sonata,” diagrammed as an ||: a/I b/V :||: a/V b/I :|| structure.[6] This simple-duple movement is scored for strings only, and its first theme has a lovely lilting quality above softly pulsing drum 8ths. The second theme (m. 30) features both the bass and viola parts in rising and falling scalar patterns, followed by the violins in a more disjunct and syncopated line (m. 40). Like many Mannheim works, sudden dynamic contrasts are often separated by only a single measure, and the latter half of the movement is peppered with rinforzandi accentuations.

The “Prestissimo,” an exhilarating finale in 3/8, is again loaded with strategies that the Mannheim orchestra made famous. Its first theme comprises an upward sequence that employs the quick rising-and-falling motif known as the Bebung, while the bass strings accompany with steady drum 8ths.[7] The sequence gradually crescendos to bell-like chords played fortissimo by the whole ensemble (m. 17) while the upper strings now play measured tremolos. The chords are quickly followed by lively hunting-style fanfares for the winds and upper strings. The sonata form’s second theme (m. 47) again starts quietly; the second violins and violas play oscillating, conjunct lines underneath measured tremolos, with the oboes joining in on the second half of each phrase. The extremely brief development (m. 95) plays with a modulatory Bebung before stabilizing in E-flat at measure 103 for the recapitulation of the first theme. The second theme makes its own return in measure 149. A series of seven hammer-blow E-flat chords in the last three bars bring the movement (and symphony) to a satisfying, table-thumping close.

Alyson McLamore

[1] Senex, “To the Editor,” The Quarterly Musical Magazine and Review 8, no. 31 (July 1826): 304–5.

[2] Johann Anton Wenzel Stamitz, “Sinfonia a 8 in E-flat Major (La Melodia Germanica No. 3), in Classic • Romantic • Modern, 42–50, Vol. II of Norton Anthology of Western Music, ed. Claude V. Palisca (New York: W. W. Norton, 1980); it continues to appear in the 2019 eighth edition.

[3] Hugo Riemann, ed., Sinfonien der pfalzbayerischen Schule (Mannheimer Symphoniker), Jahrgang III, vol. 1 of Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern (Denkmäler deutscher Tonkunst, Zweite Folge), ed. Adam Sandbergern (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1902), 1–28.

[4] David D. Boyden and Peter Walls, “Coup d’archet,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan, 2001), Vol. 6: 579.

[5] Wolf, The Symphonies of Johann Stamitz, 340.

[6] James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 353–4.

[7] Hugo Riemann, ed., Sinfonien der pfalzbayerischen Schule (Mannheimer Symphoniker), in Year 7, Vol. II, of Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern, in Series 2 of Denkmäler deutscher Tonkunst (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1906), xvii.

Christian Cannabich: The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – No. X

This is the tenth installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

<a href="https://barnabypriest.bandcamp.com/album/the-periodical-overture-in-8-parts-number-x-christian-cannabich">The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts Number X – Christian Cannabich by Barnaby Priest</a>

The original four-movement structure of The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts by Christian Cannabich indicate that it is an early, composed while he was still under the influence of the late Johann Stamitz and before he took his excursions to Paris. All three of the movements retained by Bremner use the same binary-sonata format that James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy call a “Type 2 Sonata”; it can be diagrammed as an ||: a/I b/V :||: a/V b/I :|| structure.[1] The brisk unison premier coup d’archet chords at the start of the “Allegro ma non troppo” are, unusually, in triple meter, and the rest of the movement is filled with features that are associated with the Mannheim school: “drum 8ths” (especially in measure 17 and onward), dramatic crescendos (mm. 2, 32, 43, etc.), measured tremolos (m. 44), and the quick rising-and-falling motif known as the Bebung (m. 2).[2] Of course, commentators have been noting since 1778 that these characteristics can also be found in Jommelli’s music, so Cannabich would have been influenced from two directions to adopt these gestures.[3] For the second theme (m. 36), Cannabich presents a disjunct call-and-response dialogue between the violins and flutes, introducing a nice timbral variety to the movement.

The “Andante Grazioso” reduces the scoring to strings alone and shifts, unsurprisingly, to the subdominant A-flat major. The violins initially engage in a hocket-like sequential dialogue, but they join forces for longer stretches of parallel harmonies (m. 9). The violins again harmonize in the second theme (m. 22), keeping listeners a bit off-balance with variable phrase lengths.

Cannabich uses a host of devices to enhance a sense of irresistible drive in the “Presto assai.” Steady drum 8ths maintain the propulsion against a quiet, syncopated, rising string melody, with occasional fanfare interjections from the French horns. An upward sequence of Bebung motifs (m. 22) yields to measured tremolos (m. 25), all during an exciting crescendo passage. A series of brief climbing motifs launches the second theme (m. 49), but the flutes are quickly given a more extended solo showcase (m. 53). A robust closing theme (m. 73) plays with sudden dynamic contrasts, helping to make the entire movement seem breathless and exhilarating.

Alyson McLamore

[1] James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 353–4.

[2] Hugo Riemann, ed., Sinfonien der pfalzbayerischen Schule (Mannheimer Symphoniker), in Year 7, Vol. II, of Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern, in Series 2 of Denkmäler deutscher Tonkunst (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1906), xvii.

[3] Wolf, “Christian Cannabich,” 389, note 8.

Johann Stamitz: The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – No. IX

This is the ninth installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

The ninth symphony in the Periodical Overtures series by Johann Stamitz was the first of Bremner’s issues to be in the key of G major. The “Andantino” is in the subdominant key of C major, and Bremner follows Huberty’s tempo indication for this central movement, in contrast to that of the Regensburg manuscript that Wolf used for his thematic catalogue, which designates the slow movement as “Andante non Adagio.”[1]

In the dramatic opening movement, Bremner matched Huberty with the designation of an “Allegro” tempo, whereas the Regensburg source uses “Presto assai.” Bremner’s print differs from them both, however, in his use of cut-time meter; the others are set in common time. The movement is structured as a sonata form without repeats, a practice that grew more frequent with Stamitz’s “middle-period” symphonies and became his normal practice with his late works.[2] A brilliant upward “Mannheim rocket” introduces the march-like first theme (m. 3), even though Stamitz himself is less linked to this striking motif than some of his Mannheim colleagues.[3] It is supported by other characteristic gestures, such as the second violin’s measured tremolos and the lower strings’ “drum 8ths.” The second theme (m. 26) contains “filigree” embellishments along with alternating measures of piano and forte, but the development—which again features the rocket (m. 42)—also employs a Mannheim crescendo (m. 57). The initial two-measure orchestral rocket is omitted, however, when the march-like theme reappears for the recapitulation (m. 79).

The expressive “Andantino” is a duple-meter showcase for strings alone and comprises a straightforward rounded-binary form. Its delicate first theme features a downward octave jump followed by an upward leap of a twelfth; the pattern is repeated sequentially before making a long conjunct descent. Although the second theme (ms. 39) starts with an upper-neighbor gesture and several repeated notes, it shares the characteristic downward octave-jump motif. Each half of the structure ends with the celebrated crescendo technique, starting in measure 28 and again in measure 79. Throughout the movement, Stamitz shifts the dynamics from piano to forte in close succession, sometimes in every measure.

Stamitz’s gigue-like finale offers a bit of cyclic unity by launching another rapid Mannheim rocket at the opening, again supported by drum 8ths. This “Presto” employs a binary-sonata pattern that James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy call a “Type 2 Sonata” form, in which the first theme opens the second half of the movement in the dominant key (m. 69), but only the second theme returns (m. 109) to recapitulate the tonic (||: a/I b/V :||: a/V b/I :||).[4] In its initial appearance in the first half of the finale, the second theme (m. 39) opens with a piano conjunct descending scale, then shifts to a bouncy forte consequent phrase, creating a nice “classical” counterbalance to the opening theme. In general, the movement is an effervescent romp that exemplifies Stamitz’s skill at deploying the classical orchestra in diverse but always engaging ways.

Alyson McLamore

[1] Wolf, The Symphonies of Johann Stamitz, 381.

[2] Wolf, The Symphonies of Johann Stamitz, 285, 340.

[3] Wolf, The Symphonies of Johann Stamitz, 304.

[4] James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 353–4.

Anton Fils (Filtz): The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – No. VIII

This is the eighth installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

When Bremner issued Periodical Overture No. 8 in February 1764, he used the “Filtz” spelling that had appeared on the cover of Periodical Overture No. 4, but unlike his earlier publication by Fils, No. 8 employs the standard two oboes that characterized the majority of pieces in Bremner’s series. His decision to feature Fils a second time seems to have been shrewd, judging from the records of the eighth overture’s ten performances in the concerts of the Edinburgh Musical Society over an almost twenty-year span from 1768 to 1786, while an unspecified overture by “Filtz” was played as late as 1799. In some of the Edinburgh concert seasons, Periodical Overture No. 8 was the only work by Fils performed (even though the Society owned the other two Fils prints by Bremner), and in two seasons—1770 and 1786—Periodical Overture No. 8 was performed twice.[1] During the first of those seasons, the eighth overture is known to have been performed across the Atlantic: it closed the first half of the 9 February 1770 benefit concert at “Mr. Burn’s Room” on behalf of a Mr. Stotherd, a very active French horn player in New York.[2]

Nearly all of the elements that Schubart applauded can be found in Periodical Overture No. 8—and the symphony also reflects the young composer’s full awareness of the Mannheim orchestral conventions. The rhythmic unison that characterizes the robust premier coup d’archet also showcases a descending E-flat triad that is heard at the opening of numerous other symphonies; historian Jan LaRue points to works by Johann Christian Bach, Carl Friedrich Abel as well as symphonies by Wagenseil, Montoro, and Kreusser.[3] Fils immediately makes the familiar motif his own, however, with an abrupt switch to piano for a staccato ascent. The shifts between forte and piano occur more rapidly during the bridge (m. 17), which is filled with measured tremolos and upward arpeggios. When the bridge reaches the dominant key, B-flat major, the second theme (m. 27) sustains a piano dynamic for a full four measures, during which the first violins invert the staccato scalar motif heard in the first theme. The second theme then makes its own sudden dynamic switch to forte (m. 31) and introduces the short-long Scotch snaps (or Lombardy rhythms) that will be a unifying device for the majority of the symphony. The last portion of the “Allegro’s” exposition presents a short “Mannheim crescendo” (m. 35), and—as is true for most of Fils’s opening movements—the sonata form continues without a repetition directly into the development (m. 45) and onward to the recapitulation (m. 61).

The Scotch snaps that had played a secondary role in the “Allegro” move into the foreground at the start of the “Larghetto.” This triple-meter movement, in the dominant key of B-flat major, reduces the ensemble to strings alone, and is again in sonata form, this time set in two repeated sections. Fils creates another instance of tight interconnections between themes: the first melody opens with a quick leap of a third and a descent to the tonic, followed by a rising series of Scotch snaps. After repeating those opening bars at a higher pitch level, the third phrase of Theme 1 (m. 5) opens with an F, an upper-neighbor G, and then four more repeated Fs. This “inner” motif then becomes the opening of the second theme in m. 13. It, too, is followed by a measure of Scotch snaps, but the upward leaps comprise larger intervals.

As the “Minuetto” demonstrates, Fils was not finished with Scotch snaps. The rounded-binary form (for the tutti ensemble) opens with a rather dramatic opening leap of a tenth from the tonic E-flat to a G, then descends more gradually. The consequent phrase (m. 5) then employs several of the familiar “snappy” rhythms, also in a descending phrase. The “Trio,” however, contains no rhythms shorter than eighth notes, and the majority of its phrases tend to ascend. Unusually, the “Trio” does not reduce the scoring, but rather retains all of the wind instruments for harmonic support throughout its binary structure.

Fils concludes the symphony with a lively gigue-like finale. This, too, is in sonata form, and “drum 8ths” support the bouncy opening theme that leaps upward sequentially for four measures, then descends more gradually through strings of eighth notes. Perhaps echoing the opening theme of the “Minuetto,” the finale’s second theme (m. 17) is launched by an upward leap of a seventh from F to E-flat, and then—after descending five steps—it rockets even higher, reaching a B-flat. Interestingly, when the second theme is recapitulated (m. 67), Fils reverses the order of its first two phrases, perhaps reserving the rocketing ascent to help drive the propulsion to the finish of this exuberant “Presto.” Bremner’s selection of this work for publication as Periodical Overture No. 8 may have again made his customers regret the too-short life of its composer.

Alyson McLamore

[1] Jenny Burchell, Polite or Commercial Concerts?: Concert Management and Orchestral Repertoire in Edinburgh, Bath, Oxford, Manchester, and Newcastle, 1730–1799, Outstanding Dissertations in Music from British Universities, ed. by John Caldwell (New York: Garland Publishing, 1996), 309, 311, 315, 323, 333, 336, 342, 346, 372.

[2] O. G. Sonneck, Early Concert-Life in America (1731–1800) (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1907), 170–171.

[3] Jan LaRue, “Significant and Coincidental Resemblance between Classical Themes,” Journal of the American Musicological Society 14, no. 2 (Summer 1961): 229.

Johann Stamitz: The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – No. VII

This is the seventh installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

As had been true in the preceding overture (No. 6) in Bremner’s series, Stamitz used the key of E-flat major throughout Periodical Overture No. 7, and all of the movements—apart from the minuet-and-trio—are in what James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy have called a “Type 2 Sonata” form (||: a/I b/V :||: a/V b/I :||).[1] However, the opening “Allegro” differs from the others by omitting the repetitions that clarify the binary structure. Its opening theme in quadruple-meter is actually dependent on both the violins and the winds; the former play short bursts of eighth notes, separated by rests and emphasized with dynamic contrasts, while the winds play more sustained notes in a syncopated rhythm. The partnership of the first measure is repeated a third higher in the second bar, and this sequential motif becomes a cyclic element throughout the symphony: every movement opens with an upward sequence, most often featuring a rising third. Sudden dynamic contrasts—a Mannheim characteristic—also pervade the entire work.

In the rather brief first movement (only seventy-six measures), Stamitz makes use of many other recognizable “Mannheim” devices, such as “drum 8ths” (i.e., m. 1), measured tremolos (m. 7), and the quick rising-and-falling motif known as the Bebung (m. 41).[2] His own propensity to give special attention to the wind instruments is apparent in the second theme (m. 13), which is presented by the oboes playing in parallel thirds.

The leisurely “Andante,” in cut-time, opens with an upward leap and a descending cascade, along with the sequential repetition that characterizes Periodical Overture No. 7. It also features two uses of a rinzforzando indication in its first two full measures, reflecting Stamitz’s increasing interest in dynamic levels beyond piano and forte, and thereby leading historian Eugene K. Wolf to classify this work as belonging to the middle of Stamitz’s output, probably dating from the early 1750s.[3]

Even though Bremner retained Stamitz’s minuet movement in Periodical Overture 7, he diverged from his possible continental sources in two ways. First, he labeled the second of the rounded-binary structures as a “2d Minuet,” rather than using the “Trio” designation found in both Huberty’s and Hummel’s prints. Second, at the end of that second, quieter minuet, he failed to include any indication to take the customary “da capo al Men[uetto]” (as shown in the Hummel score) or “Al 1^o [Primo]” (as indicated by Huberty). Perhaps Bremner assumed that ensembles would be familiar with the expected repetition scheme from their knowledge of the dance itself, even though it had not yet figured very frequently as a movement in British symphonies.

Bremner diverged again from Huberty and Hummel in the tempo designation for the finale: the two continental publishers both called it “Presto,” while Bremner labels it “Allegro.” Probably unwittingly, he thereby reinforced Wolf’s view that this compound-duple finale differed from many of Stamitz’s middle-period works by being “somewhat slower and more dance-like,” and its opening triadic melody certainly has a folk-dance quality.[4] Stamitz continues to showcase the oboes in multiple soli passages, starting in measure 13 when they present the second theme. This toe-tapping finale brings the symphony to a very satisfying conclusion and underscores why Stamitz enjoyed such long-standing popularity in the eighteenth century.

Alyson McLamore

[1] James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 353–4.

[3] Eugene K. Wolf, The Symphonies of Johann Stamitz: A Study in the Formation of the Classic Style (Utrecht: Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema, 1981), 239.

[4] Wolf, The Symphonies of Johann Stamitz, 226.

Johann Stamitz: The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – No. VI

This is the sixth installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

Records show that The Periodical Overture No. 6 was performed in concerts of the Edinburgh Musical Society twice a year during 1768 and 1769, and it was then played three times in 1770. It was heard sporadically in the Scottish concerts over the next decade and a half: once a year in 1771, 1778, 1779, and 1780; then twice in 1781, once in 1782, three times in 1783, and once again in 1785.[1] Four years later, “The 6th Periodical Overture of J. Stamitz” opened the second half of the final concert in a three-performance 1789 subscription series offered in New York by pianist Alexander Reinagle (1756–1809) and cellist Henri Capron (fl. 1785–95).[2] Reinagle had emigrated from London three years earlier; perhaps he carried the Periodical Overture in his luggage.[3] As had been true for the previous Periodical Overture by Stamitz, the British Library’s copy of No. 6 had been sold by a rival of Bremner: Welcker’s Musick Shop on Gerrard Street, St. Ann’s, in Soho.[4]

Stamitz used the key of E-flat major for all the movements of Periodical Overture No. 6, but the opening “Allegro” in common-time differs from the others by employing a sonata-form structure without repeats. The first half of the opening polyphonic theme sustains its pianissimo dynamic over “drum 4ths” for a surprisingly extended twenty-one measures, then pauses for a fermata. The second half of Theme 1 is a robust forte with sequential upward rockets in the first violins. The transition (m. 38) employs the Mannheim school’s beloved measured tremolos, and the second theme in B-flat major—at measure 62—is closely related to the first theme, similar to the monothematic sonata-form approach that Joseph Haydn would use in a number of his works. The main contrast in this passage is Stamitz’s increased emphasis on the oboes, who play a much more active line; another measured tremolo leads to the start of the development (m. 113). The development’s sudden drop to pianissimo launches another favorite Mannheim device: a full-ensemble crescendo to fortissimo over the next nine bars. Moreover, the horns are given an extensive “vibrato” indication by means of a long, wavy line. The recapitulation’s return to the tonic (m. 174) also returns to the pianissimo dynamic, but the winds are given an even more prominent role, including some distinctive triplets.

Both the second and third movements employ the same form, diagrammed as ||: a/I b/V :||: a/V b/I :||. James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy have labeled this pattern as a “Type 2 Sonata.”[5] The duple-meter “Andante” reduces the scoring to strings only, playing a fairly disjunct “a” theme and a more conjunct, triplet-filled “b” melody (m. 29). The finale employs the full ensemble, again in duple meter, but now at a lively “Presto.” The first theme is syncopated with quick upward arpeggiations (and vibrato passages in the winds), while the more lyrical second theme (m. 57) showcases the oboes above “drum 8ths.” The lengthy second half of the Type 2 binary sonata form features some lovely harmonic progressions and employs another Mannheim crescendo that starts in measure 205. The movement represents one of Stamitz’s most extended structures, leading Eugene K. Wolf to classify it as a very late work, as well as “probably also [Stamitz’s] most dramatic.”[6]

Alyson McLamore

[2] O. G. Sonneck, Early Concert-Life in America (1731–1800) (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1907), 187–8.

[3] Robert Hopkins, “Reinagle: (2) Alexander Reinagle,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan, 2001), Vol. 21: 153.

[4] British Library, g.474.n.(4).

[5] James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 353–4.

[6] Wolf, The Symphonies of Johann Stamitz, 338.

Pietro Maria Crispi: The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – No. V

This is the fifth installment of the Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts which are being published in conjunction with Musikproduktion Höflich.

Listen here before heading over to musikproduktion höflich to obtain the score and parts.

Although Crispi’s overture is scored for the customary “eight parts” that comprised the majority of works of Bremner’s series, the winds are not given truly independent material. In fact, whenever the oboes play, they double one or both of the violin parts almost without fail. On a few occasions, they play sustained pitches while the higher strings present measured tremolos or oscillating patterns. Similarly, the horns customarily play a simplified version of material drawn from various string parts; they are never featured on their own. Moreover, as is the case in over half of the Periodical Overtures, the ensemble is reduced to strings alone in the middle movement.

The first movement introduces Crispi’s fondness for sharp dynamic contrasts. Structured as a sonata-rondo form in common time, the cheerful “Allegro Spiritoso” opens with a principal theme that returns in the tonic D major at m. 60 and again at m. 99. Curiously, the opening theme consists of two six-bar phrases in its first two appearances, but it is truncated to five-measure phrases in its final statement. Although Crispi was not a member of the Mannheim school of composers, various devices associated with that influential mid-century ensemble appear throughout the movement, such as the measured tremolos in m. 17 and onward, the “drum 8ths” in the low strings beginning in m. 3, or the oscillating Bebung gestures that launch each occurrence of the second theme (mm. 37, 57, 88, etc.).[1] In comparison to the robust principal melody, the secondary theme seems wispier and much less substantial. Its phrase lengths are also modified in its successive re-appearances.

The central “Andantino”—a thirty-six-measure ternary structure with a codetta extension, set in the dominant key of A major—again displays Crispi’s penchant for variable phrasing. During the opening section, he shifts between short motifs that start on the downbeat and phrases that begin at other points of the duple-meter measure, keeping listeners slightly off-balance. The B section (m. 12), in E major, sustains a quiet dynamic level, contrasting with the final A section (m. 20) in which Crispi again plays with subito dynamic contrasts.

The closing “Allegro assai” returns to D major but is a bit more adventurous in its harmony. The first half of this gigue-like finale (in 3/8 time) resembles a conventional sonata-form exposition, presenting a first theme in the tonic, then moving to the dominant A major for both a second theme (m. 17) and a closing theme (m. 28). After the repetition of the exposition, the first theme is heard in A, and shifts abruptly to a repetition in the tonic minor (m. 45). (Crispi uses a favorite device—a rapidly descending five-note scale—to transition to this surprising key.) A short rising sequential passage leads to the second (m. 61) and closing themes (m. 72), set in the expected D major. As with the preceding movements, Crispi delights in echo effects achieved by sudden dynamic changes.

We do not know if Bremner issued the Periodical Overtures simply in the order that he acquired them, or if he planned the way that the early symphonies would be grouped in their respective sets of six. If he did follow some scheme, it is tempting to regard Periodical Overture No. 5 as the lighter, scherzo-like “relief” before the subsequent Periodical Overture No. 6 by Johann Stamitz, which, in performance, is triple the length of Crispi’s contribution. Still, Crispi incorporated various moments of flair in his treatment of phrasing, dynamics, and harmony, and the appeal of his sole representation in Bremner’s series should encourage musicians to seek out his many other surviving compositions.

Alyson McLamore

[1] Hugo Riemann, ed., Sinfonien der pfalzbayerischen Schule (Mannheimer Symphoniker), in Year 7, Vol. II, of Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern, in Series 2 of Denkmäler deutscher Tonkunst (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1906), xvii.