Category Archives: Orchestral

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.

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.

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.

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 1o [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.

[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] 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

 

[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), 310–345 passim.

[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.

 

 

field with yellow flowers and blue sky with smallclouds

Sov Godt (for Pål)

(2024)

for four string orchestras

Duration 11 minutes

Based on the opening bars of the final movement of J.S. Bach’s Johannespassion, Sov Godt (for Pål) for four string orchestras is a meditation on rest, recuperation, love and hope. It was written at a difficult time when my family has been unable to be together and when my grandson Pål has been extremely unwell – the music brings together many emotions.

 

The Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts

This is an exciting long term publishing project in conjunction with the musicologist Dr Alyson McLamore and the publishing house Musikproduktion Höflich. Join us on this journey of rediscovery of music from the London scene during the Rage for Music in the second half of the 18th century.

The Periodical Overtures in 8 Parts is a remarkable series of sixty-one orchestral symphoniespublished in London by Robert Bremner between 1763 and 1783. In essence, it was a symphony-of-the-month publication over this twenty-year period, capturing the musical tastes of London during the era’s Rage for Music. Bremner was inspired to undertake the series after witnessing the success on the continent of similar French periodical prints. In England, however, Bremner’s series went unrivalled for a decade, and no other later British publisher came close to matching his success with this periodical format.

From the start, Bremner promised to issue works that had never been printed in Britain and that were composed by “the most celebrated Authors.” He honoured both of those commitments, and by 1783, the Periodical Overtures represented some twenty-eight well-regarded composers from across Europe. To accommodate smaller orchestras, the symphonies were usually limited to eight parts, representing first and second violins, viola, bass, a pair of oboes, and a pair of horns, although a few additional instruments began appearing in various issues as British ensembles grew more ambitious.

Bremner also catered to a generally conservative British taste by adding figured bass if it were not already present and sometimes reducing the number of movements to three. The works were widely performed, appearing in the records of concert organizations in England, Scotland, and even in the American colonies. Late in the century, several of the most popular issues were arranged for keyboard, reflecting not only the increasing number of pianos in private homes, but also the Periodical Overtures’ staying power.

The objective of these Periodical Overtures Editions in the Repertoire Explorer Series published by Musikproduktion Höflich is to make this unique collection of orchestral works easily accessible and affordable. The Periodical Overtures Editions enrich the repertoire available to chamber orchestras, professional and amateur alike, providing them with valuable historical and musical insights as well as much delightful music-making, a great deal of which is unknown to contemporary audiences and performers.

Scores and parts are available from Musikproduktion Höflich. Audio renditions of each overture are available on this page as they are published.

The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – Number IV: Anton Fils (Filtz)

The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – Number III: Johann Stamitz

The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – Number II: Francesco Ricci

The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – Number I: Johann Christian Bach

Coming soon…..

May 2024

The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – Number V: Pietro Maria Crispi

June 2024

The Periodical Overture in 8 Parts – Number VI: Johann Stamitz

July 2024

We look forward to your feedback on this project. Please let us know your thoughts by adding your comments below:

 

Westron Wynde

Orchestra

2015

Duration: 8’45”

Scored for four clarinets, organ, piano and strings, Westron Wynde is is a contemplation derived from the Sanctus from John Sheppard’s mass of the same name. The music unfolds across three panels and depicts a vast empty landscape. Two brief extracts from Sheppard’s Sanctus can be heard as the music progresses, the first stated by the clarinets, the second, at a distance, by a string quartet.

In Autumn

(2010, 2016, 2023)

for orchestra (strings, flutes & piccolos)

Duration: 11’11”

In autumn is a piece for string orchestra with flutes and piccolos. It is an evocation of a woodland scene in late autumn in the pre-Appenini mountains of central Italy, specifically an area named Forca d’Acero which is a high mountain pass (1500m) on the border between Lazio and Abbruzzo: an evocative woodland landscape.