Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz / Musik-Akademie Basel
Hochschule für Musik
Schriftliche Arbeit im Fach Querflöte Master of Performance
Dozent: Felix Renggli
„ROMANCE AND PERPLEXITY”
Vorgelegt von Zofia Neugebauer
Grossmatte 2G, 6014, Luzern
Basel 10.06.2
VATIATIONS ON THEME OF THE SONG „TROCKNE BLUMEN”
FOR FLUTE AND PIANO, FRANZ SCHUBERT
Franz Schubert during his life was working several times on
Variations on some of his own songs. The most popular ones are
the Piano Quintett about „Die Forelle” or the piano Fantasie on „Die
Wanderer” . In January 1824 Schubert writes Variations about
„Trockne Blumen” for Flute and Piano from newly written but not yet
published, the cycle of songs „Die schone Mullerin”.
It is a very sad song, which tells the story of unfulfilled love. The
song starts with the words,
„All you flowers,/ that she gave to me, /you shall be laid /with me in
the grave”
The piece is opened by a slow Introduction, which presents to
listener the atmosphere of the Song, right after the introduction
comes the melody that we recognise as the theme of the song.
Seven variations that come after the theme, are a play between the
text of melancholic beginning and euphoric end of whole song
which says „Then, all you flowers, /come forth, /come forth! /May is
here, /winter is over!”
Schubert uses a clear melodic material and harmonic solutions of
the Song with the highest bravoure, that is recognised not only in
flute part. The Piano material demands the highest virtuosity of the
performer.
The piece was written for the flute professor Ferdinand Bogner. He
wanted to be recognised as a virtuoso, and he asked Schubert to
write for him especially difficult variation. The fifth variation that was
then written, was so difficult that it was almost unplayable, and the
composer had to rewrite it.
EKAGRA FOR ALTO FLUTE AND PIANO, KAZUO FUKUSHIMA
In Japan, musical development risen very strongly after II World
War. Kazuo Fukushima, when the War finished he was 15 years old
boy. In his music he connects with the fear of death being so close.
Japanese music society was recovering from devastating War times
and opening itself for the western world. Orchestras were
blossoming, opera houses were reopening and musical scene was
growing to share more and more ideas and culture with the World.
The solo flute repertoire by Japanese composers is quite rich.
One of the most important first pieces was work for solo flute was
Mei (1962) by Kazuo Fukushima. This important piece was inspired
by sounds of the nohkan and shakuhachi. Fukushima uses in Mei
many jumps of sevenths, taking inspiration from the acoustical
qualities of the nohkan, grace notes, quarter tones, melodies,
passages that are connecting to the hishigi (a pattern that is
connecting to the appearance of ghosts), and other elements to
show the sound pallet inspired by Japanese instruments.
The works by Fukushima also includes Japanese concepts like
ma. Toshio Hosokawa explains ma with this words:
„The concept of ma, which is so important in traditional Japanese
music, is time and space infused with a tension that extends from
infinity to the paper where the line is drawn, a tension that is in no
way “silence” in the sense of a uniform and empty space, void of
any sense of direction or meaning. It is a space that is full of
direction and rich in multiple meanings, it is a space that has
become fertile like a uterus.”
Concepts like ma are something which is incorporated into the
daily lives of Japanese artists. For the western performers, it is
something very new and unknown, despite the technical difficulties
of the pieces, artists performing Japanese repertoire should
research and make an effort to assimilate this concepts into
performance. Cultural context needs some understanding, it is
necessary to realise some sides of the aesthetics of Japanese flute
repertoire. Composers like Fukushima, Takemitsu, Yuasa, and
Ichiyanagi, are also using concept of Ma in their flute works.
Wataru says that “the Japanese do not draw distinctions between
living and musical space.” Patience and imagination will be the
guides for successful performances of these works.
Ekagra for alto flute and piano (1958) is written as episodic and
a-tonal piece. The piece captures some kind of a progress that is
flowing between contrasting patterns. We can give it a thought, how
the composer uses a conception of a beginning and end in the
piece. The result is deeply emotional and introverted piece that
remains part of the standard solo flute repertoire.
FIRST TRIO IN G MAJOR FOR VIOLIN, CELLO AND PIANO
(ARR. FOR FLUTE), CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Claude Debussy’s music very often brings to our imagination,
sounds of blurred impressionistic harmonies and paintings of big
artists of that epoch. Debussy had a big interest in sensuous way of
receiving music. As a student, his imagination was leading him to
very new and innovative composing solutions, which was
sometimes a small consternation for his teachers . Debussy
developed his very own style, but still being inspired by wide
spectrum of sounds and other composers. He referred a lot to
French style and called himself „Claude Debussy, musician
francais”. In Paris Conservatoire where he was studying, he was
awarded with Prix de Rome in 1885. Already the early works show
us, that he wanted to break the traditional western musical
solutions, especially he did not supported the form of sonata, which
he considered to german and not fitting to French style. Piano Trio
in G major, was thought to be lost or destroyed by the composer
himself. Some recomposing of the piece was necessary, and was
pieced together from some parts of manuscripts and a cello part.
Trio was composed in the summer 1880 when he was employed by
Madame von Meck (connected also toTchaikovsky). When he was
in Florence, with Madame von Meck’s, they had a pleasure to meet
a violinist and cellist, musicians of the Moscow Conservatory. One
evening, they were asked to perform something together with
Debussy. It was exactly during this time when he composed his
Piano trio in G Major, being an 18 years old, young man.
The Andantino con Moto allegro, is a movement that is definitely not
constructed with a schematic sonata form of exposition,
development and recapitulation, it is more episodic and free in the
form. The second movement is a playful in character and introduces
us already to some of the impressionistic solutions and articulations
of the composers own style. The Andante espressivo, with many
long beautiful melodies is very romantic and simply constructed
movement. Appassionato, the finale, is bringing to us still very
romantic and intense feelings.
BIBLIOGRAPHIE:
The essence of Mei: an exploration of the inspiration behind Mei
through interviews with the composer, Mihoko Watanabe
Japan as a source for new wind sounds,
Karen Jeanne Reynolds, Kazuo Fukushima, Tōru Takemitsu
University of California, 1975
Mei per flauto solo, Edizioni Suvini Zerboni, 1966
Piano Trio G Major (English, French and German Edition), Henle
Verlag, 2009
Schoenberg, Harold C. (30 September 1984). "First Hearing for an
early Debussy piano trio". New York Times. 3 August 2013
Claude Debussy: A Critical Biography, University of Rochester
Press; Critical edition (June 20, 2019)
Heinrich Kreissle von Hellborn: Franz Schubert, Wien 1865,
Gustav Scheck: Die Flöte und ihre Musik. B. Schott’s Söhne, Mainz
1975,
Manfred Wagner, Franz Schubert – Werk und Leben, Verlag
Holzhausen, Wien 1996,