SYMPHONY – INTRO

(F-09)

1. Goals of course

Learn repertory – Vivaldi/Handel through Mozart/Haydn

Genre study – How orchestral introductions became a genre – traits of genre – composers’ and listener’s ideas about genre

Musical sources – Where do our texts for 18^th-century symphonies come from? – Mss and prints (in parts, not scores) – What does it take to make them playable?

Origins of “classical” style – what are sources and predecessors of Mozart-Haydn-Beethoven style? – Symphonies were primary (?) workshop for classical style – at least for sonata-allegro forms

Need to guard against “eschatological history,” i.e. listening to all 18^th-century symphonies as preparation for Mozart and Haydn – We need to hear them in their own terms – At same time when we get to M and H I won’t minimize their achievements

2. Syllabus

Chronological organization

Preparations vs. assignments

One or the other due each week

Preps are reading and/or listening and a little response

Assignments are co-ordinated between seminars – aim toward term paper

Also a midterm – Haven’t decided yet what it will be

Grade components

attendance (both plenary and seminar)

preps on time and acceptable

steps toward term paper on time and acceptable

midterm graded

final paper graded

Website

HANDOUT - Prep 1 for next week

Questions?

3. Origins

Perspective of Beethoven’s time (1^st symphony 1800) – Genre well established

Entitled “Sinfonia” etc.

Large orchestra

No voices, no soloist, no continuo

4 movements (character of movements)

Independent of vocal music

Performed in (public) concert

Model was symphonies of Haydn (also Mozart)

Perspective c. 1700 (Handel, Vivaldi) – genre much less clear

“Sinfonia” usually meant Italian-style opera overture, also instrumental interludes in opera (“dramatic symphony”)

Frame for vocal music

Independent orchestral music usually called “concerto” (but Corelli concerti were often used as intros)

Orchestra variable – always strings, often oboes, horns – sometimes trumpets and drums

Movements variable – SFS was most common

Often instrumental soloists, often continuo (but no voices)

No real models (Scarlatti? Vinci? Leo?)

4. (omitted) 17th-century instrumental ensembles

Orchestras were new in late 17^th century

Sponsored by royalty and nobility (e.g. Louis XIV, Charles II, Pamphili, Ottoboni)

Bowed string ensembles with several on a part

Often large (30-80) – amplification for outdoor performance

Winds tended to be separate ensembles, joined as necessary

Functions of 17^th-century orchestras

Special festive occasions (e.g. weddings, coronations, name days, treaties)

Dance – Court ballet, balls

Theater – opera, serenata, oratorio – Used mainly for framing – singers were accompanied by small, continuo ensemble

Church – instrumental music for non-sung parts of service (e.g. gradual, communion)

Orchestral repertory beginning to emerge

Dances – dance suites (e.g. Lully, JS Bach)

Concertos – for church, public events, chamber, amateurs (Corelli, Vivaldi, Bach)

Overtures – for theater (e.g. Lully)

We'll examine some 17^th-century orchestral repertory and ask how are they similar to, different from later symphonies?

5. Stradella, Forza delle stelle (1670s)

Alessandro Stradella (1639-1682) – scandalous life

Sinfonia to a cantata – Stradella wrote similar introductions to operas and oratorios

PLAY – listen for form, textures, instrumentation

Two tempos, slow and fast, strings only, imitative

Slow section character – legato, duple meter, plaintive, imitative, pauses to let sound die away, modal touches – like ricercar (Gabrieli) or fantasia (Purcell) – Rising harmonies and tessitura at end are very successful

Fast section character – detached, repeated notes, triple meter, dance-like, imitative

Anything “symphonic” ?

6. Lully, Phaeton (1683) - Overture to Prologue

PLAY – listen for similarities and differences to Stradella

Typical of early French overture - Note how short – This performance repeats to get more length

Scoring: strings and oboes – Oboes double throughout

Movements: Slow-fast-slow (repeat) - all interconnected - all in same key - segues to vocals

Character of slow movement - dotted rhythms, duple meter, pauses – seem to derive from ballet music with “royal” topic

Character of fast - fugue or at least a semblance thereof – inner parts don’t participate after initial entrances – repeated notes – duple meter

Extremely influential – imitated in Italy, Germany, England

Lullyist suite - overture followed by dances (e.g. Bach orchestral suites)

7. (omitted) Corelli - Concerto Grosso Op. 6 no. 7 (D major)

Date (1680-1700) - Meaning of "concerto grosso" - Corelli's orchestra - purpose of performances, documentation, size of ensemble

Scoring - strings - continuo? – Possibility of adding winds

Movements - all in D, all segue

Concertino vs. ripieno - don't underestimate ripieno

1st movement - Intro a la Lully - "Vivace" ?? - Full-orchestra effects - uses of silence - piano vs. forte - Allegro: concertino violins - repeated notes as orchestral effect

3rd allegro - fugue techniques - strong entrances, then insts. abandon subject and play suspensions

8. Alessandro Scarlatti – Il prigioniero fortunato (1698) – Sinfonia

A Scarlatti (1660-1725) – Sicilian, many operas and cantatas, father of Domenico - This opera written for Naples

PLAY – listen for instrumentation, formal layout, character of movements

Fast-slow-fast, strings + trumpet obligato

character of mvt 1 – duple meter, festive, busy, contrasting themes

character of mvt 2 – triple meter, lyrical, unusual trumpet

character of mvt 2 – duple, dotted, repeated, drums added – grand, festive, introductory

We can hear introductory function clearly

This is a typical “Neapolitan” or “Italian” sinfonia – Perceived as contrast or alternative to French overture (Scheibe) – similarly influential – Taken to be the direct ancestor of symphony as genre

9. Handel Sinfonia to Agrippina - HANDOUT

Venice 1709 – opera overture – title is “Sinfonia”

PLAY into fugue – Listen for similarities to Lully / Corelli – novel features

Instrumentation (strings + oboes)

French overture organization, gestures (Lully, but theme!)

Single movement

Contrasting textures

Unison passages

Grand pauses (Corelli)

Concertino violins (Corelli), oboes (!)

Oboe candenza

Dramatic narrative

This is an example of an original and successful piece that does not lead toward symphony genre