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Block 2 Tutorial 2 Summary

As before, the following summary of the tutorial on Saturday, 11th January 2014 is largely for those who were unable to attend, but might also be useful as a reminder to those who were there. The activities related to h.11!1" of #loc$ 2 and, as with the %revious tutorial, were focused not &ust on the ne't T(A )0*+, but more widely on the bloc$,s main issues, with the end of course e'am also in mind. -n %articular, we considered the nature and e'tent of the %erformer.s role in com%osition, a to%ic that has come u% more than once in %ast e'am %a%ers. )/e did not e'%licitly discuss another such to%ic, the relationshi% between com%osition and im%rovisation, but several of the day.s activities would throw light on it.+ I. /e began by lin$ing the issue of the %erformer,s contribution to com%osition to summary 0uestion " )#l.2, %.2*1+ on scores as insufficient or misleading bases for %erformance. 2irst, we listened to three recordings of the Adagio first movement of orelli.s violin sonata, 3%.4, 5o.*, com%aring them with the score )Scores 4, %.6+. The score is a facsimile of the 1710 Amsterdam edition by 8oger, which includes an ornamented version of the violin %art, claimed to re%roduce the com%oser.s own embellishments )the to% line of each system in the score+. 9owever, when 3%.4 was first %ublished in 8ome in 1700, it consisted of &ust the sim%le, unornamented violin line and the figured bass %art )the lower two lines in each system+. The violinist in the 1st recording followed the 1700 score e'actly, adding nothing to the %rinted notes, not even trills at cadences. The 2nd violinist )on :1*, trac$ **+ gave a faithful rendition of 8oger.s embellished version, while the *rd devised his own, less florid ornaments. /e considered three 0uestions, firstly, which %erformance would have been closest to what orelli might have e'%ected, deciding that it was recording three )since he would have e'%ected some embellishment, but not sim%ly a re%roduction of %reviously written out ornaments+. Secondly, we discussed whether and how far the 1700 score was an insufficient and;or misleading basis for %erformance, concluding that it would not have been for %erformers familiar with the -talian style and its conventions of ornamentation, but might be for those who were not so familiar )insufficient if they were aware of what was missing but unable to su%%ly it themselves, misleading if they were not even aware of what was missing+. Thirdly, we considered the e'tent of the 2nd and *rd %erformers. influence on the com%osition )imagining that the embellishments were actually devised by the %erformers+. /e noted that certain elements were <fi'ed. )including the basic s$eleton of the melody and the bass line with its im%lied harmonies+, which meant that the %erformer.s contribution had certain limits. 5e't, we listened to two realisations of an unmeasured %relude by =ouis ou%erin )uncle of the more famous 2ran>ois+, from c.1"41!"1. -n this genre, all the notes to be %layed are s%ecified, but the rhythm in which they are to be %erformed is left to the %layer. /e discussed the 2nd and *rd of the above 0uestions, coming u% with similar $inds of answers, though we were divided on whether the %erformer.s contribution to the com%osition was greater or lesser than in the orelli e'am%le. II. #efore the ne't listening activity, we discussed the conce%t of the <model. being used by a %erformer )see #l.2, %.114+. This term refers to any $ind of guide a %erformer uses to construct music, ranging from a fully notated score to a basic structural framewor$ )e.g. a 12!bar blues %attern+ to an even looser conce%t, such as a set of commonly $nown rules. Any %erformance model will <fi'. certain elements, leaving others <free.. The e'tent of the %erformer.s contribution to the com%osition is closely related to the ty%e of model used and the ratio of fi'ed to free elements )as we saw with the orelli and =. ou%erin e'am%les+.

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Block 2 Tutorial 2 Summary

At one end of the continuum is a %erformance of a wor$ li$e, say, #eethoven,s ?iolin oncerto, where the model )the fully notated score+ has a very high %ro%ortion of fi'ed elements, so that sco%e for truly com%ositional in%ut )as o%%osed to merely inter%retative+ on the %erformer.s %art is minimal. 5earer the other end, one might %lace a com%oser!%erformer li$e (o@art, im%rovising on a given theme. 9ere, the %ro%ortion of fi'ed elements is lower. 9owever, the %erformer.s freedom is never absoluteA a model will always have at least some fi'ed elements and a %erformer would be e'%ected to follow recognised conventions to some e'tent. /e then tried to a%%ly this conce%t to two e'am%les, the basse danse <=a S%agna. )#l.2, %.204 B :11, trac$s 1!2, Scores 2ii, %.41+ and Crrol Darner.s &a@@ version of Dershwin.s <- got rhythm. )#l.2, %%.11* B 11"E : 10, trac$s 27!*0+. As we did in the tutorial, you might li$e to try ran$ing the e'tent of the %erformer.s contribution to the com%osition in these two e'am%les, as well as com%aring it with that in the orelli and ou%erin cases. )Fou will want to do this with your T(A 0* e'am%les, in order to <assess the influence of the %erformer on com%osition..+ Some of us thought that Darner.s com%ositional role was the greatest of all the e'am%les we listened to, as starting from a given melody and harmonic structure, he is free to alter many of the com%onents in %erformance to a considerable e'tent, but not everyone agreed. /e additionally noted that the conce%t of the <model. can also be a%%lied, to some e'tent, to com%osers, since they tend to wor$ within established forms and genres and the e'%ectations that go with them. -n some cases, e'tra constraints can be im%osed, such as the s%ecific conditions of a commission or the role music is e'%ected to fill in a larger activity )such as film+. /e also reminded ourselves of other e'am%les in #l.2 of the %erformer.s influence on com%osition, including cases in whichA ! music is tailored to s%ecific %erformers )e.g. -reland and Thurston, Dluc$ and Duadagni, #erio and Da@@elloni+ ! the com%oser is the %erformer, creating material for his;her own use and varying it in %erformance )e.g. ho%in.s (a@ur$a,3%.7, 5o. 2, (o@art.s %iano sonata G.**2, Jelly 8oll (orton.s <5ew 3rleans #lues.+ ! the com%oser leaves a deliberate ga% to be filled by the %erformer )e.g. caden@as+ ! music is created by a grou% from common formulae, so each %erformance is a <new. com%osition )e.g. $hyal music, gamelan, 1"th century im%rovisation over a tenor, &a@@ im%rovisation, e.g. <:i%%ermouth #lues.+ III. The final activities of the tutorial were two com%arisons of %erformances or of music with source material on 16th century %erformance %ractice. 2irstly, we loo$ed at what three 16th century writers, Tosi, .H.C. #ach and Iuant@, had to say about the embellishment of cadences )a handout - emailed to you+. They seemed to agree that some embellishment at cadences was desirable, even necessary, but that it must be done with moderation )e.g. for singers and wind %layers, it should be done in one breath+. /ith this advice in mind, we listened to several recordings of the cadence at the end of <Cvery valley. from 9andel.s Messiah ) :2*, trac$s * J 6E Scores for TMAs, %.1"+, as$ing ourselves which came closest to the $ind of %erformance that 9andel might have e'%ected. Fou might li$e to try this e'ercise for yourself. )-t.s 0uite funK+ To end, we loo$ed at TLr$.s 1761 advice on concerto caden@as )#l.2, %%.2*0!2+, first summarising each of his ten rules and then seeing how far (o@art.s *rd caden@a for his Hiano oncerto in , G.24" ) : 11, trac$ 14E Scores 2ii, %."4ff+ conforms to them. /e &udged that the corres%ondence was 0uite close, but decided that this was not sur%rising, as it is li$ely that TLr$ derived his rules from the %ractice of %erformers li$e (o@art )rather than TLr$.s rules coming first and (o@art dutifully following them+. /e also noted that e'%ectations changed over time, so that even by #eethoven.s day, different ideas had emerged about what is acce%table in a

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Block 2 Tutorial 2 Summary

caden@a )e.g. in terms of length or how far away from the home $ey one should modulate J see #l.2, %%.2*2!*+. 8oss /inston, 1* January 2014