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Section 2. Musical arts - PRE_M|ER European Journal of Arts 4 (2021) - ISSN 2310-5666 -
UDС 78.071.1(73)(092):781.68 DOI: 10.29013/EJA-21-4-19-24
S. H. DIKARIEV 1
1 Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
"CARMEN FANTASY" FOR DOUBLE BASS AND PIANO BY F. PROTO: INTERPRETATION AS A NEW LOOK AT OPERA
Abstract
Objective: to reveal the specifics of the interpretation of the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet based on the "Carmen-fantasy" for double bass and piano by F. Proto.
Methods: genre approach, style approach, analytical approach, historiographic approach, comparative approach.
Results. The article analyzes "Carmen-Fantasy" for Double Bass and Orchestra by F. Proto as the first example of interpreting the images of G. Bizet's opera using the timbre of the solo double bass. As a result of comparing F. Protons suite with the original work and with the orchestral suites by E. Guiraud, innovations introduced by the composer in the interpretation of the images of the opera "Carmen" are revealed. These innovations lie primarily in the use of new means of expression (in particular, the timbre of the solo double bass), as well as in rethinking the images of the opera.
Scientific novelty. The article is the first to analyze new interpretational dimensions of the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet based on the comparison of "Carmen-Fantasy" by F. Proto with the orchestral suites by E. Guiraud.
Practical significance: the results of the article can be used in further studies of composer's interpretations of the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet, as well as in studies devoted to double bass music of the 20th century.
Keywords: opera "Carmen"; the work by Georges Bizet; Carmen Fantasy for double bass and orchestra; the work by Frank Proto; interpretation; music of the XX century.
For citation: S. H. Dikarie. "Carmen Fantasy" for Double Bass and Piano by F. Proto: Interpretation as A New Look at oper // European Journal ofArts, 2021, №4. - C. 19-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29013/EJA-21-4-19-24
Introduction
The opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet is one of the most famous musical and theatrical compositions, the leader of the opera repertoire (M. Kosilkin [3]), which has firmly entered the world musical culture, and has become the character of "cultural myths of the 20 th century" (L. Ku-pets [4]); it is disassembled into numerous quotes, unmistakably recognizable by both regular visitors to opera houses and adherents of pop culture. It is not surprising that the musical images of the opera found a response not only among listeners, but also among composers (from the contemporaries of G. Bizet to composers of the early 21st century), who authored many interpretations and transcriptions on the theme of the opera "Carmen" in different genres and styles. First of all, this applies to orchestral suites based on the themes of the most striking pieces of the opera. The first two of these suites were probably created about ten years after the death of G. Bizet by Ernest Guiraud (1837-1892), a French composer and
a close friend of G. Bizet, who, in addition, became the author of musical recitatives for the opera "Carmen". Apparently, E. Guiraud used the original scores of G. Bizet, which he arranged in two orchestral suites. In the 20 th century, the most famous was "Carmen Suite" for string orchestra and percussion instruments by R. Shchedrin.
In addition to the orchestral suites, the themes ofBizet's opera have become the material for a number ofinstrumen-tal fantasias. In this context, it is worth recalling Fantasias on themes from the opera "Carmen" for violin and orchestra by P. Sarasate, F. Waxman and E. Hubai, "Carmen-fantasia" for cello and piano by J. Holman and others, created by composers of the 19 th-21 st centuries. The authors of such fantasias in most cases were virtuoso performers interested in expanding their repertoire. If in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries these were mainly violinists and cellists, then since the second half of the 20 th century, double bass players have joined their ranks. This was connected with the development of the double bass performing art
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and, accordingly, with the need to expand the concert repertoire. Among the "Carmen-fantasias" for the solo double bass, the most famous are the compositions by the American double bass player S. Sankey (1927-2000), the Chinese double bass player Da Xun Zhang (1981) and the American double bass player F. Proto (1941), whose work, based on the opera "Carmen", became the first in a series of similar compositions for the double bass, and served as the material for the present article.
The results of the research
"Carmen Fantasy" for double bass and orchestra by the American double bass player and composer Frank Proto (born 1941) is not an accidental piece in his creative work. The composer has repeatedly addressed the themes of the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet: in his creative work there are a number of compositions for different content on the themes of this opera. In addition to the double bass "Carmen Fantasy", these include "Carmen Fantasy" for trumpet and orchestra, for trumpet and British brass band, as well as for jazz ensemble and orchestra. It should be noted that all these works are original compositions, not transcriptions or settings of the same opus.
F. Proto wrote most of his compositions for certain performers and most often on order. But "Carmen Fantasy" for double bass was written as a gift for his friend, the virtuoso performer Francois Rabbath in 1991. When writing the composition, F. Proto proceeded from the knowledge of F. Rabbath's musical preferences and his technical skills. In this regard, the first version of Fantasy was written for a double bass in "solo" tuning (A-E-H-Fis), which is often used by double bass soloists in concert performances for a brighter sound of the instrument, accompanied by the piano.
The premiere of "Carmen Fantasy" for double bass and piano took place on July 5, 1991 at the College-Conservatory of Music of University of Cincinnati, where the double bass part was performed by F. Rabbath, and the piano part by the composer himself. The performance was a success, followed by immediate orchestration at the re-
quest of the soloist. In addition, the wide popularity of the composition among double bass players around the world contributed to the creation ofthe edition of"Carmen Fantasy" for double bass and piano in the key of an orchestral tuning (G-D-A-E). In addition, such researchers as Pertz-born, F. [5], Machado, M. P. [6], V. Vieira [7] and others turned to a scientific comprehension of the composition.
"Carmen Fantasy" for double bass and orchestra was completed in 1992 and had a number of changes in the accompaniment structure compared to the original version for double bass and piano. The score of the composition contains the following author's instructions regarding the acoustic performance conditions:
"The solo double bass should be amplified using a high quality sound system. The level must be carefully monitored so that the soloist is easily audible but not so loud as to cover the orchestra. A sound system with wide dispersion combined with a high quality directional microphone should be used. A musical instrument amplifier/ speaker combination should not be used".
According to its compositional structure, "Carmen Fantasy" is a suite of five movements:
1. Prelude;
2. Aragonaise;
3. Nocturne - Micaela's Aria;
4. Toreador Song;
5. Bohemian Dance.
As indicated in the dissertation research of Machado, M. P. [6], the material for the movements of the suite was chosen by the composer more or less at random. The author of the dissertation focuses on the fact that Aragonaise, Toreador Song and Bohemian Dance are included in the standard orchestral suites, which can often be heard at symphony concerts, while the beautiful melody of Micaela's Aria from the third act is rarely heard beyond the opera. One can argue with this statement, since the thematism of Micaela's Aria is present in the above-mentioned orchestral suites by E. Guiraud, the structure and numbers of which are comparable to the structure of F. Proto's "Carmen Fantasy" (see Table 1).
Table 1. - Structure of F. Proto's "Carmen Fantasy"
"Carmen Fantasy" by F. Proto "Carmen-suites" by E. Guiraud Opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet
1 2 3 4 5
1. "Prelude" Cadenza G-dur Suite No.1 movement 1 "Prelude" Andante moderato % Allusions on the opera theme
2. "Aragonaise" Allegretto % G-dur Suite No.1 movement 2 "Aragonaise" Allegro vivo 3/s F-dur Interlude to act 4
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1 2 3 4 5
3. "Nocturne -Micaela's Aria" Andante 12/s d-moll Suite No.2 movement 3 "Nocturne" Andante molto 9/ c-moll Micaela's Aria, act 3
4. "Toreador Song" Andante @ a moll - A dur Suite No.2 movement 4 "Chanson du Toreador" Allegro moderato C f moll - F dur Escamilla's verses, act 2
5. "Bohemian Dance" Allegro moderato 6/8 (%) A dur - a moll Suite No.2 movement 6 "Danse Boheme" Andantino quasi - Allegretto % G-dur - e moll Bohemian Dance, act 2
As the table shows, the tonal plan of the movement of "Carmen Fantasy" by F. Proto differs significantly from the tonal plan of the pieces of the opera by G. Bizet and the suites by E. Guiraud; as a rule, all the movements of "Carmen Fantasy" sound one pitch higher than the original. This is probably due to the fact that the composer worked primarily on the solo double bass part, in the notation of which the original tonality was preserved, and only later - on the orchestral accompaniment, the tonality of which had to correspond to the real sound of the double bass in solo tuning. The fourth movement of "Carmen Fantasy", unlike the others, sounds two pitches higher. This decision of the composer may be due to the presence in the double bass part of certain natural string harmonics that are possible only in the given key (A-dur), which add lightness, soulful sound and timbre similarity to woodwind instruments to the instrument.
Let us turn to a more detailed analysis of each of the movements of "Carmen Fantasy". The Prelude of "Carmen Fantasy" by F. Proto serves as a kind of overture to the suite, it is based on the thematic material of the opera, but is not a transcription of one of its pieces. The Prelude uses individual intonations and images of Bizet's opera. The part of the double bass, which sounds unaccompanied, has features of a solo cadenza. In the original version of "Carmen Fantasy" for double bass and piano, in the first piece only double bass sounds; in the orchestral version, F. Proto precedes the sound of the solo double bass with an orchestral introduction, the gentle-ghostly sound of which with the predominance of timbres of high woodwind instruments contrasts with the subsequent sound of the grace note of the fourth, which turns into a swift fifth of the double bass in the low register, from which all subsequent movement unfolds. There are a number of technical difficulties in the Prelude that contribute to the disclosure of the artistic image of the passionate, unyielding Carmen. These include the double stops, rarely used in the double bass repertoire,
by pure primes, which create the effect of a more saturated sound in terms of timbre due to the combination of overtones of two strings. Expressed in the form of a swift ascending passage, they develop into double stops by the fourths that increase the general tension. The following melodic passages are intonationally based on the theme ofAragonaise from Interlude to Act 2 of the opera "Carmen" and can be perceived as a thematic preparation of the next piece of the suite. The harmonics that conclude the Prelude, reminiscent of the sound of high woodwind instruments, create a kind of timbre "arch" with an orchestral introduction.
The second movement of"Carmen Fantasy" by F. Proto - Aragonaise - follows the first attacca. Bright Spanish dance, which is traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets and clapping, was often used by composers as a musical illustration of the Spanish flavour (not only the aragonaise from the interlude to the 4 th act of the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet is known, but also the one from the opera "Le Cid" byJ. Massenet). P. de Sarasate and F. Wax-mann turned to their own interpretation ofthe aragonaise from Bizet's opera in their '"Carmen-Fantasias" for violin and orchestra.
Aragonaise from "Carmen Fantasy" by F. Proto opens with a large orchestral introduction (there is no introduction in the version for double bass and piano). The orchestra performs the same theme, which will then sound in the double bass part. F. Proto brings some jazz techniques and harmonies to the thematism of G. Bizet, thereby reducing the stylistic distance between his era and the era of the original. The thematic development leads the soloist to perform a slightly abbreviated Cadenza, which has already sounded in the first movement of the suite - the Prelude. This is followed by eight measures with the remark of "Repeat Ad Lib." of the orchestra, implying the free improvisation of the soloist, adopted in jazz ensembles. The movement is completed by F. Proto's original jazz motive.
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The third movement - Nocturne - begins, similar to Aragonaise, with an orchestral introduction, which is absent in the piano version of "Carmen Fantasy". However, the thematic basis of the third movement is exclusively the motives of Micaela's Aria, whose tender voice seems to be imitated by a double bass. The entire movement is presented in the upper register, in which the solo instrument sounds tender and soft. The entire double bass part, with a few exceptions, duplicates the vocals of Micaela's Aria, while the updated harmonies sound in the orchestral accompaniment. The part is completed by artificial harmonics, which depict the French horn movement from the introduction to Micaela's Aria from the opera by G. Bizet.
The fourth movement - Toreador Song - also begins with an introduction, which contains allusions to the themes of Escamillo's famous Couplets. In contrast to the musical characterization of the Toreador from the opera by G. Bizet - bright, active, victorious, in F. Proto's "Carmen Fantasy", his thematism is somewhat romanticized; the soloing double bass sounds with melancholy and at ease, largely due to unusual dissonant harmonies and a slow tempo, unusual for admirers of the traditional interpretation of this piece of Bizet's opera. In this movement F. Proto handles the original thematic material most freely; it is rather an original theme, reminiscent of Escamillo's Couplets in intonation outlines of the melody, and not in an exact adherence to character.
The orchestral introduction to the fifth movement -Bohemian Dance - does not duplicate the main theme of the dance. Thematically, it is based on various leitmotifs of the opera, among which is the leitmotif of Carmen herself, and in a certain sense can be perceived as a kind of intonational generalization of Bizet's opera. The sudden transition leads to the actual Bohemian dance. The composer, building the tempo drama, indicates a fast tempo from the very beginning, without the traditional "acceleration" characteristic of gypsy music, thereby giving the soloist the opportunity to demonstrate his skills and virtuosity. The "Carmen Fantasy" by F. Proto ends with the apotheosis of the dance theme at the highest possible speed. In the double bass part, an ascending
movement sounds on the highest artificial harmonics, which are contrasted with the final sound E1 - the lowest sound possible on a double bass.
Conclusions
"Carmen Fantasy" by F. Proto is a composition that expanded the range of interpretations of the already textbook opera by G. Bizet. While organically continuing the tradition of suites based on the thematic material of the opera, laid down by E. Guiraud, F. Proto, nevertheless, introduces certain innovations, consisting primarily of the means of expression used. For the first time in the instrumental fantasia on the themes of the opera "Carmen", the timbre of the solo double bass is used - an instrument traditionally associated more often with gloomy and tragic, or, on the contrary, emphasized comic figurative spheres, but actively expanding the boundaries of its use in the music of the 20 th century.
It is significant that, building the compositional dramaturgy of his suite, F. Proto does not limit himself to exploiting the low timbre of the double bass and does not refuse to depict female images (No. 3. "Nocturne - Micaela's Aria"), but avoids direct references directly to the image of the title character of the opera - passionate Carmen. Unlike the suites by E. Guiraud, in which habarena is inherently present as an unmistakable symbol of Carmen's image, in F. Proto's composition the intonations of the main character's part appear only in the form of allusions in the orchestra part.
F. Proto also opens new horizons on the path of rethinking the images which are present in his "Carmen Fantasy". First of all, this refers to the image of the bullfighter Escamillo (No. 4. "Toreador Song"). An active, courageous character in F. Proto's interpretation acquires features of melancholy - a new figurative facet, rarely associated with the timbre of a double bass.
The creativity of the 20th-21st centuries presented an extraordinary variety of interpretations of the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet. F. Proto's "Carmen Fantasy", which opened a new dimension of interpretations of this music, has become another step towards the expansion of the figurative spheres subject to the double bass.
References
1. Zharkih T. V. Zhanrovo-intonacionnye predvestniki obraza Karmen v Mélodies Zh. Bize (Genre and intonation precursors of the image of Carmen in Mélodies by G. Bizet), Central Asian Journal of Art Studies, 2019.-No. 4.2.- P. 23-33. (in Russian).
2. Chen M. & Lu T. Francuzskaya liricheskaya opera [French lyrical opera]. Sovremennye problemy nauki i obra-zovaniya,- No. 1. 2010.- P. 39-44. (in Russian).
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3. Kosilkin M. Yu. "Karmen" Zh. Bize: ispolnitel'skie interpretacii v kontekste kul'tury ("Carmen" by G. Bizet: performing interpretations in the context of culture). Problemy muzykal'noj nauki.- No. 3. 2017.- P. 120-127. (in Russian).
4. Kupec L. A. Karmen Zhorzha Bize i kul'turnye mify XX veka (Carmen by Georges Bizet and cultural myths of the XX century). Chasopys Natsionalnoi muzychnoi akademii Ukrainy imeni P. I. Chaikovskoho.- No. 2. 2013.-P. 44-59. (in Russian).
5. Pertzborn F. Learning the doublebass: a multilevel approach to the acquisition of motor performance skill, Musi: Revista de Performance Musical,- No. 5-6. 2002.- P. 120-130.
6. Machado M. P. Francois Rabbath applied: An analysis of his technique for a successful performance of Frank Proto's music, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005. - 125 p.
7. Vieira V. M. A Carmen Fantasy para contrabaixo e piano: um estudo técnico e interpretative. (Carmen Fantasy for double bass and piano: a technical and interpretive study). 2013.- 89 p. (in Portuguese).
8. Walczyk K. Extended Program Notes for Orchestral Conducting Recital: Antonin Dvorak's Serenade Op. 44, Georges Bizet's Carmen Suite arranged for mixed octet, Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite, and James Stephenson's there are no words. 2017.- 32 p.
9. Kremencova Y. S. Opera "Karmen" v kontekste problemy ekologii muzykal'noj kul'tury i ekologicheskoj missii kritiki (Opera "Carmen" in the context of the problem of ecology of musical culture and the ecological mission of criticism). Kazan Federal University Digital Repository, 2016.- P. 48-58. (in Russian).
10. Chapman D. Historical and practical considerations for the tuning of double bass instruments in fourths. The Galpin Society Journal,- No. 56. 2003.- P. 224-233.
11. Shkor L. A. Interpretaciya obraza Karmen v sovremennom iskusstve. (Interpretation ofthe image of Carmen in contemporary art). Viesnik Bielaruskaha dziarzaünaha univiersiteta kultury i mastactvaü, 2018.- P. 71-76. (in Russian).
12. Bizet G. Carmen suites: nos. 1 and 2, Courier Corporation, 1998.- 144 p.
Information about the author
Serhiy Hryhorovych Dikarev, Postgraduate Student, Department of Interpretology and Analysis of Music,
IP Kotlyarevsky Kharkiv National University of Arts
Address: 61096, Kharkiv, Ukraine. Ave. Petro Hryhorenko 49 kv.1
E-mail: dikarev.serch1808@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0002-7400-6099
Д1КАРСВ С. Г. 1
1 Харивський нащональний утверситет мистецтв iменi I. П. Котляревського, м. Харыв, Украша
«КАРМЕН-ФАНТАЗ1Я» ДЛЯ КОНТРБАСА I ФОРТЕП1АНО Ф. ПРОТО: 1НТЕРПРЕТАЦ1Я ЯК НОВИЙ ПОГЛЯД НА ОПЕРУ
Анотаця
Мета дошдження: виявити специфжу штерпретацп опери "Кармен" Ж. Бiзе на прикладi "Кармен-фан-тазп" Ф. Прото.
Методологiя дошдження: жанровий, стильовий, анамтичний, iсторiографiчний, компаративний методи. Результата. У статп аналiзуeться "Кармен-фантазш для контрабасу з оркестром" Ф. Прото як перший приклад штерпретацп образiв опери Ж. Бiзе за допомогою використання тембру соло контрабаса. В результата
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поргвняння сюГти Ф. Прото з оригiнальним твором та з оркестровими сюГтами Е. ripo виявлено новаци, внесет композитором у трактування oбpазiв опери «Кармен», якг полягають насамперед у викopистаннi нових засобах виpазнoстi (зокрема, тембр солуючого контрабасу), а також у переосмислення oбpазiв опери.
Наукова новизна. У статтг вперше анал1зуються нoвi iнтеpпpетацiйнi вимipи опери "Кармен" Ж. Бiзе на матеpiалi з1ставлення "Кармен-фантази" Ф. Прото з оркестровими сюггами Е. Про.
Практичне значення. Результати статт1 можна використовувати у подальших досл1дженнях композитор-ських интерпретаций опери «Кармен» Ж. Б1зе, а також у досл1дженнях, присвячених контрабасовоГ музицг XX стол1ття.
Ключовi слова: опера "Кармен"; творч1сть Жоржа Б1зе; "Кармен-фантазГя" для контрабасу з оркестром; творчгсть Франка Прото; штерпретацгя; музика XX стор1ччя.
1нформаця про автора
Д1карев Серггй Григорович, асп1рант кафедри гнтерпретологи та анал1зу музики, Харк1вський нац1ональний
ун1верситет мистецтв гменг I. П. Котляревського
Адреса: 61096, ХаркГв, УкраГна. Пр. Петра Григоренка 49 кв.1
E-mail: dikarev.serch1808@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0002-7400-6099
