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European Journal of Arts 4 (2021) - PRE_M|ER Section 2. Musical arts - ISSN 2310-5666 -
UDC78.071.1(450)(092)780.644.1]:78.03»18/19» DOI: 10.29013/EJA-21-4-118-124
TAO JIN 1
1 Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
OOMPOSITIONS FOR THE OBOE BY A. PASCULLI: ON THE WAY TO THE FORMATION OF THE CONCERTO STYLE OF PLAYING AT THE TURN OF THE 19TH-20TH CENTURIES
Abstract
Objective: to identify the typical features, genre and stylistic peculiarities of the oboe works of the composer of the Romantic era, Antonio Pasculli, in terms of the formation of the concerto style.
Methods: there are complex of general scientific and special musicological methods: historical, stylistic, genre and structure-functional.
Results: The creative work of A. Pasculli is an example of virtuoso romantic art. It's characterized by the presence in the performance of features of improvisation, fantasia, and a brilliant demonstration of the capabilities of the instrument. It was the performing style that determined the features of the composing style. This is manifested in the following:
1. In fantasias, the originality of the composer's interpretation of the original opera source is expressed in the choice of themes (sometimes not the main ones), contrast images (female and male, and not always the main characters), while levelling the tragedy of a love situation. From the point ofview of formation, A. Pasculli's fantasias and concertos are focused on contrasting-composition forms. From the point ofview of all the examples of fantasias and concertos by A. Pasculli should be considered examples of the genre of concerto fantasia (in some cases, the similarity to a concerto is confirmed by the presence of an orchestra as a second participant in the action).
2. In fantasias and concerto the main characteristic is the demonstration of the brilliant technical skills of the performer (it is more important than the presentation of the opera thematism). Therefore, all his works are very virtuoso, demanding brilliance, phenomenal virtuoso qualities, they constantly use arpeggios, the practice of the permanent breathing, technically very complex passages, jumps, hidden polyphony, various strokes, trills with grace notes and melismas, high and low register coverage. The presence of cadenzas (cadenza sections) in all the works indicates the inclusion of genre features of the concerto, and their huge number within a single work (cadenzas complete the sections, separate them, and always separate the introduction from the main section of fantasias).
Scientific novelty: lies in a holistic analysis of A. Pasculli's oboe creativity and intonation-structural analysis of individual works in the aspect of the formation of a concerto instrumental style.
Practical significance: research can serve as a source of information in the study of creativity for the oboe of the 19th century. The experience of holistic analysis of performance style is also presented, which is a model for further study of other styles
Keywords: creativity for the oboe at the 19 th century, concerto genres for the oboe, creativity of A. Paskulli, performance, performance specifics, concert style of performance.
For citation: Tao Jin. Compositions for the oboe by A. Pasculli: on the way to the formation of the Concerto Style of Playing at the turn of the 19 th-20 th Centuries // European Journal ofArts, 2021, №4. - C. 118-124. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29013/EJA-21-4-118-124
Introduction. The modern oboe appeared in France in the second half of the 17 th century and has come a long way since then. It was used by composers from dif-
ferent European countries: J. B. Lully, G. Purcell, A. Vivaldi, G. F. Telemann. The oboe achieved new expressiveness in the works ofJ. S. Bach, G. F. Handel, A. Marcello,
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A. Vivaldi, T. Albinoni, G. F. Telemann, C.P.E. Bach, I. G. Graun, D. Cimarosa, J. Stamitz, A. Rosetti, C. Dietersdorf, F. Kramar, the oboe was widely used in the works by V. A. Mozart, Lebrun, who wrote 6 concertos for the oboe and orchestra, many new and original things in the interpretation of the oboe were introduced by the master of the orchestra H. Berlioz.
In modern musicology, the study of oboe art takes place in several directions. In particular, publications on the technological aspects of performance are posted on the website of the International Association of Oboe and Bassoon Performers IDRS, including the relevant monograph by Philip Bate [1], which contains a complete description ofthe current state of the instrument and playing it (including a separate section devoted to the peculiarities of the presentation of the oboe in the 19th century). No less significant are the monographs by G. Burgess and H. Bruce [2], A. Baines [3], Jacqueline Leclair [4], presenting the revolutionary technologies of the playing and learning to play the oboe. Creativity for the oboe of the late 19 th-early 20 th centuries is covered in the publications of M. P. Lopez-Pelaez-Casellas, & C. Garcia-Herrera [5], J. Delmar [6], V. Martynova [7; 8]. Some small sections of monographs on the history of the oboe (in particular in the book by G. Burgess and H. Bruce [2]), an article by G. Burgess in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians [9], research (articles, website) by O. Zoboli [10], who reproduces the instrument of the oboist and composer, Keith Anderson [11], who in general analyses the composer's fantasias on opera themes are devoted directly to A. Pasculli's creative work. There is no full-fledged study of A. Pasculli's creative work, taking into account the formation of the style of concertion in the marked epoch at the turn of the 19 th-20 th centuries.
In the second half of the 19 th century, schools of composition and performance were actively formed and works written for the oboe in various genres appeared: Concertino by C. Weber; Introduction and Theme with Variations, op. 102 by Hummel; Concerto fantasia for two oboes, op. 35 and a number of works for the oboe and guitar by N. Costa; Bellini's Concerto; Concerto for the English horn by G. Donizetti; Three romances for the oboe and piano by R. Schumann. A bright example of composing creative work for the oboe are the works of
the Italian composer Antonio Pasculli1 (1842-1924) - an Italian oboist and composer known as the "Paganini ofthe oboe". O. Zoboli, a populariser of his creative work, calls him "perhaps the greatest oboe virtuoso" [10]. His Etude Caractéristique for oboe and piano "Le Api" (1874), the predecessor of N. Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" (1842-1924), is especially well-known. No less significant are the brilliant scherzo Ricordo di napoli (scherzo brillante, for oboe and piano), concertos, transcription for the oboe "Caprice" for the violin by Rode, a series of technical exercises (15 caprices for the oboe, which are the pedagogical repertoire). Moreover, we should note the predominance of works for the solo oboe, which is important during the period of the formation of the concerto style. The works by A. Pasculli are characterized by an innovative approach to performance and all are associated with his brilliant capabilities of a virtuoso performer - they require brilliance, practically phenomenal virtuoso qualities, they constantly use arpeggios, trills, and the practice of the permanent breathing. The playing of A. Pasculli, as the critics wrote, was characterized by "unimaginable lightness" (O. Zoboli [10]).
The purpose of this study is to identify the typical features, genre and stylistic peculiarities of the oboe works of the composer of the Romantic era, Antonio Pasculli, in terms of the formation of the concerto style.
Discussion. Despite the fact that there is very little information about A. Pasculli, according to some sources we can reveal the features of his performing style.
According to O. Zoboli, the sound of the instrument became a distinctive feature of Pasculli as a performer. This explains the presence of numerous sections of the melodious cantilena in his works. In general, the sound of the oboe was distinguished by lightness, grace, elegance and enchanting brilliance. A. Pasculli was an adherent of the French oboe (with 11 valves) and now this instrument has been restored by O. Zoboli.
A. Pasculli's technique was characterized by a unique fluency, impetuous, very uniform silvery trill, brilliant stroke skills, especially light staccato. One of the secrets of A. Pasculli's charm of playing was hidden in his skill in phrasing, a subtly developed sense of style. In his playing, both the enormous dynamics of the performance and the bright contrasts were striking. He was characterized by
1 The oboist O. Zoboli [10] is engaged in the popularization of A. Pasculli's creativity; he, on the basis of communication with A. Pasculli's daughters, wrote his biography and prepared his works for publication, made recordings. Unfortunately, there is no detailed information in publications, for example, Grove's dictionary. Only in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the oboe historian, musicologist G. Burgess very briefly presented the biography of A. Pasculli [9].
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great plasticity and melodiousness, beauty and variety of timbre sounding of the oboe. The performance acquired a special liveliness due to "tempo rubato" - minor deviations from the main tempo, almost imperceptible rhythmic breathing.
Like N. Paganini, having not found compositions that could satisfy him as a performer and fully demonstrate his creative gift, A. Pasculli turned to composition, writing fantasias on the themes of operas of his time -such as "Sicilian Vespers", "Rigoletto", "Masquerade Ball" by G. Verdi, "Love Potion", "Pirate", "Polievkta", "Favourite" by G. Donizetti1.
His composing style is characterized by the principle of transcription as the main method of creativity. He wrote fantasias for the oboe (the English horn) and the piano (the harp) on the themes from Bellini's operas.
Let us consider the genre system of his creative work for the oboe. As it can be seen from the above, it is an interaction of three genres: concerto, fantasia and virtuoso piece. Let us note the main feature: in A. Pasculli's opera fantasias, the thematic material is of less importance than the phenomenal technical requirements for their performer. Musical allusions to opera themes may not be recognizable, but the performer's brilliance, realized in brilliant ornamentation, cadenzas and other elements of virtuosity, should remain the highest.
The type ofconcerto fantasia in the era ofromanticism was created on the basis of variations on opera themes and became a genre in which virtuoso romantic features are clearly revealed: large scale, dramatic improvisational language, recitative episodes, and virtuoso cadenzas. The opera aria, with its characteristic dramatic recitative and declamatory intonations, responded to the romantic ideals ofinstrumental composers and gave space to their creative imagination. Fantasias on opera themes were written by many composers, including F. Liszt (who created a separate genre ofreminiscences), violinists P. Sarasate, H. Wie-niawski, K. Lipinski, H. Vieuxtemps. Many of them wrote fantasias for their own performance, not finding a worthy virtuoso repertoire for themselves.
A. Pasculli's fantasias are a vivid example of the composer's virtuoso-romantic style. It is the main genre that has influenced the concerto genre as well.
Traits of virtuosity are manifested through numerous passages, jumps, double notes, various strokes, trills with grace notes and melismas, etc.
Among the features of the composition, we should note the following: the composer selects several bright, contrasting themes (lyrical themes ofwide breathing, dance), comparing them in the process of the development.
A. Pasculli composed several concertos - Gran Ses-tetto concertante (after Rossini's "Guillaume Tell") for the oboe and strings, a trio concerto for the oboe, violin and piano on the themes from the opera "Wilhelm Tel", a concerto on the themes from Donizetti's opera "Favourite" and Gran Concerto on the themes of the opera "Sicilian Vespers" by G. Verdi.
The peculiarity of the compositional-genre solution of the latter becomes characterized by such features.
1. The virtuosity of the work is based on the development of the predominantly lyrical themes of the opera, which determines the presence of contrasts, influencing the overall structure.
2. The concerto is one-movement and is built on the principle of the contrast-composition form inherent in the form of fantasia, with multiple tempo switches, which is combined with the principle of variation. Its scheme is as follows:
Introduction (C)
- Cadenza (virtuoso, passage, the instrument seems to gradually cover the range, rushing to the upper registers; the cadenza is very developed and should be performed freely, with stops at the upper sounds; there are no measures in the recording, therefore the solo cadenza contrasts with the timed music of orchestral performances).
- Adagio (a-moll; is a duet of the solo instrument and the accompaniment part. The barcarolle melody develops owing to the ornamentation in the oboe part (2 measures before the number C), re-intoning into major (D-dur);
- Piu mosso (on the theme of barcarolle, a lengthy developing section based on an almost non-stop movement of the 32 nd durations in the oboe part);
- Cadenza (A, including wide jumps at a fast tempo, trills);
- Allegretto (B, developmental section built on orchestral roll calls and motive development);
- cadenza-Allegretto (on the theme of the ball, the characteristic grace notes of the solo part, rhythmic accompaniment give a waltz quality and lightness to the sound of this theme);
- Adagio (C, Arrigo's aria, "I Dreamed of Happiness", imbued with restrained sadness and nobility);
1 Zoboli O. [10] also points out that A. Pasculli wrote fantasias on the themes of the opera «La Sonnambula» and «Pirate».
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- Allegro (C) - on the theme of Arrigo's aria and the theme of the ball (the return of the ball theme in the finale allows closing the chain ofvariation changes of themes and serves as a finale) - Coda (does not violate the sense of the waltz of the finale).
2. A very diverse material is united in a tonal way (the tonality of the outer sections is C-dur).
3. The soloist's cadenzas are included in the structure of the sections (their great duration allows considering them as separate subsections).
Within the framework of this research, we shall also consider one of the virtuoso pieces - the characteristic etude Le Api. Le Api (see Appendix) - a characteristic etude - was written by A. Pasculli before the famous "Flight of the Bumblebee" by N. Rimsky-Korsakov. However, there are some similarities between the two works.
The similarity can be heard already in the first measures:
From the very beginning of the etude, the oboe is presented extremely masterly: literally from measure 11, the instrument plays almost non-stop in small durations for 4 minutes:
First, the middle register of the instrument is involved, then the oboe gradually penetrates into the higher register, the movement along the sounds of chords, arpeggios appear:
The theme is constantly present in the piano part (the work is written in a complex three-movement form), while the oboe moves without stopping. In this regard, O. Zoboli [10], who prepared this etude for publication, recommends using the principle of the permanent breathing in long phrases and quick sections. A. Pasculli's idea in this work was to demonstrate the soloist's respiratory endurance. It is important to choose the correct speed of movement, to relax the body, and only then it can be possible to perform this truly virtuoso piece.
Thus, the play demonstrates a wide range of technical capabilities of the oboe, which, in fact, is characteristic
and natural for "brilliant concerto pieces": varied passage technique, mixed strokes, jumps, hidden polyphonic texture, and unrestrained movement.
Conclusions. Concerto, fantasia, and concerto piece of the 19 th century also embody the ways of transforming romantic art. In performance, the art of interpreting the content and style of a work is brought to the fore, which also influenced the composing creative work.
An example of virtuoso romantic art is the creative work of A Pasculli, which is characterized by the presence in the performance of features of improvisation, fantasia, and a brilliant demonstration of the capabilities of the instrument. It was the performing style that determined the features of the composing style.
The works by the Italian oboist Antonio Pasculli are a vivid example of both oboe performance and the interaction of the two genres described above in the era of romanticism.
Let us note the originality of the composer's interpretation of the original opera source.
1. The choice of contrasting themes, but not the main ones in the opera drama of this or that work (themes of balls, choirs).
2. The specificity of reading an opera prototype lies in the general lyricization of the composition, the avoidance
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of dramatic plot points and, as a consequence, dramatic excerpts from the opera score as material for fantasias.
3. A. Pasculli often chooses two main characters (female and male), but these are not always the main characters, and the composer completely leaves aside the tragedy of a love situation.
A separate task of the research was to analyse the complex of means of musical expression. A. Pasculli believed that the theme from the opera is of less importance than the demonstration of the brilliant technical capabilities of the performer. Therefore, all his works are very virtuoso, demanding brilliance, phenomenal virtuoso qualities, they constantly use arpeggios, the practice of the permanent breathing, technically very complex passages, jumps, hidden polyphony, various strokes, trills with grace notes and melismas, high and low register coverage.
From the point of view of formation, A. Pasculli's fantasias and concertos are focused on contrasting-composition forms, although everywhere we find signs of variation and features of a variation form.
The presence of cadenzas (cadenza sections) in all the works indicates the inclusion of genre features of the concerto, and their huge number within a single work (cadenzas complete the sections, separate them, and always separate the introduction from the main section of fantasias).
All examples of fantasias and concertos by A. Pasculli should be considered examples of the genre of concerto fantasia (in some cases, the similarity to a concerto is confirmed by the presence of an orchestra as a second participant in the action).
All this allowed A. Pasculli to create free, poetic compositions in his works, which are distinguished by improvisation, deviation from the existing norms of formation (contrasting-composition form), freedom of presentation of musical material, unpredictability of development, breadth of the range of thematic variability, etc., and also demonstrates a strong connection with the features of the performing style of A. Pasculli as the "Paganini of the oboe". He was characterized by lightness and grace, unique fluency, brilliant stroke art and mastery of phrasing, bright contrasts, plasticity and melodic line, beauty and variety of timbre sound.
His creative credo was virtuosity as the main quality of the performer. Some of A. Pasculli's works are still considered unattainable peaks, and difficulties - impossible. A. Pasculli himself believed that the brilliance of the performance could bring the greatest pleasure to the audience. In this regard, many performers believe that virtuosity prevails in his works and overrides the emotional content. However, the best representatives of modern oboe performance prove the opposite.
References
1. Bate Philip. The oboe: an outline ofits history, development, and construction.- London: Ernest Benn Limited; -New York: W. W. Norton & Company, xv, 1975.- 236 p. (in English).
2. Burgess Geoffrey and Bruce Haynes. The Oboe, The Yale Musical Instrument Series. New Haven; - London: Yale University Press, 2004.- 432 p.
3. Leclair Jacqueline. Oboe Secrets: 75 Performance Strategies for the Advanced Oboist and English Horn Player. -New York: Scarecrow Press, 2013.- 166 p. (in English).
4. Baines Anthony. Woodwind Instruments and Their History (Dover Books on Music). Dover Publications, 2012. -432 p. (in English).
5. Lopez-Pelaez-Casellas M. P. & Garcia-Herrera C. An artistic research proposal from an A/R/TOGRAPHY perspective: a study of the first movement of Strauss's Oboe Concerto. Musica Hodie. 2019.- Vol. 19. Article Number e54873. (in English).
6. Delmar J. Strauss 'Oboe Concerto' - a re-examination of the available sources and editions. Tempo. 1984.-Vol. 150.- Is. Sep. 18-26. (in English).
7. Martynova V. Kontsertuiuchyi hoboi: tembr, tekhnika, tradytsiini ta novitni pryiomy hry (Concerting oboe: timbre, technique, traditional and new techniques of playing). Problemy vzaiemodii mystetstva, pedahohiky ta teorii i praktyky osvity. 2018.- Vol. 50.- P. 149-165. DOI 10.34064/khnum1-5011. (in Ukrainian).
8. Martynova V. Kontsert dlia hoboia z orkestrom u tvorchosti kompozytoriv Novitnoho chasu: aspekty zhanrovoi stylistyky (Concerto for the oboe and orchestra in the creative work of the composers of New time: aspects of genre style). Problemy vzaiemodii mystetstva, pedahohiky ta teorii i praktyky osvity. 2019.- Vol. 54.- P. 71-93. DOI 10.34064/khnum1-5405. (in Ukrainian).
Section 2. Musical arts - PRE_M|ER European Journal of Arts 4 (2021) - ISSN 2310-5666 -
9. Burgess, Geoffrey. Antonio Pasculli. New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2001. URL: https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/ omo-9781561592630-e-0000045664; https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.45664/ (in English).
10. Zoboli O. Antonio Pasculli (1842-1924). URL: http://www.omarzoboli.ch/antonio-pasculli.html/ (in English).
11. Anderson Keith. Operatic Fantasias for Oboe and Piano Antonio Pasculli. URL: http://www.naxos.com/main-site/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.570567&catNum=570567&filetype=About+this+Recording&language =English/ (in English).
Information about the author
Tao Jin, postgraduate student of of the Department of Interpretology and Music Analysis in Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts
Address: 241000 No. 788 South Jiuhua Rd. Bo Zhuang Li Cheng Building 37 Sector 2 Apt 501, Wuhu City, Anhui Province, China Mail Code E-mail: taojin009@126.com ORCID: 0000-0001-9324-8440
Даш про Тао Цзинь 1
1 Харпвський нацюнальний утверситет мистецтв iменi I. П. Котляревського, Харпв Украша
ТВОРИ ДЛЯ ГОБОЮ А. ПАСКУЛЛ1: НА ШЛЯХУ СТАНОВЛЕННЯ КОНЦЕРТНОГО СТИЛЮ ГРИ НА МЕЖ1 Х1Х-ХХ СТ
Анотацт
Мета: виявлення типовых ознак, жанрових та стимстичних особливостей творiв для гобою композитора епохи романтизму Антоню Паскуллi у аспекта становлення концертного стилю.
Методи: комплекс загальнонаукових та спещальних музикознавчих методiв - шторичний, стильовий, жан-ровий та структурно-функцюнальний.
Результати: Творчють А. Паскулл е взiрцем вiртуозно-романтичного мистецтва, для якого характерна присутшсть у виконанш рис iмпровiзацiйностi, фантазшносп, блискуча демонстрацiя можливостей шстру-менту. Саме виконавський стиль зумовив риси стилю композиторського. Це проявляеться в наступному:
1. У фантазiях своер^дшсть композиторсько! штерпретацп оперного першоджерела виражена у доборi тем (iнодi не основних), контрастних образiв (жшочий та чоловiчий, причому не завжди це головш геро!), при цьому нiвелювання трагiзму любовно! ситуацп. З погляду формоутворення фантазп та концерти А. Паскулл орiентованi на контрастно-складовi форми. З точки зору жанру ва приклади фантазiй та концерпв А. Паскуллi смд вважати прикладами жанру концертно! фантазп (у деяких випадках под1бшсть 1з концертом тдтверджу-еться присутшстю оркестру як другого учасника дiйства).
2. У фантазiях та концертах основною характеристикою е демонстрацiя блискучих технiчних можливостей виконавця (вона важливша, шж презентацiя тематизму опери). Тому ва його твори дуже в1ртуозш, вимага-ють блиску, феноменальних вГртуозних якостей, у них постшно використовуються арпеджю, практика перманентного дихання, техшчно дуже складш пасаж^ стрибки, прихована полГфонГя, р1зномаштш штрихи, трел з форшлагами та мелiзмами, Наявнiсть каденцiй (каденцiйних роздшв) та !хня величезна юльюсть усередиш окремого твору (каденцп завершують роздгли, розд^ляють !х, завжди вiдокремлюють штродукщю в1д основного роздглу фантазiй) у вах творах вказують на домшування жанрових рис концерту.
European Journal of Arts 4 (2021) - PREMJER Section 2. Musical arts
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Наукова новизна: полягае у цглюному анал1з1 творчоси для гобою А. Паскулл та штонацшно-структур-ному анал1з1 окремих твор1в в аспект становлення концертного шструментального стилю.
Практична значимкть: досл1дження може бути джерелом шформацп щодо творчосп для гобою Х1Х ст. Також представлений досв1д ц1л1сного анал1зу виконавського стилю, що е моделлю подальшого вивчення шших стил1в.
Ключовi слова: творч1сть для гобою Х1Х столггтя, концертш жанри для гобою, творч1сть А. Паскулл1, виконавська специфжа, стиль концертного виконання.
1нформац1я про автора
Тао Цзшь, астрант кафедри штерпретологп та анал1зу музики Харк1вського нацюнального ушверситету мис-тецтв 1меш I. П. Котляревського (науковий кер1вник - доктор мистецтвознавства, професор №колаевська Юл1я В1ктор1вна)
Адреса: 241000, № 788 South Jiuhua Rd. Bo Zhuang Li Cheng Building 37 Sector 2 Apt 501, Wuhu City, Anhui Province, China Mail Code E-mail: taojin009@126.com ORCID: 0000-0001-9324-8440
