History and Performance of the Siciliana Dance Style for the Bassoon

Transcription

1 History and Performance of the Siciliana Dance Style for the Bassoon Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Mayer, Lisa Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 30/04/ :35:58 Link to Item

2 HISTORY AND PERFROMANCE OF THE SICILIANA DANCE STYLE FOR THE BASSOON By LISA MAYER A Thesis Submitted to The Honors College In Partial Fulfillment of the Bachelors degree With Honors in Music- Instrumental Studies in Bassoon THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA M A Y Approved by: Dr. William Dietz Professor of bassoon, Fred Fox School of Music

3 HISTORY AND PERFROMANCE OF THE SICILIANA DANCE STYLE FOR THE BASSOON: PROJECT STATEMENT ABOUT LECTURE-RECITAL In order to accurately perform a piece of music, it is important to consider its historical context. This provides insight into both technical elements, such as articulation, ornaments, or tempo, and more artistic ones such as phrasing, style, and intent. For this reason, music history is a required area of study for all music majors, though to truly understand the context for any given piece, additional research is required. This is especially true for those learning about a less popular work or style or those attempting to apply these ideas to a specific instrument. This project focuses on the history and performance practice of a dance style called the siciliana with a focus on how this translates to bassoon performance. It is composed of two main parts: a formal paper and a lecture-recital. The paper represents the summary of research findings, including both the discoveries and analysis of historians and this author. It includes material about the siciliana from its postulated origins, to its formal creation in the baroque era, through the modifications made to its sound and purpose during the classical and romantic eras, and finally to its fade from popular use. General trends in the sicliana s use are mentioned, then elaborated using specific examples. The research was used to write a lecture including interpretations and analysis of four sicilianas that were performed and discussed at a lecture recital that occurred on April 1, The lecture included some historical context for each piece including background information about the era and composer and analysis of each piece demonstrating how it fit within the characteristics of the siciliana at each time period.

4 After describing the work and its significance, it was performed by this author with help from other musicians. This was done for each of four sicilianas, each meant to show a different aspect of the siciliana and how it changed throughout time. This project is considered a success because the author completed a research project and performed a lecture-recital in keeping with musical traditions. The lecturerecital presented information that was easily understood by the audience and included well-practiced performances, both of which presented the unique research of the author. The paper represents the summary and synthesis of the author s research and that of other historians.

5 Abstract The siciliana is a dance style that has been used in a wide variety of musical contexts, from simple woodwind duets to classical symphonies. Its origins and history are somewhat vague and complex, but can be traced through the works of composers from the 1600s to modern times. Considering the history of these works provides valuable insight for the performer and musical scholar, giving context to the pieces being prepared and aiding in accurate representation of the composers true intentions. The ancient ancestors of the siciliana, folk music of southern Italy, gave rise to a style used to evoke images of the simple pastoral throughout the baroque, classical, romantic, and modern eras. Though it had humble origins, the siciliana rose to great significance and popularity during the baroque era. Classical composers took this tradition and modified it for their own purposes, straying slightly from the baroque traditions of sound, instrumentation, and use. The romantic era produced siciliana that were even further from their roots, adding new harmonies and significance in new types of works.

6 A working definition of the siciliana A useful definition for identifying a siciliana focuses on its most fundamental musical characteristics. The most prominent of these is rhythm. Sicilianas are renowned for their inclusion of dotted rhythms, particularly dotted eighth or quarter notes, followed by a shorter note. This is emphasized by their time signatures, which are nearly always 6/8 or 12/8, though other meters, particularly 2/4 or 3/4, are fairly common. Tempi tend to be moderate to slow, depending on the era and function of the siciliana. The style can further be defined by function. It tends to be used to cause listeners to imagine pastoral scenes of shepherds, farmland, and the rolling hills of rural Italy. This can be expanded to include more general scenes of nature such as trees, rivers, and animals with various emotional implications. Though function changes based on time period and context of the siciliana, these themes and those related are ubiquitous. This definition is not always easy to apply. There are works that can be considered sicilianas even without one or more of the musical characteristics or absent the pastoral purpose. Additionally, there can be works that fit all or part of this definition but cannot be considered sicilianas. Origins There is no one source of the siciliana style, but historians have uncovered several possible musical traditions which may have influenced early writers of siciliana. The name siciliana means Sicilian or from Sicily, but there is only weak evidence that the style actually was born there. This moniker may have come from the close

7 proximity between early composers of sicilianas and the possible folk origins. Unfortunately, many of the aforementioned characteristics by which a siciliana can be recognized were pervasive throughout musical works of the baroque era, making it challenging to distinguish early siciliana that may not have been specified as such by the composer. It is thought that a portion of the connection to Sicily comes from the use of strambotto verse in early Baroque siciliana arias. This verse pattern consists of one stanza with either six or eight hendecasyllabic (11-syllable) lines and was popular in Sicily and other regions in southern Italy (Encyclopædia Britannica "Strambotto"). Unfortunately, the aria siciliana may not be a direct link to the wider use of sicilianas in instrumental music; the degree of difference between the operatic and instrumental histories differs for various historians, but one obvious difference is their tendency to be written in duple meters (Monelle 215). Another folk tradition that may have led to siciliana writing belongs to the Abruzzi shepherds who lived on the central east coast of Italy. In particular, their pifferari music may have been a precursor to early siciliana. The name of this style is specific to the musical genre, but may have come from names for a horn or flute player. This music shared the tempi, rhythmic figures, and time signatures of sicilianas, but differed in two key ways; accompaniment by a drone bass and religious text about Christmas. Both of these may have leaked into siciliana writing. Some works that would otherwise be considered pure siciliana contained a drone bass throughout the work or in parts of it. Additionally, early siciliana writing was closely associated with religion, especially those

8 written by J.S. Bach who used them to represent Christmas themes and Christian heaven. This could be a remnant of the pifferari tradition (Monelle ). Baroque Siciliana The first official sicilianas appeared in Italy in the 1600s at the beginning of the baroque era. This is when the style began to coalesce, though it retained some qualities of the folk origins. The drone bass of pifferari origins became less common, 12/8 time signatures were the most popular by far, and the association with the dance and pastoral themes became almost universal. Siciliana were often played on instruments associated with pastoral themes, such as oboes, horns, flutes, and recorders. These factors plus the simple harmonic texture served to reinforce their pastoral themes. Alessandro Scarlatti was probably not the first person to write sicilianas, but was the first popular composer to do so. His use of aria siciliana in his operas gave the style a new platform from which to reach other composers and musicians. Though the connection between operatic sicilianas and instrumental ones is debated, at this juncture, the establishment style itself is the most important aspect of their respective histories, allowing for them to be considered rooted in the same very early source. This is evidence in that Scarlatti s aria siciliana were often written in 12/8, performed at a slow or relatively slow tempo, and included dotted rhythms, likening them to the later instrumental sicilianas. Notably, these aria siciliana also lacked a drone bass and included texts that were very emotional, considered lamenting, or melancholy by one historian (Monelle 217). The missing drone bass demonstrates the departure from folk tradition and the use of emotional texts both distinguished the style from those previous and sets the stage for future siciliana writing that will become even more emotionally

9 focused. Additionally, Scarlatti lived and worked in southern Italy, around Rome and Naples, where it is likely that he was exposed to the traditional elements mentioned previously such as strambotto and pifferari (Encyclopædia Britannica "Alessandro Scarlatti ). This may further support the idea that he was one of the first to create a more academic approach to the siciliana. Around the mid-1700s, stricter guidelines for writing siciliana in scholarly settings without referencing traditional or popular traditions appeared. Advice for performing and writing siciliana was published, indicating that 12/8 was the optimal time signature, only simple embellishments should be used such that the iconic dotted rhythms be maintained, tempi should be no faster than moderate, and the purpose for such writing should be to express strong emotions (Monelle 230). This occurred as sicilianas from this era were written as part of a baroque dance suite, a collection of dances that was very popular at the time, a more formal collection of dances that often had folk or popular origins. Antonio Vivaldi was one of the early composers of instrumental sicilianas, using them in orchestral and chamber music. One of his works, La Pastorella (RV 95), is a chamber concerto for violin, recorder, oboe, bassoon, and continuo that has a siciliana movement (Monelle 231). As is implied by the title, this work is meant to focus on pastoral themes, which it does efficiently in the second movement marked Largo and is written as a siciliana. This exemplifies baroque siciliana style; it is written pastoral instruments, utilizes dotted rhythms, is in 12/8, and lacks drone bass. J.S. Bach was well known for his use of siciliana for religious function. He used siciliana in many of his works about Christmas, taking advantage of their likely relation

10 to the pifferari traditions. This may be related to his broader use of the siciliana to represent Christian heaven, where it demonstrated the idea of heaven as a quiet, simple place similar to the Italian countryside. Bach was also known for indicating pastoral ideas with his instrumentation, choosing flutes and oboes in particular to play pastoral melodies such as those in his sicilianas (Monelle 233). He was also partial to writing sicilianas in 6/8 time, unusual in a time that favored 12/8 for this purpose, and possibly leading to the dominance of 6/8 sicilianas in the classical era. The Classical Siciliana In the classical era, the musical characteristics of the siciliana style remain much the same, however, 6/8 becomes the more popular time signature and the pastoral references become more emotional and figurative with more complex harmony. The new dominance of 6/8 simply comes from a change in popular style, possibly as a result of prominent composers of siciliana choosing this meter over others. The new pastoral reference changes from the literal imagery of shepherds and farmland to more emotive figures that present new views on nature of the enlightenment. This school of thought represents a move away from traditional and religious values to more human- and nature-focused beliefs, which one researcher goes so far as to call nature worship (Monelle 237). Music during this time reflected the shift; a new musical ideal of imitation of nature rose to great popularity (Lang 103). Sicilianas written during this era often served the new purpose, emphasizing the feelings associated with nature and conjuring visions of rivers, leaves, horses, and the like using pictorial musical techniques.

11 Josef Haydn is one of the most influential composers of classical siciliana, having written numerous in a broad range of genres. One can be found in his oratorio Die Schöpfung, The Creation, a master work that tells the story of the Christian creation story according to an unknown author (Monelle 237, Mangum). The text itself epitomizes the vivid love of nature in enlightenment philosophy, describing the beauty of Earth and its animal inhabitants. Haydn writes expressively with these ideas in mind, such that the music supports the text and evokes a brilliant scene of nature coming into existence. One such occasion is when he emulates the sound of a gentle brook using a flowing violin line (Mangum). This continues in his writing of siciliana, where his use of the simple, rustic siciliana accompanies text about green meadows, cattle, sheep, pastures strongly indicates Haydn s association between these images and the style of music (Monelle 237). It is important to point out that as Haydn writes this and other works, he is focusing on how he views the subject matter, injecting his feelings and opinions and representing a new wave of expressive music while building upon traditional meanings of the style, particularly its association with Christianity. This clarity in connection between function and writing provides insight into the meaning behind Haydn s instrumental works. An orchestral example is the second movement of Symphony no. 27, marked andante: siciliano. This is clearly an example of Haydn s writing of siciliana, both in nomenclature and in content. The piece is in 6/8, the favorite of this era, which Haydn himself may have played a large role in establishing and lacks implications that the piece would actually have been conceived in 12/8 as some previous composers did (Monelle 238). The work is easily identified as belonging to the same family as earlier

12 writing, with a multitude of dotted rhythms, slow tempo, and rustic feel, however, it also departs from previous works, featuring pictorial motives and personal interpretation. The Creation and Symphony no. 27 are overtly indicative of Haydn s siciliana composition, allowing researchers to examine other, less obvious, siciliana through the lens of these implications. During his lifetime, Haydn was a celebrity, giving his works significance throughout the academic world of music at the time (Mangum). Given this and the fact that he has likely written at least dozens of sicilianas, it is reasonable to conclude that other composers may have observed his works and mimicked them, giving Haydn a prominent role in setting conventions for classical writing and likely making his siciliana writing especially crucial in the siciliana s history. The Romantic Siciliana The movement of classical siciliana away from the styles roots in folk and religious music continues and expands as the classical era comes to an end and the romantic begins. Ludwig van Beethoven, often considered the bridge between these periods, was not a significant composer of siciliana, but can be credited with making pastorals more emotional as a genre. Of his pastorals, Beethoven s sixth symphony, the Pastoral Symphony, was most well-known and as a work emblematic of the new treatment of pastoral work it may have been quite influential for other composers of the time. Beethoven s emotional pastorals, some of which were reminiscent of the siciliana, set the stage for subsequent pastoral writing to stray even further away from its roots (Monelle ). Though romantic sicilianas still have a clear relation to their

13 precursors, new harmonies and writing styles can obscure the iconic rhythms, time signatures, and tempi. This unfortunately played a role in the dissolution of the siciliana as a concrete genre. Many composers are thought to have written sicilianas or to have been influenced by them, but they are rarely indicated as such. Though many composers were experimenting with musical structures, for some, the siciliana, or siciliana-like piece, remained an important way to recall the simple, country life. When urbanization began to happen in earnest, many longed for the idealized peace of living in the country, bringing new significance to writing pastoral works that aimed to present these emotions. (Monelle 254) Franz Schubert was one composer who took advantage of this. In many of his songs he used a style comparable to the siciliana of the late classical era when accompanying text about nature. They were often in 6/8 and had similar rhythmic and harmonic content, but were not explicitly called siciliana and had a much stronger emphasis on emotion than in the classical style. They also sounded similar to German folk song, deepening the call to simpler times that listeners of the time longed to hear (Monelle 251). This type of writing appeared throughout his instrumental works as well, serving the purpose of symbolizing emotions associated with pastoral scenes such as peacefulness, appreciation of beauty, and restfulness rather than depicting the scenes themselves (Monelle 247). Many other composers of the time followed this pattern, though Schubert, unpopular during his lifetime, is likely only a significant composer of siciliana in hindsight. Hector Berlioz represents the more radical version of romantic siciliana, choosing to move further from traditions rather than returning to them as Schubert did. He is

14 famous for his unprecedented use of new musical techniques in the pursuit of complete emotional expression, a revolutionary approach to programmatic music that did not spare the siciliana. One of his most famous works is Symphonie Fantastique, in which he depicted his personal experiences while pushing the boundaries of what was musically acceptable at the time. Its third movement, Scène aux Champs, begins with a siciliana that is only remotely linked to its older versions. The adagio tempo and 6/8 time signature are as predicted, but though dotted rhythms appear, they are sometimes offset from the beat or part of a more complex line, and the harmonic accompaniment is sporadic, interrupting the solo melodies of soprano winds unpredictably (Berlioz). Later in the piece, when the clarinet gets the melody, there is minimal harmonic accompaniment by the rest of the orchestra as they mimic the clarinet (Monelle 246). Though this demonstrates the new characteristics of emotion taking precedence over musical conventions, it truly takes this to a new level, departing from Haydn s and Beethoven s comparatively subtle emotional skew and entering a new period of composition that sacrificed everything in the romantic endeavor to display feelings. Berlioz and other more adventurous composers pushed musical composition out of the romantic and into the modern era, which began in the 20 th century. Though the siciliana did not disappear, it did not maintain its unique significance into modernity. Some are still written, though not often identified, making it challenging to group and study them as has been possible for previous eras.

15 Conclusion The siciliana dance style never reached extreme popularity, yet its subtle influence upon composers throughout Europe for hundreds of years is certainly notable and it represents a fascinating study of how one style can change over time. The transition from folk to academic music in the baroque era provides merely one example of the origins of many styles of musical composition. It shows the direct connection between siciliana and the country that was able to last through hundreds of years of music. The increased harmonic variation and emotional significance of the classical siciliana shows the trends of the era and further demonstrates the modification of siciliana to new audiences and styles. The romantic values of emotion above all provide the last major change to the siciliana, making it a vehicle for expression unlike any other. From its humble origins to the great churches of Haydn to the strange orchestration of Berlioz, the siciliana remains steadfast in bringing the Italian countryside and its significance to all listeners.

16 Works Cited Berlioz, Hector. Symphonie Fantastique, H Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, Web. Lang, Paul Henry. The Enlightenment and Music. Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, 1967, pp , Mangum, John. "Die Schöpfung (The Creation)." LA Phil. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr < Monelle, Raymond. Musical Topic : Hunt, Military and Pastoral. Bloomington, US: Indiana University Press, ProQuest ebrary. Web. 5 December The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Alessandro Scarlatti." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 29 Mar Web. 28 Mar < The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Strambotto." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 01 Sept Web. 20 Mar <

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