The Classic, Irish Beethoven! Five Folksong Settings

Transcription

1 The Classic, Irish Beethoven! Five Folksong Settings arranged or chamber orchestra by Steven K. Gerber Instrumentation: Flute Oboe Clarinet in B-lat Bassoon 2 Horns in F Har Strings Duration: aroximately 7:5

2 THE CLASSIC, IRISH BEETHOVEN! Five Folksong Settings Among Ludwig van Beethoven s lesser-known works in the smaller orms are several volumes o olksong settings. Edinburgh music ublisher George Thomson, gambling on demand rom domestic musicians in the British Isles and the marketability o anything to which Beethoven s celebrity name was attached, commissioned arrangements o several sets o traditional Scottish, English, Welsh, and Irish olk songs. Seven albums o these song settings were ublished without ous numbers between 1810 and 1820, scored as vocal solos or duets with iano trio (i.e., violin, cello, and iano). In many cases Thomson rovided Beethoven with only the melodies without their English- (or Gaelic-) language texts (which Beethoven might not have understood in any case; indeed, their corresondence was in French). Additionally, Thomson tyically commissioned (or aroriated) new words or the old songs, and Beethoven rather enjoyed this new link to the oems o Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and other admired literary igures, whether he could read them or not. The Irish tunes in articular seemed to ascinate Beethoven, or he arranged over 60 o these, ar more than the English, Scottish, and Welsh songs in these collections. In site o Thomson s insistence that the accoaniments be easy enough or amateurs, Beethoven did not siliy the technical requirements, and while not virtuosic, the iano arts esecially demand skilled and sensitive musicianshi, inasmuch the settings are quite artul. The melodies are oten modal in musical character and tyically o 12 or 16 measures in length, some o 20 or 2 measures, ew as long as 32 measures. For these, Beethoven careully constructed introductions and codettas that oten doubled their lengths. His challenge was to reserve the modal and olklike qualities o the melodies while harmonizing them with classical tonalities and enhancing them with evocative accoanying motives. The ive Irish olksongs resented here, as a medley or an ensemble o modest size, are just a small saling rom a treasury o these gemlike miniatures which, to Thomson s chagrin, did not sell articularly well. The source used was Breitko and Härtel s 19 th -century edition o Beethovens Werke, vols. 258, 261, and 262 (reely available online at International Music Score Library Project, or IMSLP). The songs are: WoO 15, No. 8 - Save Me From the Grave and Wise (William Smyth) WoO 152, No They Bid Me Slight My Dermot Dear (William Smyth) WoO 153, No Judy, Lovely, Matchless Creature (Alexander Boswell) WoO 152, No. 1 - The Return to Ulster (Sir Walter Scott) WoO 153, No. 3 - The British Light Dragoons (Sir Walter Scott) The oening stanzas only or each aear ater the last age o this score. The teo indications here dier slightly rom Thomson s indications to Beethoven, and all metronome suggestions are the arranger s. Although conceived or instrumental erormance, these could also be resented with a vocal soloist ater consulting the above sources, marking u relevant sections to reeat desired verses, and rebalancing dynamics as needed. I d like to think that these could alternatively be danced as balletic vignettes. Steven K. Gerber - Manassas, VA - gerberwerks@hotmail.com 2015 Perormance and ublications rights reserved

3 Allegretto q. = 80 The Classic, Irish Beethoven! Five Folksong Settings Ludwig van Beethoven arranged by Steven K. Gerber Flute 6 8 Oboe 6 8 Clarinet in B-lat 6 8 Bassoon 6 8 Horn I in F 6 8 Horn II in F Har 6 8 Allegretto q. = 80 Violins I 6 8 Violins II 6 8 Violas 6 8 Cellos/Bass 6 8 Arrangement coyright 2015 by Steven K. Gerber. All rights reserved.

4 2 WoO 15 no. 8, "Save me rom the grave and wise" 8 A (2nd time a bit aster) m I A WoO 15 no. 8, "Save me rom the grave and wise" (2nd time a bit aster) stacc.

5 3 1 m I stacc.

6 20 m I stacc.

7 5 27 I stacc.

8 6 33 Ritard. Vivace subito q.=10 I Ritard. Vivace subito q.=10

9 7 39 I

10 8 6 Moderato q.=58 m I 3 areggio sere DC#B# EFGA m 3 Moderato q.=58

11 9 50 I izz.

12 10 5 B WoO 152 no. 18, "They bid me slight my Dermot dear" I (lay 1st time only, tacet 2nd time) B WoO 152 no. 18, "They bid me slight my Dermot dear" (tacet 1st time, lay 2nd time only) izz. (tacet 1st time, lay 2nd time only) izz. (tacet 1st time, lay 2nd time only) (izz. 1st time, arco 2nd time)

13 11 59 (tacet 1st time, lay 2nd time only) (tacet 1st time, lay 2nd time only) (tacet 1st time, lay 2nd time only) (tacet 1st time, lay 2nd time only) I

14 12 65 I arco arco

15 13 70 m m I m m m m

16 1 7 I izz. izz. izz. izz.

17 15 79 Andante h. = I Andante h. = 3 3 arco 3 arco 3

18 16 87 Poco rit. A teo C WoO 153 no. 19, "Judy, lovely, matchless creature" I Poco rit. A teo C arco WoO 153 no. 19, "Judy, lovely, matchless creature" m arco m m m

19 17 96 I

20 I

21 I

22 Poco ritard. I Poco ritard.

23 Larghetto q = 90 I DbCB EbFGAb Larghetto q = 90 solo viola m m m

24 D WoO 152 no. 1, "The Return to Ulster" I m m D WoO 152 no. 1, "The Return to Ulster" all violas m

25 23 10 I

26 2 16 Piu mosso q = I 3 Piu mosso q = izz

27 I

28 I arco

29 I

30 I

31 Accelerando I Accelerando

32 Allegro q = 128 E WoO 153 no. 3, "The British Light Dragoons" m m m m m I m Allegro q = 128 E WoO 153 no. 3, "The British Light Dragoons" m m m m

33 cadenza, teo ad lib. I (short oboe cadenza) subito (short oboe cadenza) subito (short oboe cadenza) subito (short oboe cadenza) subito

34 a teo I m m m m

35 cuivre I cuivre m m m m

36 3 19 I

37 I

38 m m m I

39 I

40 I

41 I

42 0 218 I

43 Aendix. First verses o the ive songs in this medley. Save me rom the grave and wise, or vainly would I tax my sirit, Be the thing that I desise, and rival all their stuid merit. On! My careless laughing heart, o dearest Fancy let me ind thee, Let me but rom sorrow art, and leave this moing world behind me. Seak ye wiser than the wise, breathe aloud your welcome measure, Youthul Fancy well can rize the words that counsel love and leasure. William Smyth They bid me slight my Dermot dear, or he s o low degree, Tho I my lady's maid am here, and o the quality. But i my mother would not grieve, and i the truth were known, Well leased would I this castle leave, and live or him alone. William Smyth Judy, lovely, matchless creature, beauty shines thro ev ry eature, Like you light, the ride o nature, thro the morning dew. Come, then, to your Patrick s dwelling, all around the buds are swelling, Ev ry little linnet s telling, tis the time to woo. Alexander Boswell [The Return rom Ulster] Once again, but how chang d, since my wand rings began, I have heard the dee voice o the Lagan and Bann, And the ines o Clanbrassil resound to the roar That wearies the echoes o air Tullamore. Alas! my oor bosom, and why shouldst thou burn! With the scenes o my youth can its ratures return? Can I live the dear lie o delusion again, That low d when these echoes irst mixed with my strain? Sir Walter Scott [The British Light Dragoons] Twas a Marechal o France, and he ain would honour gain, And he long d to take a assing glance at Portugall rom Sain, With his lying guns this gallant gay, and boasted cors d armee, O he ear d not our dragoons with their long swords boldly riding, Whack al de ral la la la, la la la la, and Whack al de ral la la la la la la la. Sir Walter Scott