GRADUATE RECITALS by TRACIE D. PYBAS B.Mus., Oklahoma City University, 1992 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF MUSIC (BASSOON) in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (School of Music) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA December 1996 Tracie D. Pybas
In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University; of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of, l^7{/^fc The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada DE-6 (2/88)
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF MUSIC Recital Hall Wednesday, December 4,1996 8:00 p.m. MASTER'S STUDENT RECITAL* TRACIE PYBAS, Bassoon Concerto in A minor, RV 498, F.VHI-2, for Bassoon, Strings and Continuo Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Allegro (ma molto moderato) Larghetto Allegro Maureen Yuen, violin Aaron Au, violin Rob Ashworth, viola Laura McPheeters, cello Tom Eccleston, bass Andrea Hale, harpsichord Ingrid Chiang, continuo Darkness of Prairie Sky Jocelyn Morlock (b. 1969) Sonata in F major for Bassoon and Piano Vivace Ballade - Moderato, ma sempre a piacere Allegretto Moderato - Animate - Vivace William Hurlstone (1876-1906) Janina Kuzmickaite, piano - INTERMISSION -
Fantasia No. 10 in C minor A tempo guisto - Presto - Moderato Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) Ciranda Das Sete Notas Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) Kiyoko Tanaka, piano Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon Allegro Romance Finale Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) Caroline Gauthier, clarinet In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree with a major in Bassoon.
PROGRAM NOTES Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto in A minor for Bassoon, Strings, and Continuo Antonio Vivaldi will always find a special place in the hearts of bassoonists for the 39 concertos he dedicated to the instrument. It is most likely that these concertos were first performed by his famous girl orphan pupils at the Ospedale della Pieta. It was observed by a visitor to the Pieta that "the girls played violin, cello, flute, oboe, organ and bassoon: in short, there was no instrument so large that it made them afraid of it." The Concerto in A minor, like all of Vivaldi's bassoon concertos, displays the versatility of the bassoon as a solo instrument, exploring its range and character in a way that had not previously been done. Jocelyn Morlock - Darkness of Prairie Sky Jocelyn Morlock received a B.Mus. in piano from Brandon University in 1994. While in Brandon, she began studying composition with T. Patrick Carrabre. Subsequently she completed a M.Mus. in composition at the University of British Columbia, where she is currently working on a doctorate in composition. Jocelyn is the recipient of several Manitoba Arts Council grants, and her music has been performed across Canada. Darkness of Prairie Sky is influenced by the modal folk music Morlock heard friends playing while living in Brandon. The piece evokes the prairies and the longing she feels for them. William Hurlstone - Sonata for Bassoon and Piano William Hurlstone, British composer and pianist, studied and later taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He was a prodigious composer as a child, publishing by the age of nine. He was also a brilliant pianist at an early age, however, asthma prevented a concert artist career. Hurlstone's Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, composed only two years before his untimely death, illustrates his interest in counterpoint and pays homage to Brahms with its overall form and thematic use of materials. G.P. Telemann - Fantasia No. 10 for Solo Bassoon Telemann originally published this Fantasia in a set of twelve for Transverse Flute without Bass. However, it is doubtful that he would take offense at a bassoonist playing it, as it was common practice for the bassoon and flute to share music in the Baroque period. The Fantasias are Telemann at his best They are all quite short, with every note weaved into a colourful tapestry depicting adventure, romance and freedom.
Heitor Villa-Lobos - Ciranda das sete notas The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was one of the most important 20th century figures in his homeland as a composer and promoter of the arts. Highly imaginative and original, he often combined the use of "simple" folk melodies and jazz rhythms with modern European compositional techniques as in Ciranda das sete notas ("Round of the Seven Notes"). The work, composed in 1933, is often referred to as a "Fantasy" based on a rhythmically distorted C major scale. Though highly technical, Ciranda das sete notas journeys through many different moods inspired by the beautiful, unpretentious folk melodies of Brazil. Francis Poulenc - Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon Most recognized for his contribution to vocal literature, Francis Poulenc also wrote a treasure of chamber music for winds including the Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano and Sextet for Woodwind Quintet and Piano. Poulenc was fascinated with the anthropomorphic qualities of wind instruments and explored the personalities and characteristics of each in his chamber works. The Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon, composed in 1922 and revised in 1945, is a short, witty piece which incorporates jazz and bitonality with a traditional use of harmony. In the latter years of his life, Poulenc stated that his early sonatas, which include the Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon, should be regarded as entertainment without pretense.
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF MUSIC Recital Hall Sunday, May 28, 1995 8:00 p.m. MASTERS STUDENT RECITAL* TRACIE PYBAS, Bassoon Sonate II (c. 1739) from Les De~lices de la Solitude Michel Corrette (1709-1795) Allegro Aria I - Aria II Allegro Staccato Andrea Hale, harpsichord Ingrid Chiang, bassoon Sonate (1921) Allegretto moderato Allegro scherzando Adagio - Allegro moderato Stephen Smith, piano Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6 (1938) Aria (Ch6ro) Fantasia Mark McGregor, flute Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) - INTERMISSION - Cavatine on a theme of Rossini Stephen Smith, piano Friedrich Berr (1794-1838) Contrasts (1993) Plaintive Lively Stephen Smith, piano Ray E. Luke (b. 1929)
Sonata (1952) Moderately slow Fast Slow Fast Stephen Smith, piano AlvinEtler (1913-1973) * In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree with a major in Bassoon. Reception to follow in the Faculty Lounge.
PROGRAM NOTES Michel Corrette: Sonale II from Les Delices de la Solitude, ca. 1739 Michel Corrette was a Parisian organist, teacher, composer-arranger, and author of at least seventeen method books on performing practice. His music is typical of French "light" music of the eighteenth century, containing very basic, straightforward elements and remaining open to the embellishment practices of the time. Les Delices de la Solitude is a collection of sonatas to be played on either violoncello, viol, or bassoon accompanied by a standard basso continuo. Sonate II, among this collection, is written in three movements and follows the standard fast/slow/fast ordering. Camille Saint-Saens: Sonate Defining French romanticism, the works of Saint-Saens are written with such an absence of pretension that they are repeatedly found to be refreshing to the ear. One of his final works, the bassoon sonata, was written with a definite sense of functionality. The bassoon sonata, published simultaneously with an oboe sonata and a clarinet sonata, was an attempt by Saint-Saens to expand the woodwind solo literature. "I am using the last of my energy to broaden the repertoire of those instruments that are otherwise so neglected," he wrote while composing these pieces. The bassoonsonate, published in 1921, is written with the economy and craftsmanship that so characterizes the music of Saint-Saens. Its brilliant idiomatic writing for the bassoon (and the piano) has made it a staple of the instrument's repertoire. Heitor Villa-Lobos: Rachianas Brasileiras No. 6 The Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos is considered by many to be the Finest composer of South American heritage. His productivity is voluminous; among his works are five operas, fifteen ballets, sixteen Choros, eleven symphonies and ten string quartets. His nine Bachianas Brasileiras are written in an attempt to fuse Brazil's indigenous music with the compositional technique of Johann Sebastian Bach. "[Bachianas Brasileiras] is a form of composition drawing partly on my adoration for Bach, and partly on my adoration for the melod es and harmony of the Northern part of Brazil," Villa-Lobos explained. "Bach is an inexhaustible universal source of folklore, closely linked to popular music in all countries. His music...[takes] the form of folk music..with a natural tendency towards universality." In Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6 the linear writing, the contrapuntal textures, nd the rhythmicfluidityare all drawn from the model of Bach, while the melodic and parmonic aspects, the rhythmic invention, and the overall musical atmosphere follow the (tradition of the Northern Brazilian folk musicians.
Friedrich Bern Cavatine on a theme of Rossini Friedrich Berr was primarily known for his clarinet virtuosity, but played the bassoon in a French infantry regiment many years before teaching himself the clarinet. As a clarinetist, he achieved the highest acclaim including that of solo clarinetist to King Louis Philippe. He studied composition in Paris with Reicha, known for his colorful woodwind writing. This cavatine was written ca. 1830, and is based on the aria Una voce poco fa from II barbiere di Siviglia. To quote Vernon Read: "[It is] a raucous repertoire, fun, unpretentious, 'old fashioned', almost corny, humorous, melodramatic, sentimental., yet at the same time [it is] musically demanding." Ray E. Luke: Contrasts Ray Luke is Composer in residence at Oklahoma City University. He received his doctorate from Eastman School of Music, where he studied composition with Bernard Rogers. Known primarily for his larger orchestral compositions, Luke was given the Queen Elizabeth Prize in Belgium for his Piano Concerto, was awarded by New England Conservatory for his opera Medea, and his Sinfonia Concertante for Double Symphony Orchestra was recently premiered by the Mexico City Symphony. In Contrasts Luke chooses an accessible foundation for two differing movements. The first, marked plaintive, is slow and mournful in character, while the second, marked lively, is faster and playful. Along with his Bassoon Concerto, Contrasts was written for and premiered by Elizabeth Johnson. Alvin Etler: Sonata j An Iowa native, Alvin Etler*s musical composition is noted for its craftsmanship and functionality. A former student of Paul Hindemith, Etler reflects his instructor's musical beliefs by his adherence torigorouscompositional integrity and musical economy. His Sonata for Bassoon and Piano was the first in a projected series of sonatas for all orchestral instruments. Of the work, Etler writes: "The irst of the four movements is a free fantasia emphasizing the interplay of extended melodic tones. The second is a sonata in which the pianofirstexpounds the principal material. The third movement is narked by lyricism projected by the bassoon, white the finale plays with a recurring theme."