A GRADUATE RECITAL By HYUN JI SON SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: LAURA ELLIS, CHAIR LESLIE ODOM, MEMBER KEVIN ORR, MEMBER A PERFORMANCE IN LIEU OF THESIS PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF MUSIC UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2015
Summary of Performance in Lieu of Thesis Presented to the College of the Arts of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music GRAUATE ORGAN RECITAL By Hyun Ji Son November 2015 Chair: Laura Ellis Major: Music The program contains a wide range of organ literature spanning the French and German Baroque, German and late-french Romantic, and French contemporary periods. This music also demonstrates the organ sounds characteristic of each period. The Plein jeu, Récit, Duo, and Grand jeu from the Livre d orgue of Pierre Du Mage represent a wide variety of organ registrations typical of the French Baroque era. Generally, the Plein jeu requires a registration of full principal chorus and mixtures. The Récit is a tender sound registered with a cornet (Flute 8, Flute, 4, Nasard 2 2/3, and Tierce 1 3/5 ). The Duo is registered with two cornet sounds and a 16 flute is added to the cornet in the left hand. The Grand jeu features a combination of reed stops. These short pieces were designed to be played between various sections of French masses of the period. The three Nun komm der Heiden Heiland settings are based on an Advent hymn from the German Lutheran tradition. The works are from a collection of J.S. Bach known as the Great Eighteen. Composed by Bach while he was choirmaster at the Weimar court, BWV 659 is on ornamented cantus firmus in which the chorale melody is present in the soprano line with a cornet sound. BWV 660 is a trio where the chorale melody is also found in the soprano line. The chorale melody is present in the pedal in BWV 661, registered with a trumpet rank.
Mendelssohn s Sonata No. 6 in D Minor presents a series of variations constructed on the German Lutheran chorale Vater unser im Himmelreich. In the first variation the chorale appears in the right hand. The second variation features the use of a light staccato in the pedal while the hands present the chorale. In the last variation the chorale tune is first presented in the pedal, moves to the manuals, and ends in a four chorale. The next movement features the chorale theme in a five-part fugue. The final section is a reflective Andante characteristic of his organ sonatas. Les Anges and Les Mages are from Olivier Messiaen s work La Nativité du Seigneur which depicts elements of the nativity of Jesus Christ. Messiaen used his compositional device of added value rhythms in Les Anges to describe the angels flurry of motion by destroying the meter. A large decrescendo at the end of the movement shows that the angels are disappearing. Les Mages are on an arduous journey following the distant star in the dark. Messiaen uses chords in the right hand that move in parallel descending motion to describe the difficulty of the walk. The three textures eventually unite on the final F# Major chord. This signifies the end of the Magi s journey to Bethlehem. Guilmant s Sonata No. 1 in D minor was originally written for organ and orchestra and dedicated to the King of Belgium, Léopold II. The Final contains Allegro assai, Andante maestoso, Tempo primo and coda. Each section takes full advantage of the French symphonic organ sound where stops imitated orchestral instruments. This recital was held on Sunday, November 1, 2015, at two o clock in the afternoon in the University Auditorium.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Hyun Ji Son is a student at the University of Florida pursuing a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance. She also worked as graduate assistant in the Organ and Carillon studio during the 2013-15 academic years. She has been actively engaged in the church community as an organ scholar and choir accompanist for the First Presbyterian Church since 2013. At the church, she has performed in several musical events, including the Gainesville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists Advent Recital Series and the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Hyun Ji has been a member of the American Guild of Organists since 2013. She participates actively as an AGO member and attended the 52 nd biannual National Convention of the American Guild of Organists in Boston in June 2014, as well as the church music workshop at All Saints Church in Winter Park, Florida, sponsored by the Central Florida Chapter of the AGO. Hyun Ji also a member of the Korean chapter of the organization. She was an active member of the Korean chapter and attended its regional conventional and a concert in Seoul, Korea Before joining the master s program at UF, Hyun Ji attended Calvin University where she received a BA in church music. She took on leadership responsibilities as a university choir director, student representative, and director of the Calvin University Festival. Hyun Ji enjoys recitals as a collaborative artist, working with piano, violin, and trumpet.
Hyun Ji Son, Organ M.M. Recital November 1, 2015 2:00 pm Livre d orgue (1708) Pierre Du Mage Plein jeu (ca. 1676-1751) Récit Duo Grand jeu Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (Savior of the Nations, Come) J.S. Bach BWV 659, 660, 661 (1685-1750) Sonata No. 6 in D Minor (1845) Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) La Nativité du Seigneur (1935) Olivier Messiaen Les Anges (1908-1992) Luke 2:13-14 And there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest. Les Mages Matthew 2:9 The wise men departed, and the star went before them. Organ Sonata No. 1 in D minor (1874) Félix-Alexandre Guilmant Final: Allegro assai (1837-1911) Pierre Du Mage was a Baroque organist and composer who served at two churches in the Picardy region of France: Saint Quentin, Aisne, from 1703-1710 and Laon Cathedral 1711-1719. Due to the demands required of his contract in Laon, he quit this position and became a civil servant. He has one extant work, Livre d orgue contenant une suite du premier ton (First Organ Book, 1708), which includes eight short pieces designed to be played between various sections of the Mass. French Baroque organ composers indicated specific registrations in the title of each movement. This is clearly shown in the Basse de Trompette; which is a title that indicates that the
registration requires a trumpet sound. Due to the limited pedal division of French organs of the period, the left hand provides the bass voice. The Plein jeu requires a registration of full principal chorus and mixtures. The movement is divided into two clear sections: the first section on the bright ensemble of the Positiv division; the second part adds the chorus of the Grand Orgue providing an expansive texture. Generally, the melodic line of the Récit is a tender sound registered with a cornet sound (Flute 8, Flute, 4, Nasard 2 2/3, and Tierce 1 3/5). The Récit was often used in alternation with the choir during the Kyrie, Gloria, or Sanctus during the convent masses of the time. The Duo is fast in duple meter piece composed for two cornet sounds. A 16 flute is added to the cornet of the left hand. The final movement of the Livre d orgue, the Grand jeu, is an energetic piece that features a combination of reed stops. It is divided into three sections: an introduction, an imitative section with echo effects, and a return to the introductory material. The Nun komm der Heiden Heiland set of chorale-based works of J.S. Bach are from a collection known as the Great Eighteen. Bach composed the works during his Weimar period where he was choirmaster. The Lutheran church service provided Bach with various opportunities to improvise on chorale melodies, specifically, while introducing a hymn, alternating stanzas with the choir and congregation, and during the service of Holy Communion. BWV 659 features the highly ornamented cantus firmus in the soprano line registered on the cornet found on the Positiv divison. This vivid chorale melody is supported by soft flutes. The ornamented second setting, BWV 660, is in trio texture in which the three voices are treated independently. The chorale tune is found in the soprano while two accompanying parts offer sigh motives followed by a series of sixteenth notes. BWV 661 assigns the chorale to the pedal voice registered with grandiose trumpet. The accompanying voices show an imitative texture motivically based on the chorale melody.
Felix Mendelssohn was a German Romantic organist, conductor, pianist, and composer. In his early compositions, Mendelssohn employed prelude and fugue form, Baroque era chorales, and harmonically determined counterpoint. In addition to use of Baroque devices, in this sonata Mendelssohn features Classical formal devices and Romantic virtuosity. This sonata opens with a four-part setting of the German Lutheran chorale Vater unser im Himmelreich (Our Father, Who Art in Heaven) harmonized in D minor. The work continues with a series of variations. In the first variation the chorale appears in the right hand while the left hand plays flowing sixteenth-notes. The second variation features the use of a light staccato in the pedal while the hands present the chorale. Virtuosic manual technique and dramatic gestures are featured in final variation. Here, the chorale tune is first found in the pedal, moves to the manuals and is presented a final time in four-parts. A Fuga section based on the chorale follows. While an unusual procedure for sonata form, the final movement of the sonata is a quiet Andante in the parallel key D major. Olivier Messiaen was organist at La Trinité in Paris from 1931 to 1992, a professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatoire, and a prolific composer. His compositions have many unique stylistic elements. He used specific colors in his compositions such as pitch class and specific chords. Messiaen also experimented with rhythm, using added value rhythms, the rhythms inspired by ancient Greece, and authentic Hindu rāgas. Messiaen developed his own scalar system modes called Modes of Limited Transposition. His deep Catholic faith had perhaps the most influence on his compositional output. For example many of his other pieces have religious nuance. La Nativité du Seigneur includes nine pieces that depict elements of the nativity of Jesus Christ. Messiaen preceded each movement with a biblical verse. Les Anges (The Angels) describe the swirling nature of angels wings. Messiaen s added value rhythms adds to this flurry of motion by destroying the meter. The decrescendo at the end of the movement shows that the angels are slowly
disappearing. Les Mages (The Magi) are on an arduous journey following the distant star in the dark, cloudy sky. The difficulty of the slow walk is described with chords in the right hand that move in parallel descending motion. At the end the wise men reach their final destination: the three textures unite into one and their mission is fulfilled with the final F# Major chord. Félix-Alexandre Guilmant wrote eight organ sonatas intended for concert use. The first sonata was originally written for organ and orchestra and dedicated to the King of Belgium, Léopold II. The sonata takes full advantage of the French symphonic organ sound. The Final follows an A-B-A-coda form. The first section, Allegro assai, starts with a virtuosic display of overpowering intensity, and suddenly shifts to a quieter Andante maestoso section that features the main motive in half-notes interrupted by vigorous pedalwork. A brief return of the A section, Tempo primo, is highlighted with fanfare brass and thrilling coda.