OLLI Fall 2019 9/25/2019 (Week 3) Sheppard

1. Má vlast (continued)2. Antonin Dvořák3. Kytice

1. Genesis/composition2. Story3. Premiere and reception4. The music

Ma vlast

Vltava = The Moldau (20:26)- Travels along the Moldau from the start through Prague and into Germany. From Smetana:

The composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs, the Cold and Warm Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current, the course of the Vltava through woods and meadows, through landscapes where a farmer's wedding is celebrated, the round dance of the mermaids in the night's moonshine: on the nearby rocks loom proud castles, palaces and ruins aloft. The Vltava swirls into the St. John’s Rapids; then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the Vyšehrad, and then majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Labe (or Elbe, in German).

- How would you write the start of the water—far away, with a long distance to go? How would you build it up?

o Swirling currents (rhythm and melody), drips of water (texture), building water (texture and timbre), growing (dynamics), etc.

o Coursing, tumbling, swelling (pg1 of score)- Peasant Wedding (24:20) introduces new music

o Rustic! Steady, short o Accented, simple folksy, up and down-y

- Moonlight (25:58) is new againo How to write moonlight? Timbre, texture, harmonies, melody, rhythmo Circles—castles in the distance (hear the brass?)o Moonlight is always a little mysterious—a little mystical and slightly ominouso “Ruins” and “loom” are important to the color!o Hear the connectivity with the opening river water?

- St. John’s Rapidso Based in the Vltava theme...but how to transform it?

First, get into it from the moonlight…(24:43) ...then hit the rocks! (raise hands @29:59) p83

- Prague! 31:19o 31:48—where have we arrived?! Castle!

Šárka (34:08)- This is warrior music! First we’ve heard it from Smetana

o How so? Tremolo, urgency of harmonies, contour ofmelody, strength of homophony

o Rhythmic energy in the extreme, but also unpredictableo Sounds like another famous one at 34:50...Don Juan

- Marching along...then they meet! (37:20 clarinet and cello) Here starts the love story…ill-fated!- 40:08 the rest of the men arrive at the party for some drink and mead...Can hear the men winding down, getting

tipsy, unwinding…P H O N E : 7 2 4 . 5 5 4 . 0 1 8 1 E M A I L : M G S 5 0 5 5 @ G M A I L . C O M

- Listen for the horn…you’ll hear it (42ish)o Tremolo is ominous.o Who should appear, awakened? Clarinet!o Sneaky...soft...gentle music...but with increasing (soft) urgencyo Can hear them approaching...then the attack! (43:39-end @45ish)

Tabor (59:41)- Ancient—how so?

o Repeated motifs, thin harmonies, octaves/5ths, clear textureso Horns, low WW, strings, drumso The drums sound (not sure if this is

etymologically connected)- Drum beat is the motif

o Ktož jsú boží bojovníci, “Ye WhoAre Warriors of God”; from old Hussite hymn

o 15th cent. war songo “The song was sung with such intensity during the Hussite Wars that it instilled fear

throughout the enemy army, marking it a weapon in itself...it would be led by a Hussite priest, carrying a ceremonial axe

o How many times in this poem do you think he uses it? Turns into an anthem, almost- 1:03:39, religioso (now modern day!)

Tabor (59:41)- Ancient—how so?

o Repeated motifs, thin harmonies, octaves/5ths, clear textureso Horns, low WW, strings, drumso The drums sound (not sure if this is

etymologically connected)- Drum beat is the motif

o Ktož jsú boží bojovníci, “Ye WhoAre Warriors of God”; from old Hussite hymn

o 15th cent. war songo “The song was sung with such intensity during the Hussite Wars that it instilled fear

throughout the enemy army, marking it a weapon in itself...it would be led by a Hussite priest, carrying a ceremonial axe

o How many times in this poem do you think he uses it?- 1:03:39-1:06:07 religioso (now modern day!)

o Turns into an anthem (1:04:42), and a church song (resolutions in Amen cadence, with traditional suspensions

o Alternates with the religious music and the fighting, militant music (quick rhythms, fugato, alternating timbres and thickening textures)

o Still, the motif always underneath (horns)- 1:09:54 climax

o Tabor motif combined with religioso againo Furiously running stringso Drama—col legno implies something new...battle sounds (imagination!)o Falls down…

o 1:12:12 pulls us to the final non-resolution…

Blanik (1:12:46)- Opens with the Tabor, shifts into “steady march of progress” music- 1:15:28 “to sleep” music, until 1:18:12

o Outside world threatens...urgency, under attack?o 1:20:26 horn call to awaken Wenceslaso Awakening music? Bygone, untroubled era—nostalgic is a hallmark of nationalismo 1:25:25 awakening again...for real this time. Heroic march to bring it to a close as we pass

the High Castle yet again

Kytice

Antonin Dvořak- 8 Sept. 1841 to 1 May 1904 (just outside of Prague)- If Smetana started a national style and idiom, Dvorak perfected it, using the folk stories and musical

idioms of Czech language and life- Gifted violinist from age 6

o Sent to study German at age 13; wrote little ditties as early as 14o Studied organ, piano, violin, and music theory as well in a small town (Zlonice)o At urging of teachers, parents allowed him to leave for Prague to study music at 16o Played as a violist and organist throughout Prague, including the orchestral music of

Wagner (who conducted, and whom Dvorak admired greatly)- Was composing and organizing his works (quartets) by age 20, but without public premieres

o This was unusual, and it gave him a chance to hone his crafto First opera Alfred was written in 1870, but not premiered until 1938

- Only in 1871 did he begin focusing more intently on a life as a composero Remained as a Catholic organist, but without as much orchestral playingo Began to have works premiered in Prague (string quartet, songs)o Included nationalist music (Czech patriotic cantata The Heirs of the White Mountain)o 1874, submitted to and won the Austrian Prize for composers, giving financial supporto Won again in 1876/1877, and the panel included both Hanslick and Brahms, who wrote a

letter of support to him in 1877o Resigned piano position to focus on composing; mostly symphonies, concerti, quartets, etc.

- In 1880s, toured and taught at conservatorieso 1885, wrote The Spectre’s Bride and premiered in London to great critical success (cantata)o Students went on to great success as performers

- 1892, left for New York to become director of National Conservatory in NYC ($420,000 salary)o Founded by Jeannette Thurber, wealthy philanthropisto Objective of doing for American music what he had done for Czech (folk idioms)o Supported African-American and Native American music as the idiomso Spectacularly successful, both critically, compositionally, and financially…o ...yet homesickness (and increased recognition in Europe) led him to return home

- Final years in Prague, returned to the national mythologyo Rusalka and the Kytice poems all written in this timeo Celebrated as nobility in Czech, and in Austro-Hungarian empire, with national birthday

celebrations- Used Slavic folk idioms in music

o Czech language (forward syllabic emphasis)o Dances (skocna, odzemek, furiant, sousedska, spacirka, mazurka/polanaise (Polish), etc.)o Adored Wagner...and the classical idioms of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms

KyticeGenesis

- Based on Kytice z povesti narondich, a set of 13 ballads by Karel Jaromir Erben- Dvorak wrote tone poems to 5 of the 13

- Karel Jaromir Erbeno 1811-1870; lived in and around Prague his entire lifeo Studied philosophy and law in Prague and worked at the National Museumo Supported Czech National Revival and folk idioms across the globe—hence published 100

Slavic Folk Tales in the Czech/folk languages- Kytice (poems)

o Full title is A Bouquet of Folk Legendso First published 1853; re-published 1861o Just as Ma vlast is a national epic in music, this is a national epic in poetry, adapted by

many a Czech composer/film-maker Kytice (Wild Flowers), Poklad (Treasure), Svatebni kosile (The Wedding

Shirts/The Spectre’s Bride), Polednice (The Noonday Witch), Zlaty kolovrat (The Golden Spinning-Wheel), Stedry den (Christmas Eve), Holoubek (Little Dove/Wild Dove), Zaharovo loze (Zahor’s Bed), Vodnik (The Water-Goblin), Vrba(Willow), Lilie (Lily), Dcerina kletba (Daughter’s Curse), Vestkyne (Seeress)

- Kytice (musical selections)o The Spectre’s Bride (1884)o The Noonday Witch (1896)o The Golden Spinning Wheel (1896)o Little Dove (1896)o Vodnik (1896)

The music

- Clear influence of Wagner: the use of specific leitmotifs and instrumental colors is VASTLY expanded from Liszt and Smetana

o Vodnik/Witch’s leitmotifso Developed from vague pictures to specific pictures to specific narrativeo More or less important to know the specific story?

Vodnik (poetry first?)

- Vodnik = water goblin- Narrative...and Dvorak follows it almost exactly. Valuable to read it (go)- Dvorak writes the following as preparation for program notes:

o Allegro vivace: The water goblin (flutes) aloneo Andante sostenuto: The girl (clarinet) and her mother (violins), who tells the girl of a bad

dream and warns her not to go near the lakeo Allegro vivo: The girl ignores the warning (violins and oboes) and falls into the lake, and

into the hands of the water govlin.o Andante mesto come prima: The misery of the underwater world.o Un poco piu lento e molto tranquillo: the girl sings a lullaby for her baby (flute and oboe)o Andante: The water goblin tells her to stop singing in a fury and they have a quarrel, which

ends that the girl is permitted to go visit her mother, but has to be back before the bells of the vespers

o Lento assai: The girl goes home to her mother (cellos and trombones), where they have a

sad reuniono Allegro vivace: The storm on the lake, the church bells are heard after which knocking on

the door and eventually a loud bang when the goblin throws the dead child against the dooro Andante sostenuto: croaking frogs (piccolo and flutes), the mother’s moaning about that

Friday, which was an unlucky day (English horn and bass clarinet), the mother’s terrible distress (oboes, cellos, and basses). The water goblin’s mysterious disappearance into the lake.

- MOVIE, about 18 minutes; MUSIC- Goblin (beginning to 2:02)

o What’s scary about a goblin? What is a goblin?o Rhythm: Short staccato bursts...small, not terrifying. o Texture: Undercurrent of burbling...energy...fear. Building to a tremendous climax of evilo Timbre: flutes aren’t scary!?o Dynamics: starts soft, builds...sudden fz, etc.o Form: Builds to the climax, in which the texture/timbre/dynamics are all amplifiedo Melody: on the 5th—repeated notes. Sets it up to be recognizable, but modifiableo Harmony: ominous minor

- Girl and mother (2:03-5:22)o Girl (2:03)

Safety and stability (pedal tones) Clarinet in a lovely, song-like melody (girl singing?) Repeated notes (3) at the front end...connectivity Simple melody and accompaniment

o Mother and dream (2:58) Harmony changes to minor Texture changes to a more ominously stirring undercurrent (then moreso in the

pizz/cello/bass) Timbre significantly different: upper ranges of violin, muted, in octaves...spookier Takes the “warning” theme and fills it out with tremolo, as if shaking Flute + trumpet + trombone warning. Whoa. That’s odd and scary (nervous strings

above)o 4:35 – why don’t you believe all is well? Timpani. What’s it saying? Vodnik’s theme.

Brilliant (rhythm only, unpitched…)- Girl goes to lake (5:23-7:07)

o Running, energized music...and it’s Vodnik’s music (fanfare!)o His triumph as he sees her and knows she’s arrivedo She falls in—can you hear the moment? 6:16o Falls quickly (dynamics, timbre, texture, pitch, rhythm)

Ripples continue to smooth out (what’s scary about falling into a lake?) Disappears into nothing…

- In the lake (7:07-9:41)o Misery (mesto) – how so?

Timbre of EH and clarinet w/ viola Piccolo + clarinet Squishy—very little movement harmonically, and slow. Long, thick notes (water)

8:40, new water: singing of the mother (violins), rippling of the cello/violao Vodnik’s motif reigns. How many times do you hear it?

- Sings a lullaby (9:41-11:21)o Flute and oboe singing...still always a little dark, and still in the watero Transition music (formally, we need a “downer” energy that isn’t fully settled. We’ve had

the introduction and power, we’ve had the sweetness and sadness, we need an uncertain andmildly hopeful affect)

o Vodnik hears her and is irritated by her singing (horns at 11:06)- Argument and ultimatum (11:21-14:26)

o Furious argument between them (please, no you cannot go)o “But if you don’t return by...” ultimatum from the bassoons @ 11:53

pedal tones Vodnik motif

o We can hear her building excitement, etc...then the final ultimatum from the horns @ 13:20o She runs off (quick strings, flurry, heroic departure….YAY!! It could be over here

- Reunion with mother (14:27-16:28)o Reminds me of Soldier’s Tale happy ending...that proves false

Why does it feel false? Texture/timbre of the tuba underneath the heroic cello Harmonies are dark and dissonant underneath the lovely girl’s singing

melody...dark and wrenching even Pauses...hesitancies…

o Mother convinces her to stay- Storm on the lake (16:28-19:10)

o We’re getting good at storms...tremolo, long swell to fo Hear the waves?o Sudden outbursts of dynamic/articulationo Vodnik’s motif everywhereo How do we know when it’s Vespers? The bells @ 17:20o What happens to make it scary after she stays? Slow and low…o 17:41; the first set of knocks on the dooro 18:02; the second set of knocks on the dooro False heroic ending (she’ll win out in the end!)o 18:57; the third set of knocks...and a thump

- Croaking of frogs (19:10-end)o Vodnik’s motiveo What instruments are froggy? English horn and bass clarinet (also super sad)o Pedal underneath...depth of lakeo Disappears and disintegrates into nothing

The Noonday Witch (poetry first?)- MUSIC- From Wiki:

A mother warns her son that if he does not behave she will summon the Noon Witch to take him away. He does not behave, and the witch arrives at the stroke of noon. The witch, described as a horrible creature, demands the

child. The mother, terrified that the witch has actually come, grabs her son, and the witch begins chasing them. Finally the mother faints, grasping her child. Later that day, the father arrives home, and finds his wife passed outwith the dead body of their son in her arms. The mother had accidentally smothered their son while protecting him from the witch. The story ends with the father's lament over the terrible event.

- Oboe is the misbehaving child; bass clarinet is the witch- 12 strokes of the bell are important in this one- Narrative

o All is well..all is lovely… Squirrely little kid in the oboe (0:30) Knock it off from mom...or else…(it gets serious)

o All is well again (2:57) He gets squirrely again (3:45)...they fight again…

o 5:20, mom says “KNOCK IT ELSE OR ELSE!!!!” Enter the world of the Noonday Witch...oooh. Bass clarinet and bassoon...ooooh Motif is important to recall—and doesn’t it sound like “If you don’t do this...I will

do that...” Tremolo underneath in lowest registers. This is DARK musician Crying from the child Mystical music (alternating directions—Star Wars—at 7:15)

o 9:02 the struggle—spinning around and around, chasing Chase music Alternates with mom’s threats of the witch

o 10:41, we arrive at noon…the bells tell us Easy, delightful music...then there’s a knock (punctuated by silences) Child seems more scared (oboe is lower, not so...squirrely)