Faschingsschwank aus Wien

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Faschingsschwank aus Wien

Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Carnival Scenes from Vienna or Carnival Jest from Vienna), Op. 26, is a solo piano work by Robert Schumann. He began composition of the work in 1839 in Vienna. He wrote the first four movements in Vienna, and the last on his return to Leipzig.

Contents

Eric Sams has noted that the word "Faschingsschwank" contains the letters ASCH SCHA in that order of appearance, and that Schumann used these notes in sequence as melodic material for this work. [1] Robert Morgan has noted Schumann's use of Ludwig van Beethoven's Op. 26 as a model in this work, and also Schumann's use of musical symmetry. [2] David Neumeyer has noted the similarity of the first section to the Valse Noble , Op. 77, No. 7 (D. 969) of Franz Schubert. [3]

Form

The work is in five movements:

Marked (Sehr Lebhaft) (very lively), this is the longest and one of the more virtuosic movements, notable for its innovative rhythms and its brief quote of "La Marseillaise." Of all the pieces of Faschingsschwank, this one is the least single-minded in its structure, introducing entirely new themes occasionally, only to be brought back repeatedly to two repeated motifs from the beginning. The piece comes to a crashing close with almost dissonant septuplet arpeggios.

Probably the least virtuosic of the works, taking only a page of music. Despite its shortness and apparent ease, this is undoubtedly the saddest piece in the set. Despite the fact that most of the work is in G minor, the final measure brings a resolution into G major.

Much as the title suggests, this work is a playful respite between two somber movements. A syncopated rhythm, with a melody based almost entirely on notes of the major chord, keeps the movement light and bouncing throughout, with the possible exception of the last run, a progression of octaves into a quick and bright cadence.

The Intermezzo is marked by its flowing sound, created by keeping a steady stream of right-hand notes in the background, interspersed with melody notes. The piece, almost entirely based on transpositions, appears difficult at first due to its speed (some musicologists have remarked that Schumann's metronome was calibrated such that it went faster than it should have, due to extreme tempi such as this one). While the background notes in the right hand do indeed move extremely fast, the melody is more singing. The background notes are mostly suited to the shape and position of the hand, despite a few leaps of the melody; in the end, the left hand takes a modified, E-flat major version of the E-flat minor melody, under the right hand. The work is a melancholy and emotionally charged display of a pianist's capability to convey feeling.

The "extremely lively" Finale begins with triumphant announcements in B-flat octaves, interspersed with brilliant moving thirds. This section is the second longest, lasting about half the length of the first movement. The patterns seen in the Finale are somewhat reminiscent of Beethoven's compositional style, using a melody that moves in both hands, while both hands also play unchanging notes beneath the melody. The energetic runs of the final bars bring the set to a dramatic close.

Reception and performance

The Faschingsschwank aus Wien has been recorded many times, including outstanding live performances by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in 1957, Annie Fischer in 1960 and Sviatoslav Richter in 1962. The Intermezzo serves as the theme music of the Lawfare podcast, performed by journalist Sophia Yan. [4]

Related Research Articles

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Piano Sonata No. 28 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101, was written in 1816 and was dedicated to the pianist Baroness Dorothea Ertmann, née Graumen. This sonata marks the beginning of what is generally regarded as Beethoven's final period, where the forms are more complex, ideas more wide-ranging, textures more polyphonic, and the treatment of the themes and motifs even more sophisticated than before. Op. 101 well exemplified this new style, and Beethoven exploits the newly expanded keyboard compass of the day.

The Symphony No. 3 in E♭ major, Op. 97, also known as the Rhenish, is the last symphony composed by Robert Schumann, although not the last published. It was composed from 2 November to 9 December 1850 and premiered on 6 February 1851 in Düsseldorf, conducted by Schumann himself, and was received with mixed reviews, "ranging from praise without qualification to bewilderment". However, according to Peter A. Brown, members of the audience applauded between every movement, and especially at the end of the work when the orchestra joined them in congratulating Schumann by shouting "hurrah!".

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Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, is a group of eighteen pieces for piano composed in 1837 by Robert Schumann, who named them after his music society Davidsbündler. The low opus number is misleading: the work was written after Carnaval, Op. 9, and the Symphonic Studies, Op. 13.

The Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20, is a composition for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin between 1831 and 1832 and dedicated to Thomas Albrecht. The piece begins with the tempo marking Presto con fuoco. The piece is dark, dramatic, and lively. It is complex and considered to be one of Chopin's more difficult works.

Rustic Wedding Symphony, Op. 26 is a symphony in E flat major by Karl Goldmark, written in 1875, a year before his renowned Violin Concerto No. 1. The symphony was premiered in Vienna on 5 March 1876, conducted by Hans Richter. Johannes Brahms, who was a frequent walking companion of Goldmark's, and whose own Symphony No. 1 was not premiered until November 1876, told him "That is the best thing you have done; clear-cut and faultless, it sprang into being a finished thing, like Minerva from the head of Jupiter". Its first American performance was at a New York Philharmonic Society concert, conducted by Theodore Thomas on 13 January 1877.

Kammermusik (Hindemith) Compositions by Paul Hindemith

Kammermusik is the title for eight chamber music compositions by Paul Hindemith. He wrote them, each in several movements, during the 1920s. They are grouped in three opus numbers: Op. 24, Op. 36 and Op. 46. Six of these works, Kammermusik Nos. 2–7, are not what is normally considered chamber music – music for a few players with equally important parts such as a wind quintet – but rather concertos for a soloist and chamber orchestra. They are concertos for piano, cello, violin, viola, viola d'amore and organ. The works, for different ensembles, were premiered at different locations and times. The composer was the soloist in the premiere of the viola concertos, while his brother Rudolf Hindemith was the soloist in the premiere of the cello concerto. Kammermusik is reminiscent of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, also concertos for different solo and orchestra instruments, and in a neo-Bachian spirit of structure, polyphony and stability of motion.

String Quintet (Bruckner)

Anton Bruckner's String Quintet in F major, WAB 112 was composed in 1878/79 in Vienna.

<i>Novelletten</i> (Schumann)

The Novelletten, Op. 21, is a set of eight pieces for solo piano, written by Robert Schumann in 1838. This composition is dedicated to Adolf von Henselt.

Viola Sonata No. 1 (Hindemith)

The first Sonata for viola and piano, also known as Sonata in F, Op. 11, No. 4, by Paul Hindemith was composed in 1919. It is the fourth of five instrumental sonatas comprising his opus 11. This sonata and the following Op. 11 No. 5 for solo viola mark Hindemith's decision to abandon playing the violin in favor of its larger cousin.

Humoreske in B-flat major, Op. 20, is a romantic piano piece by Robert Schumann, composed in 1839 and dedicated to Julie von Webenau. Schumann cited Jean Paul's style of humour as source of inspiration, although there are no direct programmatic links to Jean Paul's oeuvre found in the piece.

Gesänge der Frühe, Op. 133, is a composition in five movements by Robert Schumann for solo piano. A performance takes about 13 minutes.

The Piano Trio No. 2 in F major, Op. 80, by Robert Schumann was written in 1847. It has four movements:

  1. Sehr lebhaft
  2. Mit innigem Ausdruck - Lebhaft
  3. In mässiger Bewegung
  4. Nicht zu rasch

The Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in D minor Op. 121 by Robert Schumann was completed in November 1851, Dedicated to the violinist Ferdinand David, the sonata received its first public performance from Clara Schumann and Joseph Joachim on October 29, 1853 in Düsseldorf, in a concert that marked the beginning of a long term musical collaboration.

Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132, is a trio composition by Robert Schumann in four movements for clarinet, viola and piano. He composed the clarinet-viola-piano trio in B-flat major, between 9 and 11 October 1853. The movements are connected by a motif (Kernmotiv). The work is dedicated to Schumann's pupil Albert Dietrich, and was published in 1854 by Breitkopf & Härtel.

References

  1. ↑ Sams, Eric (1969–1970). "The Tonal Analogue in Schumann's Music". Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association. 96: 103–117. doi:10.1093/jrma/96.1.103. JSTOR   765977.
  2. ↑ Morgan, Robert P. (Spring 1998). "Symmetrical Form and Common-Practice Tonality". Music Theory Spectrum. 20 (1): 1–47. doi:10.1525/mts.1998.20.1.02a00010. JSTOR   746155.
  3. ↑ Neumeyer, David (Autumn 1987). "The Ascending "Urlinie"". Journal of Music Theory. 31 (2): 275–303. doi:10.2307/843711. JSTOR   746155.
  4. ↑ "Reporter's Notebook: Covering the Hong Kong Protests". 7 October 2014.
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