Violin Concerto No. 1 (Bruch)

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Violin Concerto
No. 1
by Max Bruch
Max bruch.jpg
Key G minor
Opus 26
Period Romantic
Genre Concerto
Composed1866 (1866)
Movements3
Scoring Violin and Orchestra
Premiere
DateApril 24, 1866 (1866-04-24)

Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, is one of the most popular violin concertos in solo violin repertoire [1] and, along with the Scottish Fantasy, the composer's most famous work. It has been recorded often.

Contents

History

The concerto was first completed in 1866 and the first performance was given on 24 April 1866 by Otto von Königslow, with Bruch conducting. The concerto was then considerably revised with help from celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim and completed in its present form in 1867. The premiere of the revised concerto was given by Joachim in Bremen on 7 January 1868, with Karl Martin Rheinthaler conducting. [2]

Fate of the score

Bruch sold the score to the publisher N. Simrock outright for a small lump sum — but he kept a copy of his own. [3] :11 At the end of World War I, he was destitute, having been unable to enforce the payment of royalties for his other works because of chaotic world-wide economic conditions. He sent his autograph to the duo-pianists Rose and Ottilie Sutro (for whom he had written his Concerto in A-flat minor for Two Pianos and Orchestra, Op. 88a, in 1912), so that they could sell it in the United States and send him the money. Bruch died in October 1920, without ever receiving any money. The Sutro sisters decided to keep the score themselves, but they claimed to have sold it, and sent Bruch's family some worthless German paper money as the alleged proceeds of the alleged sale. They always refused to divulge any details of the supposed purchaser. In 1949, they sold the autograph to Mary Flagler Cary, whose collection, including the Bruch concerto, now resides at the Pierpont Morgan Public Library in New York City. [4]

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo violin and a standard classical orchestra consisting of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings. [5]

Movements

External audio
Performed by Itzhak Perlman with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink
Nuvola apps arts.svg I. Vorspiel (Allegro moderato)
Nuvola apps arts.svg II. Adagio
Nuvola apps arts.svg III. Finale (Allegro energico)

The concerto is in three movements:

  1. Vorspiel: Allegro moderato (in G minor)
    The first movement is unusual in that it is a Vorspiel, a prelude, to the second movement and is directly linked to it. [6] The piece starts off slowly, with the melody first taken by the flutes, and then the solo violin becomes audible with a short cadenza. This repeats again, serving as an introduction to the main portion of the movement, which contains a strong first theme and a very melodic, and generally slower, second theme. The movement ends as it began, with the two short cadenzas more virtuosic than before, and the orchestra's final tutti flows into the second movement, connected by a single low note from the first violins. [7]
    Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf
  2. Adagio (in E-flat major)
    The slow second movement is often admired for its melody, and is generally considered to be the heart of the concerto. The themes, presented by the violin, are underscored by a constantly moving orchestra part, keeping the movement alive and helping it flow from one part to the next. [8]
    Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf
  3. Finale: Allegro energico (in G major)
    The third movement, the finale, opens with an intense, yet quiet, orchestral introduction that yields to the soloist's statement of the energetic theme in brilliant double stops. [9] It is very much like a dance that moves at a comfortably fast and energetic tempo. The second subject is a fine example of Romantic lyricism, a slower melody which cuts into the movement several times, before the dance theme returns with its fireworks. The piece ends with a huge accelerando, leading to a fiery finish that gets higher as it gets faster and louder and eventually concludes with two short, yet grand, chords.
    Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf

Lasting popularity

Bruch also composed two more violin concertos, but neither has gained as much fame as his first, which continues to be very popular in both repertoire and audience terms. This was a source of great frustration for Bruch, who wrote to Simrock:

“Nothing compares to the laziness, stupidity and dullness of many German violinists. Every fortnight another one comes to me wanting to play the first concerto. I have now become rude; and have told them: ‘I cannot listen to this concerto any more – did I perhaps write just this one? Go away and once and for all play the other concertos, which are just as good, if not better.” [3] :77

In 1903 Bruch visited Naples, and local violinists gathered near where he was staying to salute him. Bruch complained:

“On the corner of the Via Toledo they stand there, ready to break out with my first violin concerto as soon as I allow myself to be seen. (They can all go to the devil! As if I had not written other equally good concertos!)” [3] :77

In 1996, it was voted the number one work in the Classic FM (UK) Hall of Fame by the station's listeners. [10] In its profile of Bruch, Classic FM described the violin concerto as "one of the best works of the Romantic period". [11]

In October 2019, the concerto was the subject of BBC Radio 4's Tales from the Stave with Joshua Bell seeing the original manuscript for the first time. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadenza</span> Improvised solo between musical sections

In music, a cadenza, is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist(s), usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display. During this time the accompaniment will rest, or sustain a note or chord. Thus an improvised cadenza is indicated in written notation by a fermata in all parts. A cadenza will usually occur over either the final or penultimate note in a piece, the lead-in, or the final or penultimate note in an important subsection of a piece. A cadenza can also be found before a final coda or ritornello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Bruch</span> German romantic composer and conductor (1838–1920)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violin Concerto (Brahms)</span> 1878 violin concerto by Johannes Brahms

The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, was composed by Johannes Brahms in 1878 and dedicated to his friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim. It is Brahms's only violin concerto, and, according to Joachim, one of the four great German violin concerti:

The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven's. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)</span> 1844 composition by Felix Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14, is his last concerto. Well received at its premiere, it has remained among the most prominent and highly-regarded violin concertos. It holds a central place in the violin repertoire and has developed a reputation as an essential concerto for all aspiring concert violinists to master, and usually one of the first Romantic era concertos they learn. A typical performance lasts just under half an hour.

Sergei Prokofiev began his Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19, as a concertino in 1915 but soon abandoned it to work on his opera The Gambler. He returned to the concerto in the summer of 1917. It was premiered on October 18, 1923 at the Paris Opera with Marcel Darrieux playing the violin part and the Paris Opera Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky. Igor Stravinsky made his debut as conductor at the same concert, conducting the first performance of his own Octet for Wind Instruments.

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<i>Scottish Fantasy</i> Composition for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose and Ottilie Sutro</span> American piano duo sisters

Rose Sutro and Ottilie Sutro were American sisters who were notable as one of the first recognised duo-piano teams. It has been claimed they were the first such team, but Willi and Louis Thern preceded them by almost 30 years. They were also noted confidence tricksters, repeatedly swindling the German composer Max Bruch by taking advantage of his trusting nature - first, by making and publishing unauthorized changes to his Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in A-flat minor, and second, stealing and absconding with the autograph copy of his Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, later selling it in 1949.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octet (Bruch)</span> String octet by Max Bruch (1920)

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References

  1. Ezard, John (April 25, 2000). "Bruch still No 1 in classic hall of fame". The Guardian . Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  2. Schwarm, Betsy (22 May 2013). "Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26". Britannica. Retrieved 17 Nov 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Christopher Fifield (2005). Max Bruch: His Life and Works. Boydell Press. ISBN   978-1-84383-136-5.
  4. "Knoxville Symphony Orchestra program notes – Beethoven & Bruch". Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  5. Steinberg, M. The Concerto: A Listener's Guide, OUP (1998)
  6. Ledbetter, Steven. "MAX BRUCH: VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1 IN G MINOR, OP. 26". aspenmusicfestival.com. Aspen Music Festival. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  7. Duncan Clark (2001). Classical Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. p. 101. ISBN   978-1-85828-721-8.
  8. Serotsky, Paul. "Bruch (1838–1920) – Violin Concerto No. 1". musicweb-International.com. MusicWeb International. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  9. Lorenzon, Matthew (20 September 2018). "Highlights: Bruch First Violin Concerto". abc.net.au. ABC Classic. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  10. Nicholas, J. Classic FM Guide to Classical Music (1997), page 329.
  11. Nicholas, J. Classic FM Guide to Classical Music (1997), page 97.
  12. "Tales from the Stave: Max Bruch's Violin Concerto". BBC . Retrieved 10 October 2019.