Three Programs of Violin Music

Abstract

The focus of my first recital is violin music by American composers. This poses a number of different problems, namely, what makes American music American? If America is truly a melting pot of immigrants do we have a national heritage from which draw inspiration for art, music, or culture? While many composers made it their life's work to establish the American idiom, the works written for specifically violin are varied and don’t lend themselves to forming a cohesive recital program. There are many artistic directions a performer could take but for me, I wanted to call attention to works by composers of different backgrounds that have unique and diverse storytelling. Ellen Taaffe Zwilich draws on her experience as a female composer that shapes her neo- romantic style of writing while William Grant Still was inspired by black multi- faceted art forms from the Harlem Renaissance. John Corigliano’s Violin Sonata serves as the dark centerpiece of this recital. Through this work, Corigliano explores the complex relationship he had with his father as he comes to terms with his identity as a gay man. These stories, as well as Kevin Puts’ solo work Arches are the fabric of what represents American culture; honoring the legacy of where we come from and charging forward with the hope of what we could accomplish together. My second recital is also an exploration of national identity. Impressionism and symbolism are artistic movements that have long been associated with the French tradition. On this program, I presented works by a Japanese composer, a Polish composer, and a forgotten gem of the French repertoire. Tōru Takemitsu’s early work Distance de fée draws inspiration from the harmonic language of Olivier Messiaen and depicts the flight of a legendary bird. Karol Szymanowski’s three tone poems, Mythes, represents the beginning of his second composition period where he incorporates sights and sounds of impressionist art such as water and programmatic subject matter. The recital concludes with what I consider to be the quintessential French work, Ernest Chausson’s Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet. This work represents the ideals of French music: passionate melodies, dense chromatic harmonies, and soaring lines. For my third recital, I depart from examining national heritage and delve into the heritage of the violin. The pieces on this program are significant works that expanded the possibilities of music written for the violin and therefore the capabilities of the violin itself. Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas were the most important works for solo violin when they were composed in 1720 showcasing the violin’s ability to not just play melodic material but also polyphonic textures and four- part harmonies. Eugene Ysaÿe extrapolated even further, expanding the harmonic vocabulary and technical feats of the violin through his six solo sonatas he wrote for his friends and colleagues. Finally, I end my final dissertation recital with the young Mendelssohn’s masterful string octet. Written for his violin teacher Eduard Ritz, the work could be considered his unofficial first violin concerto. While Mendelssohn’s celebrated second concerto in E minor was revolutionary and set the precedent for the genre, his octet shows remarkable innovation in the role of the violin within a large ensemble.