Klarinet Archive - Posting 000600.txt from 1996/12

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Cadenza in the Rossini or no?
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 11:19:01 -0500

Following is the correspondence between my and Don Yungkurth on the
matter of exactly what is written at the moment of the cadenza. I
thank Don for his patient and careful description of the material.
It sounds to me that there is no ambiguity in what it is
Rossini has said (or at least what it is that David Glazer has decided
on what Rossini has said) because the clarinet begins what is
being called a "cadenza" at the moment that the fermata is encountered.
That fermata's chord structure is a B-flat major chord in the second
inversion. And such a chord structure is EXACTLY what constitutes
the signal for a cadenza.

The reason why this strange invitation is extended has to do with the
purpose of a cadenza. A tonic chord in the second inversion is
very unstable. You would not think so because it is a tonic chord,
but when the fifth is in the bass (as it is in the second inversion),
your aural systems go bananas and one is left quite unstable
musically until the root position of the tonic chord is sounded.

And that is the purpose of the cadenza; i.e., to resolve that instability
by treating the listener to a picture of the soloist's cleverness in
getting from the tonic (2nd inversion) to the tonic (root position)
in the cleverest possible fashion, that is by improvising a little
music (based on the themes just heard) that eases the journey from
instability to stability for the listener.

If you believe that the purpose of the cadenza is to show the technical
skill of the soloist, you are using 1920s music appreciation stories
as contemporary explanations for a very technical thing. To be blunt,
what do you think the soloist has been doing for the last 10 minutes
EXCEPT to show you his/her technical skill? So one does not need
the peculiarities of the cadenza to further show it.

The purpose of a cadenza is to show you how cleverly the soloist
can make up a patchwork of music based on what it is you just
heard WHILE AT THE SAME TIME travelling the road from tonic chord
in the second inversion (instability) to tonic chord in the root
position (stability).

All of this is by way of saying that my earlier note that said,
"If Rossini had wanted a cadenza he would have done absolutely
nothing but hang out a flag" was right on the mark. The flag
is the tonic chord with the fifth in the bass.

In the words of Falstaff, "Ecco lo mio riposto!"

> From: MX%"DYungkurth@-----.80
> Subj: Re: Private question about the Rossini

> Hi Dan,
>
> You asked, "Can you tell me if the chord that announces what is being spoken
> of as a "cadenza" is a dominant seventh chord or a tonic chord in the second
> inversion.
>
> I ask this because I am of the opinion that there is no cadenza in that work
> but cannot say so until I know what the introductory chord structure is."
>
> The finale of the work is in Bb major. In the measure prior to the "cadenza"
> measure, the piano has two beats of a Bb major chord in the 2nd inversion
> (over F), and two beats of F major (root position).
>
> On beat one of the "cadenza" measure the piano has a root position Bb major
> chord (Bb in two octaves in the bass clef and Bb, D, F, Bb in the treble).
> The clarinet enters on beat two (at a fermata) on concert F and does a three
> octave upward chromatic run. The piano enters at the end of the chromatic
> with a Bb major chord in the 2nd inversion (F in the bass).
>
> At the fermata is the designation, "a piacere", which my dictionary
> translates as, "according to the performer". This certainly sounds like an
> invitation to play a cadenza. Indeed, the chromatic run is given in smaller
> notes, perhaps as the editor's suggestion for a cadenza?
>
> This doesn't necessarily tell us what Rossini wrote. The piano arrangement
> was by Ralph Hermann and the editor of the edition was David Glazer (the
> clarinetist, I assume), copyright 1966.
>
> I'd be interested in your conclusions from all this.
>
> Regards,
>
> Don
====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================