Klarinet Archive - Posting 000344.txt from 2005/04

From: Adam Michlin <amichlin@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Dan's non-Partita
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 09:01:25 -0400

I suppose one could argue that is why the modifier "Gran" is used, but we
still come back to the fact that Mozart never used the term. Partita seems
to have evolved in the classical era to less specific use in reference to
outdoor wind music, but we still come back to the fact that Mozart never
used the term.

In my mind (and I suspect Dan's), when such term inconsistencies arise one
must always assume the composer knew what he was doing (unless clear facts
demonstrate otherwise). As an example of the opposite, there are band
directors (and well known books) which like to proclaim that the first
movement of Holst's First Suite for Band in Eb is not, in truth, a Chaconne
(despite being clearly marked by the composer as such). If you apply the
very clear baroque definition of a Chaconne, you can make the argument that
it is actually a Passacaglia. If you read Groves, however, you'll find that
the British reactionary anti-romantic movement back to simpler forms and
folk music during Holst's time (early 1900s) was much more in spirit that
in absolute slavery to forms. Given that information, I tend to like to
think Holst knew what he was doing.

I am reminded of a question I once asked my first year theory professor.
"What is a sonata?" Her response was to lend me one entire volume of the
Groves dictionary (I still remember having to lug it back to my car. How
did we ever survive without the commercial Internet?). This turns out to be
an absolutely loaded question. There are sonata da cameras (for parties),
sonata da chiesas (for church), sonata allegro form(s) (which can be in a
sonata, concerto, or symphony and are staggeringly varied), and of course
the general and amazingly flexible term sonata. The general term sonata is
sometimes used interchangeably in solo music with the terms suite and
partita (a practice I find only as annoying as the double use of the term
classical meaning all western art music and referring to the "Classical"
Period of Mozart and Haydn et. all).

-Adam
Who has finally read "The Mozart Papers" and is still too much in
awe to comment.

PS (admittedly not an exact counter-example in terms of order of movements):
J.S. Bach BWV 1006 - Violin Partita
Preludio
Loure
Gavotte en Rondo
Menuett I
Menuett II
Bouree
Gigue

At 04:45 AM 4/22/2005 -0700, Dan Leeson wrote:
>Well for one thing no Partita has two minuets surrounding the slow movement.
>That was a feature of the serenade, though there are serenades with only one
>minuet. Notice how the E-flat and c minor wind serenades as well as the
>Gran Partitta all have the minuet pair surrounding the slow movement. No
>partita has that structure.
>
>Another factor is the number of movements. Partitas were generally limited
>to four movements, very few have five, and none have six or more.
>
>The partita is much more a baroque form than a classical one. If I remember
>correctly, the last true partita ws written about 1770.

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