Klarinet Archive - Posting 000058.txt from 2011/01
From: BarDu@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Trombones in K. 626
Date: Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:56:52 -0500
The Mozart Forgeries is a great read!
In a message dated 1/9/2011 2:29:52 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
dnleeson@-----.net writes:
Before composing the Requiem, Mozart had written about 15 or so Masses for
Salzburg performance, though none were Requiem masses. K. 626 was his
first and last shot at music for a Requiem mass, though most of what you hear
when it is performed is not by Mozart.
Trombones were an important part not only of his Salzburg masses, but of
18th century choral music in general even when written for by other
composers. There were usually three trombones, but there is evidence that Mozart
intended to use four trombones for K. 626. (More on this in a moment.)
As a common practice in 18th century church music that used a chorus, the
alto, tenor, and bass trombones were used to support the alto, tenor, and
bass voices of the chorus. It is unclear why Mozart used the tenor trombone
(or trombone 2 if you prefer) other than the obvious fact that the
character of that instrument is more stentorian than the bass trombone which
should, in theory, have been his choice since the trombone solo immediately
precedes the entrance of the bass singer.
But all of this analysis is complicated by the fact that that particular
section of the Requiem is very sketchy. Mozart writes for only one trombone
in the Tuba Mirum, and the others are presumed excluded. The tenor
trombone's solo music is written out completely by Mozart for 18 measures but there
is no indication of what the player should do beyond that point.
Mozart's autograph at the point in the opening section (the Requiem
aeternam) where trombones first enter allows one the conclusion that he had four
trombones in mind, the first instrument being a soprano trombone also
called the slide trumpet. And whoever in an earlier posting said that Mozart did
not use trumpets in the Requiem is incorrect. A pair are explicitly
called for in the opening Requiem aeternam, but neither are requested for the
tuba mirum.
However that does not mean he did not intend to trumpets for the tuba
mirum. He also does not call for basset horns in the tuba mirum but they are
present by virtue of the fact that basset horns 1 and 2 are used elsewhere
to support the soprano and alto voices of the chorus (or the soprano and
alto solo voices, which happens to be the case for the tuba mirum).
I want you to know that the matter of trombones is spoken of in the second
edition of my book, "Opus Ultimum: The Story of the Mozart Requiem." I
just submitted the manuscript, but it won't be out until June. Neal Zaslaw
of Cornell University wrote:
"Disguise, death, debt, deceit, dispute -- and that's only the beginning
of the bizarre story of the commissioning, creation, and conflict over the
Mozart Requiem, much of which was not written by Mozart. Any layperson who
wishes to explore this strange tale could hardly do better than to acquire a
copy of Daniel N. Leeson's Opus Ultimum, which is written in the style of
a detective novel unburdened by musicological bells and whistles. (Neal
Zaslaw, Professor, Cornell University)
You can still get the first edition from Amazon.com, but the second
edition has something that is beyond belief, namely a photograph, a real
photograph (!!) of Constanze Mozart taken in 1840 using Daguerreotype photography,
and the picture is in the book.
So make me rich. Buy the book, and if you have not bought or read "The
Mozart Forgeries," (also on Amazon), you are definitely on the losing end of
the stick.
Dan Leeson
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