Trois Pièces by César Franck – a cognitive study, part 2
Journal Title: Notes Muzyczny - Year 2017, Vol 1, Issue 7
Abstract
The source on which this two-part article was based is the author’s Master’s Thesis of the same title written under the supervision of Prof. Piotr Grajter in 2015. The subject discussed in the article is theoretical information: Franck’s composition style and selected problems and performance suggestions as to registration, tempo, articulation, fingering, pedalisation and ornamentation in the pieces being part of the cycle, which, as the author believes, will facilitate the understanding of Frank’s musical language and help organists perform the works. Franck’s composition style is generally described as symphonic and its final form is a combination of many different sources: knowledge of French organ music which the composer acquired during his studies, love for classical forms typical of the Netherlands, reference to polyphonic developments, composition studies with Anton Reicha and fascintion with symphony orchestra. Utilising the capacities of the romantic symphonic organ built by Cavaillé Coll, César Franck used orchestra registers in his works. During the premiere performance in Trocadéro, he had at his disposal a 4-manual instrument, later on he adapted his composition to 3-manual instruments (Sainte-Clotilde church organ). César Franck did not leave any metro-rhytmic signnatures, only specifying the tempo and character, hence numerous doubts arose as to how his works should be performed. Two main traditions of Franck’s organ music interpretation have been shaped. The first tradition comes from Charles Tournemire and the second one from Alexandre Guilmant. In comparison to the earlier cycle, Six Pièces, with very few articulation signatures, in Trois Pièces we can notice that the composer paid more attention to shaping phrases, building tensions and creating contrasts, and for that the articulation signatures he used were more precise. The scores of Trois Pièces include no suggestions as to fingering. However, we can find valuable information about the fingering principles used by Franck in his piano pieces and preserved Braille transcriptions of selected Bach’s works. Franck understood the function of the pedal part in a wider context and did not only treat it as a simple bass line or harmony basis.<br/><br/>
Authors and Affiliations
Sebastian Bączkowski
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP517716
- DOI -
- Views 59
- Downloads 0
Piano concerto no. 1 by Andrzej Nikodemowicz – a hidden desire for freedom
Piano concerto no. 1 (1994) by Andrzej Nikodemowicz (1925-2017) is among seven piano concertos written by the composer. Its first version is the Violin concerto created in 1973. Because of the difficult violin part, the...
Lwówek Śląski in the arms of the muses. The activity of prince Constantin Hohenzollern’s private orchestra in the period of 1852–1869.
Prince Constantine (Friedrich Wilhelm Constantine) of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, a great music lover, aimed to create a good orchestra at his court. In the 1840s, he had already had a decent ensemble conducted by Thomas Täg...
Franz Liszt – a world citizen or a Hungarian patriot? Hungarian Rhapsodies as an example of implementing the concept of national music
The article is an attempt to determine the attitude of Franz Liszt to Hungary – the country where the composer was born, which in the 19th century was part of the Austrian Empire. The artist was shaped in accordance with...
The life and works of Sergei Bortkievich (1877-1952), part 1: The artist’s profile
Sergei Bortkievich was a composer whose creative output has been recently rediscovered. Since his death in 1952, his works for many years had been almost completely forgotten. Fortunately, at the end of the 20th century,...
Instrumenty z mechanizmem młoteczkowym i ich rola w kształtowaniu się stylu kompozytorskiego utworów na instrumenty klawiszowe w latach 1730-1780, cz. II – Budownictwo strunowych instrumentów klawiszowych w XVIII w.
Artykuł stanowi kontynuację zapoczątkowanego w ubiegłym numerze „Notesu Muzycznego” cyklu tekstów poświęconych instrumentom klawiszowym z mechanizmem młoteczkowym w XVIII w. Niniejsza odsłona ukazuje panoramę zjawisk dot...