A PERFORMANCE GUIDE TO CÉCILE CHAMINADE’S CONCERTSTÜCK

FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA, OP. 40

Yuan Zhuang, B.M., M.M.

Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

August 2020

APPROVED: Vladimir Viardo, Major Professor Bradley Beckman, Committee Member Steven Harlos, Committee Member Natalie Mannix, Interim Chair of the

Division of Instrumental Studies Felix Olschofka, Director of Graduate

Studies in the College of Music John Richmond, Dean of the College of

Music Victor R. Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse

Graduate School

Zhuang, Yuan. A Performance Guide to Cécile Chaminade’s “Concertstück for Piano

and Orchestra,” Op. 40. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), August 2020, 37 pp., 2

tables, 25 musical examples, bibliography, 23 titles.

Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944) was a remarkably successful French composer and

pianist for a woman in the early part of her career, although her reputation waned rapidly

after her death. Concertstück (1888), a single movement for piano and orchestra, was her

only work in this medium. It requires many traditional piano skills and therefore can serve

admirably as a comprehensive technical and artistic study. This dissertation includes a formal

analysis of this piece, a discussion of each type of specific piano technique it requires, and

practice suggestions.

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Copyright 2020

by

Yuan Zhuang

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my great appreciation to my major professor, Dr. Vladimir

Viardo, who guided me profoundly during the course of my doctoral study and has inspired

me to become a better musician, even a better me.

I would also like to thank Dr. Steven Harlos for his constructive suggestions on this

research, as well as his patient instruction in my related-field study.

In addition, I would like to give my special thanks to Dr. Bradley Beckman for his

valuable time and advice on this topic.

I would also like to extend my thanks to my dear friends Yuching Lily Hsu and Sheila

Gunter for their enthusiastic encouragement.

Finally, I wish to thank my parents, my previous teachers, and all my other dear

friends for their support and encouragement throughout my ten years of study abroad.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................... iii

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... vi

LIST OF EXAMPLES ............................................................................................................ vii

CHAPTER 1. BIOGRAPHY OF CÉCILE CHAMINADE AND OVERVIEW OF HER COMPOSITIONAL STYLE .....................................................................................................1

1.1 Biography of Cécile Chaminade .......................................................................... 1

1.2 An Overview of Cécile Chaminade’s Compositional Style ................................ 3

CHAPTER 2. THE FRENCH SCHOOL ...................................................................................5

CHAPTER 3. MUSICAL BACKGROUND OF THE CONCERTSTÜCK AND AN INTRODUCTION TO CHAMINADE’S OTHER PIANO COMPOSITIONS ........................7

CHAPTER 4. MUSICAL ANALYSIS ...................................................................................10

4.1 Formal Analysis ................................................................................................. 10

4.1.1 Formal Structure ..................................................................................... 10

4.1.2 Key Scheme............................................................................................ 11

4.2 Tempo and Rhythm............................................................................................ 13

4.2.1 Tempo..................................................................................................... 13

4.2.2 Triplets ................................................................................................... 14

4.2.3 Multiplets and Irrational Rhythms ......................................................... 15

4.2.4 Polyrhythm ............................................................................................. 17

CHAPTER 5. TECHNICAL CHALLENGES ........................................................................18

5.1 Scales and Arpeggios ......................................................................................... 18

5.2 Octave Passages: Staccato and Legato .............................................................. 21

5.2.1 Staccato Octaves .................................................................................... 21

5.2.2 Legato Octaves ....................................................................................... 23

5.3 Rotation, Tremolo, and Trill .............................................................................. 24

5.4 Fingering ............................................................................................................ 29

5.5 Cooperation ........................................................................................................ 31

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CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSIONS ..............................................................................................34 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................36

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LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1. Chaminade, Concertstück, Formal and Thematic Structural Scheme ....................... 12

Table 2. Tempo and Meter Scheme ......................................................................................... 13

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LIST OF EXAMPLES

Page

Example 1: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, the four themes ............................................. 10

Example 2: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, striking rhythmic patterns ............................. 14

Example 3: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, examples of multiplets.................................. 16

Example 4: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal D1–2 .............................................. 16

Example 5: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal I6–7 ............................................... 17

Example 6: Varied Rhythmic Patterns ..................................................................................... 18

Example 7: Suggested practice patterns for diminished-seventh arpeggio on A ..................... 19

Example 8: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal B1–2 .............................................. 20

Example 9: Chopin, Etude, Op. 25 No. 12. mm. 1–3 .............................................................. 20

Example 10: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal J9 –11 .......................................... 21

Example 11: Three suggested practice patterns ....................................................................... 21

Example 12: Suggested practice pattern in sixths for throwing motion .................................. 22

Example 13: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal I1–3 ............................................. 23

Example 14: Warm-up study from Cortot’s method ............................................................... 24

Example 15: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal I4–5 ............................................. 24

Example 16: Suggested practice pattern .................................................................................. 24

Example 17: Gyorgy Sandor’s illustration of rotation and tremolo: single-note pattern ........ 25

Example 18: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal C1–4 ............................................ 26

Example 19: Grouping exercise for trills and tremolos ........................................................... 27

Example 20: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal R5–6 ............................................ 28

Example 21: Chopin, Etude Op. 25, No. 11, mm. 1–2 ............................................................ 28

Example 22: Cortot’s exercise for rotated pattern (a), different rhythm patterns to apply (b)................................................................................................................................................... 28

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Example 23: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal B1–5 ............................................ 30

Example 24: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal E13–14 ........................................ 31

Example 25: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal H7–9 ............................................ 31

1

CHAPTER 1

BIOGRAPHY OF CÉCILE CHAMINADE AND OVERVIEW OF HER COMPOSITIONAL

STYLE

1.1 Biography of Cécile Chaminade1

Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944) was a renowned French composer, considered in her

day to be one of the most influential female composers in Europe. Yet her name and

compositions are barely known today. Chaminade wrote approximately four hundred

compositions. Apart from her Concertino for Flute, “Scarf Dance,” and several of the

Mélodies, her works are little performed, especially those for piano.

Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade was born in Paris on 8 August 1857, into a

middle-class family. Her father was a Navy officer and an amateur violinist; her mother was

an amateur pianist and singer. Chaminade started her piano study with her mother, early on

demonstrating great talent. Her mother recalled that little Cécile always sang back tunes she

had heard and showed a great interest in Beethoven’s compositions.2 In Chaminade’s

childhood, the family had always spent their vacation in a villa they owned in Le Vésinet, a

village on the west side of Paris. There, the young Cécile met their neighbor, the great French

composer Georges Bizet (1838–1875). In her article “Recollection of my Musical

Childhood,” Chaminade recalls the first meeting with Bizet. After she played all the pieces

she knew and he gave her a spontaneous musical examination, he turned to her father and

acclaimed her undoubted gift. Bizet suggested to her parents that they guide her towards the

1 This short biography is based on Grove Music Online, s.v. “Chaminade, Cécile,” by Marcia J. Citron. 2 Robin Smith, “The Mélodies of Cécile Chaminade: Hidden Treasures for Vocal Performance and Pedagogy” (DMA document, Indiana University, 2012), 4.

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musical profession, but never to bore her. Chaminade described that night as being the

moment when “a new musical life was opened.”3

About the same time, Chaminade began to take private lessons with Félix Le Couppey

(1811–1887), a member of the faculty of the Paris Conservatoire. Le Couppey gave a highly

positive assessment of her talent and suggested that she attended an institution for more

“systematic” study. Chaminade’s father opposed this proposal because he believed it was

improper to allow his daughter to enter a public school, or even to pursue music as a

profession.4 Luckily, he did allow her to continue taking private lessons with Le Couppey, as

well as later with Antoine François Marmontel (1816–1898) and Marie Gabriel Augustin

Savard (1814–1881).

When the Franco-Prussian War began in 1870, Chaminade and her family moved to

Angoulême in southwestern France. After the war, they returned to Paris, where she

continued studying piano as well as composition.

Chamminade gave her first concert at the age of 18. Then her career as pianist and

composer took off in the 1880s, when as many of her major works were composed. The

Concertstück for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 40 (1888), was immediately assessed by the public

as one of her best compositions. The work was premiered in Anvers, Belgium the same year,

and the following year was introduced to the Parisian public. Chaminade herself described

the concerts in which she played this piece as “the beginning of her public career.”5 About

the same time, the composer arranged a two-piano version for performance without

3 Cécile Chaminade, “Recollection of My Musical Childhood,” The Etude 29 (December 1911): 805. 4 Marcia J. Citron, Cécile Chaminade, A Bio-bibliography (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1988), 4. 5“Les Conceits du Dimanche,” Le Figaro (21 January 1889), quoted in Citron, Cécile Chaminade, 136.

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orchestra.6 Chaminade continued giving performances of this Concertstück throughout

Europe and also in her later concert tour of the United States.

Around 1900, several societies dedicated to Chaminade’s life and works were formed

in the United States. As an accomplished female composer and musician, her achievement

inspired many women at a time when they did not even have the right to vote in Europe or

the United States. American critics described her as “the patron saint of social women.”7 In

1908, Chaminade finally visited the United States, giving no fewer than seventeen concerts

between October and Christmas Eve. She had been hesitant to even go to the country,

because some Europeans were still affected by the stereotype that America was wild and

unrefined. But after her husband, Louis-Mathieu Carbonel, died in 1907, Chaminade decided

to undertake the concert tour in order to work through her grief. This singular tour brought

her remarkable success.

Chaminade made some gramophone records in London in 1901, then many piano

rolls in the 1910s. In 1913, she received the highest honor of the French government, Légion

d’Honneur, the first female composer to receive it. But she composed only a little after that

because of World War I and health issues. Nevertheless, she lived to the ripe old age of 86,

dying in Monte Carlo in 1944.

1.2 An Overview of Cécile Chaminade’s Compositional Style

Chaminade’s modern-day champion Maria J. Citron describes her music as “tuneful

6 Citron, Cécile Chaminade, 6. 7 Jessica E. Stankis, “Rethinking Cécile Chaminade’s Concert Tour of the United States, 1908” (DMA document, Arizona University, 2006), 20.

4

and accessible, with memorable melodies, clear textures, and mildly chromatic harmonies. Its

emphasis on wit and color is typically French.”8 Yet Citron finds her larger scale works more

influenced by Wagner and Liszt.

During her lifetime, many concert reviews criticized her compositions based solely on

her gender. For instance, during her American tour, she received comments that many of her

small character pieces possessed “feminine charm,” yet were therefore “superficial.”9 Then,

significantly, her Concertstück was criticized as being “perhaps too virile” and lacking “grace

and gentleness.”10

8 Grove Music Online. 9 Quoted in Citron, Céciile Chaminade, 23–24. 10 Ibid., 24.

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CHAPTER 2

THE FRENCH SCHOOL

Chaminade was an important figure in the French school, known mostly for her

delicate songs and piano compositions.11 Although she did not enter the Paris Conservatoire

because of her father’s orders, as mentioned earlier, she was trained by two of the most

influential French-school pianists, Marmontel and Le Couppey.

Carol Gingerich observes that: “A national school of playing can develop when a

country’s leading composers, performers, teachers, and instrument makers hold common

aesthetics and are able to influence one another.”12 All of these prerequisites were found in

France. Érard and Pleyel, the two leading manufacturers in the first generation of the modern

piano, rapidly spread their business over Europe in the early nineteenth. In 1795, the

Conservatoire Nationale de Paris had been founded. It established a highly advanced training

system and produced numerous masterful musicians and pedagogues who influenced the

world of music internationally. Friedrich Kalkbrenner and his pupil Pierre Zimmerman are

considered to be the grandfathers of the French school.13 Besides them, Camille Saint-Saëns,

Isidor Philipp, Marguerite Long, Alfred Cortot, and many other distinguished pianists are

representative figures of the Conservatoire. All of the piano professors and lecturers had to be

11 Winston J. Baltzell, A Complete History of Music for Schools, Clubs, and Private Readings (Philadelphia: Theodore Presser, 1908), Lesson 52. 12 Quoted in Audrey Abela, “Piano at the Conservatoire de Paris during the Interwar Period: A Study in Pedagogy and Performance Practice” (DMA document, The City University of New York, 2019), 57. 13 Reginald Gerig, Famous Pianists and their Technique (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007), 315.

6

graduates of the school, and no foreigners were allowed to enter it: even Franz Liszt, the most

brilliant virtuoso of the nineteenth century, was denied.14

The French style, as defined by the great French pianist, Marguerite Long, embodies

“gratefulness, elegance, clarity, moderation, and suppleness,” although perhaps not power,

and possesses a significant depth of inner feeling.15 Theodor Leschetizky, the legendary

Polish pianist and pedagogue, perceived the French school as involving less emotional

intensity, but instead treading “lightly up in the clouds.”16 Toward this end, the French school

emphasizes the beauty of tone color. Long also stated that finger independence is the heart of

fine technique.17 Technically, independence of the fingers was determined to be the primary

technique, in order to produce an even tone quality. The importance of achieving finger

independence was amply addressed by those French-school pedagogues and musicians who

provided valuable piano treatises for daily exercise, such as Cortot’s Rational Principles of

Pianoforte Technique, Philipp’s Exercises for Independence of the Fingers, and Long’s Le

Piano.18

14 Abela, “Piano at the Conservatoire,” 41. 15 Gerig, Famous Pianists, 320. 16 Ibid., 315. 17 Ibid., 320. 18 Ibid., 318–20.

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CHAPTER 3

MUSICAL BACKGROUND OF THE CONCERTSTÜCK AND AN INTRODUCTION TO

CHAMINADE’S OTHER PIANO COMPOSITIONS

Of Chaminade’s approximately four hundred compositions, nearly half are for piano,

and most of those are character pieces. In the smaller-scale pieces, she thoroughly presents

her elegant and charming side. The character pieces are generally written in the salon music

style, also accessible for amateurs. In comparison with her slightly younger contemporaries,

such as Claude Debussy (1862–1918) and Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), Chaminade’s

compositional style is conservative from the perspective of formal structure and harmony, yet

it remains diverse and often surprising.

Chaminade herself considered that there is no other instrument which can express the

emotions better than the piano: “The orchestra, also, could give more majestic expression….

yet the artist has in himself the means of producing with the piano alone the most intense

emotions which he experiences…. by itself alone it can create for us such joys…. In a word,

it is the piano which is harmony.”19 Most of Chaminade’s character pieces present her

significant melodic writing gift within the French style, which emphasizes lightness,

tenderness and elegance, but generally avoids extreme outward emotional intensity.

One of Chaminade’s best-known character pieces is Scarf Dance, Op. 37, which

clearly represents her delicate side. This little piece derives from a set of piano transcriptions

from her own one-act ballet, Callirhoë (1887). In fact, many of her character pieces are

influenced by ballet, such as Pierrette, Op. 41, which she herself recorded. The first two

19 Cécile Chaminade, “The Scarf Dance and Autumn,” The Etude 48 (December 1930): 908.

8

editions of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians mention that character pieces can

introduce “local coloring,”20 or in other words, features of music from other countries.

Besides borrowing from the French ballet tradition, Chaminade incorporated exotic musical

elements, such as those in her Mazurka, Op. 1, and Caprice espagnol, Op. 54. Her interest in

music of earlier eras is also significant. Small works such as Danse ancienne and Trois

danses anciennes were influenced by Renaissance music, while her writing of the gavotte,

gigue, minuet, and chaconne of course engages the Baroque style.

Besides the expression of musical character, Chaminade enjoyed exploring various

techniques on the piano. She composed six individual concert etudes and one other set of six

etudes. Here, she followed in the steps of Chopin and Liszt with each etude, concentrating on

one, or several, pianistic problems, and at the same time creating a singing melody to balance

the technical features with artistic depth.

Chaminade’s Piano Sonata, Op. 21, her only work in this genre, follows the

traditional Classical fast–slow–fast order of movements. As the large sonata format had been

widely declining by her day, this work demonstrates the conservative side of her musical

aesthetics, as well as her compositional ability in a large-scale genre. This sonata and the

Concertstück are in fact the only two large-scale piano works she composed. One

fundamental reason for this was her father’s death in 1887, which jeopardized the family’s

financial situation, so she was required to take over responsibility for their finances. Smaller-

scale music, such as character pieces and vocal mélodies, were much easier to market.

20 Mildred Katharine Ellis, “The French Piano Character Piece of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries” (Ph.D. diss., Indiana University, 1969), 5.

9

Yet when Chaminade completed the Concertstück in 1888, this virtuosic piano work

brought her immediate success and was widely performed into the twentieth century. In the

Concertstück, Chaminade explores the whole range of the keyboard as well as exotic

harmonies, and she devises her own of arranging the relationship between piano and

orchestra. The work requires virtuoso skills at several points and at times possesses a wild

and “masculine” character. It is still, however, more accessible technically for pianists than

many master works from Liszt, Chopin, or Schumann.

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CHAPTER 4

MUSICAL ANALYSIS

4.1 Formal Analysis

4.1.1 Formal Structure

This Concertstück, Op. 40, is, as the name suggests, a single-movement work for

piano and orchestra. The orchestration is as follows: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn,

2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani,

percussion, and strings. About the same year, Chaminade made a piano reduction of the work

for two pianos for practical purposes.

Example 1: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, the four themes

The basic structure of the Concertstück is as follows (for full details see Ex. 1 and

Table 1). The work begins with an orchestral exposition, in which, after open-fifth tremolos,

the first theme is presented, and the second theme enters immediately after the first. The solo

piano has a grand, stormy entrance in which the arpeggios sweep up the whole keyboard. The

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solo exposition presents four themes. The development briefly states the first theme in an

orchestral tutti, then it is linked to motives from the second theme. An independent transition

changes the meter and tempo, does not carry any motives from the main themes, but rather,

presents an uplifting gesture and has solid military rhythm. After the third thematic statement

at the end of the development, the recapitulation begins with an orchestral tutti. All four

themes are then presented in order again, followed by a brilliant coda.

The work’s formal structure is similar to the first movement of Chopin’s Piano

Concerto No. 1, Op. 11. Both movements begin with an orchestral exposition and state the

two main themes one after another. The piano solo entrances are bravura, and both feature

arpeggios sweeping from the bottom of the keyboard to the top. In the first themes in the solo

expositions after the grand introductions, both works present a single melodic line played by

one hand, while the other provides background harmonic support; Chopin has repeated

chords, whereas Chaminade employs an Alberti bass. In the development, Chaminade’s

Concertstück has a section that changes in meter and tempo; in Chopin’s, although the tempo

marking remains the same, most pianists accelerate the speed to display a restless feeling.

Both movements have an independent coda ending in a much faster tempo.

4.1.2 Key Scheme

In the key scheme she adopts, as Sun-Young Oh describes it, “Chaminade merges

classical elements with Romantic traits.”21 In general, Chaminade prefers using neighboring

or close keys. The Concertstück begins in C-sharp minor and ends in the enharmonic parallel

21 Sun-Young Oh, “The Piano Works of Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944)” (diss., University of Cincinnati, 2000), 78.

12

major, D-flat major. The first theme remains in C-sharp minor for the tutti and the solo part

of the exposition, then it moves to the submediant, A major, for the second theme. The

second theme reappears, after the first transition, not in A major as in the orchestral

exposition, but in E major. The composition then modulates back to A major for the third

theme, which functions as a dominant to E major. Instead of returning to the dominant at the

end of the exposition as many traditional movements do, the section ends in the parallel

enharmonic major, D-flat major. In the development, the first theme returns to the tonic, C-

sharp minor, and then travels to the dominant minor in the middle transition. In the

recapitulation, the first theme occurs F minor, the only distant key in this piece. Then the

works remains in D-flat major until the end. See Table 1.

Table 1. Chaminade, Concertstück, Formal and Thematic Structural Scheme

Sections Measures and

Rehearsal Numbers

Key Instrumentation of

Themes

Tutti Exposition Theme I Theme II Transition

1–10 11–18(A6) A7–A1322

C# minor A major Modulation

Orchestra Orchestra

Solo Exposition Introduction Theme I Theme II Transition Theme II Theme III Theme IV

B1–B9 B10–C4 C5–C12 D1–D13 E1–G5 G6–H9 H10–J2

C# minor A major Modulation E major A major Db major

Piano Orchestra Orchestra Orchestra + Piano Piano + Orchestra

Development Theme I Theme II Transition Theme III

J3–J8 J9–K11 K12–M26 M27–N1

C# minor C# minor G# minor E major

Orchestra Piano

22 There are actually no measure numbers in any of the published scores. In this dissertation, all the measures are counted from each rehearsal number, which is easier for both counting and rehearsal purposes.

13

Sections Measures and

Rehearsal Numbers

Key Instrumentation of

Themes

Transition N2–O2 Modulation Recapitulation Theme I Transition Theme II Theme III Theme IV Recall All Themes

O3–O39 O40–O43 P1–Q6 Q7–16 R1–S2 S3–T7

F minor Modulation E major Db major Db major Db major

Orchestra Orchestra Orchestra Piano + Orchestra Orchestra + Piano

Coda T8–X19 Db major

4.2 Tempo and Rhythm

4.2.1 Tempo

The tempo changes fairly frequently in the Concertstück. Chaminade gives specific

indications for each tempo change with standard metronome markings. She also writes out

gradual changes such as molto ritardando, poco allargando, accelerando, and più animato.

All of the tempos are closely related to changes in the character of the music. The piece has

two dominant tempos, Allegro moderato and Allegro.23 Allegro moderato, the slower tempo,

is associated with lyricism, passion, and strength. In contrast, sections marked Allegro have a

witty texture, are often uplifting, and include brilliant sound effects. I believe it is essential

for performers to follow the directions strictly. See Table 2.

Table 2. Tempo and Meter Scheme

Section tempo Rehearsal number Meter Allegro moderato (♩=84) Beginning–D2 4/4 Allegro (♩=108) D3–G5 4/4 Allegro moderato (♩=84) G6–K7 4/4 Allegro (♩=132) K8–M26 2/4 Allegro moderato (♩=84) M27–O1 4/4 Allegro (♩=108) O3–Q6 4/4

23 Oh, “Piano Works,” 88.

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Section tempo Rehearsal number Meter Poco moderato (♩=84) Q7–T7 4/4 Allegro molto (♩=160) T8–end 2/4

Besides the frequent tempo changes, Chaminade adapts the various rhythmic patterns

to blur the beat division, which makes the rhythm sound more ambiguous. There are many

passages which have polyrhythm between the hands or between soloist and orchestra. Duple

and triple rhythm also alternate continually, while many irrational rhythms appear as well.

The following are a few rhythmic patterns that draw the listener’s attention.

4.2.2 Triplets

Generally, in musical interpretation, especially in duple and quadruple rhythm, the

triplet pattern usually carries the expressive voice, to emphasize a specific affection. Here

Chaminade employs triplets carefully, even adding tenuto marks in some places. She also

makes a clear distinction between quadruple and triple rhythm. For example, in the tutti

exposition, the second theme does not have any triplets, yet a little later on, Chaminade

changes the notes to triplets. Here, the triplet imparts a more expressive, songlike melody,

and also creates polyrhythm with the solo part. This arrangement also creates a slight contrast

in sound with the lyricism of the orchestra and the leggiero character of the solo. See Ex. 2.

Example 2: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, striking rhythmic patterns

(a) Rehearsal C5–6

15

(b) Rehearsal F1–2

(c) Rehearsal B10–11

(d) Rehearsal H10–11

4.2.3 Multiplets and Irrational Rhythms

In many places Chaminade groups the scales and arpeggios into a long multiplet, to

create a glissando effect and ambiguous meter. The short, ascending scale pattern in the solo

part is a distinctive motive in the piece, usually associated with the second theme played by

the orchestra. Chaminade at first places the pattern in the piano solo, grouping the scale as a

septuplet, and an E-major scale begins on G sharp, with a passing note of F double sharp

within it. Later, when the orchestra commences the second theme, the major scale returns,

although the passing F double sharp still exists, now as a grace note. From the harmonic

perspective, the half-step passing note played within a septuplet adds an exotic and dissonant

16

flavor to the music, flowing back into a consonance with the second orchestral theme. See

Ex. 3.

Example 3: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, examples of multiplets

(a) Rehearsal D10–11

(b) Rehearsal E1

Several measures contain various tuplets on almost every beat. In rehearsal D1–2,

played by the piano only, the performer can stretch the tempo slightly because the passage is

in a cadenza-like style, which Chaminade marks a capriccio. Yet the performer still needs to

keep the larger and stronger beat in mind because the basic meter is 4/4. See Ex. 4

Example 4: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal D1–2

Another example of multeplets takes place in rehearsal I6–7, but it differs from the

above passage at rehearsal D because now the orchestra is playing. Therefore, to keep the

beats steady while mentally grouping the arpeggios is crucially important. See Ex. 5.

17

Example 5: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal I6–7

Last, the performer would benefit from using a metronome while practicing in order

to keep the beat and subdivisions steady.

4.2.4 Polyrhythm

Chaminade writes polyrhythms in many combinations, such as 5 over 3, 7 over 5, and

6 over 5. Polyrhythm is always a challenge for students, because it requires making each

hand play different subdivisions evenly. To practice a polyrhythm, first separate the hands,

practicing each with the metronome. Once one hand can play its subdivisions precisely, and

keeping the metronome on, the student can verbally speak out one rhythm and use the hands

to clap the other one, then switch. Another way is to find any middle note that aligns or

closely aligns the two hands (two different rhythms); the marked spot could be the

“landmark” around which you mentally group the numerous notes. This method is more

useful for long, embellishment-like tuplets, such as 17 over 5.

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CHAPTER 5

TECHNICAL CHALLENGES

5.1 Scales and Arpeggios

Scales and arpeggios share a similar skill principle. Both involve the development of

finger independence and require even tone quality in all tempos. In fact, to achieve

“independent fingers,” one cannot rely on the fingers alone; this process needs assistance

from many other body components, including the wrist and even the arm.24 Of course, the

length of each finger is different, which means that it is impossible to play even tones with a

fixed hand position and a stiff wrist. When students have developed to the point of being

capable of learning and performing this work, they should be familiar with how to achieve

independent fingers already. A more detailed analysis of the bones and tendons is not needed

at this point; more suggestions for practicing with a relaxed hand and wrist are given later in

this document (see Exx. 6–7). For scales, practicing various rhythmic patterns is an efficient

method. Students may use rhythms such as those in Ex. 6 to work through all the scale

passages in the Concertstück.

Example 6: Varied Rhythmic Patterns

As a rule, arpeggios are guided by the same overall principle as scales, but with a

wider distance between the fingers. In Chaminade’s Concertstück, besides arpeggios of major

and minor chords, there are many diminished-seventh arpeggios. Unlike other arpeggios,

24 Gyorgy Sandor, On Piano Playing: Motion, Sound and Expression (New York: Schirmer Books, 1981), 52.

19

diminished chords have even note distances: minor thirds. Looking back to the Romantic era,

Franz Liszt advised diminished-chord practice in a five-finger position to his students as a

daily exercise.25 For arpeggios greater than an octave, passing the thumb underneath is a

significant technique to be mastered. Johannes Brahms also created a thumb passing-under

exercise for arpeggios that can also be applied to diminished sevenths.26

Based upon Brahms’ exercise, I suggest two other practice methods. First, practicing

the passing turn between the thumb and fourth finger, there are two suggested patterns, as

seen in Ex. 7(a). Second, you can break down the divided chord into triplets, similarly to the

first pattern above, but then an accent can be added on the thumb and the fourth alternately.

After this, the student may play the full arpeggio in triplets, then as five notes in a group, then

as seven notes in a group. This is a way to divide the full arpeggio into various group lengths

in order to practice their evenness. See Ex. 7(b).

Example 7: Suggested practice patterns for diminished-seventh arpeggio on A

(a)

(b)

25 Gerig, Famous Pianists, 184. 26 Ibid., 222–23.

20

However, after the initial practicing stage, it is important to understand that students

may need to try a different fingering when the study process moves to the actual performance

of the piece. Moreover, I suggest using the middle pedal to hold the first-beat octave in the

left hand, then using the left hand to play the first octave of the arpeggio while alternating

with the right hand. This is an easier way to achieve a more fluent and wind-sweeping sound

effect. See Ex. 8.

Example 8: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal B1–2

There is one more type of arpeggio at the end of Rehearsal J, in which the right hand

is similar to Chopin’s Etude, Op. 25 No. 12. Alfred Cortot published two study books on

Chopin’s twenty-four piano etudes. Here, using the Cortot’s treatise as the reference, three

methods are recommended to practice Chaminade’s passage, as shown in Ex. 9–11.

Example 9: Chopin, Etude, Op. 25 No. 12. mm. 1–3

21

Example 10: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal J9 –11

Example 11: Three suggested practice patterns

5.2 Octave Passages: Staccato and Legato

5.2.1 Staccato Octaves

Octave playing is one of the most splendid virtuosic techniques, which can fascinate an

audience through its grandiosity. Many virtuoso compositions such as Liszt’s Hungarian

Rhapsody No. 6 and Chopin’s Etude Op. 25, No. 10 involve a large portion of continuous octave

playing. To master this technique, coordination between the arm, wrist, hand, and fingers is

important. Relaxation is normally brought up at the very beginning of piano study; yet in

Sandor’s theory, yet rather than relaxation he emphasizes a “minimum expenditure of energy

22

with optimal results,” in order to “achieve maximum speed and volume with no strain.”27 Thus,

staccato playing is actually a kind of throwing motion.28 In this motion, similar to the way a

baseball pitcher throws the ball, the whole arm is involved and not only the wrist, which explains

why staccato octave playing needs not only wrist movement but the flexibility of the whole arm.

By using the whole arm, not only is the bigger movement of the whole arm important, but the

tiny actions of each component. Moreover, after attacking the key, the hand should bounce back

immediately, to complete the short, staccato effect.

The Concertstück includes many octave passages yet has less difficulty and intensity

than the other virtuoso compositions mentioned above. For practicing staccato octaves with

the throwing motion, a student may first begin with an exercise involving an interval of a

sixth, in order to master the movement of a smaller stretch, then apply that same motion to

the octave exercise. This is a method that Dr. Vladimir Viardo provided to his students

working on the octave passages. In Ex. 12, the student may also practice any passage by

reducing the octave to sixths.

Example 12: Suggested practice pattern in sixths for throwing motion

Besides the throwing motion described above, grouping the movements is also

needed. It is difficult to throw down every single octave in a fast passage accurately. In a long

27 Sandor, On Piano Playing, 93. 28 Ibid., 94.

23

staccato octave passage, grouping the notes can bring about relaxation and better musical

phrasing. These kinds of groupings occur at Rehearsal I (see Ex. 13).

Example 13: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal I1–3

The grouping not only promotes relaxation, but also helps to create a better phrase

musically. The beginning note in each group is normally a downward motion, which releases

with the upward motion at the end. In this excerpt, an upward release on the end of the third

beats gives a natural lightweight tone quality, and also gives the hand an appropriate distance

to drop the weight on the fourth beats for a solid tenuto.

5.2.2 Legato Octaves

Unlike the throwing action in staccato playing, the legato playing of octaves

necessitates a shift movement instead. Also, just as in a simple, single-note legato, the

octaves need a slow and gentle touch, instead of quick attack. The legato octaves need a more

flexible wrist movement than the staccatos. According to Cortot, there are three wrist

movement categories: raising and lowering, backward and forward, and lateral shifting.29 One

warm-up method in Cortot’s study for Chopin’s octave etude Op. 25 No. 10 is highly

recommended. Students may use the method to practice upper-note legato and relaxation on

29 Alfred Cortot, Chopin: 12 Studies, Opus 10 (for Piano; Student Edition), trans. M. Parkinson (New York: Editions Salabert, 1931)., 63.

24

the thumb. Here, combining the legato octave passage with Cortot’s strategy, the suggested

practice strategy is shown in Ex. 14–16.

Example 14: Warm-up study from Cortot’s method

Example 15: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal I4–5

Example 16: Suggested practice pattern

5.3 Rotation, Tremolo, and Trill

According to Sandor, a large portion of piano playing skills and technical problems are related to

scales and arpeggios.30 Yet rotatory movement, including forearm activity in particular, is another

technique we use often. A proper rotatory position should be flexible and relaxed, avoiding stiffness

and fatigue.31 Forearm rotation involves two bones, the ulna and radius, which work actively.

Forearm rotation possesses its own axis, occurring in supinating and pronating motions.32 The most

30 Sandor, On Piano Playing, 79. 31 Ibid. 32 Thomas Fielden, The Science of Pianoforte Technique (London: Macmillan, 1961), 90.

25

natural position of the forearm takes place when the two bones are parallel, as the arm freely hangs

next to the body. This central position allows the two bones to move into supination and pronation

comfortably. However, when the player places the hand on the keyboard, with the palms facing

down, these two bones are crossed, which brings a stiff tension to the forearm. Yet, if the pianist

raises the upper arm a little bit higher, this tension is released. In brief, the upper arm should not be

too close to the body and must move freely. Moreover, in the rotatory movement, the forearm and

the fingers are active, while, in contrast, the upper arm and wrist are passive.33 Thomas Fielden also

addresses how forearm rotation involves two types of movements: first, broken octaves and similar

movements and, second, the single note or interval tremolo.34 Sandor also gives a few examples of

this pattern; see Ex. 17(a).35 He also indicates that wide intervals also involve rotatory movements,

by using the upper arms; see Ex. 17(b).36

Example 17: Gyorgy Sandor’s illustration of rotation and tremolo: single-note pattern

(a)

(b)

33 Sandor, On Piano Playing, 80–81. 34 Fielden, Science, 90. 35 Sandor, On Piano Playing, 79. 36 Ibid., 82.

26

In Chaminade’s Concertstück, the first place that requires rotatory movement is the tremolo

section in the right hand in the first four measures of rehearsal C. See Ex. 18.

Example 18: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal C1–4

This type of tremolo is the second of Fielden’s designations. Here, each tremolo

figure is actually a broken diminished chord, moving down by a half step. The student may

fix the diminished-chord position, not only for securing the position, but also because it is

easier to read and memorize the notes. Since each figure is a double-note tremolo, it may be

easier to become inadvertently tense than in the single-note rotation. The relaxation and

flexibility are crucially important. According to Sandor, this is an example of the axial

forearm rotation type, because the interval distance is short. For a smaller-interval forearm

rotation, the forearm, wrist, and fingers are lined up, which also creates a natural and relaxed

position.37 Also, the forearm is supposed to be “located” in close proximity to the middle of

the interval, meaning that the forearm should stay lined up with the third finger if the rotation

is between the thumb and the fifth, or lined up with the fourth finger if it is in the middle of

the third and the fifth rotation.38 Hence, in the above broken diminished double-note tremolo,

the third finger is the only one that possesses no notes, while it is the center and the forearm

lines up with it.

37 Sandor, On Piano Playing, 80. 38 Ibid., 81.

27

Moreover, the elbow position is also closely related to the intervals. Thus, if a lower

note in the right hand is on the white keys and a top note occurs on the black keys, the elbow

should turn outward; if it is the opposite, then the elbow should close in. The first measure of

rehearsal C has two clear examples. In the first tremolo, the upper two notes occur on the

black keys, while the lower notes are on the white; the elbow should slightly turn out. The

upper fingers on the fourth beat occur on the white keys, while the thumb and second finger

are on the black, so the elbow closes in. Besides the position of forearm and elbow, the

fingers should be the most active parts. An evenly played rotation cannot completely rely on

forearm movement. Cortot’s does not go into great detail concerning the movement of

“rotation”; he holds that all the rotatory patterns are brought to bear for the fingers’

independence. There is one efficient method that I learned from Dr. Vladimir Viardo. All the

trills and tremolo figures can be practiced in the following method: begin with three notes,

then add two more to make a five-note grouping, then add two more to make a seven-note

grouping, and so on. See Ex. 19.

Example 19: Grouping exercise for trills and tremolos

(a) Three-note grouping

(b) Five-note grouping

(c) Seven-note grouping

28

(d) Nine-note grouping

This strategy can be applied to all other similar patterns in Chaminade’s piece.

Another rotatory pattern is found in mm. 6 and 8 at rehearsal R, which is similar to

Chopin’s Etude, Op. 25, No. 11. See Ex. 20–21.

Example 20: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal R5–6

Example 21: Chopin, Etude Op. 25, No. 11, mm. 1–2

These two examples are set in a rotatory pattern, moving downward. However,

Chaminade’s passage is much simpler than Chopin’s because all of the interval distances are

the same. Similarly, in Cortot’s strategy, he suggests approaching the etude by practicing the

even interval (perfect fourth) first in order to achieve equal finger strength. See Ex. 22.

Example 22: Cortot’s exercise for rotated pattern (a), different rhythm patterns to apply (b)

(a)

29

(b)

5.4 Fingering

Chaminade’s Concertstück has been published in few editions. Moreover, none of

them has any fingering added by the editor, which causes inconvenience to performers, and

especially increases the difficulty level of the learning process for less advanced students.

Before giving suggested fingerings, one should understand the function of fingering patterns

from both technical and musical perspective. Julien Musafia lists excellent principles:

1. The function of a good fingering is to secure the maximum musical expression with a minimum of effort.

2. Expression results from skillful manipulation of note durations and intensities of the given pitches.

3. Note durations are the components of rhythm and tempo, legato and staccato.

4. Intensities—soft and loud playing, accents, crescendo and decrescendo—are the main components of phrasing.

5. Effort in piano playing is both physical and mental.

6. Minimum physical effort is that which results from the least amount of motion and the least amount of muscular strain.

7. Minimum mental effort, on the contrary, results from a maximum of mental activity directed towards the organization of all the elements involved in performance into simple patterns.39

Here, I have selected several excerpts as examples and provide the suggested

fingerings that will bring the maximum musical expression with minimum physical and

39 Julien Musafia, The Art of Fingering in Piano Playing (New York: MCA Music, 1971), 2.

30

mental effort. I also give recommendations where certain fingerings are helpful for the entire

piece. The first example is the grand ascending arpeggios in the opening solo. Instead of

using the right-hand climbing all the way up, the student may use the two hands playing

alternatively by adapting the five-finger position as the fingering. This method can provide

the fastest speed with the minimum effort.

Example 23 shows the entrance of the soloist. The four-octave diminished seventh

arpeggio runs three times. Normally students would use the right hand with the conventional

fingering 1–2–3–4, although I do not recommend that.40 Dividing the opening arpeggios

between the hands produces a brilliant virtuoso effect that is appropriate for the beginning of

a concerto.

Example 23: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal B1–5

Example 24 shows the two measures before rehearsal F, when the left hand plays a

short repeating scale. The fingering arrangement is designated to serve the music; thus, the

observation of the other musical marks is necessary before offering fingering suggestions. In

40 Ibid., 41.

31

this short excerpt, each G-sharp eighth note is accented, then a smooth, short scale links to

the right-hand octave. I suggest using a single finger, the third finger, to play the accented G-

sharp, then lifting the hand to a new hand position to play the scale, starting on the fifth

finger. The accented notes and scale seem to require two different tone colors. This

arrangement gives the natural weight to the G-sharp, and a solid hand position to the scale.

Example 24: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal E13–14

Example 25 shows the third theme played by piano alone; this theme is also the most

lyrical passage in the whole solo part. The theme in the top voice requires attention to

shaping and phrasing. To facilitate this, I suggest the left hand take over the inner lines from

the right hand, in order to free the right hand from the stretched, chordal, blocked hand

position toward a more flexible position.

Example 25: Chaminade, Concertstück, Op. 40, rehearsal H7–9

5.5 Cooperation

In traditional two-piano scores of piano concerto, the publisher usually sets the two

32

pianos, i.e., solo and orchestral parts, in alignment on the same page, with the solo part

above. This arrangement provides a visual aid for both pianists, who can more easily learn

the other’s part and follow it better. However, all of the existing published scores of this

Concertstück present the two parts separately, on separate pages. There is also a page-number

discrepancy of seven pages between the two piano parts, which means that for the performers

it is difficult to track the exact place in the score where each pianist is playing. This distinctly

increases the difficulty in collaboration on the Concertstück. Until an edition is available that

publishes the two parts together in one score, the suggested practice suggestions are as

follows:

1. Learn the other part well. Because each separated score presents only fragments or

melodies from the other part within it, it is crucially important that the two pianists know each

other’s parts well.

2. Mark all the themes. As the previous formal structure section demonstrated, the four

main themes recur often in this piece, and many times each melody is carried by the orchestral

part, too. Therefore, the soloist should write down all the thematic entrances of the orchestra in

the score as a mental “landmark.” Marking the themes also benefits the musical balance between

the parts, as well as aids in the creation of the dynamic quality between them, depending on each

thematic presentation.

3. Use the metronome. Because the rhythmic patterns and tempo markings change

frequently in this piece, it is necessary to practice attaining speed with care. The metronome is a

tool for maintaining the tempo and aiding the alignment of the two parts. The metronome is

therefore also recommended for both private practicing and rehearsing. Once the performer

33

knows the rhythms of the other part well, it is much easier to play in free rubato, while still

maintaining a good collaboration rhythmically.

4. Rehearse all the rubatos and cadenza-like phrases. There are many written-in speeding-

up and slowing-down paggages in the Concertstück, especially at the end of each section. Many

of these passages are written in cadenza-like style. However, the multiplets are divided

unequally, which creates a complex and ambiguous effect rhythmically. Performers should

therefore rehearse these passages and rigorously learn where the strong beats occur.

5. Articulation and dynamics. The articulations and dynamics are, unsurprisingly, not

always identical in the two parts. Performers need to study exactly where and how each volume

and textural contrast must be made and where one part must support the other.

34

CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSIONS

Although Chaminade was an accomplished pianist and composer, her piano

compositions are still rarely discussed in among keyboard literature these days. Her

Concertstück was performed widely in her day, even internationally, and was especially

popular in the United States. It is hard, however, to find even a paragraph concerning it in

music books or to hear it performed in concerts. Even though Chaminade’s professional

status was hampered because she was a woman, she held a place in French music and her

reputation even extended to other countries, especially to England and the United States. She

had a long life, which spanned nineteenth-century Romanticism and twentieth-century

Modernism. During her lifetime, numerous new kinds of musical styles, schools, and

aesthetics emerged, yet Chaminade close to compose in a more traditional style. The

Concertstück is, without doubt, a Romantic work, as revealed in its key scheme, formal

structure, and pianistic features. Chaminade’s musical style is generally delicate and refined.

Much of her piano pieces were written as salon music, to be approachable by amateur

players. Significantly, the Concertstück was an exception among all her piano compositions,

blurring the musical character of gender. Even the title of the work, Concertstück, in German

instead of French, suggests she followed the musical aesthetics of the prior German school.

The Concertstück possesses a decided intensity from beginning to end, holding the

listener’s attention without an opportunity for emotional rest. The work’s four main themes

respond to each other across and within the piano and orchestral parts throughout the piece.

The continual appearances of varied pianistic techniques, maintained within a rather smaller

35

scale, give the music a bravura effect. Thus, although many significant pianistic techniques

are used, because they are not so extreme, the work’s level of difficulty does not exclude the

performance by musicians with solid, standard skill. Chaminade’s own excellent piano skills

allowed her evoke brilliant effects with minimum effort. The Concertstück can also be used

as a steppingstone for pianists who seek to understand and faithfully render nineteenth-

century expression without the pressing demands of the better-known, highly technical

Romantic works. The Concertstück is, therefore, a work that could be explored as a

significant and poetically meaningful composition created by Chaminade to evoke a sense of

Romantic simplicity and straightforwardness that would greatly benefit today’s recitals and

concerts.

36

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