ABSTRACT

INTERPRETING LOVREGLIO'S FANTASIA ON LA TRAVIATA:

PERFORMANCE AND SCORE ANALYSIS

By

Rebecca S. Johnson

May 2012

Donato Lovreglio's Fantasia on La Traviata for clarinet and piano is a gem of the

repertoire. I performed this piece in a Master's Recital, and in preparation researched the

background of the composer, the opera fantasia genre, and other performances of the

work. I discuss the performances of Martin Frost, Ferdinand Steiner, Seunghee Lee, and

Colin Bradbury. The focus of an opera is the song, and despite the wordless setting, the

best performance of an opera fantasia also focuses on song. In this paper I discuss how to

accomplish that as a performer.

INTERPRETING LOVREGLIO'S FANTASIA ON LA TRAVIATA:

PERFORMANCE AND SCORE ANALYSIS

A PROJECT REPORT

Presented to the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music

California State University, Long Beach

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Master of Music in Performance

Committee Members:

John Barcellona, D.M.A. (Chair) Alan Shockley, Ph.D.

Helen Goode-Castro, M.F.A.

College Designee:

Carolyn Bremer, Ph.D.

By Rebecca S. Johnson

B.M., 2009, Biola University

May 2012

UMI Number: 1517648

All rights reserved

INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent on the quality of the copy submitted.

In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed,

a note will indicate the deletion.

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UMI 1517648

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Copyright 2012

Rebecca S. Johnson

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research project has been an exciting endeavor for me, but it has only been

possible with support and encouragement from family, friends, and professors.

I would like to thank my parents for the love of music that they have shared with

me and for constant encouragement, prayers, and amazing overseas computer support.

I would like to thank Helen Goode for helping me to find my way on the clarinet.

It was by her recommendation that I auditioned at California State University, Long

Beach and was comfortable enough to begin this graduate program.

I must thank my professor Dr. Kristine Forney for her enthusiasm in getting the

job done. I could not have written this paper without her knowledge of research and

formatting. She has happily come alongside to help me tackle research challenges as they

emerged.

I would like to thank Dr. John Barcellona for acting as chair of my committee.

His cheerful demeanor is enough to make me want to succeed, and I am grateful to have

benefitted from his incredible knowledge of woodwind performance.

I would like to thank Dr. Alan Shockley for his help in revising my project and

for the initial inspiration which led to this topic during an analysis seminar.

I am honored to thank Dr. Alicia Doyle for her help and encouragement in

maneuvering past the hurdles that have come along the way. Every meeting with her ends

well, and that has been an enormous blessing.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

LIST OF TABLES v

CHAPTER

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. BACKGROUND 3

Donato Lovreglio 3 Italian Clarinet 4 The Opera Fantasia as a Genre 6

3. ANALYSIS OF THE SCORE 8

La Traviata Compared to its Fantasia 8 Editions and Embellishments 10

4. PERFORMANCE 12

Recordings in Comparison 12 The Fantasia's Role 16

APPENDICES 18

A. MUSIC EXAMPLES 19

B. DISCOGRAPHY 23

C. CHART OF RECORDED PERFORMANCES 26

D. RECITAL PROGRAM 29

BIBLIOGRAPHY 34

iv

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE Page

1. Theme and Variation 8

v

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Italian composers wrote numerous opera fantasias for clarinet and piano during

the nineteenth century. The opera fantasia differs from other musical forms because it is

based on transcribed melodies. Because the libretto gives the melodic lines specific

meaning, even in a wordless setting the emotional weight of the text should remain intact.

For this reason the clarinetist's approach to an opera fantasia should be similar to the

singer's approach to an opera.

My purpose then is to develop an interpretive approach along these lines and

apply it to a fantasia written on Verdi's opera, La Traviata. There are three main steps

involved in this approach: the performer must learn about the opera, have strong enough

technique to perform the piece confidently, and be able to identify and emphasize the

melody that is often buried in virtuosic embellishments. These steps should help the

performer to bring the most operatic style to the music and to emphasize the vocal

characteristics on the clarinet.

I will consider Donato Lovreglio's Fantasia sull'opera La Traviata, Op. 45. The

study will begin with a brief summary of the opera plot, arias employed in the fantasia,

and historical significance of the fantasia as a form. The discussion will include

Lovreglio's selection of arias and the melodic treatment of each. Following this, I will

explain the technical challenges present in the fantasia. Finally I will discuss the

1

treatment of the melody, specifically considering the recordings of several modern

clarinetists: Colin Bradbury, Martin Frost, Seunghee Lee, and Ferdinand Steiner.

Understanding the opera and mastering technique allows a performer to give the needed

attention to melodic interpretation. The melody is the point of most importance

especially when dealing with songs coming from the Italian bel canto repertoire.

This study presents the interpretation of Romantic opera fantasias written for

clarinet, with a specific focus on that of Verdi's La Traviata. I have focused on

researching and understanding the background and surrounding issues of the pieces. The

performance of the Italian opera fantasia demands an operatic approach. When good tone

and technique are achieved the vocal characteristics of the clarinet also emphasize the

operatic nature of the solo. The transcription of arias and virtuosity reflective of opera

singers merits discussion of these virtuosic techniques employed. This study will

consider the importance of melody and treatment of embellishments and phrasing in the

recorded performances of Colin Bradbury, Martin Frost, Seunghee Lee, and Ferdinand

Steiner.

2

CHAPTER 2

BACKGROUND

Donato Lovreglio

Donato Lovreglio, a flutist-composer, was born in Bari, in southern Italy, in 1841.

He was a very successful performer whose flute playing was highly esteemed during his

time. His friend, the novelist Alexandre Dumas, wrote a lengthy article in the Naples

Indipendente on Lovreglio's abilities:

One who has not heard Lovreglio's flute cannot imagine what you can get out of a flute. These are magical sounds that Lovreglio, I would not say invents, but recreates. Close your eyes and you imagine you hear a lute, or perhaps a horn, a double-bass or a clarinet and when you hear the flute, the harmony is superior to all these.1

In addition, a writer in La gazetta musicale di Milano called him a "superb concert

performer on the flute" and credited him with having introduced the Boehm flute in

Italy.2

Lovreglio wrote numerous works including a method and music for every

instrument, chamber pieces and fantasias for flute, oboe, and clarinet, and even

1 Alexandre Dumas, cited in Ensemble Orchestrale et Choral des Alpes de la Mer, "The Composer Donato Lovreglio: 1841-1907," article from November 11, 1863, http://www.lovreglio-music.com/html/anglais/ang_bio_donato.html (accessed May 4, 2011).

2 Ensemble Orchestrale et Choral des Alpes de la Mer, "The Composer Donato Lovreglio: 1841-1907."

3

symphonies for orchestra and wind band.3 Although this suggests that Lovreglio was a

prolific composer, documentation of these works is limited: his published body of work

consists only of fantasias written on opera themes for flute, oboe, and clarinet. Because

he lived in Naples through the second half of the nineteenth century, when the great

Romantic Italian operas were being written and premiered, he had access to the scores

and chose to use them as his source of thematic material.

The popularity of Verdi's operas made their themes a natural choice, and

arranging these works for accompanied solos was especially straightforward because of

the Italian style of orchestration at the time.4 The majority of Lovreglio's fantasias are

based on Verdi's operas, including works drawn from Simon Boccanegra, Aida, La

Traviata, and Un ballo in maschera. Writing fantasias on the themes of current operas,

but avoiding all the staging difficulties of opera, Lovreglio must have found his works to

be popular concert choices.

Italian Clarinet

There are several national schools of clarinet playing, but only two of these have

fully developed their own distinguished styles: French and German. In the past century

these have expanded somewhat in Russia, Italy, England, and America. In these

countries, however, performance has developed through a combination of methods and

instruments coming from German and French schools. The timbre is often the most

3 "Schmidt's Dictionary of Music," quoted in Ensemble Orchestrale et Choral des Alpes de la Mer.

4 Simon Maguire, Vincenzo Bellini and the Aesthetics of Early Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera, Outstanding Dissertations in Music From British Universities, ed. John Caldwell (New York: Garland, 1989), 107.

4

noticeable characteristic distinguishing the schools of clarinet playing. The sound of an

English clarinetist is usually distinct, for example, because of frequent use of vibrato. No

other school uses vibrato to the extent of the English. Although American clarinet

performance has developed separately from that of the French, the instrument now used

is usually French and the methods used clearly stem from the French school.

The instrument used is another of the most significant factors distinguishing the

national schools. The French use a Boehm-system clarinet while the Germans use

Oehler-system clarinets. The main differences between the two instruments are the key

systems and the bore dimensions. The different key systems actually inhibit clarinetists

from switching between the clarinets of the separate systems because of different

fingerings required for each. The larger bore of the German clarinet makes it a resistant

instrument requiring hard reeds. Experts of the German system produce focused and rich

sound, often described as being very dark.

The French clarinet with the Boehm-system keys and a comparatively small bore

tend to have a shallow and edgy sound in comparison. The bright sound results from an

easy blowing instrument played with softer reeds. This sound is not always as pleasant,

but the easy-blowing set up allows for much quicker articulation and greater contrasts in

dynamics and style. The heavy reed of the German clarinet prevents quick articulations

from speaking well. Italian and other small national schools generally prefer Boehm

system instruments. Early in the twentieth century a popular development was the use of

a clarinet with Boehm-system keys but the bore of a German clarinet. This allows the

player to maintain the commonly used French fingerings, but to achieve the darker

5

German sound. This clarinet is referred to as a Schmidt Reform-Boehm and was used in

Italy and other parts of Europe.5

Before the turn of the twentieth century these systems, although distinct, were still

developing into what they have become today. In Italy the Boehm system was growing

in popularity but had not yet become the standard choice among clarinetists. A technique

unique to Italy was the preference to play with the reed against the top lip rather than the

bottom. A variation of this sort, requiring a double-lipped embouchure, would certainly

affect the tone quality of the instrument giving it a delicate, possibly even frail sound. By

the end of the nineteenth century, the Italian system more closely resembled that of the

French, making use of the Boehm-system clarinet with reeds placed against the bottom

lip. Bel canto describes the Italian playing style, which emphasizes lyrical melodies and

remains lyrical even through the florid virtuosic technical passages which were so

popular at the time.6

The Opera Fantasia as a Genre

Despite the numerous compositions in the form of opera fantasia, it remains a

relatively unknown genre. Musicologists and clarinetists alike have been known to scorn

the genre, assigning it little or no musical value. Most agree that the fantasias are little

5 Eric Hoeprich, The Clarinet, The Yale Musical Instrument Series (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008), 211.

6 Michael Thrasher, "The Clarinetist-Composers of Nineteenth-Century Italy: An Examination of Style, Repertoire and Pedagogy," (presentation, International Clarinet Association, ClarinetFest®, 2006), 4.

6

n

more than monotonous scales meant only for showing off. These fantasias do, however,

have a place, forming a large part of both the Italian and Romantic repertoire.

Composers began writing opera fantasias for clarinet early in the history of the

instrument. These have increased the public knowledge of, and appreciation for, opera;

pushed clarinetists to further develop their technique; and encouraged the improvement

of the clarinet itself.8 The familiar arias and flamboyant variations make the pieces quite

enjoyable both to perform and to hear, giving them both pedagogical and programmatic

value.

The clarinet's repertoire remained remarkably small even as late as 1800, and

clarinetist-composers wrote many new works in the nineteenth century out of necessity.9

Though not part of the standard repertoire, the opera fantasias fill this gap beautifully.

Unlike sonatas with original material written expressly for clarinet and piano, these

works also help bridge the gap between the small clarinet-piano ensemble and the

grandest of musical productions, the opera.

7 Madeline LeBaron Johnson, "An Examination of the Clarinet Works of Luigi Bassi" (D.M.A. diss., University of North Texas, 2007), 3.

8 Ibid.

9 Thrasher.

7

CHAPTER 3

ANALYSIS OF THE SCORE

La Traviata Compared to Its Fantasia

The fantasia on La Traviata draws on three arias from Act I of Verdi's opera.

Each melody appears in the fantasia exactly as in the opera: the music is in the original

key and the notation is nearly identical. After stating each melody the composer presents

variations on the theme. Although a variation may contain as many as six times as many

notes as the original melody, the melody remains constant throughout each variation.

The performer must be aware of this as it offers insight into just how important melody is

to Lovreglio and the bel canto style his music represents. The theme and variation form

of this fantasia is outlined below:

TABLE 1. Theme and Variation

Section Tempo Measures10

Introduction Andante (cadenza) 1-20 Ah, fors 'e lui Andante 21-54 Variation on Ah, fors 'e lui (cadenza) 55-107 Libiamo Allegro assai mosso 108-139 Variation on Libiamo a tempo 140-165

Andante con espressione 166-173 Variation a tempo (cadenza) 174-184 Sempre libera Allegro brillante-Meno-Allegro 185-222 Variation on Sempre libera 223-262

10 Measure numbers are taken from the Giampieri edition. 8

The opera La Traviata tells the love story of Violetta Valery and Alfredo

Germont. As the story begins, we learn that Violetta has been ill with consumption, but

is doing better, so she throws a party. Here she meets Alfredo for the first time and

discovers that he has known of and cared for her for the past year from outside her sick

room door. He flirts with her in the drinking song Libiamo. He confesses his love for her

and when she makes light of it he persists. Later she sings two arias, first contemplating

whether Alfredo will be the man to change her life in Ah, fors 'e lui, and then declares her

preference for freedom in Sempre libera.11

The fantasia changes the order of the three arias: it begins with the dramatic Ah,

fors 'e lui, follows with the playful Libiamo, and ends with the quick and determined

Sempre libera. The libretto and English translation for each aria are given in the order in

which they appear in the fantasia:

Ah fors 'e lui Violetta

Ah fors'e lui che l'anima Ah, perhaps he is the one whom my spirit, Solinga ne' tumulti Unhappy and tormented, Godea sovente pingere Often enjoyed painting De' suoi colori occulti... With its mysterious colors . .. Lui, che modesto e vigile He who, modest and strong, All'egre soglie ascese, Came to my sickroom door, E nuova febbre accese And brought to life a new fever Destandomi alPamor. Waking me to love. A quell'amor, queH'amore ch'e palpito This is a love like the heartbeat Dell'universo, dell'universo intero, Of the universe, the whole universe, Misterioso, altero Mysterious, aloof,

1 9 Croce e dilizia al cor. The heart's cross and delight.

11 The Metropolitan Opera, "Synopsis of La Traviata," http://www.metopera family.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=178 (accessed January 22, 2012).

12 Giuseppe Verdi, La Traviata, from The Metropolitan Opera Classics Library, libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, story adaptation by Mary McCarthy, 1st ed. (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1983), 138.

9

Libiamo ne 'lieti calici

Libiam ne' dolci fremiti Che suscita l'amore, Poiche quell'occhio al core Onnipotente va.. . Libiamo, amore, amore fra I calici Piu caldi baci avra.

Alfredo Let us drink in the sweet flutter That love arouses, Since that eye goes All-powerful to the heart . . . Let us drink, love from these cups,

1 ^ To have warmer kisses.

Sempre libera Violetta

Sempre libera degg'io I must always freely Folleggiare di gioia in gioia, Dart lightheadedly from joy to joy, Vo' che scorra il viver mio I want my life to glide Pe' sentieri del piacer. Along the paths of pleasure. Nasca il giorno, o il giorno muoia, Whether it is morning or night, Sempre lieta ne' ritrovi, Always enjoying a party, A diletti sempre nuovi My thoughts must fly Dee volar il mio pensier. Always to new delights.14

Editions and Embellishments

Lovreglio wrote Fantasia on La Traviata in 1865 but it is only available in two

modern editions. Lazarus published an edition by Colin Bradbury in 1980, and Ricordi

published Alamiro Giampieri's edition in 2007. The two editions differ in their cadenzas

which affect the overall length of the piece. Giampieri's edition is longer due to more

lengthy cadenzas and eight additional measures of repeated material in the final variation.

The musical examples found in Appendix A come from the opera and the

Giampieri edition of the fantasia. These sections of the music are nearly identical in the

Giampieri and Bradbury editions: the editors differ only in articulation markings. The

appendix includes a short section of each aria with the vocal and clarinet parts aligned to

1 ^ Giuseppe Verdi, La Traviata, from The Metropolitan Opera, 132.

14 Giuseppe Verdi, La Traviata, from The Metropolitan Opera, 139. 10

show how the fantasia has not changed the melody in any significant way. The appendix

also gives an example showing the melody as first presented in the clarinet part, and is

placed above a variation on that melody. The variation comes later in the musical score,

but throughout the variation the clarinet part retains the entire melody. Although the

variation contains many more notes, the original melody line never disappears and it

always aligns with the original melody.

Because of the relative obscurity of Lovreglio as a composer, it has not yet been

possible to locate his original score to see how Bradbury and Giampieri have changed the

piece in their editions. Giampieri's cadenzas, for example, are longer and more virtuosic

than Bradbury's, but how these relate to Lovreglio's original composition is unknown. In

the recordings considered in chapter four, the cadenzas account for a difference of nearly

a minute-and-a-half in the overall length of the piece. Due to publication dates it is likely

that Giampieri based his edition on Bradbury's modern edition, rather than on

Lovreglio's original work.

11

CHAPTER 4

PERFORMANCE

Recordings In Comparison

Many artists have recorded the fantasia on La Traviata, and Appendix B includes

a list of these recordings. I have selected four of the recordings for comparison in this

paper, and outline these performances in a chart in Appendix C. The four performers are

Colin Bradbury, Martin Frost, Seunghee Lee, and Ferdinand Steiner.

These four recordings rely on three versions of the piece: the editions by Alamiro

Giampieri and Colin Bradbury, and a transcription for orchestra. The editions are very

similar and the orchestral transcription draws the orchestration directly from Giampieri's

edition, so this score may serve as a point of reference. The most significant difference

between the two editions are the cadenzas, which have been shortened and somewhat

simplified by Bradbury. His revisions cut approximately a minute-and-a-half of scales

and technical acrobatics, the stereotypical fluff of the opera fantasia genre. His edition is

also eight measures shorter than Giampieri's. All eight measures come from the final

variation which repeats several times. Bradbury's edition simply leaves out one of the

repetitions. Bradbury himself was, among the four performers, the only person who used

his edition of the piece. Giampieri's edition of the work is long and showy, but

Bradbury's edition is a little shorter and feels more like the morsel of opera that it ought

to be.

12

The Giampieri edition is currently the most accessible version of the score for

purchase. This explains why it is preferred in performance: its convenience. Two of the

four performers chose to record this edition with the cadenzas as written and with no

significant changes. Frost's performance with a full orchestra can be compared to these

two recordings because he also chose to perform the work using an unchanged solo part

from Giampieri's edition. Although the accompaniment has an entirely different sound

and balance, it is roughly equivalent to the original piano part. The role of the clarinet as

soloist and the role of the piece as intimate chamber music changes significantly, but the

only concern in comparing the actual performances is the balance between the clarinet

and its accompaniment.

My primary concern in preparing this piece for performance on a Master's Recital

was to bring out the melody which some variations bury in flurries of notes. The melody

is impossible to hear if not intentionally emphasized, so my focus was to articulate well

keeping the clarinet part clean and concise, and to emphasize melodic notes while

backing off on the embellishments. While I played all the notes on the page, the melody

was been identifiable amongst the embellishing tones. When performing with the pianist,

this became easier; the piano and clarinet parts balance each other out because at all times

one of the parts has only a melodic line. When the parts are played together, the melody

is naturally emphasized by the doubling.

Throughout the variations of the piece Steiner's approach was to play under the

piano rather than bringing out specific melodic notes, but Bradbury, Lee, and Frost used

soft and accurate articulations, lining up the clarinet part precisely with the

13

accompaniment. This really brings out the melody because the clarinet and piano share

melodic notes, and playing these precisely in unison maximizes the melodic effect.

Bradbury's sound is very bright and is noticeably live in this recording, especially

during the first variation. He uses a vibrato, which makes him sound weak rather than

dramatic or bold. However, his performance is lyrical with soft articulations that are very

accurate to the written part. Bradbury brings out the melody by playing exactly in unison

with the piano when the clarinet and piano parts interlock.

Steiner has a warmer sound than Bradbury, but the recording is more live. The

tone of his high notes is more spread out, and although he has an extremely quiet piano,

he is expressive to the point of swelling on individual notes. The dotted eighth-sixteenth

note pattern sounds like triplets. During the last variation the balance is such that the

clarinet is heard under the piano rather than emphasizing the melody and backing off only

on the runs. Steiner uses very fast trills, and the slow sections are very slow. There is an

accelerando into and throughout the last section, and he maintains a very clear sound

throughout.

Key clicking can be heard in the recordings of both Bradbury and Steiner. Being

recorded with a microphone close enough to pick up the key clicks can explain some of

the characteristics of these recordings. For example, edginess in the sound may come

from the recording technique rather than from the performers.

Steiner takes less time than Bradbury on turns and embellishments. The melody

can be heard with the piano during embellishing variations, but Steiner's warm sound

actually seems to detract from it. It does not cut through as clearly as a brighter or clearer

sound would. Bradbury's sound would cut through very well except that his vibrato also

14

detracts from the melody. The best sound for the melody is Lee's warm yet very clear

tone.

Lee has a warm tone with a shimmer which turns into vibrato in the second

cadenza. Shimmer describes a tone with something of a feathery quality, hinting at

vibrato, but maintaining a clear straight tone. Lee chose to add articulation to the first

cadenza. The sixteenth-note variation is very light and fast, and she plays all notes in

unison with the piano and articulates them well, even using accents for effect. She does a

nice job with her embellishments: they are fast, but very musical, and she is comfortable

enough with her tempo to play quick embellishments leading into longer and slower

notes. These sudden changes surprise the ear, but the contrast makes the music really

pop out. This is a technique that none of the other performers used. Lee gives the music

a bright spirit with her quick unencumbered note changes. She leaves out a handful of

notes in the fast variation, but it does no harm to the performance. Going into the dotted

eighth-sixteenth note pattern at the very end she holds the high C in a short fermata. In

contrast, Steiner plays the last several measures very slowly, and that kills a lot of the

energy, but Lee plays straight through with just that pause on the high C.

She casts off the embellishing scales, focusing on the original melody notes. Her

trills are very fast, but light: they are not powerful like Steiner's or Frost's. In the last

variation Lee alternates tempo between very fast, slower and rubato on the duet with the

piano, then very fast again going into the end where she accelerandos almost to the very

end and plays the very last B-flat an octave higher than written. Of the four performers

Lee has made the most changes from the written part to the performance, but all these

have been done with care and only add to the operatic effect.

15

Frost plays with a warm sound using vibrato selectively. The orchestration is

confusing, however. There are times when it is hard to distinguish between Frost's solo

playing and the sounds of the orchestra. He blends very well, but this may not represent

well the sound of Violetta Valery. His sound is so light and feathery, for example, that he

sometimes sounds like a flute and it is hard to know whether it is him or the flutist

playing. His playing is less lyrical than Lee's, but on the recording the orchestra

compensates for this by lending a lot of additional musical support. His sound is a bit

reedy with low notes that especially jump out. The dotted eighth-sixteenth note pattern is

very tight and also very fast. He has the best pianos and his fast powerful trills resemble

Steiner's. He also plays the fastest cadenzas. Overall his performance is extremely

virtuosic and very musical, but other performers may have conveyed the opera more

effectively.

The performers are all stellar players with different approaches and different

strengths. As I performed this, my interpretation was informed by the study of these

recordings. The length and intimacy of Colin Bradbury's performance is the most

appropriate to the opera fantasia genre, yet I find Seunghee Lee's warm and clear sound

to be the most desirable. Ferdinand Steiner's sound is powerful, resembling an opera

singer, but I find it too harsh for the chamber music setting. With an entire orchestra,

Martin Frost's performance is nearly the size of an actual opera. This is grand, but does

not fit the chamber setting of the opera fantasia.

The Fantasia's Role

Some consider opera fantasias to be novelty pieces for performance. Many opera

fantasias lack original musical material for the solo instrument and are subservient to

16

melody, sometimes repeating an aria tune ad nauseam. Lovreglio's opera fantasias for

clarinet are gems that take opera out of the opera house and have the potential to expand

to other, sometimes unusual, venues. The fantasias allow performers who may not

otherwise become familiar with opera to struggle through some of the same issues as

opera singers and to learn the tunes and stories of these important musical works.

Because these fantasias are so often virtuosic, they demand much from the performer.

Someone who may be comfortable performing challenging pieces from the standard

repertoire will have to approach a fantasia in a new way and grapple with new

challenges; and the successful performer will certainly grow and learn through the

process.

In addition to the benefit to performers, audiences who would not visit an opera

house may have the opportunity to become acquainted with the music. Others who know

the operas will have the opportunity to see and hear the opera tunes performed in a new

way, expanding their understanding of the music and hearing a new side of the chamber

repertoire.

17

APPENDICES

18

APPENDIX A

MUSIC EXAMPLES

19

MUSIC EXAMPLES

Example 1: Ah fors 'e lui

clarinet

Andantino VIOLETTA „ dolciss.

m ^3^\

^ g P P

is

Ah for-s'e lui chel'a-nima sol - in - ga ne' tu - mul - ti, sol-in-ga ne'tu-go-dea so - ven - te pin - ge-re de'suoi co-lo-rioc-cul - ti, de'suoi co-lo-rioc

P !g=

A - P dolcissimo

piano<

PP

¥ IHI

i 1 mm pp

PPTT SEE*

fST\

p i [ _ j p I p f r p mul - ti Lui,che modestoe vi - gile all'eg-re so-gliea see - se, e nuova febbre ac cul - ti 0 3 m -±±

pp

PP ̂ [ ^

W P 7 p :|| J' 1 J' 1 -EE^:

affrett. e cresc.

r /1 J ^

affrett. e cresc. / 5= ̂

con espansione

ce - se destandomi a- more!... A quel-l'a-more, quel-l'a-mor rail. r\ a temPJL_

ch'e

con espress. >-v a tempo 3

r~3~i ""

w

1 Vocal line: Julian Budden, The Operas of Verdi, Vol. 2 of From II Trovatore to La Forza del destino (NY: Oxford University Press, 1979), 134. Clarinet and piano lines: Donato Lovreglio, Concert Fantasia on Themes from Verdi's La Traviata, edited by Alamiro Giampieri (Milan: Ricordi, 2007), 2.

20

Example 2: Libiamo2

Allegretto ALFREDO

leggerissimo con grazia

VOICC

p poco piii

Example 3: Sempre libera

Allegro brillante

VIOLETTA assai brillante

voice

Sempreli - bera deg-g'i - o fol - leg-gia - re digiojaingio - ja,vo'che

clarinet

piano- PP

Vocal line: Julian Budden, The Operas of Verdi, Vol. 2 of From II Trovatore to La Forza del destino (NY: Oxford University Press, 1979), 131. Clarinet and piano lines: Donato Lovreglio, Concert Fantasia on Themes from Verdi's La Traviata, edited by Alamiro Giampieri (Milan: Ricordi, 2007), 5.

3 Vocal line: Julian Budden, The Operas of Verdi, Vol. 2 of From II Trovatore to La Forza del destino (NY: Oxford University Press, 1979), 135. Clarinet and piano lines: Donato Lovreglio, Concert Fantasia on Themes from Verdi's La Traviata, edited by Alamiro Giampieri (Milan: Ricordi, 2007), 10-11.

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Example 4: Theme and variation of solo clarinet4

Both lines of this example are from the solo clarinet part. The top staff presents

the first statement of the melody from Ah fors 'e lui. The bottom staff presents the

opening of the variation following the theme. Notice that the variation retains all the

melodic notes but it displays them embellished with arpeggiation and scalar material. All

the themes and variations throughout the fantasia on La Traviata follow a pattern like

this.

4 Solo clarinet line: Donato Lovreglio, Concert Fantasia on Themes from Verdi's La Traviata, edited by Alamiro Giampieri (Milan: Ricordi, 2007), 2-3.

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APPENDIX B

DISCOGRAPHY

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DISCOGRAPHY

Begelman, Igor, clarinet. The Gypsy Clarinet. Tatiana Goncharova, piano. Hungaroton Classic. CD. 2004.

Bradbury, Colin, clarinet. The Art of the Clarinettist. Oliver Davies, piano. Clarinet Classics. CD. 1994.

Carbonare, Alessandro, clarinet. Clarinet Sings Verdi. Andrea Dindo, piano. Agora. CD. 1996.

Collins, Michael, clarinet. The Virtuoso Clarinet. Piers Lane, piano. Chandos. CD. 2010.

. Virtuosi. Kathryn Stott, piano. EMI Classics. CD. 1992.

Dangain, Guy, clarinet. La Carnaval de Venise. Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra conducted by Makoto Kokubu. Kosei. CD. 1992.

Friedrich, Nikolaus, clarinet. Paraphrasen iiber Opern von Bellini und Verdi: fur Klarinette und Klavier. Thomas Palm, piano. Bayer-Records. CD. 1993.

Frost, Martin, clarinet. The Pied Piper of the Opera. Singapore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lan Shui. BIS. CD. 2000.

Fryer, Lynn, clarinet. Clarinet Pizzazz. Kelley Head, piano. New Meridian Clarinet Consort. Clarinet Artistry. CD. 2009.

Gao, Yu, clarinet. Aria: Italian Opera Melodies for Clarinet and Piano. Rosemary Barnes, piano. Atoll. CD. 2003.

Hartig, Caroline, clarinet. Clarinet Brilliante. Claude Cymerman, piano. Centaur. CD. 2001.

Hashimoto, Anna, clarinet. A Touch of France. Daniel Smith, piano. Meridian. CD. 2010.

Hollich, Anton, clarinet. Die virtuose klarinette in der promenadenmusik. Michaela Piihn, piano. ITM-Media. CD. 1993.

Johnson, Emma, clarinet. A Clarinet Celebration. Gordon Back, piano. ASV. CD. 1990.

Lee, Seunghee, clarinet. Brava. Arlene Shrut, piano. Summit. CD. 2000.

Rothlisberger, Bernhard, clarinet. II Clarinetto all'Opera. Simon Andres, piano. Gallo. CD. 1996.

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Showalter, Jennifer, clarinet. European Adventure. Joel Clifft, piano. Jennifer Showalter. CD. 2009.

Steiner, Ferdinand, clarinet. Ferdiggietto. Classic Concert Records. CD. 2005.

Vidal, Dominique, clarinet. Fantaisies et variations sur les grands airs d'opera: Faust, Carmen, Rigoletto, La traviata, Les puritains, Le barbier de Seville. Ichiho Takishima, piano. Quantum. CD. 1993.

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APPENDIX C

CHART OF RECORDED PERFORMANCES

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CHART OF RECORDED PERFORMANCES

Colin Bradbury

Date 1994

Edition Bradbury

Accompaniment Oliver Davies, piano

Time 10:21

Articulation Lyrical, soft accurate articulations

Sound Medium live, audible key clicking Bright sound, vibrato

Embellishments Melody comes through, clarinet and piano locked in sync, little dynamic contrast, takes time on turns and embellishments

Tempo Fast cadenzas, rubato arias

Ferdinand Steiner

Date 2005

Edition Giampieri

Accompaniment Unknown, piano

Time 11:43

Articulation Dotted eighth-sixteenth note pattern played like triplets

Sound Live recording, audible key clicking Warm sound, high notes spread, extremely quiet piano, expressive swelling

Embellishments Fast turns and embellishments, melody with piano comes through but sound too warm, solo plays under piano in fast variation

Tempo Very fast trills, slow sections very slow, accelerando into and throughout last section with very clear sound

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Seunghee Lee

Date 2000

Edition Giampieri

Accompaniment Arlene Shrut, piano

Time 11:43

Articulation Extra articulation in 1st cadenza, sixteenth notes very light and fast, notes in unison with piano, good articulation with accents

Sound Warm tone with a shimmer, vibrato in 2nd cadenza

Embellishments Embellishments fast but musical, lead into slower notes, quick unencumbered note changes, scales cast off for melody, very fast light trills, left out some notes in the fast variation

Tempo In last variation: very fast, slow rubato on duet with piano, very fast with accelerando into the end, ritardando at very end Plays last B-flat up an octave

Martin Frost

Date 2001

Edition Giampieri, orchestrated

Accompaniment Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Time 11:00

Articulation Tight dotted eighth-sixteenth note pattern, very fast

Sound Warm reedy sound, feathery, some vibrato, blends with flute, low notes jump out, best piano dynamic Rich orchestra sound

Embellishments Fast powerful trills

Tempo Extremely fast cadenzas, fastest performance

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APPENDIX D

RECITAL PROGRAM

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BOB COLE CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC

REBECCA JOHNSON, clarinet

assisted by Na-Young Moon

Claire Mehm

in a Graduate Recital

May 24, 2011 8:00 PM

Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall

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PROGRAM

Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959)

Clarinet Concerto Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

SHORT INTERMISSION

Fantasia on the Opera La Traviata Donato Lovreglio (1841-1907)

Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 40 Carl Friihling Massig schnell (1868-1937) Anmutig bewegt Andante Allegro vivace

Claire Mehm, cello Na-Young Moon, piano

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PROGRAM NOTES

BOHUSLA V MARTINC has been said to be one of the most prolific, and at times least self-critical, composers of our century, contributing nearly 400 works to the musical repertoire. He often expressed lively Bohemian folk dances and festivals in his music, as he does with the bright embellishments and rhythms of the outer movements of the Sonatina for Clarinet.

This Sonatina was composed in 1956 in the year that Martinu learned of his stomach cancer and three years before his death. Although the first and final movements are cheerful dances, the second movement is a dark andante stylistically similar to the second movement of his Double Concerto.

AARON COPLAND wrote the Clarinet Concerto in 1948 for Benny Goodman. He wrote the concerto for clarinet with string orchestra and harp, but also arranged the piece for clarinet and piano. The two movements are linked by a lengthy cadenza which introduces many of the jazzy themes of the second movement. This has become one of the gems of the repertoire.

DONATO LOVREGLIO was an Italian flutist-composer whose flute playing was highly esteemed during his time. He lived in Naples during the second half of the nineteenth century, so he had access to Verdi's operas as they were being written and premiered. Lovreglio wrote fantasias on these opera themes for flute, oboe, and clarinet.

His Fantasia on the Opera La Traviata draws on three arias from Act I of the opera. Each melody appears exactly as in the opera and is followed by florid variations.

CARL FRUHLING was an Austrian composer, pianist, and teacher. He wrote the Trio, Op. 40 within the Romantic tradition around the year 1900. He also wrote lieder and salon-style piano works, but much of his work has been lost. Some of this has been found and championed by the cellist Steven Isserlis. The first World War left Friihling in poverty until the end of his life.

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This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

MASTER OF MUSIC DEGREE

with an option in

Performance and a concentration in Winds

Rebecca Johnson is a student of Helen Goode

and has studied with Joshua Ranz

WWW.CSULB.EDU/COLECONSERVATORY

BOB COLE CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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