THE ECLECTIC COMBINATION OF NEO-BAROQUE AND KLEZMER ELEMENTS IN
PAUL SCHOENFELD’S PARTITA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO
Seo Yoean Hong Park, B.M., B.M.E., M.M.
Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
August 2020
APPROVED: Felix Olschofka, Major Professor and Director
of Graduate Studies in the College of Music
Justin Lavacek, Committee Member Daphne Gerling, Committee Member Natalie Mannix, Interim Chair of the Division
of Instrumental Studies John W. Richmond, Dean of the College of
Music Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse
Graduate School
Park, Seo Yoean Hong. The Eclectic Combination of Neo-Baroque and Klezmer
Elements in Paul Schoenfeld’s “Partita for Violin and Piano.” Doctor of Musical Arts
(Performance), August 2020, 46 pp., 3 tables, 34 musical examples, bibliography, 55 titles.
Paul Schoenfeld (b. 1947) is considered one of the major American composers of the
present day to have incorporated many different styles in his music. Although Schoenfeld
primarily uses a combination of folk, popular music, klezmer, and jazz in most of his
compositions, he has also incorporated other distinctive musical styles in his works, such as neo-
Baroque, particularly in his Partita for Violin and Piano (2002). The purpose of this dissertation
is to explore the eclectic combination of neo-Baroque and klezmer elements found in
Schoenfeld’s Partita. This research provides a detailed comparative analysis of his work with
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Clavier-Übung I, BWV 825–830, and 6 Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso
accompagnato, BWV 1001-1006, primarily to see how Schoenfeld made use of Baroque forms,
imitative passages, rhythms, and other stylistic features, then fused them with klezmer elements.
Klezmer is a genre of music stemming from the Eastern European Jewish tradition; its distinctive
characteristics are modal scales and Hasidic vocal ornaments. Knowing the mixture of Baroque
and klezmer stylistic influences should help performers to interpret the piece.
ii
Copyright 2020
by
Seo Yoean Hong Park
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my major professor, Dr. Felix Olschofka,
for the guidance and support he has provided throughout my doctoral studies. In addition, I
would like to express my sincere thanks to Dr. Justin Lavacek and Dr. Daphne Gerling for
serving on my committee and providing their thoughtful insights for this project.
I would also like to thank my parents for their endless support through my musical
journey. Also, I am thankful to my husband and my best friend, John Kyung Park, for his love
and encouragement throughout this process.
Last and most importantly, I would like to give thanks to God for giving me the strength
and perseverance to achieve my goals.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii
LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ............................................................................................... vii
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Significance and State of Research ................................................................ 2
CHAPTER 2. PAUL SCHOENFELD ............................................................................................ 6
2.1 Biography ....................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Compositional Style ....................................................................................... 7
CHAPTER 3. BAROQUE AND KLEZMER ELEMENTS IN SCHOENFELD’S OTHER WORKS ........................................................................................................................................ 10
3.1 Baroque Influence ........................................................................................ 10
3.2 A Brief History of Klezmer and Its Influence on Schoenfeld’s Works ....... 10
CHAPTER 4. SCHOENFELD’S PARTITA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO (2002) ....................... 14
4.1 Background of Partita for Violin and Piano................................................ 14
4.2 Comparative Analysis of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Compositions and Schoenfeld’s Partita for Violin and Piano................................................... 14
4.2.1 Overture .................................................................................................... 15
4.2.2 Minuet ....................................................................................................... 18
4.2.3 Rondeau .................................................................................................... 21
4.2.4 Prelude ...................................................................................................... 24
4.2.5 Fughetta..................................................................................................... 29
4.2.6 Nigun......................................................................................................... 30
4.2.7 Sinfonia ..................................................................................................... 31
4.3 Detailed Analysis of Klezmer Style in Schoenfeld’s Partita for Violin and Piano...................................................................................................................... 33
4.3.1 Modal Scales ............................................................................................. 33
4.3.2 Hasidic Vocal Ornamentation ................................................................... 36
v
4.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 40 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 42
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table 1. Comparison of Partita structure: J. S. Bach and Paul Schoenfeld ................................. 15
Table 2. Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, structure............................................................................ 19
Table 3: Nine ornaments in Klezmer music listed in Yale Strom, Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer ......................................................................................................................................... 38
vii
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES
Page
Example 1: J. S. Bach, Partita for Keyboard No. 4 in D major, BWV 828, Overture, mm. 1–5…....................................................................................................................................................... 16
Example 2: Paul Schoenfeld, Partita for Violin and Piano, Overture, mm. 1–8 .......................... 16
Example 3: Schoenfeld, Partita, Overture, fugal section, mm. 29–35 .......................................... 17
Example 4: Bach, Sonata for Violin No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, Fugue, mm. 1–3 ................ 18
Example 5: Bach, Partita for Violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006, Minuet I, mm. 1–6............. 19
Example 6: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 1–9 ...................................................................... 20
Example 7: Bach, Partita for Keyboard No. 4 in D Major, Minuet, mm. 13-21 ......................... 21
Example 8: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 71–76 .................................................................. 21
Example 9: Schoenfeld, Partita, Rondeau, mm. 1–2 ................................................................... 22
Example 10: Schoenfeld, Partita, Rondeau, mm. 52–54 ............................................................. 23
Example 11: Schoenfeld, Partita, Rondeau, mm. 90–93 ............................................................. 23
Example 12: Schoenfeld, Partita, Rondeau, mm. 6–7 ................................................................. 24
Example 13: Bach, Partita for Violin No. 3, Prelude, mm. 1–2 .................................................. 24
Example 14: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 1–4, violin part ................................................. 25
Example 15: Bach, Partita for Violin No. 3, Prelude, mm. 19–30 .............................................. 25
Example 16: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 51–61 ............................................................... 25
Example 17: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 67–77 ............................................................... 26
Example 18: Bach, Suite for Keyboard No. 2, Courante, mm. 46–49, grouping dissonance, after Krebs (1999). Fig. 3.7 ................................................................................................................... 27
Example 19: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 9–10, grouping dissonance .............................. 28
Example 20: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 18–22, displacement dissonance ...................... 29
Example 21: Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier II, Fugue 15 in G major, mm. 1–12 ........................ 30
Example 22: Schoenfeld, Partita, Fughetta, mm. 1–9 .................................................................. 30
viii
Example 23: Schoenfeld, Partita, Nigun, m. 13 ........................................................................... 31
Example 24: Bach, Partita for Keyboard No. 2 in C minor, Sinfonia, mm. 29–35, Allegro section....................................................................................................................................................... 32
Example 25: Schoenfeld, Partita, Sinfonia, mm. 1–9 .................................................................. 32
Example 26: Ahava Raba (altered D Phrygian mode) .................................................................. 33
Example 27: Mogen-Avos (D Aeolian mode) ............................................................................... 34
Example 28: Mishebeyrakh (altered D Dorian mode) .................................................................. 34
Example 29: Adonoy Molekh (D Mixolydian mode) .................................................................... 35
Example 30: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 51–60 ................................................................ 35
Example 31: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 96–99 ................................................................ 36
Example 32: Schoenfeld, Partita, Nigun, mm. 1–7 ...................................................................... 37
Example 33: Schoenfeld, Partita, Nigun, last notes of mm. 1 and 3; left, the original note; right, suggested krekhtsn as notated ....................................................................................................... 39
Example 34: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 86–95 ................................................................ 40
1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose
During the postmodern era, many composers have experimented with eclecticism,
combining diverse styles in their music. For example, George Rochberg (1918–2005) juxtaposed
atonal music with Beethoven and Mahler in his String Quartet No. 3 (1972).1 Similarly, Alfred
Schnittke (1934–1998) combined eighteenth-century music with atonal and popular styles in his
Concerto Grosso No. 1 (1976).2 Paul Schoenfeld3 (b. 1947) is another modern composer who
blended various styles in his music. Klaus George Roy describes him in this way:
Paul Schoenfeld writes the kind of inclusive and welcoming music that gives eclecticism a good name. In the tradition of Bach, who never left German soil but wrote French suites, English suites, and Italian concertos, and in the tradition of Bartók, who absorbed and transformed not only Hungarian music but that of Romania, Bulgaria, and North Africa, Paul draws on many ethnic sources in music, assimilating them into his own distinctive language. As Donald Rosenberg wrote in the [Cleveland] Plain Dealer, reviewing Paul’s recent and nationally cheered compact disc recording of three concertos, “the composer’s grasp of music history joins hands with popular and folk traditions of America and beyond. This is cross-over art achieved with seamless craftsmanship.”4
Although Schoenfeld primarily uses a combination of folk, popular music, klezmer, and jazz in
most of his compositions, he has also incorporated other distinctive musical styles in his works,
such as neo-Baroque, particularly in his Partita for Violin and Piano (2002).
The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the eclectic combination of neo-Baroque
and klezmer elements found in Schoenfeld’s Partita. Through this research, the author hopes to
1 Roger Kamien, Music: An Appreciation (New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2018), 363. 2 Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music, 9th ed. (New York & London: W. W. Norton, 2014), 985. 3 His last name is also spelled Schoenfield. Many of his recordings and documents have this version. However, his current e-mail address and biography at the University of Michigan give the name as Schoenfeld. 4 Neil W. Levin, Milken Archive of Jewish Music, Paul Schoenfield, https://www.milkenarchive.org/artists/view/paul-schoenfield/; accessed October 15, 2019.
2
inform violinists about the neo-Baroque and klezmer compositional styles in his Partita, to help
them gain a deeper understanding of the piece and perform it with greater stylistic accuracy and
authenticity.
1.2 Significance and State of Research
The term partita has had many different meanings, depending on the historical period and
composer. During the sixteenth century, it was used to describe variations on a ground bass.5
However, in the seventeenth century, this meaning was used less often, and other composers
came up with new meanings. For example, Johann Jakob Froberger (1616–1667) used it to
simply refer to “a piece of music” in his Libro secondo di toccata… gigue et alter partite and
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704) gave the terms Pars I, Pars II, etc. in his Mensa Sonora
to divide a collection.6 Johann Kuhnau (1660–1722) used partita for a collection of musical
pieces in dance character, similar to a suite.7 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), influenced by
Kuhnau, who was his predecessor as a Thomaskantor, used the same approach.8 The term
dramatically faded during the Classical and Romantic eras, but it was revived during the modern
and post-modern eras. For example, Luigi Dallapiccola (1904–1975) composed Partita for
Orchestra in 1932, in which the last movement has a soprano singing a medieval lullaby.9 Witold
Lutosławski (1913–1994) composed Partita for Violin and Piano for Pinchas Zukerman and
Marc Neikrug in 1984, later expanded for Violin and Orchestra for Anne-Sophie Mutter in
5 Grove Music Online, s.v. “Partita,” by David Fuller and Cliff Eisen; https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2147/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.20982; accessed 8 October 2019. 6 Fuller and Eisen, “Partita.” 7 Malcolm Boyd, Bach (Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 193. 8 Ibid. 9 Ben Earle, Luigi Dallapiccola and Musical Modernism in Fascist Italy (Cambridge: Cambridge Universiy Press), 124.
3
1988.10 Some movements of this work are reminiscent of the Baroque gigue.11 Vytautas
Barkauskas (b. 1931) composed Partita for Solo Violin, Op. 12 in 1967 and he describes it as “a
suite based on the idiom of the world’s most popular dances of the twentieth century: rhumba,
blues, and beguine”.12 Philip Glass (b. 1937) composed Partita for Solo Violin in 2010, which
includes an important Baroque form, Chaconne, divided into two parts separated by other
movements in between.13
Paul Schoenfeld’s Partita was written for a joint commission from the Schubert Club (St.
Paul, MN) and the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota.14 Although this piece uses klezmer
elements, as is common with him, it also has neo-Baroque elements. In the liner notes for his CD
Souvenirs, Schoenfeld claimed that the Partita “exemplifies my great love of Bach and is written
throughout primarily using the forms and harmonic language of the Baroque.”15
Although there are no current published books about Paul Schoenfeld and his works, they
have been discussed in a number of dissertations. Mark Trimble mainly discusses the history of
klezmer music and analyzes its influence on Klezmer Rondos.16 David Pasbrig provides an
analysis along with a synopsis of the text of Schoenfeld’s Sparks of Glory.17 He focuses on
10 The Official Website of Witold Lutosławski, http://www.lutoslawski.org.pl/en/composition,72.html; accessed 11 May 2020. 11 Ibid, commented on by Lutosławski. 12 Robert Markow, program notes to Barkauskas, Partita, performed by Noémi Racine Gaudreault, https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/notes/18744 13 Philip Glass, program notes to Partita, performed by Tim Fain and Philip Glass, https://performingarts.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/UFPA_Philip_Glass_Tim_Fain.pdf 14 Paul Schoenfield, liner notes to Souvenirs, performed by William Terwilliger and Andrew Cooperstock (ACD 71241, CD, 2007). 15 Ibid. 16 Mark Trimble, “The Klezmer Influence in Paul Schoenfield’s Klezmer Rondos” (DMA document, University of North Texas, 2011). 17 David Pasbrig, “An Analysis of Paul Schoenfield’s Sparks of Glory” (DMA document, Temple University, 2005).
4
motivic development, octave displacement, and atonal techniques, as well as discussing the
presence of jazz and folk idioms. Rachel Kaplan discusses both Classical and klezmer elements
in Klezmer Rondos.18 She also lists compositions of Schoenfeld’s that were influenced by
klezmer style, not including the Partita for Violin and Piano. Anthony Pattin briefly analyzes
four musical elements—melody, harmony, rhythm, and classical forms—in many of
Schoenfeld’s chamber works for piano, including Six British Folksongs, Country Fiddle Pieces,
Trio for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano, Café Music, Elegy, Rag, and Boogie.19 In addition, he
discusses the technical problems and makes suggestions for performance. Kristyn Son takes a
different approach, exploring how Schoenfeld’s Slovakian Children’s Songs was influenced by
Bartók’s For Children.20 Similarly, Do Yeon Kim discusses how Schoenfeld’s Refractions was
influenced by Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and klezmer music, as well as how the musical
material from Schoenfeld’s Sha’atnez is borrowed from an opera by Joseph Weigl and a
Russian-Ukrainian folk song.21 Furthermore, her dissertation is valuable for her interview with
the composer about his compositional styles.
Two dissertations focus on Schoenfeld’s chamber works that include violin. Kristie
Janczyk provides a performance guide to both piano and violin parts in Schoenfeld’s Four
Souvenirs for Violin and Piano from a jazz perspective.22 She also compares the draft and
18 Rachel Kaplan, “Tradition Revisited: A Blend of Old-World Entertainment and Formal Setting of Classical Music in Paul Schoenfield’s Concerto, Klezmer Rondos for Flute, Male Vocalist and Orchestra” (DMA document, University of Arizona, 2011). 19 Anthony P. Pattin, “Pianist-Composer Paul Schoenfield as Seen in the Chamber Works with Piano” (DMA document, University of Alabama, 1994), 6. 20 Kristyn Son, “Comparative Analysis of Slovakian Folk Elements from Béla Bartók’s For Children in Paul Schoenfield’s Slovakian Children’s Songs” (DMA document, University of North Texas, 2015). 21 Do Yeon Kim, “Paul Schoenfeld’s ‘Refractory’ Method of Composition: A Study of Refractions and Sha’atnez” (DMA document, University of Cincinnati, 2019). 22 Kristie Janczyk, “Paul Schoenfeld and his Four Souvenirs for Violin and Piano” (DMA document, Arizona State University, 2015).
5
published versions of this piece. Hannah Marcus looks primarily at the klezmer folk elements
found in Schoenfeld’s Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano.23
Thus, although several dissertations have been written about Schoenfeld’s life and
compositions, there are no resources available for his Partita for Violin and Piano. Neither have
any dissertations looked at his neo-Baroque style in detail. This dissertation is significant in that
it is the first comprehensive analysis of the Partita and its neo-Baroque style.
Reviews of the Partita have been favorable. Allen Gimbel remarks that the Partita “is
quite virtuosic, and one of the best pieces of chamber music I’ve heard recently. Ambitious
violinists should take note.”24 Nevertheless, this work is less frequently performed than
Schoenfeld’s other chamber works, as reflected in only one recording of the Partita having been
made, by William Terwilliger on violin and Andrew Cooperstock on piano. Through this
research, the author hopes to bring Schoenfeld’s Partita to the attention of violinists and broaden
the violin repertoire.
23 Hannah Marcus, “Klezmer Elements in Paul Schoenfield’s Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano: A Violinist’s Perspective” (DMA document, Louisiana State University, 2018). 24 Allen Gimbel, “Schoenfield: Souvenirs; Partita; Country Fiddle Pieces; Café Music,” American Record Guide 70, no. 6 (November–December 2007): 171.
6
CHAPTER 2
PAUL SCHOENFELD
2.1 Biography
Paul Schoenfeld was born on January 24, 1947 in Detroit, Michigan. He began playing the
piano at the age of six and wrote his first composition at the age of seven.25 He received his
bachelor’s degree in music from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, then went to Carnegie
Mellon University where he received master’s degrees in both music and mathematics.26 He later
obtained his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Arizona at the age of 22.27 He
studied composition with Robert Muczynski and Nikolai Lopatnikoff, and piano with Julius Chajes,
Ozan Marsh, and Rudolf Serkin.28 He has held academic appointments at the University of Toledo,
University of Akron, and University of Minnesota, teaching a wide array of courses such as piano,
composition, theory, and orchestration.29 He is currently a professor of composition at the
University of Michigan. He has also taught mathematics to high-school students in Israel.30
Schoenfeld has won several awards for his compositions, as the Cleveland Arts Prize in
1994, and he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Camp Songs (2001).31 Many of his
compositions have been performed by prestigious orchestras including the New York Philharmonic,
the Seattle Symphony, the Haifa Symphony, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, the Minnesota
25 Kim, “Refractory,” 7. 26 Kaplan, “Tradition Revisited,” 12. 27 Ibid. 28 Pasbrig, “Analysis of Paul Schoenfield,” 1. 29 Ibid. 30 Ibid. 31 Kim, “Refractory,” 10.
7
Orchestra, the Cleveland Symphony, and the National Symphony.32 Furthermore, he has received
numerous grants and commissions, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ohio Arts
Commission, Chamber Music America, the Rockefeller Fund, the Minnesota Commissioning Club,
American Composers Forum, Soli Deo Gloria of Chicago, and the Juilliard School’s 100th
anniversary celebration.33
A highly regarded pianist, he has toured and performed as a soloist and a chamber
musician in the United States, Europe, and South America. In 1966, he performed Mussorgsky’s
Pictures at an Exhibition as a solo pianist with the New York Philharmonic with Leonard
Bernstein conducting for the Young People’s Concerts: Young Performers series, which was
televised nationally.34 In addition, he has won many piano competitions, such as the Leonard
Bernstein Competition, National Young Artist’s Award, Minnesota Music Academy Award, and
Southwest Pianists’ Foundation Award.35 He has recorded many works as a pianist, notably The
Complete Music for Violin and Piano (1981) of Béla Bartók with violinist Sergiu Luca for
Nonesuch and The Best of Joplin (1983) for Pro-Arte.36
2.2 Compositional Style
Schoenfeld’s compositional style can be divided into two periods, which Kim describes as
“pivoting around 1972.”37 His early works feature modern compositional techniques, such as
32 Kaplan, “Tradition Revisited,” 14. 33 The Official Website of Paul Schoenfield, http://www.paulschoenfield.org/id1.html; accessed 6 February 2020. 34 Kaplan, “Tradition Revisited,” 12. 35 Ibid.; Pattin, “Pianist–Composer Paul Schoenfield,” 2. 36 Ibid.; The publications of these recordings are Bartok: The Complete Music for Violin and Piano, performed by Sergiu Luca, Paul Schoenfield, and David Shifrin (Nonesuch B000SVJX5Y, Vinyl, 1981); The Best of Joplin, performed by Paul Schoenfield (Pro Arte SDS-613,Vinyl,1983). 37 Kim, “Paul Schoenfeld’s ‘Refractory’,” 9.
8
changing meters, bitonality, and a high level of dissonance.38 He also incorporated tone clusters by
playing with the whole arm or fist, or plucking the piano strings.39 His musical influences do not
seem to come from his former composition teacher, Robert Muczynski. During his interview with
Pattin, Schoenfeld said, “We never accomplished much work together; just sat around chatting and
smoking cigarettes.”40 During his early career, composers such as Milton Babbitt (1916–2011) and
Elliot Carter (1908–2012) dominated the musical world in complicated styles that featured atonality
or total serialism and Schoenfeld was influenced by the world around him.41 One of Schoenfeld’s
early works, Concerto Grosso (1972) for Large Orchestra, premiered by the Toledo Symphony
Orchestra, includes amplified piano and incorporates atonality and extremes of volume.42
Unfortunately, he threw the majority of his early works away.43
During his teaching appointment at the University of Toledo in the early 1970s, Schoenfeld
was asked to write a chamber ensemble piece for a contemporary music festival.44 As a result, he
composed a piece called Burlesque for Saxophone, Trumpet, Double Bass, Piano, and Percussion.
This work embraces diverse elements such as jazz, folk, and popular tunes.45 He said of it, “I wrote
this piece based on the image of the circus. I decided to be stupid, not being nasty but making fun of
things, like being a kid. After I wrote Burlesque, I realized that these kinds of music are very fun to
play.” 46 As a result, he changed his compositional style by fusing diverse musical elements,
38 Pattin, “Pianist–Composer Paul Schoenfield,” 5. 39 Ibid. 40 Pattin, “Paul Schoenfield,” 6. 41 Kim, “Refractory,” 9. 42 Pattin, “Paul Schoenfield,” 5. 43 Kim, “Refractory,” 75. 44 Ibid. 45 Kim, “Paul Schoenfeld’s ‘Refractory’,” 10. 46 Ibid.
9
becoming well-known as a composer who “eclectically combines disparate ideas from different
environments and cultures to create a unique musical pastiche.”47
47 Kaplan, “Tradition Revisited,” 14.
10
CHAPTER 3
BAROQUE AND KLEZMER ELEMENTS IN SCHOENFELD’S OTHER WORKS
3.1 Baroque Influence
Although Schoenfeld primarily writes music that fuses folk, popular, klezmer, and jazz
elements, a few of his works also feature neo-Baroque elements. For example, his Quintet for
Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Violoncello (1970), written as one of the requirements of his
Doctor of Musical Arts degree,48 makes use of Baroque forms, such as chaconne and fugue, with
contrapuntal devices such as inversion and retrograde.49
Schoenfeld’s Peccadilloes (1997) for solo piano also contains neo-Baroque elements. In
the liner notes for his recording, James Tocco observes that the work “is a fascinating homage to
the Baroque suites of Bach and Handel….”50 Bach placed the Allemande as the first dance in his
French Suites, and Schoenfeld did the same with his Peccadilloes, even starting with the
characteristic upbeat of late Baroque allemandes.51 Furthermore, he titled the second movement
Fughetta, defined as “a short, less ambitious fugue”; “probably the first important use of this
word was J. S. Bach’s in the book 3 of Clavier-Übung written for organ in 1739.”52
3.2 A Brief History of Klezmer and Its Influence on Schoenfeld’s Works
The term Klezmer originated in two Yiddish words: kley (vessels, instruments) and zemer
48 Kim, “Refractory,” 9. 49 Paul Emerson Schoenfeld, “Quintet for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Violoncello” (DMA document, University of Arizona, 1970). 50 James Tocco, liner notes to Schoenfield, Peccadilloes, performed by Tocco (Naxos 8.559380, CD, 2010). 51 Anthony Newman, Bach and the Baroque (Stuyvesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1995), 223. 52 Grove Music Online, s.v. “Fughetta,” by Paul M. Walker; https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2147/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.10357; accessed 13 October 2019.
11
(song).53 This term was first used by the Yiddish-speaking Jews of Eastern Europe, and later by
the Jewish immigrant communities in North America.54 It originally referred to the traveling
musicians of Eastern Europe, but later also to the musical genre and style of these musicians.55
Seth Rogovoy notes that “the Soviet-Jewish ethnomusicologist Moshe Beregovski, writing in the
1930s, is believed to have been one of the first to use the term klezmer in this matter, applying it
to the music played by the klezmorim.”56 However, this term did not receive much attention until
the late 1970s, when the American klezmer revival period began.57 Before then, musicians who
performed Jewish dance music called it “playing Jewish” or “playing bulgars,” one of the
popular Jewish dance genres.58 Composers, both Jewish and non-Jewish, who were influenced
by klezmer include Ernest Bloch (1880–1959), Joseph Achron (1886–1943), George Gershwin
(1898–1937), Aaron Copland (1900–1990), Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975), and Leonard
Bernstein (1918–1990).59
The characteristics of klezmer music are modal scales and Hasidic vocal ornaments.
Instead of the major and minor scales of Western music, klezmer uses distinctive Jewish prayer
modes. Furthermore, although klezmer is based on secular instrumental music, it is originally
derived from Hasidic devotional vocal music.60 Sophie Solomon explains that for authentic
53 Sophie Solomon, “Masterclass, Klezmer Violin Techniques,” The Strad 118, no. 1401 (January 2007): 62. 54 Joel Edward Rubin, “The Art of the Klezmer: Improvisation and Ornamentation in the Commercial Recordings of New York Clarinetists Naftule Brandwein and Dave Tarras, 1922–1929” (DMA document, The City University, London, 2001), 20. 55 Seth Rogovoy, The Essential Klezmer: A Music Lover’s Guide to Jewish Roots and Soul Music (Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2000), 8. 56 Ibid. 57 Ibid. 58 Ibid. 59 Kaplan, “Tradition Revisited,” 30.; Marcus, “Klezmer Elements,” 4. 60 Solomon, “Masterclass,” 62.
12
klezmer performance, instrumentalists should emulate the vocal styles of cantorial chanting and
Yiddish song with ornamentation.61 These ornaments include trills, turns, mordents, portamento,
harmonics, and pitch-bends. Schoenfeld incorporates all these characteristics in many of his
compositions. He said of himself, “I’m an American Jew. Out of this fact comes my music.”62
His Klezmer Rondos was written in 1989 for flute with a small accompanying ensemble, then
revised in 1994 for flute, baritone, and symphony orchestra, premiered by the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra.63 According to the liner notes by Neil W. Levin, this work features “a
contemporary incarnation of an eastern European klezmer band, with some historically
emblematic instruments along with other, atypical ones.”64 Schoenfeld’s Trio for Clarinet,
Violin, and Piano (1990), which contains Eastern European Jewish folk melodies of the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is intended to be performed at both concert halls and Hasidic
gatherings.65 His Tales from Chełm (1991), written for a narrator and string quartet, is a
programmatic work that portrays comical incidents and scenes of the Jews living in the Polish
city of Chełm.66 His Sparks of Glory (1995), commissioned by the Tilles family of Minnesota to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, is based on a story of Holocaust
survivors.67 Furthermore, his Viola Concerto (1997–98) was composed when he lived in Israel
and there was a kindergarten underneath his studio. This work is based on the Hasidic liturgical
61 Solomon, “Masterclass,” 62. 62 Pattin, “Paul Schoenfield,” 8. 63 Neil W. Levin, liner notes to Schoenfield, Klezmer Rondos, performed by Scott Goff, Alberto Mizrahi, Gerard Schwarz, and the Seattle Symphony (Naxos 8.559403, CD, 2004). 64 Ibid. 65 Pattin, “Paul Schoenfield,” 22 66 Neil W. Levin, liner notes to Schoenfield, Tales from Chelm, performed by the Ciompi String Quartet, (Milken Archive Digital MAV 1006, 2011), https://www.milkenarchive.org/music/volumes/view/intimate-voices/work/tales-from-chelm/ 67 Pasbrig, “Paul Schoenfield,” iv.
13
tunes he heard those children singing in the classroom and outside his home.68 His The Merchant
and the Pauper (1999) is a two-act opera, the libretto of which is based on a story told by one of
the important figures of the Hasidic history, Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav (1772–1811), in 1809.69
Schoenfeld’s other Klezmer-influenced compositions include Achat Sha’alti (2001), Ufaratsta
(2001), Six Improvisations on Hassidic Melodies (2003), Channah (2006), Six Hassidic Songs
(2007), and Ghetto Songs (2008).70
68 Neil W. Levin, liner notes to Schoenfield, Viola Concerto, performed by Robert Vernon, Yoel Levi, and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (Naxos 8.559418, CD, 2004). 69 Ibid. 70 Kaplan, “Tradition Revisited,” 42.
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CHAPTER 4
SCHOENFELD’S PARTITA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO (2002)
4.1 Background of Partita for Violin and Piano
Schoenfeld’s Partita was premiered by the violinist Young-Nam Kim, a violin professor
at the University of Minnesota, and the composer himself playing the piano at a Chamber Music
Society of Minnesota concert in St. Paul in 2002.71 In the liner notes for this work, Schoenfeld
explains: “Having grown up in Detroit, I have fond memories of my earliest chamber music
partners there, many of whom were violinists. The work is reminiscent of these musicians, and
expresses the deep gratitude and affection I’ve had for them over the years.”72
4.2 Comparative Analysis of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Compositions and Schoenfeld’s Partita for Violin and Piano
Although Schoenfeld did not directly quote Bach’s compositions in the Partita, he
adopted Bach’s compositional style in distinctive ways. This section compares each movement
of Schoenfeld’s Partita with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Clavier-Übung I, BWV 825–830, and Sei
Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato, BWV 1001–1006, primarily in terms of forms,
imitative passages, rhythms, and other stylistic features.
Whereas Bach follows the standard order of Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue
and uses the same key in all movements in his Partitas and Suites, Schoenfeld does not follow
that order and uses different keys in each movement of his Partita. However, just as Bach wrote
71 Steven Ledbetter, program notes to Schoenfield, Partita, performed by Elisabeth Adkins and Lisa Emenheiser, http://21stcenturyconsort.org/media/programs/tcc2004_04-17-04_Concert_Program.pdf 72 Schoenfeld, liner notes.
15
seven movements in five of his six Keyboard Partitas,73 Schoenfeld uses the same number in his
Partita (see Table 1).
Table 1. Comparison of Partita structure: J. S. Bach and Paul Schoenfeld
Movement Typical order of Bach’s Keyboard Partita, BWV 825–830
Schoenfeld’s Partita for Violin and Piano
1 Free form Overture
2 Allemande Minuet
3 Courante Rondeau
4 Sarabande Prelude
5 Free form Fughetta
6 Free form Nigun
7 Gigue Sinfonia
4.2.1 Overture
Schoenfeld’s Partita begins with an Overture resembling the French overture of the
Baroque era, a popular type of movement used in orchestral suites, keyboard music, and opera
overtures. Bach used it in many of his compositions; for example, the first movement of the
Partita for Keyboard No. 4 in D major, BWV 828. Bach begins this movement with dotted
rhythms in slow tempo in duple meter, as commonly used in other French overtures74 (see Ex. 1),
depicting the “majestic, heroic, festive, and pompous.”75 Schoenfeld also uses these stylistic
features at the beginning of his Overture movement; the majestic dotted rhythm first appears in
the violin part followed by the piano (see Ex. 2).
73 George Buelow, A History of Baroque Music (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004), 516. 74 Grove Music Online, s.v., “French Overture,” by George Gow Waterman; https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2147/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.10210; accessed 16 October 2019. 75 Ibid.
16
Example 1: J. S. Bach, Partita for Keyboard No. 4 in D major, BWV 828, Overture, mm. 1–5
Example 2: Paul Schoenfeld, Partita for Violin and Piano, Overture, mm. 1–8
17
In the second section of his Partita for Keyboard No. 4 in D major, Bach uses a
contrasting fugal style, also typical of the French Overture in the Baroque era.76 Generally, this
fugal section is in triple meter77 and has a faster tempo than the first section.78 Schoenfeld, too,
uses triple meter and a faster tempo in the fugal section (see Ex. 3).
Example 3: Schoenfeld, Partita, Overture, fugal section, mm. 29–35
The fugal section of Schoenfeld’s Overture is reminiscent of the Fugue in Bach’s Violin
Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001. In a typical fugue, the fugal answer is transposed up a fifth
or down a fourth.79 In this Fugue, however, Bach did something unusual with the answer: he
76 Waterman, “French Overture.” 77 Newman, Bach and the Baroque, 119. 78 Waterman, “French Overture.” 79 Grove Music Online, s. v., “Fugue,” by Paul M. Walker; https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2147/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.51678; accessed 15 October 2019
18
transposed it down a fifth to C minor (see Ex. 4). Like Bach, Schoenfeld transposes the answer
down a fifth to C minor from G minor (see Ex. 3 above).
Example 4: Bach, Sonata for Violin No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, Fugue, mm. 1–3
4.2.2 Minuet
Schoenfeld uses the Baroque dance form Minuet in the second movement. The Minuet,
considered the most famous French dance, was introduced to the French court in the 1660s.80
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687), a central figure of this dance, included no fewer than ninety-
two minuets in his theatrical works.81 During the eighteenth century, composers such as George
Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach commonly used the Minuet as an optional movement
in their suites and partitas,82 between the Sarabande and the Gigue.83 In addition, this dance was
so popular that it was the only Baroque dance form that continued to be found in the movements
of Classical symphonies and sonatas.84 In 1752, Jean Lecointe in his book on dance stated: “I
know nothing in the whole art of dancing more noble, more expressive, nor more elegant, than
the Minuet…. The Minuet is in fashion everywhere: They dance it both at court and in the city: it
80 Meredith Little and Natalie Jenne, Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach, expanded ed. (Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2001), 62. 81 Ibid. 82 Dione Napier, “A Study of J. S. Bach’s Sacred and Secular Vocal Works Influenced by Popular Stylized Dance of the French Baroque Court: A Performer’s Guide” (DMA document, University of Kentucky, 2014), 44. 83 Little and Jenne, Dance, 65. 84 Ibid., 62.
19
is used all over Europe.”85 The time signature for the Minuet is 3/4. Bach composed 28
movements entitled Minuet, most of them bipartite: two Minuets to be performed in succession,
with a return of the first Minuet after the second.86 The two Minuets are contrasting in style,
texture, instrumentation, and key.87 Schoenfeld also uses triple meter and adopts two contrasting
ideas followed by a return of first (see Table 2).
Table 2. Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, structure
A B Aʹ
mm. 1–52 mm. 53–109 mm. 110–36
Little and Jenne describe how the melodies of the Minuet “normally have a narrow range
of pitch and tend to move stepwise rather than in large intervallic leaps.”88 This feature can be
seen in the Minuet movement in Bach’s Partita for Violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006 (see Ex.
5). Schoenfeld also employs these characteristics at the beginning of the movement, with a small
range of intervals moving in stepwise, but breaks away from this convention by moving in leaps
from m. 5 in the violin part (see Ex. 6).
Example 5: Bach, Partita for Violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006, Minuet I, mm. 1–6
85 Quoted in ibid., 63. 86 Little and Jenne, Dance, 73. 87 Ibid. 88 Ibid., 70.
20
Example 6: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 1–9
During the Baroque period, one of the main characteristics of dance music in triple meter
was frequent hemiola,89 in which the music briefly changes from groups of two to groups of
three (or vice versa). This characteristic can be seen in the Minuet in Bach’s Partita for
Keyboard No. 4 in D major (see Ex. 7). Similarly, Schoenfeld incorporates hemiola by adding a
tie over the barline in m. 73 of the piano part, thus shifting from triple to duple meter (see Ex. 8).
89 David Grimes, Treasures of the Baroque: A Collection of Music from Baroque Guitar and Lute Tablatures Volume 3 (Pacific, MO: Mel Bay, 2015), IX.
21
Example 7: Bach, Partita for Keyboard No. 4 in D Major, Minuet, mm. 13-21
Example 8: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 71–76
4.2.3 Rondeau
The third movement, Rondeau, was considered one of the optional movements in Bach’s
partitas. Burkholder, Grout, and Palisca describe how “the rondeau uses the sequence of the
refrains and contrasting couplets proceeding in a predictable manner such as A B A C A D,
etc.”90 Bach used this term together with a specific dance for pieces composed around 1720, such
as Gavotte en rondeau (BWV 1006) and Passepied en rondeau (BWV 810).91 However, he
90 Burkholder, Grout, and Palisca, A History of Western Music, 372. 91 Richard D. P. Jones, The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach, Vol. 2: 1717–1750 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 240.
22
reverted to the plain term Rondeau in his later pieces, such as Partita in C minor, BWV 826, and
Ouverture in B minor, BWV 1067,92 as Schoenfeld did in this movement. Wang describes an
unusual feature in the Rondeau in Bach’s Keyboard Partita in C minor: “varying and developing
the refrain on a different rhythmic pattern for the last two of its recurrences, which are like
variations of the original refrain.”93 Similarly, the recurring refrains in Schoenfeld’s Rondeau are
also altered. For example, the movement starts with the piano having the melody while the violin
remains silent for two measures (see Ex. 9).
Example 9: Schoenfeld, Partita, Rondeau, mm. 1–2
The next refrain is developed by giving the melody to the violin part an octave higher.
Moreover, the piano part has a new idea, with the left hand moving in sixths and rolled quarter-
note chords (see Ex. 10). The last refrain also has the melody in the violin part, and now the
rolled chords of the left-hand piano have moved to the right hand. In addition, the piano part has
a homophonic texture, supporting the melody with chords (see Ex. 11).
92 Jones, The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach, 240. 93 Xiaoyan Wang, “An Analysis of Bach’s Partita No. 2, Haydn’s Fantasia in C major, and Schumann’s Carnival” (DMA document, University of Alabama, 2015), 8.
23
Example 10: Schoenfeld, Partita, Rondeau, mm. 52–54
Example 11: Schoenfeld, Partita, Rondeau, mm. 90–93
One common compositional feature of Baroque music was imitative writing. In this
movement, Schoenfeld incorporates imitative passages in various ways. For instance, the violin
melody in m. 53 is repeated by the right hand of the piano with the same rhythmic pattern from
beat 2 (see Ex. 10 above). There is also an imitative passage in fragments. In Ex. 12, the violin
part starts with an ascending pattern in the melody, imitated by the right hand of the piano after
only one beat, like a stretto.
24
Example 12: Schoenfeld, Partita, Rondeau, mm. 6–7
4.2.4 Prelude
Whereas Prelude is the title of a first movement of Bach’s compositions, Schoenfeld
placed it fourth. Nevertheless, this movement closely resembles the Prelude in Bach’s Partita for
Violin No. 3 in E major. Jimin Ham describes how Bach’s Prelude has “consistent sixteenth
notes, derived mainly from broken chords, ascending and descending nimbly,”94 and Schoenfeld
uses similar features throughout the movement. At the beginning of the movement, Bach and the
violin part in Schoenfeld’s Prelude have a similar melodic contour with broken chords (see Exx.
13 and 14).
Example 13: Bach, Partita for Violin No. 3, Prelude, mm. 1–2
94 Jimin Ham, “A Comparative Analysis of J. S. Bach’s Three Partitas for Solo Violin” (DMA document, University of Cincinnati, 2003), 61.
25
Example 14: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 1–4, violin part
In the Prelude in Bach’s Violin Partita No. 3, there are consecutive string-crossings
throughout. In Exx. 15 and 16, although Bach’s Prelude uses three strings and Schoenfeld’s
Prelude uses two, their melodic ideas move in a similar pattern, with descending motion of the
low note and high note alternately. The red circles indicate the upper notes; the blue circles, the
lower notes.
Example 15: Bach, Partita for Violin No. 3, Prelude, mm. 19–30
Example 16: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 51–61
26
Schoenfeld further develops this technique by incorporating double stops (see Ex. 17).
Example 17: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 67–77
Although metrical dissonance has long been used by Western composers, only recently
has there been significant research on the subject by music scholars.95 Harald Krebs, a central
figure in metrical dissonance, developed a theory as “a strong tool for identifying the irregular
rhythmic structures which can be found underneath a given musical metre.”96 Ulrik Skat
Sorensen observes that “these rhythmic structures are created by interactions between various
rhythmic layers, which Krebs refers to as ‘layers of motion.’”97 Krebs explains there are different
types of layers: the pulse layer is “the most quickly moving pervasive series of pulses”98, the
interpretive layer is a “series of regularly recurring pulses that move slower than the pulse
layer,” and these layers are produced by durational, dynamic, density, registral, and harmonic
95 Jennifer Rae Shirley, “A Taxonomy of the Effects and Affects of Surface-Level Metric Dissonance” (Master’s thesis, Louisiana State University, 2007), 1. 96 Ulrik Skat Sorensen, “Metrical Dissonance in the Works of Carl Nielsen: A Metrical Analysis of ‘Sinfonia Espansiva,’ First Movement,” Carl Nielsen Studies 5 (October 2012): 328. 97 Ibid. 98 Harald Krebs, Fantasy Pieces (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 23.
27
accents.99 When these interpretive layers do not align, metrical dissonance is produced.100
Furthermore, there are two types of metrical dissonance: grouping dissonance and displacement
dissonance.101 Grouping dissonance results when the interpretive layers have different pulse
units; for example a group of two against three.102 Displacement dissonance occurs when the
interpretative layers have the same pulse units, but they are not aligned.103
Example 18: Bach, Suite for Keyboard No. 2, Courante, mm. 46–49, grouping dissonance, after Krebs (1999). Fig. 3.7104
Bach incorporates both grouping dissonance and displacement dissonance in his
compositions, especially the Suites and Partitas.105 Krebs describes many examples of grouping
dissonance in particular in Bach’s dances in triple meter.106 For instance, in the Courante of
Bach’s Suite for Keyboard No. 2, the pulse layer is eighth notes (see Ex. 18). The left hand has
an interpretive layer of four eighth-note pulses, because there is a recurring pattern of registral
99 Krebs, Fantasy Pieces, 23. 100 Ibid., 31. 101 Ibid. 102 Sorensen, “Metrical Dissonance,” 331. 103 Ibid. 104 Ibid. 105 Krebs, Fantasy Pieces, 71. 106 Ibid.
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accents on every four eighth notes. The right hand articulates a sequential pattern (or accents) of
three eighth-note pulses, creating a grouping dissonance of 4/3, notated “G 4/3.”
Schoenfeld uses a similar approach in his Prelude movement. For example, this
movement has a pulse layer of eighth notes, articulated by a recurring harmonic pattern of two
eighth-note pulses in the left-hand piano, while the violin has an articulation of recurring
groupings of three eighth notes. Overall, this creates G 3/2 (see Ex. 19).
Example 19: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 9–10, grouping dissonance
As already mentioned, a displacement dissonance occurs while the interpretative layers
have the same pulse units, displaced from one another. Examples of displacement dissonance can
be found in many of Bach’s Sarabandes.107 Schoenfeld employs the same idea, as shown in Ex.
20. In mm. 19–22, both the violin and piano parts have interpretive layers of four eighth-note
pulses. The recurring pattern of accents on every third note in the left hand of the piano is
displaced with the down beats of a sequential pattern in the violin by two beats. These non-
alignment layers between the left hand and the violin part create a displacement dissonance of
D4+2, in which 4 refers to 4 eighth-note pulses and 2 signifies how many pulse layers are
107 Krebs, Fantasy Pieces, 71.
29
displaced. Another recurring pattern of sforzando on every fourth note in the left-hand piano and
violin parts create a displacement dissonance of D4+3.
Example 20: Schoenfeld, Partita, Prelude, mm. 18–22, displacement dissonance
4.2.5 Fughetta
Whereas Bach’s Fughettas are short in duration, Schoenfeld’s Fughetta is longer, bearing
greater resemblance to Bach’s Fugues. During the Baroque era, fugue occupied “a highly
honored position among compositional genres.”108 Since Bach did not entitle any movements in
his Partitas “fugue,” Schoenfeld’s movement will be compared with the fugues in the Well-
Tempered Clavier, Book II. There, in the expositions of every fugue, the answer to the subject
often comes right after or with the last note of the subject, although there are a few instances
where Bach composes a link between subject and answer. This latter situation can be seen in
Bach’s Fugue 15 in G major from WTC II, where the answer in the alto part of m. 8 is separated
by the subject in the soprano by two measures with a link between them (see Ex. 21). Similarly,
Schoenfeld separates the answer from the subject by adding a link on the third beat of m. 4
through m. 5 (see Ex. 22).
108 Joel Lester, Bach’s Works for Solo Violin (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 56.
30
Example 21: Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier II, Fugue 15 in G major, mm. 1–12
Example 22: Schoenfeld, Partita, Fughetta, mm. 1–9
4.2.6 Nigun
Schoenfeld called the sixth movement Nigun (nigunim in the plural)109 and it is the only
109 Nigun is central to the Hasidic Judaism worship, being sung to uplift people’s spirits closer to God.
31
movement that features a solo violin. Nigun is a vocal genre of the Hasidic Jews.110 Although
this movement mainly employs the klezmer style, as will be explained in the next section, it also
briefly features a Baroque element. In m. 13, Schoenfeld incorporates the same notes and a
similar dotted rhythmic figure from the beginning of the Overture movement, which resembles a
French Overture (see Ex. 23). In Baroque rhythmic practice, dotted notes were often interpreted
as double dotted, as Schoenfeld does in this example.
Example 23: Schoenfeld, Partita, Nigun, m. 13
4.2.7 Sinfonia
The title Sinfonia was originally used to denote an introductory instrumental movement
of an opera or operatic scene.111 However, during the middle of the seventeenth century, the term
started to be used for the introductory movement of an orchestral suite.112 Bach employed this
title in the first movement of Keyboard Partita No. 2 in C minor, dividing the movement into
three sections with tempo markings Grave Adagio—Andante—Allegro. In contrast with Bach and
other operatic and orchestral sinfonias, Schoenfeld used this title not as an introductory
movement, but rather in the last movement. Although he does not divide this movement into
three separate sections, he incorporates a similar style to the Allegro section of Bach’s Keyboard
110 Joshua S. Walden, “An Essential Expression of the People: Interpretations of Hasidic Song in the Composition and Performance History of Ernest Bloch’s Baal Shem,” Journal of the American Musicological Society 65, no. 3 (fall 2012): 789 111 Michael Eric Hicks, “A Historical Perspective on Unity in the Keyboard Partitas of Johann Sebastian Bach” (DMA Document, University of Texas at Austin, 1993), 185. 112 Ibid.
32
Partita No. 2. For instance, he adopts the fugal style with rhythmic patterns that consist mostly of
sixteenth and eighth notes (see Ex. 24 and 25).
Example 24: Bach, Partita for Keyboard No. 2 in C minor, Sinfonia, mm. 29–35, Allegro section
Example 25: Schoenfeld, Partita, Sinfonia, mm. 1–9
33
Geraldine Luethi describes how the Sinfonia in Bach’s Keyboard Partita No. 2 “is a
dramatic melding of contrasting elements, as the components seem to build on one another,
increasing in speed and complexity to an intense ending.”113 This “intense ending” is a dramatic
dotted chordal figure at the end, after the two-voice counterpoint. Although Schoenfeld does not
adopt this characteristic, he keeps this intense feeling by marking piu mosso and includes double
stops and octaves in the violin part towards the end of the section.
4.3 Detailed Analysis of Klezmer Style in Schoenfeld’s Partita for Violin and Piano
Like many of Schoenfeld’s other compositions, his Partita contains a variety of klezmer
characteristics, such as modal scales and Hasidic vocal ornamentation. This section discusses
these klezmer elements in detail, then explores how he incorporates them in his Partita.
4.3.1 Modal Scales
There are four types of modal scales that make the sound “klezmer.” The Ahava Raba
(Hebrew for “a great love”) is an altered Phrygian mode, with a raised third degree of the scale
(see Ex. 26).114 This creates an augmented second between scale degrees 2 and 3. Sometimes the
penultimate note of the scale can be raised, too, creating an additional augmented second.115
Example 26: Ahava Raba (altered D Phrygian mode)
113 Geraldine Luethi, J. S. Bach Solo Piano Literature: A Comprehensive Guide, ed. Carolyn Maxwell (Boulder, CO: Maxwell Music Evaluation, 1989), 273. 114 Yale Strom, The Book of Klezmer: The History, the Music, the Folklore (Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2002), 122. 115 Ibid.
34
The Mogen-Avos (Hebrew for “guardian of our father”) modal scale is equivalent to the
Aeolian mode, also known as the natural minor scale (see Example 27). 116 Sometimes the sixth
and seventh scale degrees are raised when ascending, similar to a melodic minor scale.117
Example 27: Mogen-Avos (D Aeolian mode)
The Mishebeyrakh (Hebrew for “He who blesses”) or sometimes Ov Horakhamim
(“Father of mercy”) modal scale is an altered Dorian, in which the fourth degree of the Dorian
mode is raised (see Ex. 28).118 Moshe Beregovski describes how “the altered Dorian has a minor
triad as its tonic chord: the fourth degree above the tonic is raised, the sixth is major, and the
seventh is minor.”119
Example 28: Mishebeyrakh (altered D Dorian mode)
The Adonoy Molekh (Hebrew for “the Lord is king”) modal scale is equivalent to the
Mixolydian mode (see Ex. 29).120 The seventh scale degree can be raised when the notes are
ascending.121
116 Yale Strom, Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012), 95. 117 Ibid. 118 Ibid., 96. 119 Jewish Instrumental Folk Music: The Collections and Writings of Moshe Beregovski (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2001), 16–17. 120 Strom, Shpil, 96. 121 Ibid.
35
Example 29: Adonoy Molekh (D Mixolydian mode)
In the Partita, Schoenfeld employs both Mishebeyrakh and Ahava Raba modal scales in
many places. For example, from the last beat of m. 53, the Minuet movement has an altered B
Dorian modal scale, in which scale degree of 4 is raised (E#).
Example 30: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 51–60
Another instance of the Mishebeyrakh modal scale can be found from m. 96 of the same
movement. This time, the same melody of the violin from Ex. 30 is transposed down a half step,
creating an altered Bb Dorian modal scale (see Ex. 31).
36
Example 31: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 96–99
In his Rondeau movement, Schoenfeld employs Ahava Raba, or altered D Phrygian
mode, by raising the third scale degree (F#) in the violin and the right-hand piano, while the left
hand has ascending and descending chromatic movements (see Ex. 12 above).
4.3.2 Hasidic Vocal Ornamentation
Hasidism, founded by the rabbi Ba’al Shem Tov (1698–1760), is a religious subgroup of
Judaism that began in Ukraine.122 Its purpose was to worship God through singing and dancing
with joy and happiness.123 In the Partita, Schoenfeld also employs the Hasidic vocal genre with
ornamentation, as created by cantors chanting,124 and evoking the emotions and reactions of the
human voice, such as sobbing, whining, and laughing.125 Whereas Schoenfeld entitled other
movements based on Bach’s partitas, for his sixth movement he used the term Nigun, a vocal
genre of Hasidic Jews, as mentioned in the previous sub-chapter. Instead of using words, the
122 Dylan Mikhail Lloyd, “A Classical Clarinetists Guide to Klezmer Music” (DMA document, Ohio State University, 2017), 24. 123 Patricia Crispino, “Osvaldo Golijov’s The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind for Klezmer Clarinet and String Quartet, Including an Introduction to Klezmer for Performance” (DMA document, Florida State University, 2015), 17. 124 Kaplan, “Tradition Revisited,” 39. 125 Marcus, “Klezmer Elements,” 15.
37
singers use vocal sounds such as bai buh-bai, dai duh-dai, and lai luh-lai,126 believing that in
singing the melody is more important than the words.127 Nigun is important in Hasidic Judaism
worship128; Michael Anklewicz notes that it is sung by the Jews “in order to elevate their spirits
closer to God.”129
Schoenfeld’s movement is written for solo violin, relating to the monophonic nature of
traditional Nigun.130 The melodic line resembles the declamatory chanting of the cantor, and the
repeated notes at m. 6 are reminiscent of a speech-like recitative, as how “one note would be
broken into rhythmic repeated notes to cover a phrase” (see Ex. 31).131
Example 32: Schoenfeld, Partita, Nigun, mm. 1–7
Strom’s Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer lists nine ornaments that are vital to all
klezmer music (see Table 3). Schoenfeld incorporates some of these ornaments in the Partita, so
the author will observe how he made use of them, drawing on Strom’s description.
126 Joshua Parshall, “Contemporary Klezmer: Music, Identity, and Meaning” (DMA document, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2009), 80. 127 Walden, “Essential Expression,” 791. 128 Crispino, “Osvaldo Golijov’s,” 18. 129 Michael Anklewicz, “Musical Hybridities and the Klezmer Revival” (DMA document, York University, Ontario, Canada, 2013), 49. 130 Edwin Seroussi, “Shamil: Concept, Practice and Reception of a Nigun in Habad Hasidism,” Studia Judaica 20, no. 2 (40) (2017): 287 131 Marcus, “Klezmer Elements,” 25.
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Table 3: Nine ornaments in Klezmer music listed in Yale Strom, Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer132
Glitshn (Yiddish: slippery, sliding areas)
Portamenti. Occasionally the slides are executed from the high note to the lower note. The portamento along with the krekhtsn is used more than any other klezmer ornamentation.
Krekhtsn (Yiddish: groans, moans)
Moaning, achy long notes, used usually by the violinist and clarinetist to evoke a momentary pulsating choked sob. This “hiccup” in the throat imitates the cantor’s Ashkenazic singing style that was so prevalent prior to the Holocaust in Eastern Europe.
Kneyshn (Yiddish: fold, wrinkle, crease, crumple)
Short notes with the achiness of the krekhtsn, but sometimes they are swallowed sharply as if squeezing the tip of the sound.
Tshoks (Yiddish: lavishness, splendor, bluff, swagger)
“Bent notes” with a laugh-like sound, more cackle than giggle. Dave Tarras sometimes called this ornament a kvetsh (Yiddish for “press, squeeze, pinch”).
Flageolet (French: a type of small duct flute)
Harmonics; create rapid whistling sounds evoking an ethereal quality.
Mordent A group of two or more grace notes played rapidly before the principal note; The mordent consists of the principal note itself and the note above or below.
Turn A group of rapid notes connecting one principal note with another, sometimes used to terminate a trill.
Trill or Trillbrato (a term coined by Strom) Combination of quick trill and vibrato; creates a quivering sound.
Ponticello Produces a thin, squeaky, ethereal sound.
In Nigun, Schoenfeld did not notate any ornamentation besides mordents. Perhaps
because this genre is traditionally a melodic improvisation,133 he gave an opportunity for the
performer to embellish the melody freely. Although it is not notated in the music, in his
recording William Terwilliger plays glitshn in wide upward leaps and especially augmented
seconds vital in klezmer music on both low-to-high and high-to-low notes. Violinists should take
note that when sliding these notes, the finger should move rapidly so the middle notes are not
heard.134
132 Strom, Shpil, 100–1. 133 Crispino, “Golijov,” 18. 134 Strom, Shpil, 100.
39
Dylan Lloyd explains that in klezmer music, performers should “create variety within the
melody on any and all repeats.”135 In the Nigun movement, there is a repeat after m. 6. To create
variety, the author suggests incorporating krekhtsn on the last notes of mm. 1 and 3 on the repeat,
to evoke the cantor’s singing style. In order to play this ornament, violinists should play the
initial note, then flick the higher note while pulling down the bow quickly and stopping the bow
at the tip.136 The following note should be played with the opposite bow stroke (see Ex. 33).
Example 33: Schoenfeld, Partita, Nigun, last notes of mm. 1 and 3; left, the original note; right, suggested krekhtsn as notated
becomes
becomes
Along with featuring the Mishebeyrakh modal scale, as explained above, Schoenfeld
employs ornamentations such as trills and mordents to sound klezmerdic in the Minuet
movement (see Ex. 30 above). Strom explains that these trills should be played with a fast and
tight vibrato to produce a quivering sound.137 In addition, he describes how trills should begin
with the upper auxiliary note.138 For example, in m. 57, the trill of the second note in the violin
part should start with the A instead of the G#.
135 Lloyd, “A Classical Clarinetists,” 38. 136 Strom, Shpil, 100. 137 Ibid., 101. 138 Ibid.
40
Schoenfeld also employs Flageolet in the Minuet movement. In mm. 89–92, the violin
part has harmonics in triplets while the piano part is moving in octaves and chords (see Ex. 34).
He marks “(sic)” above the A of the violin part in m. 91 to denote that playing this note with a
harmonic is an error. Rather, it should be played as an open A string followed by harmonic D.
Violinists should play towards the bridge to create the ethereal sound.
Example 34: Schoenfeld, Partita, Minuet, mm. 86–95
4.4 Conclusion
Among post-modern composers, Schoenfeld is primarily known as a composer who
eclectically combines folk, popular music, klezmer, and jazz in many of his compositions.
However, he tried something different with the Partita for Violin and Piano by working in
elements of neo-Baroque and Hasidic styles.
Although Schoenfeld did not quote any works from J. S. Bach directly in the Partita, he
incorporated general Baroque musical compositional techniques such as forms, imitative
41
counterpoint, rhythms, and other stylistic features mainly from Bach’s Clavier-Übung I, BWV
825–830, and Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato, BWV 1001–1006. In addition, he
uses the traditional seven movements; and although he did not follow the same order and keys,
all the titled movements are based on Bach’s Partitas, except for the Nigun movement. Even in
this movement, he did not forget to briefly add a neo-Baroque element, a snippet of the French
overture.
In his Nigun and Minuet movements, Schoenfeld employed klezmer idioms, as in many
other compositions: “I wrote my most pieces with klezmer style.”139 He skillfully incorporates
modal scales and Hasidic vocal ornaments of the klezmer tradition.
The combination of Neo-Baroque and klezmer styles makes the Partita unique and
exuberant. The author hopes that this research encourages violinists to explore this music and has
provided them with information to gain a deeper understanding of how to perform the piece.
139 Kim, “Refractory,” 73.
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