THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA | 2017-2018 53
Program Notes
Nidrei came to exist in many forms. Two of the best-known
versions of the chant were set down by Ahron Beer (1738-
1821), compiler of one of the earliest notated collections
of Jewish service music and traditional songs. The root
from which these variants grew may extend as far back
as the eighth century, when the singing of the Kol Nidrei
was introduced into the Yom Kippur service. The melody
originated in the Ashkenazic tradition, which encompassed
those Jews who settled from the Rhine eastward to Siberia.
There was inevitably contact between these Jews and their
Christian neighbors, and the ancient music of both groups
shows mutual influence. From this musical melting pot
sprang a group of songs for synagogue use, including the
Kol Nidrei, called the Missinai melodies. They were reserved
for the most solemn feast days of the year — New Year and
the Day of Atonement — and their name, derived from that
of Mount Sinai, indicates the special reverence in which
they were held. They include motifs that were apparently
borrowed from Burgundian polyphony, French troubadour
song, German folk and secular music and Gregorian chant.
These melodies originated at a time when the life of the
Ashkenazic Jews was dominated by martyrdom, despair
and expectation of the Messiah, and they often possess a
keening, heroic beauty.
What To Listen For
Bruch’s haunting setting of the Kol Nidrei is not so much a
set of variations on the chant as a fantasia that springs from
its general musical characteristics and dark, solemn mood.
Following a prayerful opening phrase from the orchestra, the
solo cello, taking the role of the cantor, presents the chant
simply, then wraps elaborate embroidery around the basic
melodic shape before giving another unadorned statement
of the song. The middle section, glistening with the ethereal
sounds of the harp, exudes a spirit of gentle animation over
which the cello sings a new theme of Bruch’s invention. The
quiet intensity of the beginning comes again over the work
as it nears its closing measures, with a final gesture of peace
and serenity rising through the full compass of the cello.
FRANZ SCHUBERT
SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN B-FLAT MAJOR, D. 485
Duration: ca. 27 minutes
Overview
Schubert composed incessantly and his devoted band of
friends were delighted to sing and play what he wrote.
Franz von Hartmann recorded of one of these Schubertiads,
“There was a huge gathering including Gahy, who played
four-hand piano music gloriously with Schubert, and Vogl,
who sang almost thirty splendid songs.... When the music
was over there was grand feeding and dancing. At 12:30
we went home. To bed at 1 o’clock.” Supplementing the
songs and piano works for these Schubertiads was a growing
collection of orchestral pieces composed for other amateur
musical soirées. A family string quartet, comprising his
brothers Ferdinand and Ignaz on violins, his father on cello
and Franz on viola, attracted other players and soon evolved
into a small orchestra. They rehearsed at first in the Schubert
household, but as the membership grew new quarters had
to be found for their activities, and they moved in 1816 to
the apartments of Leopold von Sonnleithner. It was for one
of those informal evenings that Schubert composed the
sparkling B-flat Symphony.
What To Listen For
The Symphony opens with a delicate curtain of woodwind
harmonies. The violins present the main theme, a gracious
melody built on the notes of the common chords. A shadow
passes quickly over the music (technically, a brief excursion
into the minor key — an expressive device Schubert
learned from Mozart) before the main theme is repeated
and extended (more shadows) as transition to the second
theme. The compact development begins with a decorated
version of the opening woodwind harmonies. A discussion
of the decorating figure ensues as does a full recapitulation
of the exposition’s materials. The lovely Andante is built
on two extended themes: the first is given immediately by
the strings; the second is also played by the strings, with
obbligato phrases from the oboe and bassoon. Though
the third movement is marked “Menuetto,” in tempo and
temperament it is truly a scherzo; the bucolic central trio
features the bassoon. The closing movement recalls the
vibrant finales of Haydn in its clear melodic structure,
rhythmic vivacity and witty use of dynamics.
© 2018 Dr. Richard E. Rodda
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