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KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS

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EIGHTEEN

KEY BOA R D I ~ S T R U 1\1 E N T S

THE PIAXO

Fr., piano; It., pianoforte; Ger., Klavier assumed that the reader is familiar with the pianoforte and its technique. \Ve are concerned here not so much with the capacities of the piano as a solo instrument, as with its use as an orchestral instrument, occupying a status comparable, for instance, to that of the harp or the flute. There are five aspects to be distinguished in the association of the piano with the orchestra: (a) The early practice of employing a pianist to play along with the orchestra to give support in weak places, and to help the group keep time and rhythm. This is substantially the same role that was played throughout the eighteenth century by the "maestro at the harpsichord," who executed the realization of the figured bass on his instrument and kept the ensemble together, but no special part was written for the player, who read from the score. As the art of conducting developed, this usage died out in the early nineteenth century. (b) The piano concerto, in which the orchestra plays the accompaniment, and is subordinate throughout to the solo piano part. Characteristic examples are the piano concertos of Mozart and Beethoven. Today a work of this type is the occasion for engaging an outstanding virtuoso pianist, not a member of the orchestra, to play the solo part. The piano is placed at the front of the stage. (c) The composition for "Piano and Orchestra," in which the solo piano retains its position of prominence while at the same time the

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orchestra is raised to a position of equality. This is a flexible category, some features of which can be noted in the solo concertos of the preceding paragraph (the slow movement of Beethoven's Fourth Concerto). The solo part still is played by a visiting artist, but part of the time the piano is used as an orchestral instrument (D'Indy-Symphony on a French Mountain Air). For this reason, conductors sometimes prefer to place the piano within the orchestra rather than in front of it (Falla -Nights in the Gardens of Spain). (d) The piano as an orchestral instrument. This situation did not come to pass until the twentieth century. The pianist is here comparatively anonymous and is a regular member of the orchestra (CoplandAppalachian Spring). (e) The piano in the small orchestra. This is a further development of orchestral composition in the twentieth century (Stravinsky-Suite for Small Orchestra). ORCHESTRAL USES

The chief use of the piano as an orchestral instrument is one of doubling. By this means an incisi\'eness, due to the percussive quality of the piano, is imparted to any instrument or group-strings, woodwind, brass, or percussion, in all registers. The high register of the piano is especially effective in contributing brilliance to the upper woodwind. In the following example, two piccolos go along with the piano up to its very highest note. The left-hand part doubles three oboes and the second violins, while the octave in between is played by the first violins and the xylophone. EX.

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In the next example, the right-hand notes act as strong upper partials to the left-hand part, which doubles two oboes and a trumpet. A bassoon plays in the octave below. There are other parts in the score.

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The piano is at a disadvantage associating with other instruments in parts of a sostenuto and legato character. Better results are obtained if the piano part is kept in motion, in notes of not too long duration. Doubling of pizzicato is of course very much in its style. Here it must be remarked that low-pitched staccato on the piano, when loud, often sounds upper partials with undue prominence, creating a metallic tone and disguising the pitch. This depends upon the instrument, and it is more likely to occur if a small piano is used.

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SOLO PASSAGES

The piano delivers imitative thematic figures alone, just as any other instrument. It is also given important solo parts, sometimes demanding a high degree of virtuosity, although no more than that expected of other players in the modern symphony orchestra.

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The celesta is a steel-bar piano, looking like a miniature version of that instrument and sounding very much like a glockenspiel. The mechanism of the celesta works in the following manner: felt hammers strike steel bars, which lie across a small wooden resonator box. The tone is soft and delicate, and even though it has quite a bit of penetrating power because of its high frequencies, it is by no means as piercing as the glockenspiel. The instrument has a damper pedal, and the notes do not sustain too long; but since they are produced by striking metal bars over a resonator, there is no true short staccato. Melodic lines, chords, and arpeggios are all most effective on the celesta, which is usually played by the pianist of the orchestra or a percussionist who happens to play the piano. Besides solo celesta passages, some of the most exciting pages of music for this instrument occur when it doubles the strings, the harp, the piano, soft woodwinds, and gives a "silver lining" to the overall sound. The celesta is probably used more frequently in the orchestra than any other keyboard instrument.

THE PIANO AS ORCHESTRAL MEMBER: VARIOUS APPROACHES IN NON-CONCERTO COMPOSITIONS

by EUN HUR

Submitted to the graduate faculty of the School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music, Indiana University October, 1994

5 Chapter I. Introduction

Historical overview

Music history has reacted to many factors: the political and national histories of Europe, commercial conditions such as music printing, the publishing trade, the enterprise of concert-giving institutions, the taste and tendencies of society and the public in various countries, patronage of the musical art, and the various systems of music education that have been in vogue. Progress in the art and technique of musical composition brings about development in the history of music.

Various factors interact with each

other, making for progress in the field of music. The same tendencies can be applied to the area of orchestration, as well. In the beginning stage of orchestral development, the harpsichord, piano or other keyboard instuments in general were used in the orchestra to supply harmony, and played from the figured-bass. This feature, which has been called the basso-continuo tradition, was characteristic of orchestral writing from the earliest attempts until the coming of Haydn and Mozart's classical orchestra. At that time the basso-continuo tradition had died out and the string part assumed the responsibility of supplying the main harmony. On top of that, the development of various musical forms and improvements in the piano as an instrument enabled the piano to take a prominent solo function throughout the Romantic period.

The concept of the piano concerto also

6

intensified with the rise of the virtuoso, who responded to huge audiences and large concert halls; needs.

and the solo concerto is naturally suited to those

Many Romantic composers thus produced piano concertos in the

nineteenth century. At the turn of the century, Western Music had reached an unprecedented degree of harmonic complexity and technical development, particularly with respect to orchestration. Composers were becoming more and more skillful in mastering and experimenting with new and unusual combinations of instruments, and with sounds and techniques not previously associated with traditional instruments.

Instruments not commonly

associated with the orchestra like the keyboad group which are the piano, the celesta 1, the organ2 , and the harpsichord 3 were used for their regular and

IThe celesta may be considered a kind of keyed glockenspiel, in that its tone is produced by hammers striking steel slabs. Each steel bar rested upon a tuned resonating wooden box, this feature giving the celesta a softness and delicacy that distinguish it from the glockenspiel.

2It was not until the late nineteenth century that organ parts appeared in symphonic scores (Saint-Saens, Symphony No.3). The organ has been associated with the orchestra for certasin special purposes. Works for chorus and orchestra frequently include the organ (Honneger, Le Roi David). The organ also has been employed in symphonic works of the grandioso type (Mahler, Symphony No.8). 3 Modern composers have shown interst in this baroque instrument and have written for it in combination with the small orchestra. The followings are some modern works employing the harpsichord; Falla, El Retablo de Maese Pedro, Martin, Petite Symphonic Concertante, Strauss, Dance Suite after Couperin.

7

non-traditional sounds.

Among these instruments, the plano which' had

been treated as a prominent solo instrument was employed as an orchestral instrument by many composers. The first composer to treat the piano as an orchestral instrument was Hector Berlioz, in the first half of the 19th century. He wrote for two pianos in his Lelio Symphony.

Berlioz has long been recognized for his exceptional

orchestral skills, and this quality is illustrated in "La Tempete," with its innovative use of the piano as an orchestral instrument. He was one of the first to comment on the dual nature of the piano. The pianoforte at the point of perfection to which our skillful manufacturers have brought it now-a days may be considered in a double point of view: as an orchestral instrument, or as forming a complete small orchestra in itself. On only one occasion has it been deemed well to employ the pianoforte in the orchestra under the same class as other instruments; that is to say, letting it bring to the aggregate its own peculiar resources, which nothing can replace (Berlioz, Treatise, p.73)4. But Berlioz's innovative and progressive ideas in the area of orchestral effect exerted little influence on the art of that era due to his sporadic success.

4David A. Day, "A Historical and Critical Study of Hector Berlioz's Lelio ou Ie retour a la vie," M.M. dissertation, Brigham Young University, Dec. 1981, p.8S.

8 common within orchestral composition excluding solo concertos. Affected by Paganini, who carried the Romantic concept of virtuosity to new heights, Liszt composed Totentanz, a symphonic poem for piano and orchestra. In a parallel conservative movement, Brahms wrote his first piano concerto, which was originally conceived as a type of symphony At the end of the Romantic era, the size of the orchestra was expanded, and new treatment of rarely used instruments like the keyboard group was invigorated.

Among the keyboard instrumental group, the piano is very

suitable for the purpose of adding color to an orchestra, rendering many special effects to orchestral compositions. Many pieces were composed from 1890 to 1950 employing the piano as a major instrument, but still as an orchestral member.

Ultimately, the piano became a common orchestral

instrument during the early twentieth century. The following five categories of piano within orchestral compositions can be proposed: (1)

The eighteenth century continuo practice of incorporating a

keyboard to play along with the orchestra to provide support for compositions.

This practice died out in the nineteenth century, but

witnessed a vigorous revival in the neo-classical movement starting in the early twentieth century and continuing up to the current day in the works of conservative composers. (2) The rise of the piano concerto from the eighteenth century to the

9

present.

Beginning with Mozart and following through Beethoven

and all of the major Romantic composers, the piano became an outstanding vehicle for virtuosic display and musical presentation. (3) Compositions for piano and orchestra or "almost-concerto" where the solo piano retains a prominent position while the orchestra is trea ted as an equal partner. (4)

In the twentieth century, the plano as a regular orchestral

instrument became a common choice for composers of large orchestral works like symphonies and tone poems. (5)

The piano in the small chamber-like orchestra became popular

throughout the twentieth century. I will discuss the third, fourth, and fifth categories above in relation to the piano as orchestral member.

10 Limitations

There are many orchestral pieces such as symphonies and tone poems that are not clearly solo piano concertos, but which have major piano parts. I have searched, discussed, and listened to these types of compositions, and narrowed them down to four categories where the piano plays a part within orchestral pieces. (1) The piano in Symphonies, such as Leonard Bernstein's Symphony

No.3, Kaddish, Charles Ives' Symphony No.4, Aaron Copland's Symphony No.3, Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No.5, Edward Elgar's Symphony No.3, Igor Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, and Bohuslav Martinu's Symphony No.4, where the piano takes a part as one of the orchestral instuments.

In the twentieth century, the piano is a

common orchestral instrument and also its use varies within symphonic works. (2) The piano in symphonic poems or tone poems, such as Vincent d'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountain Song, Cesar Franck's Les

Djiins, Alexander Scriabin's Prometheus, and Ottorini Respighi's Pini di Roma, where the piano is used as a vehicle for special effects to give more vivid messages and for a wide variety of expression. (3) Works for piano and orchestra, such as Manual de Falla's Nights zn

the Gardens of Spain, Igor Stravinsky's Capriccio, Gabriel Faure's Ballade, Karol Szymanowski's Symphonie

Concertante, George

11 Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Alfredo Casella's Partita for Piano and

Orchestra, Riccardo Pick-Mangiacalli's Sortilegi, and William Walton's Sinfonia Concertante for Orchestra with Piano.

In those works, the

piano is more absorbed in the orchestra, as opposed to being the soloist in a concerto, and the orchestra has equal importance with the piano. (4) The piano in a small orchestra, such as Bella Bartok's Dance Suite, Darius Milhaud's La Creation du Monde, Alban Berg's Lulu Suite, Aaron Copland's Music for the Theatre, Olivier Messiaen's Sept Haikai, and

Steve Reich's Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboard. With

the trend in the twentieth century toward a wide choice in orchestration, the piano in a small group more closely interacts with other instruments as in an ensemble. (5) The piano in orchestral pieces like Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka, and

Firebird, Constant Lambert's Rio Grande, and Aaron Copland's Apalachian Spring. The piano has been effectively and idiomatically used to make a special addition to these orchestral pieces. Based on my musical score search, this document presents six selected representative works by recognized composers reflecting a variety of nationalities and compositional approaches. These are: Alexander Scriabin,

Prometheus (1908-1910), a symphonic tone poem employing a piano part; Igor Stravinsky, Petrushka (1910-1911), an orchestral piece where the piano takes part; Charles Ives, Symphony no. 4 (1909-1919), which is an example of

12 use of the plano within the symphony;

Darius Milhaud, La Creation du

Monde (1922), a piece for small orcheatra having a piano as an ensemble member;

Karol Szymanowski, Symphonie Concertante (1932), an "almost-

concerto" where the orchestra and piano are treated equally;

and Olivier

Messiaen, Turangalila Symphony (1946-1948), a mixture of all of the above categories. The six works are arranged in Chapter II. by their compositional years which helps to trace the historical trend of piano use in orchestral works. First, I analyze the actual compositions in general, pointing out the overall form, style, and charateristics, including a brief description of musical materials and parameters. After this, I determine the specific role of the piano within the orchestra. throughout?

How was the piano used?

Does the piano play

Is the piano merely a doubling instrument?

soloistic instrument?

Does it have an alternate function?

Is the piano a How does the

compositional writing affect the expansion of the piano's possibilities as an orchestral instrument.

With these historical and stylistic analyses,

conclusions is made about the how the piano's function has been expanded beyond its former limitations through the evolution of musical composition.