CONCERTO FOR HORN, TWO VIOLINS, VIOLA AND BASSO CONTINUO BY CHRISTOPH FÖRSTER: ON THE CROSSROADS OF THE BAROQUE AND CLASSIC TRADITION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32461/2226-0285.2.2015.146871Keywords:
French horn, concerto for horn, performing stile, baroque, classicismAbstract
In the twenty-first century, there is an growing interest among performers and musicologists to music preclassic era. The world in 2015 identifies the 330–year anniversary of the three geniuses of the Baroque era – J. C. Bach, G. F. Handel and D. Scarlatti. In spite of it, there are no dates and names that are less well known, and also requires artistic and scientific play of light. Among those composers of the Baroque era who influenced the future development of the Concerto genre, in particular, for horn, a little-known composer of the first half of the eighteenth century Christoph Förster. The study of his achievements in the history of the genre of the Concerto for French horn is an actual problem of modern musicology and performance.
In the period of high Baroque musicians dependent on his patron, so many names of composers and performers have been forgotten due to the fact that their work does not go beyond the place where they were born. Manuscripts of the works of these figures of musical culture are located on the shelves of local archives and archives that belong to aristocratic birth. Among such musicians is contemporary of J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel, G. F. Telemann – Christoph Förster.
The life and work of Christoph Förster, unfortunately, little known to modern performers and scholars for the very reason that, as a court musician, he had to work to order "the Prince", whose descendants inherited his works. .Concerto for horn, two violins, viola and basso continuo is one of those few works that had seen the world outside the princely archive. The presentation of the musical text on the website http://imslp.org/wiki/ provided an opportunity not only to get acquainted with creativity of the artist of the Baroque era, but rather to expand the preconceived ideas about the poetics of the genre of Concerto for French horn the first half of the eighteenth century.
The Concerto by K. Förster is a unique fusion of the traditions of the high Baroque and of early classicism. In the comparative analysis of Concertos for French horns, K. Förster and G. F. Telemann determined the approximate date of writing researched essays – 1730-1740 years of the XVIII century.
It features a Baroque Concerto K. Förster style clarino are used in the performance on brass instruments in the period of high Baroque. Features of this style were performing high register, a lot of melismatic, and a complex rhythmic pattern. In addition, all of the above criteria are consistent with such historical categories as the pretentiousness.
During the period when he worked as Förster, was no concept orchestra. Composers had the right instruments and performers, where they carried their service. Therefore, the horn with K. Förster accompany two violins, viola and basso continuo. K. Förster and G. F. Telemann counter French horn to the violin, believing that it is melodic and virtuoso performance can compete with the "Queen of the orchestra". One of the fundamental traits of the genre of the concerto in General is the principle of competition.
At the instrumental level in Concert they formed three: the horn – the whole ensemble, horn – violin, French horn, and basso continuo. The concert uses two obligate instrument – violin in the II part and piano part in the Reprise in the part III. In addition, the basso continuo part is a kind of symbol of the Baroque era, making the harmonic support for the band or orchestra.
Based on the analysis of thematic material, its ways of development revealed that the composer uses the period type of deployment characteristic of Baroque music. The entire thematic material is based on the principle of the core –deploy– the cadence, which corresponds to theory IMT by Asafev.
The Creator of the genre of the Concerto A. Vivaldi, do not use the horn in slow movements, treating her not able to bear the philosophical and lyrical subjects. In the works of or K Förster. or G. F. Telemann horn tematic acquires a new content – namely, a lyrical and philosophical. This semantics is manifested in a second slow part, through the genre of the Aria lamento. The use of Aria in a loop refers to a Suite.
The finale is reminiscent of the commedia Dell'arte. Each party has a prototype in the theatre of masks. From this postulate it follows the mounting drama in III parts.
So this is the damn breaking the Italian in the Concerto for horn K. Förster.
In his Concerto for French horn composer does not focus on the first part, but on the third one. The third part is the number of beat cycles equal to the first and second. It uses not clearly defined, but it is Sonata form with double exposition.
Concert reveals the principle of dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra. Timbre-dynamic contrast appears as one of the pillars of the concert principle. In the body of orchestral textures, the composer reaches theme dialogically.
K. Förster violates the "laws" of the concert form, adopted in the period of high Baroque, developing a thematic outline not only the tutti sections in the solo but that is an epiphany in a future classicism.
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