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0:00
Hello and welcome to Early Music Sources.com. My name is Elam Rotem, and in this episode we’ll talk about what's often called “period composition”.
0:15
PERIOD COMPOSITION Throughout history, many had the inclination not only to perform music but also to create it - either by improvisation or composition. This newly created music was almost always made in the musical language and style of those who created it - the musical language of their time and place. Can composers, however, compose music in a musical language which is not their own? Or even in a past musical language? In this episode we’ll talk about this, survey such cases from history,
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discuss its relation to the early music scene nowadays, and see some contemporary examples. Let’s start. WHAT IS PERIOD COMPOSITION? A period composition is a specific case of a “style copy”. A “style copy” is when a composer employs a musical language which is different from their own, or foreign to their surroundings, in order to create a new piece. For example, one can claim that Bach’s “Concerto after the Italian taste” and “Ouverture in the French style” are “style copies”,
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as he copied what he believed to be the “Italian” and “French” styles at the time. Period composition is the same thing, only that the employed musical language is specifically of a past period. For example, when Heinrich Schütz asked his student Christoph Bernhard to write a motet for his funeral “in Palestrina’s counterpoint style” - a style from at least three quarters of a century ago.
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In his 2007 book “The End of Early Music” Bruce Haynes discussed in detail the idea of “Period composition”. According to Haynes, a successful period composition is such that it is written in a past style so convincingly that even experts might mistake it for a composition from the past - a modern “fake”. Come across any fakes? Scores! They are quite easy to spot, In rare cases the technique is adequate. This could be theoretically right,
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but since a true verification would demand experts from the past - which are by definition absent, and since there is no official “style police” to approve or disapprove compositions as authentically stylistic or not, the only thing that we are left with really is the declaration of the composer, and how the audience receives the piece. How the piece will be judged by future experts is out of the equation really. Remember this when we look at period compositions from history.
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Now that we know what period composition is, we can browse through music history and look for cases where composers made an intentional attempt at using a musical language of another period, or more generally a musical language which is not their “mother tongue”. In general, for people to write in older or foreign styles they should know about these styles, and have a certain tradition of performing such music.
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It seems that such awareness of other or older styles started to grow in the 17th century, and this is when we find early cases of style copy and period composition. HISTORICAL CASES OF STYLE COPIES AND PERIOD COMPOSITIONS Apart from the 1670’s motet mentioned above “in Palestrina’s style” (which sadly did not survive), there is an interesting case of what seems to be style copy in the 1683 sonatas for three parts by Henry Purcell.
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In the preface it says that the “author has faithfully endeavored a just imitation of the most famed Italian Masters”, and that “the attempt he confesses to be bold and daring.” Another composer that declared his imitation of an Italian style is Georg Philipp Telemann. In 1735 he published 6 Sonates corellisantes - referring in the title as well as in the style of the music specifically to the famous Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli who by then had already been dead for more than two decades.
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Half a century later, in 1787, the composer Muzio Clementi published a collection of preludes and cadences for keyboard in the different and individual styles of the most famous musicians of the day: Haydn, Mozart and others. These pieces are all Clementi’s, but are deliberate copies of the styles of different composers. In turn, in 1808 Charles-François Dumonchau published three sonatas that are declared to be “in the Style of Haydn, Mozart and Clementi.”
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Clementi, who 21 years before was imitating others, is now considered as an object for imitation himself. The interest in past styles only grew with the years. In 1839 the German composer Louis Spohr composed his sixth Symphony. Its title is “Historical symphony in the style and taste of four different periods”. For each of the four movements Spohr specifies the year and the composers of each style: First movement - 1720, Bach and Handel.
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Second movement - 1780, Haydn and Mozart.
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Third movement - 1810, Beethoven.
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And the finale - 1840, in the latest style.
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According to some, this was Spohr’s way of criticizing the latest popular fashions in music.
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In the 19th century it was not uncommon for some to be critical towards current artistic styles and look back to the past for inspiration. In the fields of the arts, famously, there were the Pre-raphaelites: an English group of painters who sought to emulate the style of the late medieval and early Renaissance. In music, something that is perhaps parallel to this is the Cecilian movement: a German group of composers that saw the sacred music of Palestrina and other Renaissance composers
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as the purest and most adequate music to be used in Catholic worship. Among other things, such as the employment of Gregorian chant, they encouraged the interest in the contrapuntal technique of Palestrina in newly composed choral works.
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The Austrian composer Anton Bruckner wasn’t part of the Cecilian movement, but at times he was in contact with some leading figures and composed some motets according to their principles. Here is an excerpt from his motet Os justi from 1879, that was dedicated to Ignaz Traumihler, a supporter of the Cecelian movement.
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In a letter to Traumihler Bruckner explained: “It would make me very glad if Your Reverence should gain pleasure from it. "[It is] without sharps and flats, without seventh chords, without six-four chords "and without chords of four and five notes.” Bruckner demonstrates a stylistic awareness in order to achieve a sound more appealing to his friend from the Cecelian movement - perhaps a sound closer to their Renaissance-like ideals. Stylistic awareness is the basis for any period composition.
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Otherwise, another motet of Bruckner was published in the Cecelian magazine "Musica Sacra", where new and old compositions were put together to be used practically in liturgy. For example, in the 1874 volume, among pieces by members of the Cecelian movement, there are pieces by Giovanni Paolo Cima and Andrea Gabrieli from the early 17th century. For the average listener this probably all sounded the same - and this was their goal.
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A different case of revival of old music in liturgical contexts famously was carried out by the monks of Solesmes in the late 19th century. They sought to restore Gregorian chants to their hypothetical original state. Interestingly, as part of their efforts to restore a liturgical spirit and decorum, they also composed new chants in old style. In the 1950s these were officially approved by Pope Pius XII: He asserted that the heritage of the Gregorian chant must be preserved,
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but it can be developed. This, however, should be left to the true masters, and be done “in such a way that these new compositions obey the laws proper to genuine Gregorian chant and are in harmony with the older melodies in their virtue and purity.”
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We’ve seen many cases of composers aiming to compose pieces in styles different and earlier than their own. Throughout the 20th century many continued to do so, but for different social reasons they had to lie about it. Let’s see. PERIOD COMPOSITION IN THE 20TH CENTURY Interest in music from the past kept growing. This was evident in the relatively new and growing field of musicology - that brought back to life music that was forgotten for centuries,
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and in neoclassicism - where selected elements from old musical styles were used in modern compositions. It should be noted that Neoclassicism can not be interpreted as period composition, as the composers are not trying to employ an existing musical language, but merely borrowing some elements to be used in their own musical language. But what falls under our definition of period composers never stopped. For example, the violin superstar Fritz Kreisler, just like many performers of old times,
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performed and published his own compositions. Among them were many alleged arrangements of pieces by 17th and 18th-century composers. For example, this is how Kreisler in 1927 published an arrangement of a “Vivaldi” concerto. It clearly says that it’s "by Vivaldi" and that it is “edited from the manuscript and arranged by Fritz Kreisler.” Let’s listen to a bit from the second movement.
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In 1935 the chief music critic for the New York Times tried to find the manuscript source of one of Kreisler’s arrangements. This led to the revelation of the truth,
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that there were no original manuscripts. Kreisler then admitted that many arrangements he had published under the names of Baroque composers were in fact his original own compositions. Kreisler’s explanation was interesting: “Necessity forced this course on me thirty years ago, when I was desirous of enlarging my programs. "I found it inexpedient and tactless to repeat my name endlessly on the programs.”
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That is, he avoided using his name in order to conform to the social norms as he perceived them, and not because there was any problem with composing in an old style. It seems that this deception was quickly forgiven by the public; the New York Times wrote: “These works are superbly written for the violin, “and they were welcome additions to the violinists’ repertoire.”
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While other composers also falsely attributed their compositions to famous past composers - with some pieces still circulating today with these wrong attributions - it was in the art world where a real scandal took place. The Dutch painter Han van Meegeren not only studied very carefully the style of Vermeer and learned how to paint similar works, he also found a technique to pass the chemical tests that were made at the time when verifying the authenticity of old works.
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He managed to sell his works as original paintings by Veremeer for millions and fooled experts and critics alike. For example, his painting The Supper at Emmaus was described by a leading expert as “THE masterpiece of Johannes Vermeer.” In 1947, at a fascinating trail, the truth was revealed: This painting is a fake, they are all fakes!
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- Only one minute ago these paintings were considered sublime and priceless. Now they are worthless, and not one brush stroke has changed! Setting aside the motivation behind this act, and the many interesting details of this story, is this so different from the case of Kreisler? Someone created a work of art in an old style that was not only convincing, but generally admired.
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Another musical example in the 20th century we must mention is the famous Adagio “by Albinoni”. In 1945, the Italian scholar Remo Giazotto published the catalog of Tomaso Albinoni’s pieces. In 1958, he published a piece he titled as “Albinoni - Giazotto, Adagio in G minor for strings and organ”. It is explained that the piece was reconstructed based on fragments from a piece by Albinoni;
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specifically, a printed basso continuo part that had two melodic fragments from a violin part written on its margins. In an article discussing newly published music for organ in the following year it was described as an arrangement of a piece by Albinoni, praised for having “a passionate melody in the early Italian operatic tradition”, and concluded that “it is good for the organist to have available an old piece full of warmth and life.” During the 60s it started being used in popular culture.
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Probably due to its gaining popularity the music was reprinted several times in the 70s. However, in the reprints something has changed - not the music, just the framing: It didn’t seem anymore like a piece by Albinoni arranged by Giazotto, but more like what it actually is - a piece by Giazotto, which is merely based on materials from Albinoni. In addition to curious changes in the introductory text, a copyright notice was added, saying that the piece was "composed by Remo Giazotto”
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and that it is “an original work protected by the laws of copyright.” And this is, by the way, why you cannot find this piece on imslp - because it is still protected by copyright.
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Now, Giazotto never shared the original bass part he was referring to with the public, but after his death his assistant found some old photocopy of what seems to be a modern transcription of it. Skipping the question of whether this is indeed original material by Albinoni or some other 18th century composer, or whether the reconstruction is authentic to Albinoni’s style (remember there is no “style police”), let’s focus on what Giazotto did.
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He treated this material as a partimento and made a very elaborate piece out of it: apart from adding string parts he fully realized the basso continuo as a written-out organ part, added an opening of eight bars, added a repeat, inserted his opening again in another key, and filled many blank measures with his melodies. In a letter explaining this near the end of his life he wrote: “I amused myself with realizing a melodic continuation of that thematic cue.
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"I seemed to return to the time when my teacher [Giulio Cesare] Paribeni had given me similar tasks.” In short, not dissimilar to Kreisler, Giazotto wanted to create a piece using tools of another era, but publishing it with his name would have been both socially awkward and uninteresting to the publisher. Only by using the name of a historical composer was he able to publish this piece, and once it got popular, he was able to reclaim the authorship,
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even if for most of the public it is still to this day considered to be “Albinoni’s adagio”.
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Later in the 20th century there are cases of composers who practiced period composition, but again, hid their identity, either by using pseudo names of made-up Baroque composers, or by misattributing the pieces to real composers of the past - which, in some cases, might even flirt with forgery. A notable case is Winfried Michel - a German composer, editor and performer. In the 80s he published many pieces in Baroque style
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which are still today available for purchase from the Amadeus publishing house website. These are presented in a rather misleading way: they look like editions of Baroque music by a composer named Simonetti, but inside in small letters is written: “composed and edited by Winfried Michel”. Furthermore, in the prefaces there are musicological texts and formulations you would expect to find in editions of old music. This is not a fraud, just intentionally misleading.
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In 1993, however, Michel was involved in one of the biggest musical scandals of the period. llegedly, six lost sonatas by Haydn, until then known only by their incipits in Haydn’s draft catalog, resurfaced. After their acceptance and the excitement of some experts
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it was discovered that these were in fact Michel’s compositions, and that they were deliberately made to look and feel like the lost sonatas of Haydn. Despite clear attempts at fooling the readers, Michel claimed to have committed no forgery, simply a “completion” of the incipits. In the meantime the sonatas were published, again, by Amadeus with their misleadingly traditional cover, for the reader to find inside in small print “Completed and edited by Winfried Michel”.
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Now that we made it all the way from the 17th century to today, let’s see how period composition can take place in today's early music scene. PERIOD COMPOSITION IN TODAY’S EARLY MUSIC SCENE In the early music scene nowadays most musicians are focused, perhaps naturally, on performing music from the past - the music they love and that drew them to become musicians in the first place. But some are also interested in reviving old practices that include creating music.
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For example, following historical practices basso continuo players are semi improvising their realizations without writing them out; musicians offer their own ornamentation for compositions - sometimes very extravagantly; musicians create lavish arrangements of pieces; some develop historical practices of improvisation, be it as solo performers or in improvising ensembles; and rarely, early music musicians compose music that should sound old from scratch,
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even if, as we mentioned, they don’t always fully acknowledge it in the traditional way. When I was exposed to early music in the early 2000s, seeing all these different modes of creating music, and having myself a natural inclination to compose, it seemed to me that composing new pieces in an old musical style - writing period composition - was a natural thing, simply one more step on the path paved by the early music movement.
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It wasn’t much later that Haynes promoted period composition in his 2007 book. He wrote that “Period composing is the most profound use we musicians have yet made of Period styles, "applying them to our imagination and our dormant sense of improvisation. "Far from reproducing a work already done, "we will have thoroughly adopted a style and a manner of work from another time, "while making music in the present—our own music.”
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Haynes also discusses the criticism that this idea sometimes gets and ways to counter it. However, nowadays, and this is even truer now than it was back in 2007, with the plurality of musical styles and approaches to music-making, there can be hardly any theoretical idea that can prevent someone doing what they believe in - and I think that this is great.
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Now, when we actually engage with period composition, as I have learned, we gain several things, that, interestingly, bring us closer to historical scenarios of music making. 1. More engaged audience. Performing something “new” which had never been heard or seen before was a common and desired situation in the past (as it is today); it evokes a special kind of listening and curiosity in the listeners.
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Instead of comfortably listening to something you know and that everyone already accepts as “good” - as is the case in most concerts of classical music, for example - you are listening more critically and thereby potentially creating a more meaningful experience. 2. More engaged performance. When compared with the standard situation nowadays - where between the composer and performers there is a gap of several centuries
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- a situation where the living composer can participate in all the aspects of the performance may lead to a deeper understanding of the music and in turn to a stronger musical experience overall. Historically, the participation of the composer was very common. 3. Optimized parts. Being alive, the composer can compose the piece with best utilization of the resources; composing for each performer according to their special abilities and shortcomings.
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This is, again, similar to many historical situations. A last positive aspect of composing period compositions is how you deepen your knowledge during the process. Erik Schroeder, a young and talented period composer, formulated it nicely: “Once one has the experience of dealing hands-on with certain compositional 'problems' that arise directly out of the creative process, one can look at works by historical composers and understand, from a perspective closer to their own,
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how and why certain things in a given piece are the way they are.” I can attest from my own experience that the times in my life I learned and understood new things about music most intensely were the times when I was composing.
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All these points are beautiful but are completely theoretical unless the piece that you compose is sufficiently convincing for your fellow performers and your audience. By “convincing” I don’t necessarily mean that it sounds stylistically correct - as there is no “style police” it is totally up to your diligence, devotion and knowledge. What I mean is that it is clear that the piece is meaningful to you, and that you believe it is worth the time of the performers and the audience.
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For me, a good period composition is such that while listening the people forget that it’s a “period composition” and are just captivated by the… composition. Before finishing up, I want to shortly present to you three period composers.
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Iason Marmars is a Greek keyboardist, singer and conductor who likes to compose in different 17th century genres. Here is an excerpt from his 7-part English Preces
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The above-mentioned Erik Schroeder is an Italian-American violinist who composes in the style of Mozart. Here is a short moment from his opera Buffa “La Locandiera”, which set an 18th-century libretto based on the play by Carlo Goldoni of the same name.
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And as you gathered from the rest of the episode, I’m also a period composer. I focus on the Italian style of the first decades of the 17th century, and inspired by the composer Salomone Rossi, I set Biblical texts in Hebrew. Here is the end of the first act of my oratorio “Joseph and his brethren”.
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I want to clarify that I don't necessarily promote period composition or think that everyone should do it. I did want to show, however, that it is an interesting historical phenomenon and that if you are inclined to do it you should absolutely go for it. This was our show about period composition, we hope you enjoyed it! Don’t forget to check the special page on our website with all the footnotes and other extra information.
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