Scheherazade, Context Part. 2

CONTEXT, PART 2


Towards the middle of the second movement of Scheherazade come three short cadenzas for the bassoon. First the clarinet performs these three cadenzas earlier in the movement.

Compare the introduction of the first clarinet cadenza with the first one for bassoon:

The insertion of a woodwind fanfare at L makes it necessary for the bassoonist to wait a bit longer than the clarinetist to enter. Like each successive cadenza, the fanfares become more elaborate with each iteration.

Knowledge of context in these passages is most important at the end of each cadenza.

The first and second cadenzas end with a restoration of the tempo (♩ = 72).
It's a small point, but it's good to play the end of the cadenzas strictly in tempo:

This includes playing the triplet in time and cutting off the D on the rest and not holding it longer. The F should always be accented and lightly articulated to help the accent and the second D should be articulated. A diminuendo towards the D will help bring out the accent and the new tempo's downbeat.

The third cadenza ends in much the same way as the solo at the beginning of the movement -- with a pickup played in the tempo of the next section:

 

Like the first solo, there's another held dotted 16th D. The C# that follows should be played in the new tempo.
 
To finish, I like to use a "long" C# fingering for emphasis. Using the "short" fingering may cause the note to back up at "ff".

Next, I'll examine how to build interpretations for the solo and the cadenzas of the second movement.

Scheherazade, Context, Part 1

CONTEXT


In the second movement, The Story of the Kalendar Prince, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote two extended  bassoon solos.

The first solo comes at the beginning of the movement, right after the violin cadenza with harp accompaniment.

In order to form an interpretation of this solo which capitalizes on its expressive possibilities in such a way that the listener can fully appreciate them, an understanding of the solo's orchestral context is essential.


The Beginning

There are two things to note from the score about the beginning of the bassoon solo:

• The bassoon solo starts right after the violinist finishes on a very high note.
• The harp rolls a full chord on the downbeat of the measure in which you enter.

These last notes from the other instruments can draw attention away from your first sounds. Especially in a live acoustic, it may take a second for the bassoon sound to emerge -- sometime after the first few notes of the solo. Indeed, often the bassoon's first notes are lost in live and recorded performances.

Therefore, it's helpful and expressively important to start with a full, resonant tone -- including the G grace note. I believe the phrase should relax in intensity to the B in bar three, so starting with a full sound also gives you a better chance for an expressive shape to the opening bars. In this solo, "Up is Up and Down is Down"* is a good maxim.


The Middle

After the beginning, projecting a solo sound is easy, given the light accompaniment of the four-part bass line. It is gratifying to play a solo like this which gives you opportunities to show the beauty of the bassoon's intimate nature along with its noble full-throated side.

By following the bass parts above, you can see that the harmonic motion is static for several bars. Notice where the chord changes occur (circled). By broadening at these points, you can enhance the new harmony underneath and allow the music to breathe. Breathe literally, too, as these chord changes happen near traditional breathing points for the bassoonist.

In order to bring out the seamless quality of this musical story telling, I strive to make my breathing as unobtrusive as possible. The phrases are like a chapters you weave together into a story in order to keep the constant attention of the listener.

Thus, when you do breathe, try to leave the last note before the breath with a rounded, resonant tone, breathe quickly and re-enter at the same intensity at which you left the sound. It helps to broaden a bit just before breathing. This buys you time for the breath without adding the perception that you've added beats to the measure.


The End

Knowledge of the context becomes most important when finishing this solo. There is a lot going on in the last few bars. By two bars before A I've reached the most expressive, fullest sound in the solo. In the next bar I begin the process of handing the solo off to the oboe.

The harmonic motion speeds up, adding tension to the end of the passage. Rimsky-Korsakov adds a ritard assai at the very end. Playing with a broad sense of time and an intense sound allows the final events to unfold gracefully.

The conductor re-enters the picture at this point to assist in the hand off. The ritard assai, along with serving an expressive function, gives the conductor and everyone who enters at A a chance to get ready to play. 

Therefore, the D dotted 16th note in the last bar of the solo (last circled beat above) becomes the pivot point from one section to the next. This may be the longest dotted 16th note in the literature!! 

You will see two beats from the conductor during this little note! One beat when you first play it to help the uppermost bass line move with you, and another to help you move from it to the C# and to give a pick up to those that enter at A.

Because the next section is in strict time and no longer flexible, the last two notes of the solo must be played in the NEW tempo: ♪=112. The need for the conductor and other musicians to start predictably

takes away any freedom you have here. In effect, the ritard assai only applies up to the famous D dotted 16th note.

Played as an Excerpt

In order to play this passage convincingly as an excerpt (in an audition, for instance), the performer must play with a sense that there is an imaginary conductor and orchestra in accompaniment. Younger, less experienced players who show their understanding of the context of this solo when performing it can ease the minds of those listening who may otherwise question their slim resumes and lack of experience. 

Coming Next

In my next post, I'll examine the context of the three bassoon cadenzas that follow later in the movement. 

* An expression used by oboist, John Mack to indicate phrasing in which a higher pitch is more intense than a lower one.

Scheherazade

Last week we opened the 2106 Blossom Festival with performances of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

I'll discuss my interpretation of the solos and how I dealt with other difficult passages in this piece in my next post.

For now, I'd like to recommend you listen to a superlative recording of the piece. Fritz Reiner leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in what has been described as one of the best orchestral recording made of ANY orchestral piece.

A Customized Scoring Tool

I've just started making a scoring tool that's customizable (number of scores) and inexpensive. The blade points are contoured to fit the arc of the shaped piece of cane.

Website is back!

My website, steesbassoon.com is back! It's been redesigned by my daughter, Grace, who is a graphic designer.

Most of the old content is still there, including the reed making instructions. Thanks to those of you who use it for reed making for your patience!

The Straight Stuff, Part 1

CANE SELECTION, PART 1

 

"The fundamental problem is still that of cane selection 

to prevent subsequent failure."

~ Jean-Marie Heinrich, The Bassoon Reed

 

In his article, The Bassoon Reed, Jean-Marie Heinrich (bassoonist and botanist) maintains that it is possible to condemn a piece of cane even before you process it (Journal of the International Double Reed Society, 1979).

This statement is based upon two concepts.


Symmetry
Everyone can agree that symmetry in all dimensions at all points between the two halves of a bassoon reed makes for a reed with the greatest potential to function well. While perfect symmetry is impossible to achieve, a reed that has good symmetry has the optimal vibrational potential because at each point the blades can vibrate at the same frequency due to their unity of thickness and shape in three dimensions.
Good symmetry is imparted to the reed through proper selection of the piece of cane, a symmetrical gouge, profile, and shape and a scrape that is as even-handed as possible. Also affecting symmetry are the wires, the bevel, and the forming procedure. Even how one fits the reed onto the mandrel, reamer or bocal (without twisting in one direction) plays a role in the symmetrical shapes put in the reed by the reed maker.

Elasticity
Defined as the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation, elasticity in bassoon reeds refers to the degree to which the tip opening retains its size and shape when vibrated over time. The life of a bassoon reed can be accurately charted through the degradation of its tip elasticity through repeated use.
It can be said with confidence that everything that is done to the cane from tube to finished reed has as its primary goal predictable elasticity. This includes gouge, profile, shape, wires, scrape, bevel, ream, etc.
Cane also has a built in elasticity with regard to its circumference in tube form. Even the thinly scraped tip of a finished reed will tend to arch more if it came from tube cane with a smaller circumference than that which came from a tube with a larger circumference. This needs to be taken into account when choosing tube sections for gouging, or when choosing gouged cane to profile.

Cane Selection

Thus, proper care must be taken in the selection of cane for processing! Whether you start with tube cane or gouged cane there are steps to take at this early stage that can save a lot of time and frustration.

Gouged Cane

Examine the piece of gouged cane by placing it on a 1" (25.4mm) piece of wooden dowel. It should fit uniformly around the circumference of the dowel.


Place the cane on a flat surface and check to see that all four corners of the piece contact the surface. Also look to see if the cane bows up in the middle or rocks from end to end. Most cane is not perfectly straight, so with some pieces you'll have to decide how much rocking of the corners you'll allow.

Tube Cane

In a previous post I outlined a method for selecting the straightest pieces from a section of tube cane.

In my next post, I'll offer an improvement upon this method with plenty of photos and instructions.