Saygun, Bartok, Sibelius and their use of folk songs
Ida Pelliccioli - Piano
Sunday March 6th, 4pm
"Iron hands, but with velvet elegance: Ida Pelliccioli’s technical abilities make us forget about the pieces complexity, for the greatest delight of the audience."
Fabrice Fenoy – Artistic Director “Un piano sous les arbres”
Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907-1991) was one of Turkey's most prominent composers, described in The Times obituary as the grand old man of Turkish music, who was to his country what Sibelius is to Finland, what de Falla is to Spain and what Bartok is to Hungary" (15 January 1991).
This programme springs from this quote and aims to put in perspective three composers that studied and used folk songs from their land to develop their musical language, and by doing that, forged the cultural identity of their nation. It is also interesting to point out that both Saygun and Sibelius were influenced in their later years by Bartók. In fact, Saygun and Bartók even met. In 1936, Bartók spent a short time in Turkey, in order to give lectures and, joined by Saygun he went on an expedition in Anatolia and Osmaniye to collect and transcribe Turkish folk songs that particularly interested him for evidence of Turkish-Magyar contact during the migration (prior to the late ninth century). They recorded on Edison cylinders some seventy-eight vocal and nine instrumental tunes. Saygun gained immense knowledge of Bartók's style of writing during this trip and learned a great deal about string quartets: they became great friends.
In the Six Impromptus (1890-93) we find reminiscences of Sibelius's journey to collect traditional runes in Karelia. Kantele (traditional Finnish and Karelian plucked string instrument) influences and dance tunes from eastern Finland and Karelia can be observed in the pieces. In this connection it is well to remember that Sibelius could play the kantele and that his performances have actually been documented. The opening, Impromptu no. 1 in G minor (Moderato). is an unaffected and melodious opening piece. Its theme has been regarded as "the musical symbol of Finland, Sibelius's native country".
Saygun’s pieces that have been chosen were written between 1934 and 1945 and are representative in the shift between Saygun’s early compositional style and a more folk-inspired one. After his studies in Paris, Saygun was appointed teacher of counterpoint in Ankara in 1931, where the teachers of the new Turkish republic were educated to spread the music reforms all across the country. It is quite clear that Adnan's output in these early years (1932-1940) was shaped both by his teaching commitments and the demands that were made from him according to the new republic's music policy. As well as being asked to compose two operas, Saygun was also responsible for writing music for pedagogic purposes. These were mainly works for a cappella choir, based on harmonization of traditional folksongs, which had to reflect the views of the state and serve as teaching materials at schools. Harmonization of folk-songs had been a regular feature particularly in the works of the Russian and Hungarian school, mainly with composers like Bartok and Kodaly. In fact Kodaly described the reasons for arranging folk-songs as "to enable the general public to get to know and enjoy folk-song" and explained the process in the following words: "In transferring them from the countryside to the town, some such 'dressing-up' so to speak, was necessary. But since simply to put them into town clothes would make them awkward and ill at ease, we have tried to design a costume which would enable them to breathe freely". In his article on the future of Turkish music, Saygun says: "It would be impossible to apply the polyphonic texture of western art music directly to our folk-songs [ ... ] our folk-songs will retain their identity only through a kind of harmony that is derived from within them". Adnan's interests in the field of folk-music naturally infiltrated the musical language of his instrumental works of the same period as well. There are numerous examples of this where one finds the composer setting a traditional dance or a folk-song in a bare idiom in an instrumental piece.
he set called Anadolu 'dan (“from Anatolia”) Op. 25 contains two traditional dances: Zeybek and Ha/ay, from different regions of Turkey. The early years were nevertheless a struggle for Saygun to find acomfortable medium through which to express his musical ideas. In 1937, he had written only two works in the pianoforte medium since his return from Paris, which were the “Suite” Op. 2 and “Jnci 's Book” Op. 10, both being collections of short independent movements. Composed in the spring of 1935, Inci's Book is a set of seven short pieces. Saygun named the composition after a little girl called Inci, the daughter of a friend, Veli Saltik, who was taking piano lessons from him at the time. Similar to Debussy' s Children's Corner, each movement describes a moment in a child's life from different perspectives, and in this respect, though much smaller in scale and less methodical, it has similarities with Bartok's series entitled “For Children” and “Mikrokosmos”. Like Bartok's pedagogical works, lnci's Book was also written
with public performances in mind.
These six dances comprise the final works in “Mikrokosmos”, Bartók's masterful set of 153 pieces of progressively challenging piano compositions, meant primarily as an instructive collection for students. As most are aware, Bartók was a devoted collector and arranger of folk music. What Bartok called “Bulgarian rhythm” is also known as Aksak, (“limping” in Turkish) an important pattern in the rhythmic structure of folk and vernacular traditional music of the Middle East, particularly Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan, and of the Balkans. It is characterized by combinations of unequal beats, such as 2 + 3 and their extensions, particularly 2 + 2 + 2 + 3.In May 1909, a few months before the death of his mother, Busoni had lost his father. In his memory the son created an original work, poised and noble in tone, out of three organ pieces by Bach: Busoni’s way of thanking his father for an early introduction to the music of a composer he had been championing for years. The Fantasia after J S Bach (by ‘Bach- Busoni’, as the composer is identified on the cover page) is the first of his works that can be called a Nachdichtung —a work resulting from such a free transcription or adaptation of a model that it becomes original and independent in its own right. Janácek revealed a very private and sensitive side of his musical personality when he composed In the Mists, a collection of four pieces for solo piano. Written in the winter of 1912-1913, the work came four years after the composer's much longer collection, On an Overgrown Path. In the Mists has a feeling of introspection about it, as it were an entry in the composer's musical "journal"; it lives up to its name by maintaining an air of distance, as if the piano were at times lost in a bank of clouds.
The five pieces that constitute Rachmaninov’s Morceaux de fantaisie, are not intended to be played as a group, and they represent a step forward toward Rachmaninov's mature style. The Elégie in E flat minor is an epic and tragic work, with sweeping melodies, an imposing climax, and a fine melancholic atmosphere.
This programme springs from this quote and aims to put in perspective three composers that studied and used folk songs from their land to develop their musical language, and by doing that, forged the cultural identity of their nation. It is also interesting to point out that both Saygun and Sibelius were influenced in their later years by Bartók. In fact, Saygun and Bartók even met. In 1936, Bartók spent a short time in Turkey, in order to give lectures and, joined by Saygun he went on an expedition in Anatolia and Osmaniye to collect and transcribe Turkish folk songs that particularly interested him for evidence of Turkish-Magyar contact during the migration (prior to the late ninth century). They recorded on Edison cylinders some seventy-eight vocal and nine instrumental tunes. Saygun gained immense knowledge of Bartók's style of writing during this trip and learned a great deal about string quartets: they became great friends.
In the Six Impromptus (1890-93) we find reminiscences of Sibelius's journey to collect traditional runes in Karelia. Kantele (traditional Finnish and Karelian plucked string instrument) influences and dance tunes from eastern Finland and Karelia can be observed in the pieces. In this connection it is well to remember that Sibelius could play the kantele and that his performances have actually been documented. The opening, Impromptu no. 1 in G minor (Moderato). is an unaffected and melodious opening piece. Its theme has been regarded as "the musical symbol of Finland, Sibelius's native country".
Saygun’s pieces that have been chosen were written between 1934 and 1945 and are representative in the shift between Saygun’s early compositional style and a more folk-inspired one. After his studies in Paris, Saygun was appointed teacher of counterpoint in Ankara in 1931, where the teachers of the new Turkish republic were educated to spread the music reforms all across the country. It is quite clear that Adnan's output in these early years (1932-1940) was shaped both by his teaching commitments and the demands that were made from him according to the new republic's music policy. As well as being asked to compose two operas, Saygun was also responsible for writing music for pedagogic purposes. These were mainly works for a cappella choir, based on harmonization of traditional folksongs, which had to reflect the views of the state and serve as teaching materials at schools. Harmonization of folk-songs had been a regular feature particularly in the works of the Russian and Hungarian school, mainly with composers like Bartok and Kodaly. In fact Kodaly described the reasons for arranging folk-songs as "to enable the general public to get to know and enjoy folk-song" and explained the process in the following words: "In transferring them from the countryside to the town, some such 'dressing-up' so to speak, was necessary. But since simply to put them into town clothes would make them awkward and ill at ease, we have tried to design a costume which would enable them to breathe freely". In his article on the future of Turkish music, Saygun says: "It would be impossible to apply the polyphonic texture of western art music directly to our folk-songs [ ... ] our folk-songs will retain their identity only through a kind of harmony that is derived from within them". Adnan's interests in the field of folk-music naturally infiltrated the musical language of his instrumental works of the same period as well. There are numerous examples of this where one finds the composer setting a traditional dance or a folk-song in a bare idiom in an instrumental piece.
he set called Anadolu 'dan (“from Anatolia”) Op. 25 contains two traditional dances: Zeybek and Ha/ay, from different regions of Turkey. The early years were nevertheless a struggle for Saygun to find acomfortable medium through which to express his musical ideas. In 1937, he had written only two works in the pianoforte medium since his return from Paris, which were the “Suite” Op. 2 and “Jnci 's Book” Op. 10, both being collections of short independent movements. Composed in the spring of 1935, Inci's Book is a set of seven short pieces. Saygun named the composition after a little girl called Inci, the daughter of a friend, Veli Saltik, who was taking piano lessons from him at the time. Similar to Debussy' s Children's Corner, each movement describes a moment in a child's life from different perspectives, and in this respect, though much smaller in scale and less methodical, it has similarities with Bartok's series entitled “For Children” and “Mikrokosmos”. Like Bartok's pedagogical works, lnci's Book was also written
with public performances in mind.
These six dances comprise the final works in “Mikrokosmos”, Bartók's masterful set of 153 pieces of progressively challenging piano compositions, meant primarily as an instructive collection for students. As most are aware, Bartók was a devoted collector and arranger of folk music. What Bartok called “Bulgarian rhythm” is also known as Aksak, (“limping” in Turkish) an important pattern in the rhythmic structure of folk and vernacular traditional music of the Middle East, particularly Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan, and of the Balkans. It is characterized by combinations of unequal beats, such as 2 + 3 and their extensions, particularly 2 + 2 + 2 + 3.In May 1909, a few months before the death of his mother, Busoni had lost his father. In his memory the son created an original work, poised and noble in tone, out of three organ pieces by Bach: Busoni’s way of thanking his father for an early introduction to the music of a composer he had been championing for years. The Fantasia after J S Bach (by ‘Bach- Busoni’, as the composer is identified on the cover page) is the first of his works that can be called a Nachdichtung —a work resulting from such a free transcription or adaptation of a model that it becomes original and independent in its own right. Janácek revealed a very private and sensitive side of his musical personality when he composed In the Mists, a collection of four pieces for solo piano. Written in the winter of 1912-1913, the work came four years after the composer's much longer collection, On an Overgrown Path. In the Mists has a feeling of introspection about it, as it were an entry in the composer's musical "journal"; it lives up to its name by maintaining an air of distance, as if the piano were at times lost in a bank of clouds.
The five pieces that constitute Rachmaninov’s Morceaux de fantaisie, are not intended to be played as a group, and they represent a step forward toward Rachmaninov's mature style. The Elégie in E flat minor is an epic and tragic work, with sweeping melodies, an imposing climax, and a fine melancholic atmosphere.
ProgrammeJean Sibelius
Six Impromptus, Op. 5 Ahmet Adnan Saygun Inci’s Book, Op. 10/a From Anatolia, Op. 25 Béla Bartók Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm, from Mikrokosmos Vol.6/148-153 |
|
4pm-5pm. Tickets: adults £6.00, concessions £5.00, children £2.00. Tickets available at the door. Crèche facilities available.
|
Ida Pelliccioli was born in Bergamo, Italy. She studied at the Nice Conservatoire de Région and at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris - Alfred Cortot in the class of Serguei Markarov, Unesco Artist for Peace. During her studies, Ida Pelliccioli was awarded several scholarships, amongst them, one from the Zygmunt Zaleski Foundation and one from Fondation Albert Roussel.
Ida Pelliccioli participated in number of master-classes, among others with Jean-Claude Pennetier, Gerard Wyss and received a double diploma in interpretation and pedagogy, at the École Normale in Paris. She received artistic guidance from Norma Fisher who teaches at the Royal College of Music in London, Stephen Gutman, and she is one of the rare pianists to have received guidance from the cuban concert pianist Jorge Luis Prats. |
|
Ida chose to avoid the international competition circuit and, before becoming a full-time pianist, received a double master diploma at the Sorbonne University - in Italian Literature and in Ancient Greek History, specializing for the latter in the practice of music during the Hellenistic period. Ida has been performing troughout Europe. She has made her debut in Norway, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain and Canada in 2019 and will debut in the US and Estonia in 2020.
In February 2018, she gave a solo recital in Milan under the patronage of Yamaha Italy. She has been invited in several festivals, among others, “Un piano sous les arbres” at Lunel-Viel, and “Fêtes Musicales de Pionsat”, where she was invited by the pianist Racha Arodaky. Ida shows a great interest in contemporary music and she will be premiering works from the following composers in 2019 – Raffaele Bellafronte and Jean-Luc Gillet.
Ida has always been opened to other forms of art and collaborations. In 2015 and 2016, she collaborated in Paris with Florian Pautasso, a young stage director, during the creation of his play "Notre foyer”. She also appeared on screen, playing the role of a pianist, for the american TV Series “Find me in Paris” – Season 1 and 2 (2017/2018) and the french one “Munch” (2018). In 2019, she has been cast to double the role of the pianist in the short movie "Quand on ne sait pas voler” directed by Thomas Keumurian and produced by FILMO.
Interview: https://crosseyedpianist.com/2019/06/13/meet-the-artist-ida-pelliccioli-pianist/
In February 2018, she gave a solo recital in Milan under the patronage of Yamaha Italy. She has been invited in several festivals, among others, “Un piano sous les arbres” at Lunel-Viel, and “Fêtes Musicales de Pionsat”, where she was invited by the pianist Racha Arodaky. Ida shows a great interest in contemporary music and she will be premiering works from the following composers in 2019 – Raffaele Bellafronte and Jean-Luc Gillet.
Ida has always been opened to other forms of art and collaborations. In 2015 and 2016, she collaborated in Paris with Florian Pautasso, a young stage director, during the creation of his play "Notre foyer”. She also appeared on screen, playing the role of a pianist, for the american TV Series “Find me in Paris” – Season 1 and 2 (2017/2018) and the french one “Munch” (2018). In 2019, she has been cast to double the role of the pianist in the short movie "Quand on ne sait pas voler” directed by Thomas Keumurian and produced by FILMO.
Interview: https://crosseyedpianist.com/2019/06/13/meet-the-artist-ida-pelliccioli-pianist/
Location
Acton Hill Church
Corner of Woodland Avenue, High Street, Acton, Greater London, W3 9BU
Corner of Woodland Avenue, High Street, Acton, Greater London, W3 9BU
|
We are on the corner of the Uxbridge Road and Gunnersbury Lane, W3, opposite Acton police station. Ten minutes walk form Acton Town tube station – District (Ealing Broadway) and Piccadilly lines. Front main entrance is on Gunnersbury Lane, turn right and walk down to the T-junction, turn right and the church is a twenty yards on your right.
Parking in Morrisons’ car park diagonally opposite (up to 1 hour before 4pm and unlimited thereafter). Street parking on Steyne Road (opposite), limited parking in Woodlands Avenue down the side of the church. Beware of the dropped curb at the end as parking tickets are issued on Sundays! |
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2016 Jane Schopf
|
website by
|