Sousa, two marches

Contrary to what one might expect, linear rising cadential figures are relatively rare in late 19th century marches and the closely related repertoires of the one-step and rag. Here are two examples from John Phillip Sousa.

In The Manhattan Beach March (1893), we are obliged to settle for an internal cadence (dominant ending for the first strain).

In Our Flirtation March (1880), an equally stark ascending line from ^5 to ^8 closes the second strain. I am quoting here from an early 20th century theater orchestra set of parts. In such circumstances, the violinist was considered the leader. In the second strain, the flute part duplicates the upper notes of the violin's octave, the first cornet and first clarinet the lower notes.

Combined with the melody, the circled notes would create what I call a "wedge," two voices approaching the final tonic from opposite directions. Historically, the more common version has a descending line above and a rising line below, but here Sousa does the opposite. We are obliged to imagine the final tonic note in the descending line ^5-^4-^3-^2- (^1). I have examined the full band score for this march and no part makes a ^2-^1 descent.

Strauss, Die Fledermaus n12, Act III, Entre'act & n13, Melodrama

The scene for Act III is the jail. The Entre'act--which functions as the introduction to Act III--helps switch locations for the audience in that it is a reprise of all of the Vogelhaus march, both the 2/4 and 6/8 sections. In the course of that, the powerful (con forza) cadence is repeated:

In n13, Frank has returned to the jail and settles down, all the while recalling pleasant memories (and, of course, several musical fragments) of the evening's party, including the Prince's toast, with its ascending cadence gesture. At the end of the melodrama (that is, a scene of action--or in this case rather less and less action) he falls asleep.

Interlude: Three from Victor Herbert, continued

In yesterday's post, I wrote about movements from Sweethearts (1913) and Naughty Marietta (1910). Today's focus is on no. 23, the final number in Babette (1903). This short and uncomplicated finale—no extended szena!—is a reprise of two earlier numbers, n5: "The Letter Writing Song," in which Babette sings about her work writing letters for others, and n2: "My Honor and My Sword." The reprise of n5 is an invitation to Babette's wedding, n2 a trio (in the subdominant), and an instrumental version of n2 closes the operetta. Both n2 and n5 independently have rising-line-based designs.

The "trio": reprise of n2: "My Honor and My Sword."

The instrumental conclusion: reprise of n5.

Music in 17th century Vienna, part 6; 200th post

"Margarita" is from Schmelzer's Balletti francesi, written in 1669 for a production of Cesti's opera Nettuno e Flora festeggianti. The numbers are Allemanda, Aria, Courente, Margarita, Sarabanda, Retirada.

I admit that I placed this piece here to allow a small joke on the occasion of the 200th post to this blog. But, surprise, "Margarita" does not refer to the cocktail—it is Margaret, far better known as the Spanish Infanta painted multiple times by Velasquez than as the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.

This is a bright and stately march that was most likely meant for the ingress of the Empress on stage (family members frequently participated in ballets and other staged events in the court). It is especially interesting for the sharp timbral distinction in tonal space between the trumpets and the first violin and for the three-part Ursatz design that results (note especially the ending).

This, incidentally, is the last in the 17th-century Vienna series.

Costa Nogueras, from 12 Composiciones musicales (1881), continued

In the previous post, I commented on the first three numbers in the 12 Composiciones musicales (1881) by Vicente Costa Nogueras. Today I look at the last three, a Fantasia-Impromptu (n10),  a waltz "Arlequin" (n11), and a March (n12).

The Fantasia-Impromptu is a larger scale piece in a ternary form with a strongly contrasting middle section (Allegro giocoso in the outer sections, Andante Cantabile in the middle one). After a six-bar introduction, the principal theme enters in a double period in which both units end on the dominant. Here is the first:

After a contrasting middle of 19 bars, the theme returns, though now the second unit is entirely new -- but once again ends on the dominant):

Now this unit is repeated, finally closing the A-section in the tonic and introducing a transparent ascent from ^5 to ^8 in the cadence.

All this is repeated at the end of the piece, and a brief rousing coda follows:

Arlequin (n11) is a conventionally designed waltz set with a short introduction, four waltzes, and a coda that quotes the first waltz. It is unusual in the progression of keys: F-Bb-Eb-Ab and a return to F through a quick modulation in the coda.

The first strain of waltz n1 gives a prominent place to ^3 (A5) in the first unit, but the second runs a line directly from ^5 over a typical TSDT functional progression.

The second strain (trio) of n2 leaves little doubt about its attention to ^5, and ^6 as its neighbor.

The March (n12) that closes the collection is a straighforward example of the "mirror Urlinie" from ^8 down to ^5 and then back up again in the cadence.

Two pieces by Vincent Lübeck the Elder

Vincent Lübeck enjoyed not only a long life (1654-1740) but also a high reputation as a composer and organist. The small number of pieces that survive are mainly fugues and chorale preludes, as one might expect, but two small pieces have been verified as his by Dr. Wolfram Syré in an edition published in 2002. Because the edition is under copyright, I am reproducing only a few short fragments of each, with analytical annotations.

The March is a small binary form in 16 bars, with a cadence to the dominant at the end of the first strain. The beginning of the second strain puts attention on C5 (circled), and the ending seems to confirm the significance of that note with a covering C6 (circled) and a line rising through the cadence.

The menuet is likewise in a small binary form, 8 + 16 bars. In the second strain, a PAC on vi (D minor) falls midway. Without backing this with more notational evidence, I will claim that the ^8 (as F5) apparent in the first bar continues to hold sway abstractly throughout, and thus the quick passage through the octave approaching the end (circled notes and slur) generates a neighbor-note cadence figure, ^8-^9-^7-^8.