PROGRAM NOTES
Nocturne # 6 in F major (1817) J. Field
(1782-1837)
About the Composer:
Born in Dublin, Ireland, to a musical family, Field is considered the father and creator of the Nocturne. In 1793, he began studying with Muzio Clementi, and the two remained close until Clementi’s death. Throughout his life, he was highly regarded amongst his peers including Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt. He moved to Russia where spent his remaining years.
About the piece:
This nocturne was likely written while the composer was living in Russia and is indicative to Field’s style of writing. Within the work, you can hear cultivated a style of a “chromatically decorated melody” over a flowing arpeggiated left-hand accompaniment which is indicative of Field’s style. This served as an inspiration to Chopin who wrote his well-known nocturnes. After Field’s death, Liszt edited an edition of Field’s eighteen nocturnes. Liszt’s preface serves as a eulogy to Field. He writes:
Where else shall we meet such a perfection of incomparable naiveté? No one since then has been able to reproduce the charms of his speech, caressful as a moist and tender gaze; soothing as the slow, measured rocking of a boat or the swinging of a hammock, amid whose smoothly placid oscillations we seem to hear the dying murmur of melting caresses. No one has revived these vague Aeolian tones, these half-sighs of the breezes, plaintive wailings, ecstatic moanings. No one has dared attempt them; no one, especially, who heard Field himself play, or rather dream, his pieces, wrapt in inspiration, not limiting himself to the written notes, but incessantly inventing new groups wherewith to engarland his melodies; at each repetition he would adorn them diversely with a flowery rain, yet they never wholly disappeared beneath an ornamentation which veiled, without hiding, their languishing undulations and ravishing outlines. What an inexhaustible wealth of variations did he lavish on the embellishment of his thought! With what rare taste would be intertwine around it, without smothering it, the most subtle weft of arabesques!
Nocturne in Db Major Op. 27, No. 2 (1835) F. Chopin
(1810-1849)
About the composer:
Chopin was born in Poland and is considered one of the most significant pianists and piano composers of all time. In 1831, at age 21, he moved to Paris where he continued to compose, perform, and teach. Chopin’s compositions mostly consist of solo piano music or incorporate the piano in some way. He was also highly influenced by Polish folk music which resulted in piano pieces titled Mazurkas and Polonaises. However, influenced by Field, he also wrote Nocturnes.
About the Piece:
This nocturne belongs to a set of two Nocturnes written in 1835-36 that was dedicated to the countess of D’Appony. The first was written in C# minor and the second in in Db major. The piece consists of 2 strophes that repeat with increasingly complex variation. Music scholar Blair Johnston calls the main cadence at the end of the piece, “one of the most glorious moments in Chopin’s entire output.” He also calls the piece “one of [Chopin’s] most graceful essays in floritura ornamental practices.” Music critic James Huneker states that the piece “really contains but one subject and is a song of the sweet summer of two souls, for there is obviously meaning in the duality of voices.”
Liebeslied: Widmung, from Myrthen Op. 25 (1848) R. Schumann
(1810-1856)
Arr. F. Liszt
(1811-1886)
About the Composer—Schumann
German born Robert Schumann initially planned on becoming a virtuoso pianist. However, after sustaining a hand injury, he turned all his attention towards composing. Schumann soon fell in love with his piano teacher’s daughter, Clara Wiek. Clara later became well-known as a virtuoso pianist and a composer in her own right. A prolific composer, Robert wrote symphonies, piano pieces, and lieder (songs). He grouped his piano pieces and songs into suites or cycles.
About the Composer—Liszt
Franz Liszt was born in Hungary and is considered one of the best pianists and composers of piano works. He first became famous for his virtuosity and then later for his virtuosic piano compositions including Annees de pelerinage, and his Etudes de Paganini. Additionally, he became well-known for creating arrangements of popular pieces.
About the Piece:
This work is based on Schumann’s song Widmung from Myrthen Op. 25, which was composed in 1840. Schumann’s original work was dedicated to his wife Clara as a wedding gift. Widmung translates to “dedication” while Myrthen translates to myrtles—a flower found in a traditional wedding bouquet. In the postlude or ending of the piece, you hear the melody of Schubert’s “Ave Maria.” Liszt made his arrangement in 1848 for solo piano titled “Liebeslied” (Lovesong). Liebeslied coincided with Liszt’s retirement as an active performer. After 1847, he focused mostly on composition. Liszt’s changes include repeating the melody in multiple voices, includes many flourishes and virtuosic arpeggios, and while Schumann ends the song softly, Liszt ends with a final outburst.
Reverie (1890) C. Debussy
Clair de Lune (1905) (1862-1918)
About the Composer:
Born in Paris, France, Claude Debussy studied piano, theory, and composition at a young age and was regarded as the first impressionistic composer. In 1889, at the age of 27, he heard Javanese Gamelan music for the first time and was profoundly influenced by the Gamelan scales and rhythms. Gamelan is traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sudanese, and Balinese people, made up mostly of percussion instruments. Additionally, meeting Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov and fellow French composer Erik Satie led him to expand his harmonic freedom and steer away from the traditional German sound and form. Debussy wrote symphonic sketches or poems in place of traditional sonata-allegro symphonies, and his piano pieces and suites were titled Images, Preludes, and Etudes.
About the Piece—Reverie:
The title translates to “dream” and might have been written between 1880-1884. Years later, Debussy’s publisher, Eugene Fromont decided to publish the work without the composer’s permission. In a letter to Fromont, Debussy wrote: “I regret very much your decision to publish Rêverie. I wrote it in a hurry years ago, purely for material considerations. It is a work of no consequence, and I frankly consider it to be no good!” Despite Debussy’s regret, it became a commercial and critical success and is credited to influencing the exploration of harmonies in classical music.
About the Piece—Clair de Lune:
Clair de Lune is part of a piano suite titled “Suite Bergamesque.” A Bergamask is a rustic dance and accompanying melody and chord progression from northern Italy. It is mentioned in Paul Verlaine’s poetry, which serves as inspiration of the entire suite. Claire de Lune, translated as “moonlight,” is in 9/8 meter, and is based on Paul Verlaine’s poem of the same title.
Three Nocturnes (2023) **World Premier** M. Rominger
1. Andante Cantabile (b. 1978)
2. Adagio Misterioso
3. Andante Agitato
About the Composer:
Born on Long Island, NY, Marcel Rominger started studying piano at an early age and is primarily known as a piano performer and teacher. He currently serves as the Director and Instructor of The Sunnyside Piano Studio located in Woodside, Queens. He also serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at LaGuardia Community College in Queens where he teaches Music Theory.
About the Piece:
Each of the short nocturnes is meant to be performed with the others and portrays different aspects of night. Throughout each piece, one can hear the chiming of a clock striking echoing throughout. The first Nocturne, Andante cantabile, resembles the style of Chopin and Field but uses 12-tone (atonal) rows for the melody and accompaniment. The piece slowly becomes more tonal as it moves to the end. Adagio Misterioso portrays the stillness of night whereas Andante Agitato, the last nocturne, portrays a tumultuous night filled with unrest. However, calmness sets in just as the sun rises represented by the last chord which is in major.
Sonata No. 14 in C# Minor “Moonlight” Op. 27, No. 2 (1801) L.v. Beethoven
Adagio sostenuto (1770-1827)
Allegretto
Presto
About the composer:
Ludwig van Beethoven is considered one of the most celebrated and admired composers in western history. German born Beethoven began studying with composer Joseph Haydn at an early age. He is famous for his 9 symphonies and 32 piano sonatas as well as concertos, various chambers works, and orchestral pieces.
About the Piece:
Was additionally titled “Sonata quasi una fantasia” (Sonata but almost a fantasy) and was dedicated to Beethoven’s student Countess Giulette Guicciardi. A Fantasy was a free-flowing piece rooted in improvisation. This made the work a break from the traditional classical sonata. The nickname “moonlight” was not bestowed by Beethoven but by German music critic and poet Ludwig Rellstab. According to musicologist, Willhelm Lenz who wrote in 1952, "Rellstab compares this work to a boat, visiting, by moonlight, the remote parts of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland." Beethoven's student Carl Czerny called it "a nocturnal scene, in which a mournful ghostly voice sounds from the distance." Liszt described the second movement as "a flower between two abysses." The last movement contrasts the first two movements and is known for its fast and virtuosic elements.