on what Bach might have done if presented with the rich tapestry of possibility from the microtonally inflected Arab modes coupled with his ingenious sense of counterpoint and harmony. For this work, I went further back in time for inspiration, turning to the often-overlooked Nicola Vicentino, an Italian composer and theorist from the Renaissance period. In his 16th century treatise, “L’antica musica ridotta alla prattica moderna,” he devised a 31- tone system (our “standard” Western system has only 12 tones!) which includes his four-part madrigal, “Musica prisca caput,” where he put his ideas into practice. I used this work as a harmonic template for my own musical exploration. This madrigal is organized into three parts that are distinguished by their pitch content: (1) diatonic (7 possible tones), (2) chromatic (12 possible tones), and (3) microtonal (31 possible tones(!)). In my work, every chord in “Musica prisca caput” is chronologically represented: almost all of them with their original voice leading, many of which are solely in root position! They vary from the original by the extension of range (beyond what is possible with human singers), expansion of timbral possibilities (i.e. glissandi, tremolandi, harmonics, etc.), and the implementation of the maqamat to establish a new melodic context for Vicentino’s contrapuntal writing. By focusing on this distinctly Western point of departure, I hope to provoke a renewed awareness of the richness of Arab traditions and how their facets can coexist within our global cultural landscape. – Saad Haddad Caramoor
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3, “Razumovsky” About the Composer Beethoven’s biographer Lewis Lockwood describes the three “Razumovsky” Quartets of 1806 as a “continental divide” in the history of the string quartet. Behind them stood the towering peaks of the Viennese Classical school, epitomized by Haydn and Mozart; ahead lay the as-yetuncharted territory of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms. The Op. 59 set marked a watershed in Beethoven’s own artistic development as well. Like the “Eroica” Symphony, the “Appassionata” Piano Sonata, and the opera Fidelio, the “Razumovskys” exemplify the “heroic” and boldly unconventional style that Beethoven forged in his so-called middle period, under the incubus of his steadily worsening loss of hearing. The Mozartean Classicism of his six Op. 18 Quartets, composed between 1798 and 1800, already belonged to a different world, while the introspective, convoluted language of his late quartets lay just around the corner. About the Work The Op. 59 Quartets were commissioned by Count Andreas Razumovsky, Russia’s ambassador to the court of Vienna. An enthusiastic amateur violinist, the count was an ardent champion of both Beethoven and Haydn. Beethoven set to work on May 26, 1806, and completed the three quartets by the end of the year. Predictably, contemporary reactions to the “Razumovskys” ranged from Summer 2021
