Four Commentaries for piano and violoncello
Nigel Morgan
This study score has been downloaded from the website archive of composer Nigel Morgan. The PDF file is solely for personal study, repertoire research or educational reference. It is not intended for use in public performance except in educational situations when an extract is required for illustration purposes. Performance scores and parts are available from Tonality Systems Press in two formats: as standard printed and bound paper copies, and as PDF electronic masters carrying a special electronic license for an unlimited number of performances over an agreed period. For more information please e-mail Tonality Systems Press.
ISMN 979-0-57043-011-6 (Study Score) ISMN 979-0-57043-012-3 (Parts)
About the music During 2007 I had the opportunity to hear performances of three entirely different compositions of music for cello and piano: Shostakovich’s Sonata, Alexander Goehr’s Fantasie and a revelatory performance of three of Beethoven’s Cello Sonatas. Following the Beethoven experience I felt I could no longer sit on the fence deliberating about this challenging combination of sonorities and chose to write a preliminary work that explored how my own musical preoccupations might react to the cello and piano duo.
Four Commentaries
Four Commentaries was written with Beethoven's F major sonata Op.5 No.1 open on my desk. On the first page of Beethoven’s score it became obvious that sequential harmonic and melodic movement was something largely absent within my musical style. My first task was to attempt my own expression of such sequential movement as a building block of a composition. Furthermore, a comparison with this early sonata and the mid period Op.69 in A Major showed that Beethoven developed a sophisticated approach to voice exchanges, shifts of register, changing of rhythms and articulations. I have tried to follow a similar path: the piece opening with the cello occupying the acoustic space between the treble and bass registers of piano and then gradually exploiting all kinds of textural relationships and combinations.
for piano and violoncello Nigel Morgan
All that said the work is not a set of commentaries on Beethoven’s sonatas – that is perhaps a project for the future. The subject of commentary here is the first movement of my own first Concerto for orchestra (2004). Each commentary looks at the melodic material of the music focusing in turn on a different musical element. These elements are expressed using the celebrated descriptions of composer Sam Richards, descriptions I continue to find a source of inspiration and challenge. They provide a kind of subtitle to each commentary. The work is dedicated to Martin Roscoe and Moray Welsh whose performance at the Beverley Chamber Music Festival 2007 I was privileged to hear.
i
ii
. . . rising, falling, hovering
Cello
Piano
4 8
3 4
3 4 3 4 10
= 65
68
( )
enfatico
9
8
89
cresc.
48
68
68 4
8
5
agilmente
85
9
8 cresc.
89
5
8
85
89
89
85
5 8
85
43
3 4
43
24
2 4
24
43
48
43
48
83 24
43
48
83
cresc.
83
24
24
Š Tonality Systems Press 2009
15
pizz
2 4
2
4 2 4
3 8
24
3 8
3
8 27
38 ( )
24
24
deliberato
24 24
43 43
43
24
2
43
43
sub.
2
4 24
85
85
78 cresc. 78
cresc.
78
3 8
83
34
43
83
24
43 43 85 semplice cresc.
3 8
3 8
43
arco
22
165
poco staccato
4
5 3 8
16 4
48 3 165
4
(en dehors)
48
83 83 83
88
88
88
8
8 8
8 88
32
24
2
4 24
68
4 4
43
6
8
68
3 5 4 8
cresc. 43
85
4 4
4 4
44 4 4 44
3 4 43
allargando
22 24 45
44
sub.
2 2
2 2
48
22
piu mosso
cantando e poco meno
43 85
a tempo
37
24
45
24 5 4 3
4
2 8
2 48 22
poco ritard. ed allargando
43
43
43
attacca
innocente
48
4 4
Cello
2 4
2
4
2 4
. . . rate of change
deliberato
articolato
5 8
14
41
41
34 gracile
43
43
43
43
grazioso
44
44
44
en dehors
83
43
83
83
4
24
cresc.
7 43 8
7 34
8
85
78
delicato
34 sub.
5
8
57
44 44
Piano
52
= 56
41
43
41
43
41
43
24 24
62
articolato
44
44
44
7
8
78
78
7 8 78
7 8
24
65
70
cresc.
41
24
41
24
41
85
98
cresc. 89
89
68
85
cresc. poco a poco
85
68
85
2
4
24
5
68
4 4
24
85
78
78
85
78
44
44
leggiero
3
8 cresc.
3
8
cresc.
83
75
24
24
24
83
2
4
83
24
83
24
leggiero
80
cresc.
34
cresc.
85
3 4
cresc.
3 4
24
24
24
24 24
24
41 24
41
24
41
24
43
89
43
89
89 43
6
!
!
78
3 4
78
78
3 4
43 43
43
43
41
41
41
90
grazioso
1
4 1
4 1 4
44
44
44
24
7 8
7 8
7 8
articolato
deliberato
24 24 ( )
24
24
24 24
24
attacca
7
24
en dehors
95
78
78
78
risoluto
99
7
4
7
4 74
Cello
Piano
103
pizz.
3 4
3 4
3 4 ( )
89
. . . what happens together
arco
44
44
44
43
89
98
78
78
78
43
preciso
108
= 120
8
43
44
43
44
43
deliberato
44
43
98
44
98
44
98
44
113
4 4
pizz.
4
4
4
4
4 4 4
4
4 4
( )
7 8
122
89
89
89
44
9
44
44
44
89
cresc.
89
89
pizz.
34 44
7 44
43 8
78
43
43
animato
117
43
43
arco
89
89
arco
89
44 44 44
78 78 78
44 44 44
126
4 4
4 4
( ) ()
4 4
44 44 44
136
4
4 ( )
4 4
) ( 4 4
6 8
6 8
6 8
130
affabile
78 78
leggiero
78
74
74
74 10
24
89
68
2
4 24
89
89
44
68 68 68
44
68
44
68
44
44
44
140
chiaro
non dim.
attacca
11
145
severo
= 52
9
8
9 8
Cello
Piano
7 16
7
16
44
7
16
5 4
5 4
= 75 con sord.
68
sul pont flautando
44
(tempo 1)
68
soffocato
54
* make these empty bars long enough to prepare the listener for a different tempo, timbre or style of playing
= 52
68
leggiero 68
12
89
allargando e bravura
24 24
45
45 45
44
89
89
167
167
44
normale 44
accel. a tempo 2
= 65
167
68
impaziente
68
accel.
* see note below
= 80
44
discreto
157
tempo 1
98
150
. . . where things come from
= 80
24
162
2 4
tempo 2
= 110
2
4
24 170
178
3
4
28
28
28
pizz.
74
24
24
24
senza sord. 74
74
accel. a tempo 2
43
43
3 4
85
85
3
4
34
tempo 1
24
24
24
tempo 2
= 110
28
28
28
78
28
78 28
78 28
13
= 80
28
ritard. a tempo 1
85
accel. a tempo 2
28
28
tempo 1
arco
24
24
24
= 80
78
inciso 78 78
tempo 2
= 110


43
3 4
43
6 8
6 8
6 8 187
2 8
2
8
2 8
206
6 8
= 110
tempo 2
196
ritardando ed allargando a tempo 1
68 68
68
68
68
deliberato
tempo 1
= 80
28
28
85
85
28
85
88
88
88
ritard. ed allargando
tempo 1
28
= 80
28
28
14
28
= 80
28
28
68
tempo 1
ritard. a tempo 1
68
68
78
accel. a tempo 2
animato
28 28
78
78
78
78
78
28
68 68 68
43 43 43
212
3 4
tempo 2
= 110
85
giustamente
3 4
34
tempo 1
2 4
= 80
85
44
24
44 24
cresc.
44 24
78
2 4
78
pizz.
= 110
24 24 15
ritard. a tempo 1
24
accelerando a tempo 2
tempo 2
220
78
scorrendo
2 4
accelerando a tempo 1
trem.
85
217
= 60
tempo 1
78
= 80
78
preciso
78