Four Commentaries, for Piano and Violoncello

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