CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
GRADUATE RECITAL IN CONDUCTING
An abstract submitted in partial satisfaction of the
requirements for the degree of Master in Arts in
Music
by
JJ Schrarrm
August 1984
The
ab~ct
of JJ Schramn is approved:
Dr. tFc?niel A. Kesifier
<
~~at/.1
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Dr. David E. Whitwell, Chair
California State University, Northridge
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ABSTRACT
GRADUATE RECITAL IN CONDUCTING
by
JJ Schramm
The two works chosen for this Master of Arts Degree are
Variations on "Mein junges Leben hat ein End" by Jan Pieterszoon
Sweelinck and An Original Suite by Gordon Jacob.
The Sweelinck
variation was chosen because of its early baroque style.
In
contrast, typical twentieth century techniques, such as dynamic
extremes and time signature changes,
are to be found in the
composition by Jacob.
Sweelinck was born in May of 1562 and he died in Amsterdam
October 16, 1621.
He was a Dutch composer, organist and teacher.
His composition illustrates characteristics of the choral variation.
First, the organization of the variations illustrates ordered units,
which Sweelinck produced through the use of rhythms, cadences and the
treatment of the cantus firmus.
The rhythm in Variation One begins
with quarter-notes and eighth-notes.
Variation Two uses sixteenth-
notes and the end of Variation Three uses sixteenth-note triplets and
thirty-second notes.
In contrast, the second unit (Variations Four
and Five) begins by returning to sixteenth-notes and quarter-notes.
To emphasize Variations Four and Five as a unit, Variation Five ends
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with sixteenth-notes and quarter-notes and Variation Six begins with
homophonic quarter-notes.
The three units become shorter each time:
Variations One through Three, Variations Four and Five, and Variation
Six as a separate unit.
The units are also emphasized by strong
cadences at the end of Variations Three, Five and Six.
The treatment of the cantus firmus reinforces the ordered units
and illustrates the chorale variation style.
The cantus firmus is
unchanged or slightly changed in each variation.
Variations One
through Three begin with the original cantus firmus in quarter-notes.
In Variation Four the cantus firmus is changed by combining it with
the alto voice of Variation One to make one line.
The cantus firmus
has sixteenth-note neighboring tones added to it in Variation Five.
Variation Six begins by returning to the original form of the cantus
firmus.
Therefore, the cantus firmus helps to clarify the ordered
units and the chorale variation style by beginning Variations One
through Three and Six with the original, while the cantus firmus has
been slightly changed in Variations Four and five.
As Ramon L.
Ricker transcribed this composition, his
instrumentation and placement of fermate emphasized the ordered
units.
Ricker transcribes Variations One through Three as follows:
one, woodwinds and french horn; two, brass; three, woodwinds and
trumpet.
Variations Four and Five are scored for smaller ensembles
of a quartet and a woodwind octet respectively.
In a characteristic
baroque ending, opening all of the stops as it were,
Ricker
transcribed the Sixth Variation for the complete ensemble at a
fortissimo dynamic level.
Ricker has also added fermate at the end
of Variations Three, Five and Six which emphasize the ordered units.
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Gordon Jacob (1895-1984) was an English composer and teacher.
He studied under Stanford and Howells at the Royal College of Music
in London with a strong interest in wind instruments.
His
composition, An Original Suite, requires a confident memorization
because of its dynamics, articulations and time signatures.
Two
examples of dynamic contrast include forte to pianissimo during one
beat (Movement one,
the fifth measure after
Letter "H") and
fortissimo to piano (Movement three, seventh measure after Letter "D"
through the first measure of Letter "E").
The end of the Second
Movement challenges the conductor to direct a pianississimo legato
with clarity.
Communicating the articulations to the band also challenges the
conductor.
The first theme starts with an eighth-note and eighth-
rest.
The conductor must indicate that the eighth-note is full
value.
The 1 ight staccato (Movement one, Letters "B" and "G 11 ) also
challenges the conductor to achieve the correct response from the
ensanble.
The time signature changes occur in only five places during the
second movement.
However, if they are conducted inaccurately, it
could be devastating to the performance.
The Second Movement should be directed with rubato.
This
requires clear anticipation of all tempo accelerations and ri tards,
as well as eye contact with the performers to communicate expression.
Conducting the compositions by Sweelinck and Jacob has provided
an experience with ordered units and chorale variation of the early
baroque style and an early twentieth century composition using
dynamic extremes and time signature changes.
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