classical cadenza

8/9/2019 Classical Cadenza

1/34

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Form and Function of the Classical CadenzaAuthor(s): Joseph P. SwainSource: The Journal of Musicology, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Winter, 1988), pp. 27-59Published by: University of California PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/763668Accessed: 24-03-2015 09:55 UTC

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2/34

Form and Function of

the

Classical Cadenza

JOSEPH

P.

SWAIN

H

ow

many

of us have ever

enjoyed hearing

a

concerto

of Mozart or

Beethoven

stunningly

and

sensitively

played,

only

to have

the

experience

ruined at

the

end of

a movement

by

the

cadenza?

Regrettably,

this

happens

all

too often.

A show of

empty

virtuosity,

perhaps,

or

wrong

for

the

style

of the concerto as a

whole,

or-the most common

problem-a

cadenza that is

simply

too

long.

Joachim

Quantz,

writing

over

two

centuries

ago,

seems to address the

current situation:

2

If none

are made it is

considered a

great

defect,

even

though many

performers

would

conclude their

pieces

with more credit without

them.

Meanwhile,

all

those who

occupy

themselves

with

singing

or

with

playing

solos want

to,

or

must,

make cadenzas.

And

since their

natureand

proper

way

to

perform

them are not well

known,

the fash-

ion

generally

becomes a

burden.

In

his last

comment,

Quantz

goes

to

the heart of the

problem.

We have

very

little

knowledge

or

understanding

of

the structure or

purpose

of

the cadenza

in

the

classical concerto

beyond

its

elementary

definition

as

an

improvisation

on

themes from

the movement.

Amazingly

enough,

there is

no

provision

for

it in

modern theories or

descriptions

of con-

certo

form. Even

though

concert artists

may

well

undertake

to

compose

cadenzas for Mozart

and

Beethoven

concertos,

or at

the

very

least,

choose

among

those

already

composed, conservatory

training

does not

normally

include

study

of the

cadenza

problem.

Yet it

seems obvious

that to write

satisfactory

cadenzas,

the

performer

should

understand

what

relationship

one should

have with

the concerto

movement.

In

view

of both new theories and

conceptions

of the classical sonata

style,

to

Volume 6

*

Number

1

*

Winter 1988

The

Journal

of

Musicology

?

1988

by

the

Regents

of the

University

of California

1

Johann

Joachim

Quantz,

On

Playing

the

Flute,

trans. and ed.

Edward

R.

Reilly

(Lon-

don,

1966),

p.

181.

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3/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF

MUSICOLOGY

which

the

classical concerto

is

an

essential

contributor,

and the undimin-

ished

popularity

of the

classical concerto

repertoire,

it

is time for a

new

appraisal

of

the

cadenza.

There are at least

three

approaches

to the

issue.

The first is

to

inves-

tigate

the

origin

of the

cadenza

and the

opinions

of

eighteenth-century

theorists

and

critics about it. In

this

way

we

may

learn,

not

infallible

rules

for

cadenza

composition,

but

something

about the

original purpose

of

cadenzas,

what

they

were

supposed

to do for

the movements that con-

tained them.

The second

approach

is

to

analyze

the numerous authentic caden-

zas

that

Mozart and

Beethoven have left for their own concertos.

There

could

hardly

be a

better

source for

learning

about the

general

structure

and function of

cadenzas,

and also

about

the

specific relationships

be-

tween

certain cadenzas and their

parent

concerto

movements.

Recent

scholarship,

including large

studies

by

Paul Badura-Skoda2

and

Paul

Mies3,

has

emphasized

this

approach.

The third

approach

is to

apply

modern theories of concerto form

and

the classical sonata

style

to

the cadenza

problem.

Is

there

anything

we can

say

about the form

and

function of the cadenza

given

what we

28

know

about

the

workings

of

concertos and the classical

style

of

Mozart

and Beethoven? The

theoretical

approach

is

risky,

as

always,

because its

assumptions

are

more

easily

challenged,

but

how else

can

conclusions

from the other two

approaches

be assimilated and confirmed? Critics

and

theorists

of the

eighteenth

century

are

just

as fallible

in

their

opin-

ions about music of their own

time

as we

are

about music

in

ours;

there

is

no reason

to

adopt

their "rules" without further consideration of the

music itself. The solutions

of

Mozart and Beethoven

may

be

perfect,

of

course,

but

they

left no

explicit

instructions

on how to

make

more. The

elements that

they

left

in

their cadenzas

only

make sense when

con-

nected

with a

conception

of

the concerto

as a whole.

Origin

and

Development

of the Concerto Cadenza

The

word itself would

indicate

a

link

with the notion

of

"cadence."

Indeed,

of

English,

German, French,

and

Italian,

only

in

the

English

language

is

there

any

verbal distinction between the

two

ideas,

and

that is made

by

borrowing

the Italian

word for

"cadence" as a

special

term.

The

German theorist Daniel Gottlieb

Turk,

writing

around 1789, also points to the cadence as the source of the cadenza:

2

Mozart-Interpretation

Vienna,

Stuttgart,

1957).

3

Die

Krise derKonzertkadenz

eiBeethoven

Bonn,

1970).





4/34

CLASSICAL CADENZA

In

former

times,

one added small embellishments before

cadences

(Tonschliissen),

which did not

require

the

suspension

of

meter

...

These so-called

figured

cadenzas

(Kadenzen)

were

evidently

pleas-

ing,

so the

passages

were

expanded,

and were no

longer

tied so

strictly

to the meter. Those

accompanying

were

pleased

to

yield

and

to

wait,

until

finally,

little

by

little,

our embellished cadenzas

(Kadenzen)

came

about. Their

origin

can be

placed

between the

years

1710

to

1716.

Their native

land

is

probably

Italy.

In

a

note,

Turk cites

the Musica

Moderna Prattica

ofJ.

V.

Serbst

(1658),

who describes the cadenza

as

a vocal embellishment

coming

from

Italy,

although usage

in

instrumental

music is also mentioned.

The

dates

may

be from Johann Friedrich Agricola.4

In

more modern

times,

Heinrich

Knodt traced

in

great

detail the

ancestry

of

the

cadenza,

in both instrumental and vocal

music,

back

to

the sixteenth

century.

In both

types,

the occasion

for the cadenza

is the

embellishment and

delay

of a

final

cadence.5

By

the latter half of the

eighteenth

century,

theorists

were careful

to

distinguish

between

"cadence"

and "cadenza."

The

close

relationship

of

the cadenza

with

the harmonic cadence is reinforced.

In his

descrip-

tion,

C. P. E.

Bach cites the familiar

signal

of

the

six-four

chord

under

a fermata:

On

the

entrance

of an

elaborated

cadence,

the

accompanist,

regard-

less of

whether

a

fermata

appears

over the

bass,

holds the

six-four

chord for

a

while and then

pauses

until

the

principal part,

at the end

of its

cadenza,

plays

a trill or

some

other

figure

which

requires

resolu-

tion of the chord. At this

point

the triad is

struck at the

keyboard,

the

seventh

being

taken

as

a fifth

part.6

Similar

distinctions

occur

in

Quantz

and

Tiirk.7

4

Daniel Gottlob

Turk,

Clavierschule

1789),

p.

309.

English

translations

of citations

from

this text are

my

own. "Ehedembrachte

manvor den

Tonschliissenblos

solch

kleine

Verzierungen

an,

welchkein Aufhalten

des Taktes

u.

erforderte....

Diese

sogenannten

figurirten

Kadenzen

gefielen

vermutlich,

man

vergrosserte

daher die

Zusage,

und

band

sich daher nicht

mehr so

streng

an den Takt.

Die

Begleiter

waren

so

gefallig,

ein

wenig

nachzugeben

(zu

verweilen),

bis

endlich nach

und nach unsre

verzierten

Kadenzen

da-

raus entstanden

sind.

Ihren

Ursprung

setzt

man in die

Jahre

1710

bis

1716.*

Das

Va-

terland

derselben isst

wahrscheinlich

Italien."

Johann

Friedrich

Agricola's

work

is

Anleitung

zur

Singekunst

Berlin,

1757),

a translation

of Pier Francesco Tosi's

Opinioni

de' cantoriantichi e moderni

1723)

with some additions of

his

own.

5

Heinrich

Knodt,

"Zur

Entwicklungsgeschichte

der Kadenzen

im

Instrumentalkon-

zert,

Sammelbdnde

er internationalen

Musik-Gesellschaft

XV

(1913/14),

392.

6

Carl

Phillip

Emmanuel

Bach,

Essay

on the True

Art

of

Playing

Keyboard

nstruments,

(1753)

trans.

and ed.

WilliamJ.

Mitchell

(New

York,

1949),

p.

380.

7

See

Quantz,

p. 179

and

Turk,

p.

308.





5/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF MUSICOLOGY

By

the time of Turk's

writing

Mozart was

making

a distinction be-

tween "cadenzas" and other

improvisatory

passages

called

"Eingdnge"

(see

letter of

February 15, 1783).

In

contrast to

cadenzas,

which

appear

at the end of a movement

and are associated

with a final

cadence,

these

Eingdnge may

appear

in

any part

of the

movement,

most often

just

be-

fore the

beginning

of a new

section,

as

in

the return

of a rondo

theme,

and have the function of

"leading

in" to

the next

section.

They

contain

no references to

thematic

material,

and are

usually

constructed

of

passagework

based on dominant

harmony

which the onset

of the

next

section

resolves.

Because

the resolution

is

elided

with a new

beginning,

the

character and function

of

the

Eingang

can

be

clearly distinguished

from those of the true cadenza, which, according to the eighteenth-

century

theorists cited

above,

has

a

function

of conclusion on a

high

structural

level.

The

elements of

improvisation

and thematic

reference,

associated

intimately

with

the

classical

cadenza

today,

seem

to

have

come

together

slowly

during

the

second and third

quarters

of

the

eighteenth

century.

Knodt shows that

cadenzas

in

Vivaldi concertos

have virtuoso

technique

and a certain motivic

relationship

with the movement

proper,

but

little

30

improvisatory

character. These

cadenzas

are

written

directly

into the

movement without any suspension of meter.8 On the other hand, the

Capricci

of

Pietro

Locatelli,

which are

supposed

to

be

used

in

his

concer-

tos of

1733,

L'Artedel

violino,

are

composed entirely

of

virtuosic scales

and

arpeggios, typical

devices of

improvisation,

but ones

which do

not

refer

thematically

to the

parent

movement.9

C.

P. E. Bach's

image

of

the

cadenza seems

to

be

that of a "fantasia-like

interlude,"

which seldom

uses

any

melodic

fragments

from the concerto.10

Even

Mozart's

early

keyboard

cadenzas did not use thematic references.'

Quantz,

however,

while

recognizing

the

possibility

of fresh invention

in

a

cadenza,

offers

the alternative of thematic reference when the player's imagination

fails:

Cadenzasmust stem from

the

principal

entiment

of

the

piece,

and

include a short

repetition

or imitation

of

the

most

pleasing

phrases

contained

in it.

At

times,

if

your thoughts

are

distracted,

t

is

not

im-

mediately

possible

to

invent

something

new.

The best

expedient

is

then

to

choose one of

the

most

pleasing

of the

preceding

phrases

and

fashion the

cadenza

from it. In

this

manner

you

not

only

can make

up

for

any

lack of

inventiveness,

but

can

always

confirm

the

prevailing

8

Knodt,

pp.

397-98.

9

Dimitri

Themelis,

Etude

ou

Caprice

Munich,

1967),

p.

57.

10

Pippa

Drummond,

The German Concerto:

Five

Eighteenth-Century

tudies

(Oxford,

1980),

p.

318.

Eva

Badura-Skoda,

"Cadenza,"

TheNew Grove

III,

p.

591.





6/34

CLASSICAL

CADENZA

passion

of the

piece

as well. This

is

an

advantage

that

is

not too

well

known which I

would

like to recommend to

everyone.12

Evidently,

aside

from

the basic

conception

of the cadenza as an elabo-

rated

cadence,

there was no

consensus about what

form that

elaboration

should

take

until

late

in

the

eighteenth

century,

when

the

cadenza

had

gained

the status

of

a

performance

tradition.

Even

then,

the

practice

maintained

considerable

variety,

evident

in

the

cadenzas

of Mozart

and

Beethoven

alone.

Unfortunately,

the various cadenza

styles among

other

eighteenth-century

composers

cannot be discussed

in

detail here.

Quantz's

point

about

thematic

reference

having

an

advantage

be-

cause it

will

"always

confirm

the

prevailing passion

of the

piece"

reflects

one ideal about

cadenzas that

theorists

agree

on. Another

is

surprise.

The

cadenza,

while

remaining

faithful

to

the

spirit

of the

work,

should

strive for

improvised

variety

and the

unexpected.

In the words of Daniel

Tiirk:

Although

unity

demands

a

well-ordered

whole,

just

as

necessary

is

variety,

so that

the

listener

will be

kept

attentive.

That

is

why

in

ca-

denzas

one does

as

many unexpected

and

surprising

things

as

is

possible.'3

31

Central

to

this ideal of

surprise

is

the

suspension

of

meter.

Quantz

and

Turk,

writing

about

forty years

apart,

are

in

remarkably

close

agreement

on

this

point:

Regular

meter

is seldom

observed,

and indeed should

not be ob-

served,

in

cadenzas.

They

should

consist

of

detached

ideas rather

than a

sustained

melody,

as

long

as

they

conform

to

the

preceding

ex-

pression

of

the

passions.'4

Steady motion and meter (Taktart) should not be maintained

throughout

the

cadenza;

in

addition,

broken-off

measures

(not

com-

pletely

played

through)

must be

adapted

to

go

with one

another. For

the whole

should

seem

more like a

fantasy

originating

from

over-

flowing

sentiment than

a

strictly

worked-out

piece.15

12

Quantz,

p.

182.

13

Turk,

pp.

311-12.

"So

wie die Einheit zu einem

wohlgeordneten

Ganzen erfordert

wird,

eben

so

notig

ist

auch die

Mannigfaltigkeit,

wenn der Zuhorer aufmerksam

erhalten werden soil.

Daher

bringe

man

in

Kadenzen so viel Unerwartetes und

Ueber-

raschendes an, als nur immer m6glich ist."

14

Quantz,

p.

185.

15

Turk,

p.

312.

"Einerlei

Bewegung

und

Taktart darf man in der Kadenz nicht durch-

gangig

beibehalten;

auch miissen

bios

einzelne

abgebrachene

(nicht

vollig ausgefuihrte)

Takte

geschickt

mit

einander verbunden

werden.

Denn

das

Ganze

soil

mehr einer

nur

eben aus der

Fulle der

Empfindung

entstehenden

Fantasie,

als einem

regelmassig

aus-

gearbeiteten

Tonstiicke

gleichen."





7/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF MUSICOLOGY

The writers'

opinion

that

the absence

of meter adds

to the

improvised,

surprising

effects

of

cadenzas

conforms to modern

theoretical views

about meter. Meter supplies low-level continuity to musical structure by

virtue

of

its

regular

grouping

of

beats,

allowing

the human

mind

to

or-

ganize

easily

the

incoming

rhythmic fragments

and

to

proceed

to

higher-level

perceptions.

When that

continuity

is

missing,

the

rhythmic

patterns

presented

to the

listener seem

disjointed,

unexpected,

and sur-

prising.

Turk is careful to

balance

his desire

for

spontaneity

and

surprise

with the

necessity

of

maintaining

some

relationship

with the

parent

movement. What is more

surprising,

in view of

the

cadenza's

reputation

as a performer's improvisation, is his recommendation to some players

to

prepare

the

cadenza ahead

in

order to insure this

relationship:

It

follows

from

the above that a cadenza that has

been learned

by

heart with some effort

perhaps,

or one that

has

been

written

down,

must

be

played,

rather

than

having

random

and

unexceptional

deas

thrown

out,

whatever he

player

happens

to think of first.

6

32

Perhaps

Turk's

recommendation

is a

response

to abuses

of the ca-

denza

practice already present

in his own time.

Evidently,

the

tendency

of

singers

and

players

to

get

carried

away

by

their skills

of

improvisation

goes

well back

into the

first

half of the

century.

Tosi's

complaint

about

cadenzas

in

operatic

arias is

quite

famous,'7

but the

use of aria cadenzas

reported by

Quantz

is even

more

preposterous:

The

object

of

the cadenza is

simply

to

surprise

the listener

unex-

pectedly

once more at the end

of the

piece,

and

to

leave

behind

a

spe-

cial

impression

in

his heart.

To conform to

this

object,

a

single

ca-

denza

would be

sufficient

in a

piece.

If, then,

a

singer

makes two

cadenzasin the first part of an aria,and yet another in the second

part,

t must

certainly

be considered

an

abuse;

for in this

fashion,

be-

cause

of the da

capo,

five cadenzas

appear

in one aria.'8

These

complaints

are

by

no

means limited

to

singers.

Players

of

concerto

cadenzas also earn the

ire

of

the

critics:

The abuse

of

cadenzas

s

apparent

not

only

if

they

are of little

value

in

themselves,

as

is

usually

the

case,

but

also

if in

instrumental

music

'l

Turk,

p.

313. "Ausdem

Vorigen folgt,

dasseine vielleichtmitnoch so vieler Muhe

auswendig

gelernte

oder vorher

aufgeschriebene

Kadenz

doch

so

ausgefuhrte

werden

muss,

als warenes bloss

zufallig

und

ohne

Auswahl

hingeworfene

Gedanken,

welche

dem

Spieler

eben erst einfielen."

17

Tosi,

as translated

into

English

by

J.

E. Galliard

as

Observations

n

the Florid

Song

(London,

1743),

pp.

128-29.

18

Quantz,

pp.

180-81.





8/34

CLASSICAL

CADENZA

they

are introduced

in

pieces

in which

they

are

not at all

suitable;

for

example,

in

gay

and

quick

pieces

in

two-four, three-four,

three-eight,

twelve-eight,

and

six-eight

time.

They

are

permissible only

in

patheticand slow

pieces,

or in serious

quick

ones.19

I

would

say

nothing

new,

but

only

repeat

often heard

complaints,

if I

spoke

against

the

very

great

abuse of the embellished

cadenzas

(verzierten

Kadenzen).

For it is not

seldom

that a concerto seems to

be

played solely

for

the sake of the cadenzas. The

performer struggles

not

only

to

achieve

pointless length,

but

also

introduces all sorts of

ideas that have not the

slightest

relation

with the

preceding

composi-

tion,

so that

the

good

impression

which the

piece

has

perhaps

made

upon

the listener for

the

most

part

has

been

cadenza-ed

away

("wegkadenziert"-emphasis

Ttirk's).20

Polemic

was not

the

only

response

to these

abuses. The

eighteenth-

century

theorists

were not short

on

advice

on how

to correct them.

Some

advice

focuses on

length,

particularly

excessive

length,

and for

good

reason. Arnold

Schering,

in

a

1906

study

of the

eighteenth-century

cadenza,

writes that

most of the written

cadenzas

he

had been able

to collect

were

of

great

length,

comparable

to modern

ones,

thus

cor-

roborating

the

complaints

cited

above.2 Knodt

traces a

controversy

between

Agricola

and

Tosi

over

singer's

cadenzas,

whence

comes

Agri-

cola's rule that a

singer's

cadenza should

be

"no

longer

than a breath."22

Turk's advice

begins

with that rule

(without citation)

and then

goes

on

to

elaborate:

With

songs

or wind

instruments,

a

cadenza should last

only

as

long

as

the breath of

the

singer.

With

string

instruments,

perhaps

this rule

need

not be

followed too

strictly;

however,

monstrously

long

caden-

zas,

which

often last

many

minutes,

are

in

no

way

to

be

excused.23

'9

Quantz,

p.

180.

Tosi,

p.

137,

makes

a similar

remark.

20

Turk,

p.

309.

"Ich

wirde

nichts Neues

sagen,

sondern

schon oft

gefuhrte

klagen

wiederholen,

wenn

ich

mich wider

den sehr

grossen

Missbrauch er verzierten

Kaden-

zen

erklarte.Denn

nicht

selten scheint

es,

ein

Konzertwerde

bloss

der

Kadenzen

wegen

gespielt.

Der

Ausfuhrer

schweistdaher

nicht nur in

Absichtauf

die

zweckmassigeLange

aus,

sondern

bringt

noch

uberdies

allerlei Gedanken

darin

an,

die auf das

voherge-

gangene

Tonstuck

nicht die

geringste

Beziehung

haben,

so dass

dadurchder

gute

Ein-

druck,

welchen

das

Tonstiick

vielleichtauf

den Zuhorer

gemacht

hatte,

grosstentheils

wieder

wegkadenziert

wird."

21

"Die

Freie

Kadenz im

Instrumentalkonzert des

18.

Jahrhunderts,"

InternationalMu-

sicological

Society

Congress

Report

(1906),

p.

204.

22

Knodt,

p.

394.

23

Turk,

p.

311.

"In

Gesange

oder auf

Blasinstrumenten oil

eine Kadenz

eigentlich

nur so

lange

dauern,

als

der Athem

des

Sangers

zureicht.Auf

besaiteten

Instrumenten

mochtezwar

dieser

Grundsatznicht so

strenge

zu

befolgen

sein;

aberdessen

ungeachtet

sind doch

die

ungeheuer

langen

Kadenzen,

welche

nicht selten

mehrere Minuten

dauern,

keines

Weges

zu

entschuldigen."





9/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF

MUSICOLOGY

A

second

guideline

is

that

the cadenza should

preserve

the

overall

sense

of

the

prevailing key

of the

concerto.

This idea is

put

into

very

practical language by C. P. E. Bach:

Moreover,

the

principal

key

must not be

left

too

quickly

at

the

begin-

ning,

nor

regained

too

late

at the

end.

At the start the

principal

key

must

prevail

for

some

time so that the

listener

will be

unmistakably

oriented. And

again

before the close

it

must be well

prolonged

as a

means

of

preparing

the listener

for

the

end

of

the fantasia and im-

pressing

the

tonality

upon

his

memory.24

A

third rule is

that

cadenzas

should

not modulate

into distant

keys.

This is obviously a corollary to the second; if the sense of the home tonic

is to be

maintained,

keys

which would weaken that

sense should

be

avoided,

especially

in

view of the

cadenza's

traditional

position

at the

end of the movement:

You

must not

roam

into

keys

that are too

remote,

or

touch

upon

keys

which have no

relationship

with the

principal

one.

A

short ca-

denza must

not

modulate out of its

key

at

all.

A

somewhat

longer

one

34

modulates most

naturally

to

the

subdominant,

and a still

longer

one to

the dominant

of

the dominant.25

Modulations

into

other

keys,

especially

very

distant

ones,

should

not occur for

example,

in

short

cadenzas,

or

they

must be

brought

about with

great

insight

and likewise

only

in

passing.

In

no

case

should one

modulate to a

key

that

the

composer

himself has not

mod-

ulated

to

in

the

composition.

This rule is

founded,

I

think,

in the laws

of

unity,

which must be

consciously

followed

in all works

of the fine

arts.26

Finally, these writers emphasize time and again that the cadenza

must match

the character of the

particular

concerto.

These comments

are

most often rather

vague generalities

about

being

faithful

to

the

spirit

of

the

work,

but

occasionally

technical

matters can

affect this

question.

Turk

warns

against making

too

many

difficult

passages

if

they

subvert

the

impression

(Eindruck)

of the

piece, citing

the use of

fancy passages

in

slow

movements as a

special

offense.27

24

Bach,

p.

431.

25

Quantz,

p.

184.

26

Turk, p. 311.

"Ausweichungen

in andere, besonders sehr entfernte, Tone finden

entweder

gar

nicht statt z.B. in

kiirzen

Kadenzen,

oder

sie

missen

mit vieler

Einsicht,

und

gleichsam

nur

im

Vorbergehen angebracht

werden.

Auf einen Fall

sollte

man

in

Tone

ausweichen,

worein

der

Komponist

in

dem Tonstucke selbst

nicht

ausgewichen

ist.

Diese

Regel

griindet

sich,

wie mich

dunkt,

auf die Gefess der

Einheit,

welche bekannter-

massen

in alien Werken der schonen Kunste

befolgt

werden milssen."

27

Turk, pp.

31o-11.





10/34

CLASSICAL

CADENZA

The

guidelines

as

proposed by

the theorists above

attempt

to

return

the

performance

of

cadenzas to

their

original

purpose,

that

is,

to embel-

lish a final cadence in a concerto or aria. Although the reports of abuses

by

performers

may

be

exaggerated

and

certainly

cannot

indicate

the

frequency

of

such

abuse,

they

do tell

us

that late

eighteenth-century

per-

formers had

perhaps

lost

sight

of the

original

intention

behind the

ca-

denza. The cadenza

had attained

the status

of

a

performance

tradition,

or at least

a

requirement,

but not before

great expansions

of its

improvi-

satory

elements

had made its

original

function

impossible.

By

limiting

the use

of

foreign

keys,

the technical

display,

and above

all,

the

length

of

a

cadenza, Bach, Quantz,

and Turk

hoped

to restore this

function.

The

Cadenzas of

Mozart

Mozart

composed

at

least

sixty-four

cadenzas

and

Eingdnge

for his

concertos.

Why

he,

the master

improviser,

composed

them at all

is unclear. Gobels

speculates

that he wrote

them for friends

and

students

who could not

improvise

so

well,28

while Badura-Skoda

thinks

that

in

the

case of

the mature

cadenzas

Mozart did not

improvise

in

performance,

but used these

written

cadenzas

himself.29

Also

unclear

is the

chronology

of

the

cadenzas

and

their

parent

concertos;

evidently,

many

cadenzas

were

written at a later

time,

except

perhaps

the cadenza

to the Piano

Concerto

K.488,

which

is written

into

the

autograph

score

of

the work.

What is

clear,

however,

is that Mozart

had a definite

idea

of what a

cadenza should

be from

the

completion

of the

"Jeunehomme"

Piano

Concerto,

K.271 (1775)

to the

end

of

his

life.

The

similarity

of

form and

procedure among

all the mature cadenzas

is

striking.

He never

reached

the

final,

desperate

solution of

Beethoven,

however,

that there

should

be

one

ideal

cadenza

for

a concerto.

For both the Piano

Concertos

K.453

and

K.456

Mozart wrote a

pair

of

cadenzas

for the

opening

movements,

and these are not mere

reworkings,

but

entirely

different

cadenzas.

Even as his

own

conception

of

the cadenza's

form

and

function

crystal-

lized,

he did not

give

up

the

performer's

option

to

improvise.

The first observation we can make

about

Mozart's cadenzas

is that

they

follow the

guidelines

of our theorists

quite

strictly.

That

they always

retain the

spirit

of

the

parent

work

is

difficult

to

demonstrate,

of

course,

but

perhaps

in

Mozart's case that can

go

without

saying.

They

never

seem

too

long,

and

indeed,

by today's

standards

they

are

quite

short.

They

are full of thematic references but these are never

organized

into a

continuous

fantasy,

but rather

move from

one to

another

quite

28

Franzpeter

Gobels,

"Neue

Kadenzen zu alten

Konzerten,"

Musica

XXXV

(1981),

369.

29

P.

Badura-Skoda,

p.

215.





11/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF

MUSICOLOGY

abruptly.

Both

Eduard Melkus and

Paul

Mies

use the word

"quotes"

(Zi-

tate)

to

describe this effect.30

Most

of

all,

Mozart

strictly

observes the

pro-

hibition against distant modulation. Indeed, as Paul Badura-Skoda

points

out,

he never modulates at

all,

but remains

firmly

rooted

in

the

tonic

key,

and

this

characteristic

is not

usually

written into modern

ca-

denzas

for

Mozart

concertos.31 The harmonic effect

of this is

by

no

means stable or

tranquil,

but one

of

significant

tension

on

the

low

level,

as described

by

Denis

Matthews:

They

appeared

to

be

suspended

between the six-four

chord and its

resolution:

they

may

have tacked

on other

keys

but

rarely

f ever

es-

tablished hem

in

the Beethoven

way.32

Indeed,

the most

concise

way

to describe a Mozart

cadenza would be

to

say

that it is

an

improvisation

on

a

prolonged

dominant

chord. This is

just

the sensation

that

Matthews describes: the listener

keeps

waiting

for

the resolution at the

orchestral

entrance,

which is

the

beginning

of the

final

phrase

of the

movement.

This

suggests

that

Mozart's cadenzas

con-

form

to the

original

purpose

of the

cadenza,

which

is

to

embellish a

final

36 cadence. If

the

orchestra

introduces

the

cadenza

with

a

I

6-4,

and

the

soloist

moves

from

that

to a

dominant trill which

is

resolved

by

the

orchestra with

I

in

root

position,

what is

that

but

an

extended ca-

dence

formula?

What does it

mean,

in

practical

or

technical

terms,

to

prolong

a

sin-

gle

chord for so

long

and retain

its function? Mozart

employs

several

techniques

to

accomplish

this.

The first is a liberal

use

of

1

6-4

harmony,

especially

at

the

beginning,

which

accords

with the advice

of C.

P.

E.

Bach that "the six-four chord should be

kept

as much

in mind

as

possible

at

the

beginning

of

elaborations."33

This

only

makes

sense. Theorists

have

long

conceived of the cadential

I

6-4

as a dominant

chord with

a

double

appoggiatura,

which

immediately

resolves

to

V.

While

the triads

may

change

in

Mozart's alternation

of

I

6-4

and

V,

the constant

pres-

ence of the fifth

degree

in

the bass

gives

a

higher-level

impression

of

V.

Using

the

I

6-4

at

the

beginning

creates a smooth

transition

from

the

through-composed

orchestral section

into the

improvisatory

cadenza.

Then,

as

Badura-Skoda

points

out,

the

I

6-4

disappears

in the

middle

of the

cadenza,

when its transitional

function is no

longer

necessary:

30

Mies,

p.

65.

Eduard

Melkus,

"Die

Kadenzen in

Mozart-Violinkonzerten,"

Musica

XXXVI

(1982),

26.

31

P.

Badura-Skoda,

p.

219-20.

32

Denis

Matthews,

"Adrian

Boult Lecture: Cadenzas

in Piano

Concertos,"

Recorded

Sound LXVIII

(1978),

724.

33

Bach,

p.

381.





12/34

CLASSICAL

CADENZA

EXAMPLE

1.

First

cadenza to

Piano Concerto

K.

453,

/1-7

t~-r

I#^

rf 2Fr

^T Lv

i p n

It

is remarkable hat

in

Mozart's

adenzas,

quoted

themes

always

appear

n

the home

key,

and

then,

if the cadenza

begins

with a

theme,

mostly

over the

I

six-four chord. But when the theme

appears

first in

37

the

middle section of

the

cadenza,

t is

in its

original

arrangement.34

For

instance,

consider

a

cadenza for the Piano Concerto

in

G,

K.453

as seen

in

Example

i.

Here

Mozart

introduces the main

motive,

unac-

companied,

as

in

the

beginning

of

the

movement. When

the

left hand

enters,

the chord is

not

I,

but

I

6-4.

This alternates

with V7 until the

harmony

changes.

The effect is one of

instability

and tension.

A

second

strategy

is

that Mozart

never

leaves the home

key,

which of

course

would

instantly

banish

any

tension

associated with the dominant

chord, and yet he never has a strong cadence within that key, which

would have the

same result. The

harmony

can

imply

other

keys,

cer-

tainly,

but the

high-level

sense

of

the home

tonic

is

always

present.

The

cadenza

quoted

above continues

as shown

in

Example

2.

It

appears

that

the

key might

be

moving

to D

major

in

measures 8 to

1

,

but this turns

out

to be a

secondary

dominant.

Then,

after

a

long

run

which

lands on

a

low

F-sharp (implied

V

6-5),

Mozart

begins

a series

of

progressions

which

imply

G,

E

minor,

A

minor,

D

minor,

and C

minor. But a tradi-

tional chord

analysis

would

certainly

describe

this as a series

of second-

ary

dominants:

I,

VII

6/VI, VI,

V

6-5/VI, VI,

V

6-5/VI, VI,

V

2/II,

V

6-5/V,

V

2,

V

6-5/IV,

V

2/VIIb,

V

09,

IV

6-4,

V

6-5.

A

Schenkerian

analysis

of

the

passage,

as seen

in

Example

3,

reveals

the clear descend-

ing

scale that moves

chromatically

downward

from G and

lands on that

34

P.

Badura-Skoda,

p.

215.





13/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF

MUSICOLOGY

EXAMPLE

2.

First

cadenza to Piano Concerto K.

453,

1/8-25

rC.

r

"

f

'f

'

i I

yiiF

rfr

--

7

..if

?

-

/r-- fe--,

t

f e

...,'l ~.f.,

_

,,. _.. .,..

^ 4 ^ j

. ~ F ~ ,

38





14/34

CLASSICAL

CADENZA

EXAMPLE

3. First

cadenza

to Piano Concerto

K.

453,1/18-25,

Schenkerian

analysis

v^J-

'-'

'l

'

r

r-

*:

;

#;

'?

-'

very same low F-sharp which introduced the passage. Thus Mozart

presents

the listener with a brief

development

of

an

important

motive of

the

concerto

in

the

right

hand,

supported by

quick

harmonic

changes

which

allow

him

to avoid the tonic cadence and

maintain

the dominant

tension

throughout.

The

chromatic

changes

simply prolong

the

domi-

nant

chord,

so that

it

can last twelve measures

instead

of three

or

four.

Sometimes

the chromatic

harmony

supports

the

dominant

more di-

rectly

as a

series of

secondary

dominants

or diminished

chords

circum-

scribing

the

fifth

degree

of

the home tonic.

This is the

case

at the end

of

39

the very brief first cadenza to the first movement of K.456, as shown in

Example

4.

The

descending

minor

scale

leads

right

through

the domi-

nant

F

to

a

diminished seventh

on

E

natural,

which

acts

like

a

large

lead-

ing

tone

or

appoggiatura

to

the

dominant,

which arrives

presently

after

a flourish.

EXAMPLE

4. First cadenza to Piano Concerto K. 456,

1/14-18

rit,La b;

v

?I'T7LC?I

; h t

e)

-ir-

l l-

9w

-.

Pw

~

a,

i l

iI

j





15/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF MUSICOLOGY

The effects of all of these harmonic

devices are

amplified

by

Mo-

zart's

careful

exploitation

of

the

piano register,

principally

the

bass.

This

is

reserved for the

principal

tones

of the

prevailing

dominant

harmony,

so

that

they

seem

like a

pedal

for the entire cadenza.

Note that

in

Exam-

ple

2

from

K.453

above,

the two

F-sharps

which

frame the chromatic

passage

are in

the

same

octave,

and

they

are the

lowest notes

in

the ca-

denza to that

point.

Because the listener accords

a

stronger

harmonic

function to low

notes,

the effect of the

dominant

harmony

is

more

credi-

ble

than

the

variety

of

implied keys

that

follow,

especially

when

the same

note returns

after

the

passage.35

While the bass

register

strengthens

the dominant

prolongation

in

Mozart's cadenzas,

the

high register

weakens

any

authentic cadences

that

have

to be made

for

purposes

of low-level

articulation,

or

because

they

are intrinsic

to the

original

material

(see

Example

5).

The

series

of

V-I

progressions

in

measures

22

to

27

is

included

because

Mozart

is

quoting

exactly

the

original

setting

of

the motive

(although

in the

con-

certo

it

immediately precedes

rather

than

follows

the half-note

idea).

But

even the

rather

firm

gesture

in measure

27

does

nothing

to

resolve

the

tension

of the

high-level

dominant

in

the

cadenza

because

it

is

so

40

high

in the

piano

register.

The

very

next

passage

resumes

the

dominant

with octaves on F, deep in the bass.

In

the

commentary

on Mozart's

cadenzas,

two

writers,

Matthews

and

Paul

Badura-Skoda,

have

noticed

a consistent

three-part

form:

In almostall

of Mozart's

reat

cadenzas

can

one

ascertain

a

definite

three

part

form:

a cadenza

beginning

(I)

which

starts

a)

either with

a

theme

from the

concerto

movement

or

b)

with

virtuoso

runs,

at times

already

known,

at times

newly

invented,

and

flows nto

a

middle

part

(II),

which almost

continually

develops

with

sequences

an

important

theme

or motive

from the concerto

movement,

mostly

over a

sus-

tained bassnote or chord.This leadsinto a numberof virtuosoruns,

passages

n

thirds, etc.,

until the

close

of the cadenza

(III),

which

usu-

ally

ends

with a

trill.36

The details

of

Badura-Skoda's

description

support

the

idea

of

the

cadenza

as a

prolonged

dominant.

The

rarity

of

the

principal

theme

at

the

beginning

of the

cadenza

is

due

to its close

association

with

tonic

sta-

bility.

After

all,

its

firstjob

is to establish

the

key

clearly

at

the

beginning

of

the concerto.

When

it is

used,

it

must be

transformed

or

harmonized

anew

to match

the

dominant

function

of the cadenza.

We have

already

35

The

importance

of

the bass

register

with

respect

to harmonic

function

is discussed

in

Fred

Lerdahl and

Ray

Jackendoff,

A Generative

Theoryof

Tonal

Music

(Cambridge,

Mass.,

1983),

pp.

88,

162-63.

36

P.

Badura-Skoda,

p.

216.





16/34

CLASSICAL CADENZA

EXAMPLE

5. Second cadenza to Piano Concerto

K.

456,

1/23-31

I,bL-

r

j

i

-.

L

ir-,IJ

I

LJf L I

J

eLJ,~T

h<

.

=

30

~1,

-

H7

L-L:~~n

41

seen

an

example

of

this

in

the

first

cadenza

for

K.453,

where the theme

is

harmonized

with

the

I

6-4.

A

different

sort

of

case

is found

in

the

cadenza

for

the Piano Concerto

K.459,

as seen

in

Example

6. After

a

series of virtuoso

triplets

over

the

dominant

C,

Mozart transfers

the

trip-

let figure to the bass and introduces the main theme, a martial tune

which

originally

was harmonized

with

I

and

V on the first

two measures

of it.

Now,

in order to

blend

with the

preceding

harmony

and

to

sustain

the dominant

function,

Mozart uses a

slightly

different

version

of the

tune

which can be harmonized

V-I.

Mozart's

transformation

empha-

sizes the

V,

because it is heard first

in a

metrically stronger position

than

v

~~d

1 -4

-3

A

r

-O

-

r

O

"',_A-

o

C

-L

-0 g-t

E

bIr=Ir

6?_





17/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF

MUSICOLOGY

EXAMPLE 6.

Cadenza

for

Piano Concerto

K.

459,

I/7-12

42

I I "'

wI

LI1

I

,

F

Fr

^Ir

rI

: ~

. r ;

i

.

;'

f

f

r

f-r_-i-

I

I

W-6

I

I

I

6-.,

the I.

This

corresponds

with an

especially

beautiful

moment

from the

concerto

itself,

when the

piano

enters and uses

the

theme,

for the first

time, in a series of secondary dominant sequences (see Example 7).

Here

is an

instance

of the

composer relating

events

in

the

cadenza

to the con-

certo

movement

proper

in a more substantial

way,

an idea

that will be

applied expansively

by

Beethoven.

Badura-Skoda

also

points

out that

in

the second

part

of the

cadenza,

the

setting

of a concerto theme

is characterized

by "Fortspinnung"

ather

than the well-rounded

original

version.37

Again,

this

is

only logical

in

view of the cadenza's

dominant

function.

If

a

single

harmony,

a

single

tendency

is to be

prolonged,

the last

thing

that is wanted

is

any

kind of

strong

articulation,

such as would be created

by

a

closed,

well-rounded

theme.

Indeed,

the

three-part

form itself indicates

Mozart's

plan.

If the in-

tent is to sustain a

single

chord

on

the

high

level,

three sections is about

37

P.

Badura-Skoda,

p.

228.

A I





18/34

CLASSICAL

CADENZA

EXAMPLE 7. Piano

Concerto

K.

459,1/111-114

fr

A

r r

f i

v ^ j

t

1t ; -r

^ff^

r

ef9

U

_____?~~O

r ~ T

^^r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the maximum

that can

be

accommodated

in

a cadenza.38The

only

alter-

native

is to

change

the

key

or

to

change

the fundamental

harmony,

ei-

ther of

which would

undermine

the original intent. The consistency of

the

three-part

structure

in

Mozart's mature cadenzas reveals the con-

straint

under which

he is

working.

This

constraint on

the

length

of the cadenza can be

easily

noticed in

a brief

survey

of

the

proportions

of some of

these cadenzas

compared

to

their

parent

movements,

as

seen

in

Table

1.

With two

exceptions-the

first

cadenza to

the slow

movement of

K.453,

and the first cadenza to

K.456-the

proportion

of the

cadenza to the

rest

of the

parent

move-

ment

is

quite

consistent.

This

consistency

indicates

both

the limits

of

the

dominant

function of

the

cadenza and the structural level to

which

the

cadenza would

belong.

If it

occupies

one

tenth of the

movement,

it

be-

38

This

assertion

is

based on recent

evidence

concerning

human musical

perception.

See

Joseph

P.

Swain,

"The

Need

for

Limits

in

Hierarchical

Theories of

Music,"

Music

Perception

V

(Fall,

1986), 121-47.

43





19/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF

MUSICOLOGY

TABLE 1

Work Measures n Measures n %Length of

Concerto

Cadenza

Cadenza

(incl.

cad.)

K.453,

372

37

10.1

374

39

10.4

K.453,

II

141

19

13.5

136

14

10.3

K.

456,

I 382

18

4.7

399

35 8.8

K.

456,

III

357

33

9.2

K. 459, I 433 34 7.9

K.

459,

III

559

53

9.5

comes an

important

structural

event,

as well

it should

be,

but

by

no

means a

dominating

one,

comparable

to

an

exposition

or

recapitulation.

Indeed,

Mozart

clearly

intends that the

cadenza

elaborate and

amplify

the

next-to-last

tonal

statement

of the

recapitulation,

one in which

the

soloist confirms the tonic

key

and

participates

thereby

in the

process

of

harmonic resolution. All

that

is left is for the orchestra

to

concur

with

the

very

last

cadential event.

The Cadenzas

of

Beethoven

Our

survey

of the

authentic

classical

cadenzas

en-

counters

serious difficulties

in

the contributions

of

Beethoven,

difficul-

ties which did

not

come

up

in the

discussion

of the

Mozart

corpus.

First

of all there is the bewildering variety of the Beethoven cadenzas. While

those of

Mozart seem both to confirm and refine

the

vision of his con-

temporary

theorists and

present

a

consistent,

functional,

and

musically

logical

solution to the cadenza

problem,

Beethoven's

cadenzas seem to

be a

series

of

experiments,

at

times

wildly

contradicting

most of the

aforementioned theoretical

guidelines,

and

at other

times

adhering

to

them

with

puritan

restraint. Some

are,

by eighteenth-century

stand-

ards,

of

gargantuan

length;

others are

fewer

than

twenty

measures

long.

Some seem to be

models of Mozart's

conception,

with

a

clear domi-

nant

function;

others

are

so

highly

chromatic that

at

points

no harmonic

tendency

is discernible. What

can

Beethoven's

idea

of

the form and

function

of

the

cadenza

possibly

be

in

the face

of

such

diversity?

Another

problem

is the matter

of

chronology.

It is not known with

any certainty

the order

of

composition

of the

cadenzas,

nor

the time of

composition

for

any

one of them.

The

Kinsky catalogue suggests

that





20/34

CLASSICAL CADENZA

Beethoven had

composed

them

all

by

1809,

for various students

and ac-

quaintances,

but

there

is no

hard

evidence

for

this;

1809

is

chosen

be-

cause it is the year of completion for the last concerto, the "Emperor."

Willy

Hess

points

out that

the three cadenzas

composed

for

Op.

15

must

date

from

1804

at the

earliest,

since

they

make

use of notes above

f3,

a

range

not used

previously.39

This observation

would

not

apply

to the

cadenza

for

Op.

19,

which does not

go

beyond

the

f3.

What Hess makes

clear, however,

is

that

at least

in the

case

of

Op.

15,

and

perhaps likely

in

all the

piano

concertos

except

Op.

73,

the ca-

denzas were

composed

well

after the

composition

of the

parent

con-

certo.

With

Mozart,

whose

style changes during

the

period

of his

mature

piano concertos are quite subtle, this issue of a time lapse is not so seri-

ous.

With

Beethoven,

whose

change

in

style

between

Op.

19 (1794)

and

Op.

73

(1809)

is

far-reaching

and

continuous,

difficult

questions

arise

about the

composer's opinions

of his earlier

work,

compositional proc-

ess,

whether he could

really compose

in a

personal

style

from which he

had since

evolved,

and

whether he would even

want

to.

One

aspect

of this

chronological tangle

is sure.

When Beethoven

wrote his

"Emperor"

Concerto

in

1809,

he no

longer

wished

to allow the

soloist

the

option

of

playing

his

own

cadenza.

Instead,

at the

point

of the

45

I 6-4, Beethoven writes directly in the score: "Do not make a cadenza

here,

but

play immediately

the

following."40

There follows a brief ca-

denza of

nineteen measures

with

a

single

thematic reference

and clear

dominant

function.

Evidently,

Beethoven

had had

a

change

of

heart

about the cadenza and

its

role

in

a concerto movement.

A

story

told

by

Ferdinand Ries

about his

performance

of

Op.

37

in

July

1804,

with

Beethoven

conducting, might

reveal

some

interesting

aspects

of

Beethoven's

earlier

attitude toward the

concerto cadenza:

I

had

asked Beethoven to write

a

cadenzafor me,

but he

refused

and

told me to write

one

myself

and he would correct it. Beethoven was

satisfied

with

my

composition

and made

few

changes;

but there was

an

extremely

brilliantand

very

difficult

passage

in

it,

which,

though

he liked

it,

seemed to him

too

venturesome,

wherefore

he told me to

write another in

its

place.

A week before the concert he wanted to

hear the cadenza

again.

I

played

it and

floundered

in

the

passage;

he

again,

this

time

a

little

ill-naturedly,

old me to

change

it. I

did

so,

but

the new

passage

did not

satisfy

me;

I

therefore studied the

other,

and

zealously,

but was not

quite

sure

of it.

When the cadenza

was

reached

in

the

public

concert Beethoven

quietly

sat down.

I

could

not

per-

suademyselftochoose the easier one. WhenI boldlybeganthe more

39

Willy

Hess,

"Die

Originalkadenzen

u

Beethovens

Klavierkonzerten,"

chweizerische

Musikzeitung

CXII

(1972),

271.

40

"Nonsi fa una

Cadenza,

ma s' attacca ubito

l

seguente."





21/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF MUSICOLOGY

difficult

one,

Beethoven

violently erked

his

chair;

but the

cadenza

went

through

all

right

and

Beethoven

was

so

delighted

that

he

shouted "Bravo"

oudly.41

Even

if

this

story

exaggerates

some

details,

it can tell

us

something

about cadenzas

in

Beethoven concertos.42

First,

they

were not

always

im-

provised,

even when the soloist

was an

excellent

pianist.

This would ac-

cord with the advice of

Turk

and the

opinion

of

some

scholars that

only

gifted

and

experienced composers

would have

improvised

cadenzas at

the

moment

of

performance.

Second,

the

suggestion

that,

if

a

cadenza

were

to be

composed,

Beethoven

would

not

only agree

to one

not writ-

ten by himself, but insist that it be composed by the soloist, is quite aston-

ishing

in view of

what

we

know

about the

composer's

meticulousness

with

regard

to

his

own works.

Evidently,

he

believed,

in

1804,

in

the

per-

former's

right

and

responsibility

to create

this

improvisatory

comment

on the

master's

piece.

Finally,

the

cadenza

in

this

story

was

of

considera-

ble

length.

Beethoven did not care to stand

through

it.

Evidently,

Beethoven,

unlike

Mozart,

did not have a

firm

concep-

tion

of what the

cadenza

should be

like,

and

his

changing

views

about

its

46

place

and

purpose

in the concerto

would

naturally

affect the structure

and function of each one he composed. So we must regard his collected

cadenzas

as a

series

of

experiments,

whose

course cannot

really

be evalu-

ated

until

their

chronology

is established.

However,

if

we

regard

Beethoven's

work in

the

concerto

genre

as

similarly

developmental,

the

wide

variety

in

the cadenzas

parallels

his

experimental

treatment of the

concerto

form

itself.

Indeed,

one characteristic

that

all

his

cadenzas

share

is that their structures

respond

to the

demands

and

special

fea-

tures

of the movements

for which

they

are

composed.

The cadenzas

fall into three

groups:

the

long

cadenzas

for first

movements, the short cadenzas for first movements, and the cadenzas

for third

movements.

The

Piano

Concerto

in

B-flat

Op.

19,

originally

composed

in

1794-

95,

has a

long

cadenza

that is like

no other

that

Beethoven

wrote.

It

be-

gins

like

a

fugue,

whose

subject

is a variant

of the

principal

triadic theme

of the

first movement. The

working

out

of the

fugue

is

characterized

by

that

unique

brand of chromaticism

that characterizes

Beethoven's later

works,

especially

his

large-scale

attempts

at

fugal writing.

The

purpose

41

From Ferdinand Ries and

Dr.

Franz

Wegeler,

Biographische

Notizen

uber

Ludwig

van

Beethoven.

This

translation

appears

in

Thayer's Life

ofBeethoven,

ed.

Elliot Forbes

(Prince-

ton,

N.J.,

1967),

p.

355.

42

The

general reliability

of

Ries

has

recently

been

confirmed. See

Alan

Tyson,

"Fer-

dinand

Ries

(1784-1838):

The

history

of his contribution

to

Beethoven

biography,"

gth-Century

Music

VII

(1984),

209-

21.





22/34

CLASSICAL CADENZA

of

such chromaticism is to sustain the tonic

key

as

long

as

possible

on

the

high

level,

with

the chromatic

progressions

creating

low-level events to

organize the structure.

Indeed,

the use of this

chromatic device reveals

the

purpose

and

nature of this cadenza. It

is

no

Mozart-like

dominant

prolongation

but a

high-level

tonic

prolongation.

There

is no

predominance

of

I

6-4

har-

mony,

no

special

reservation of

the

bass

register

to sustain the

dominant

function.

Instead,

the

subject boldly

announces the tonic

triad,

and

the-

matic material is

introduced,

after a dominant

pedal,

in

B-flat

minor,

so

that the

prevailing

harmonic

sense

is one of tonic

stability,

not dominant

tension. There is

a brief

foray

into

E-flat,

then

more dominant

harmony

which resolves to a tonic pedal, which lasts eight measures. The cadenza

ends with a

firm

tonic cadence

reiterated

over two

measures,

then a

flourish on

a B-flat scale to lead back to the orchestra's entrance.

That none of the theorists'

guidelines

are observed

in

this cadenza

is

due

to

a

fundamental

change

of

purpose.

The cadenza is

not an

embel-

lished

cadence,

not

a

prolonged

dominant,

but

a

larger

event with tonic

stability.

None

of the

guidelines

need

be

observed,

even that one warn-

ing

against

changes

of

key,

because there is no dominant function

to be

sustained. The tonic

pedal

and

strong

cadence

within

the cadenza

at the 47

end are perhaps the most surprising of all, but it must be noted that this

seventy-nine-measure

cadenza is followed

by

only

six measures of or-

chestral

coda. Beethoven

evidently

felt

that,

in

view of the

proportions

involved,

the cadenza should

help

the

orchestra make the last cadential

gesture

of the

movement.

There

are

three

long

cadenzas for the first

movement

of the Piano

Concerto in C

Major, Op.

15

(completed

1795).

One has

sixty-two

mea-

sures but is

incomplete.

It

begins

by

establishing

the tonic

with

the main

motive but then

moves

away

with

diminished chords until E-flat

major

is

established with a large dominant preparation, complete with trills. The

second

lyrical

theme is

heard

in

this

key,

which

quickly dissipates

into C

minor

before the music cuts off.43

Another

cadenza

is

only

thirty-two

measures,

thus

within

propor-

tions

established

by

Mozart. This

may

be

indeed

one

of

the

closest

models of

Mozart's

conception;

it does

reserve the lowest

register

for

pitches

appropriate

to

dominant

harmony.

However,

the

key

of

E-flat

major

is also established in this

cadenza,

although

with much less em-

phasis,

to set

the fanfare theme.

This

quickly

moves to dominant har-

mony in C which sets up the final trill.

This

emphasis

on

the

key

of E-flat

in

both cadenzas is an

attempt

to

43

This cadenza has been

completed

by

Edward T. Cone.

See "A Cadenza

for

Op.

15"

in

Beethoven

Essays:

Studies

n Honor

of

Elliot

Forbes,

ed. Lewis Lockwood

and

Phyllis

Ben-

jamin (Cambridge,

Mass.,

1984).





23/34

THE

JOURNAL

OF

MUSICOLOGY

relate

them to the

movement

proper

in

a

more substantial

way

than

by

thematic reference

alone. E-flat

major

is an

important

structural

key

of

the movement; it sets the first appearance of the lyrical melody in the

exposition

(m.

49)

and is the

only important

tonal

center

in the

develop-

ment

section

(mm.

266-84).

A third

cadenza to the

first movement

is

perhaps

the

most

problem-

atic

of all

Beethoven's

cadenzas,

and also seems

to be

the

one

preferred

by

pianists

who

play

this

concerto.

It is

by

far

the

longest

of all

Beethoven's

cadenzas,

126

measures,

a

length

which far

outstrips

the

development

section of

the movement

(c.

eighty

measures)

and

nearly

equals

the

132

measures

of

the

recapitulation.

Like

the

first

one,

it be-

gins with the main motive in the key of C, which is followed by long ar-

peggiated passages

of

harmonically ambiguous

material.

classical cadenza

Documents