A comparison of the two violin concerti by Bohuslav Martinů
Yu, Pei-Shan
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/113716
Description
Title
A comparison of the two violin concerti by Bohuslav Martinů
Author(s)
Yu, Pei-Shan
Issue Date
2022
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Taube, Heinrich
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Taube, Heinrich
Committee Member(s)
Milenkovich, Stefan
Haken, Rudolf
Lee, Nelson
Fairbanks, Stephen
Department of Study
School of Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Keyword(s)
Bohuslav Martinů
Violin Concerto No. 1, H. 226
Violin Concerto No. 2, H. 293
Josef Suk
Mischa Elman
Czech folk music
violin techniques
comparison
Language
en
Abstract
This thesis compares musical style in Violin Concerti Nos. 1 (1932-33) and 2 (1943) by Bohemian composer Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959). Featuring rich harmonies, distinctive instrumentation, and mixed musical styles, and belonging to two different stages in the composer’s lifetime in Paris and the United States, these concerti are ideal examples for exploring the transformation and diversity of the composer’s style. Martinů was a highly prolific composer, writing during the time when Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, and Bedřich Smetana were highly influential, and his extraordinary compositional techniques were shaped by a unique variety of influences: his native culture, including Czech poetry, painting, literature, Debussy and Stravinsky’s music, concerto grosso, madrigals, as well as by his experiences living with Asperger’s Syndrome. With the aim to inspire violinists to add Martinů’s concerti into their repertoire and to develop holistically informed approaches to these pieces, this thesis assesses Martinů’s characteristic style in these works and provides interpretive suggestions and solutions to address technical challenges; some bowing suggestions are even based on Martinů’s own instructions in the manuscript. Most broadly, as a representative study of Martinů’s singular style, this thesis serves as a point of entry into the composer’s other fascinating works beyond the violin concerti so that more musicians and theorists will be able to approach and perform them.
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