'Songs without Words'

Lunchtime Piano Recital at St Nicholas Church, Dyke Road, Brighton at 12.30pm on Wednesday 8th February 2012

Ambrose Page (Piano)

“Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts” Shelley  



INTRODUCTION The literal meaning of the term “songs without words’ is a short piano piece of a lyrical nature.  Whilst not all of the pieces in today’s concert carry this label in their title, each is conceived in lyrical terms and many use the song form as a source of inspiration.  The pieces selected for today’s concert originate from a range of different countries, as indicated below.  

THE WORKS BEING PERFORMED  

NORWAY

Edward Grieg (1843-1907): Cattle Call from 25 Norwegian Folk Songs and Dances Tunes, Op.17, No.22

Edward Grieg is one of Norway’s most famous composers, and whilst his works are nationalistic in flavor, they transcend local boundaries by reason of the strong individuality of his music.  He wrote in a variety of mediums, including orchestral works, chamber music, and songs, as well as numerous works for the piano, including this Cattle Call from his 25 Norwegian Folk Songs and Dances, Op.17.  It is an arrangement of an original folk-tune, which Grieg frames with an introduction and coda, whilst harmonizing the actual tune in his own distinct way.  

FRANCE

Benjamin Godard (1849-1895): Etudes Mélodiques, Op.149

§  No.1: Causerie Intime

§  No.6: Gavotte Parisienne

Godard studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where he later taught composition.  Though most of his works are sentimental salon pieces for piano, his piano studies are more substantial in scope, as are his symphonies, chamber music and violin pieces.  The two studies heard her come from his ‘Etudes mélodiques’, Op.149 (‘Melodic Studies’). Causerie Intime (“Intimate Conversations”) derives its title from the interplay between the left and right hands, imitating a ‘conversation’ between two people, whilst Gavotte Parisienne is bubbling over with jovial gaiety.  

Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944): Méditation, Op.76, No.6

Benjamin Goddard counted amongst his pupils the French composer and pianist Cécile Chaminade, whom he taught privately, since, being a woman, Chaminade’s father forbade her to enter the Paris Conservatoire. Chaminade gave her first public concert at the age of 18, and subsequently made many tours, including England and the USA.   She has been described as one of the most published female composers, with over 400 works to her name, including orchestral music, chamber works, and an opera.  However, her main claim to fame rests with her songs and solo piano works, the later of which number around 200.  These became very popular, and the reflective Méditation heard here comes from her ‘Six Romances Sans Paroles’ (‘Six Songs Without Words’)  

GERMANY

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): Songs Without Words

§  Op.30, No.6 in F sharp minor – Allegretto tranquillo (‘Venetian Gondola Song’)

§  Op.38, No.2 in C minor- Allegro non troppo

This concert would not be complete without including some of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words He wrote a total of 48 of these, and they were published in sets of six, with the first set actually referred to as “Original Melodies for the Pianoforte.”  These works experienced a period of extreme popularity during Queen Victoria’s reign, in part due to Mendelssohn’s high profile visits to London during this period.  The majority of these pieces (as the title suggests) simulate the solo song with the piano accompaniment, consisting of a lyrical, “singable” melody played in the right hand, supported by some form of accompaniment in the left hand. Some of the pieces have titles, as is the case with ‘Venetian Gondola Song’ heard first.  

RUSSIA

Serge Bortkiewicz (1877-1952): Six Pensées Lyriques, Op.11

§  No.4 in E major – Moderato, quasi improvisando

§  No.5 in A flat major – Poco moto, con amabilita

§  No.6 in D flat major – Andante poco moto

The neglected Russian composer and pianist Bortkiewicz was born in the Ukrainian City of Kharkov.  His mother was herself an accomplished pianist and co-founder of the Kharkov Music School where Bortkiewicz received his early musical training, followed by further studies in St Petersburg and Leipzig.  He eventually settled in Vienna where he remained until his death.  Influenced by the music of Anton Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky, Bortkiewicz’s music is intensely melodic and romantic in style, as illustrated by the last three numbers of his Six Pensées Lyriques, Op.11 heard here.  Bortkiewicz’s output includes many other piano works, along with concertos, symphonies, songs, chamber music and an opera.  Sadly, a substantial number of his works were lost in the destruction brought about by the Second World War.  

Ambrose Page (piano): Ambrose studied with Norman Beedie at the Guildhall School of Music between 1979 and 1983, followed by further studies with Carola Grindea and master classes with Sidney Harrison.  He is Joint Secretary of the Sussex Musicians’ Club, and regularly performs for them, as well as for other music societies in the area.  In May 2002 he appeared for the first time in the Brighton Festival when he gave a recital entitled “Beethoven and His Contemporaries”, featuring the music of Beethoven as well as that of the neglected composers of Czechoslovakia, Italy and Ireland.  He has appeared at the annual Fringe Festival ever since, whilst also giving numerous recitals throughout Sussex. As well as having an interest in Czech piano music of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which he feels is an unjustly neglected area, Ambrose enjoys introducing to audiences a range of unfamiliar, yet accessible, music, not only from Czechoslovakia but also from other European countries and beyond.