Wieniawski’s Legende-ary Love
- Catherine Velazquez
- Sep 15, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 24, 2020
WARNING: this post is the product of a loose and wild Vibrato Queen who didn’t want to actually practice. Approach at your own risk...
I’m so excited that I finally get to work on a true Romantic Period violin piece, the Legende by Henryk Wieniawski. I love Wieniawski. Born to a family of arts enthusiasts, the young boy entered the Paris Conservatory at age 7, having to petition to enter despite being well below the minimum age requirement of 12. Being the prodigy he was, he graduated with highest honors at the age of 10 (still under the minimum age requirement)!
He was well acclaimed during his lifetime as a touring virtuoso, but he also composed some of the most well loved gems of the violin repertoire. Taking the influence of giants such as Frederic Chopin, Wieniawski had more than enough virtuosic fireworks in his music. Parallel octaves, rapid arpeggios, double harmonics, upbow staccato, tenths, complex double stops, massive chords… you name it. But he also composed these impossibly beautiful cantabile melodies, even in pieces primarily meant to showcase his own virtuosity. Wieniawski’s melodies are among my favorites to sing. I was actually inspired to write this after being taken aback by this second theme from Wieniawski’s violin concerto in f-sharp minor:
(2:13)
On a tangent, Soyoung Yoon actually performed the Sibelius concerto back to back with that performance. And at the very end of the Wieniawski, she makes a mistake. That’s why you don’t perform two of the most physically demanding pieces ever written on the same night for a competition… She still won though!
Some other melodies... the classic second movement of his d minor violin concerto:
Shlomo Mintz's performance here is practically unparalleled! (10:35)
Oh,, and we musn't forget his Variations on an Original Theme... just listen to that torment when the theme is played Sul G against rapid arpeggios from the piano. Simply BREATHTAKING. (1:56)
So... hehe... Wieniawski has his special twist on the age-old story of a hapless suitor trying to win over his lover’s parents. He fell in love with a young British girl named Isabella Hampton, and her mother quickly approved of his marriage proposal. However, Isabella’s father did not want her to marry one of those pesky, unstable musicians who wouldn’t be able to provide for his daughter. Ouch. Anyway, Her father was so moved by his desperate cry of love - the Legende - that he gave the young couple his blessings. How sweet! I’m sure if Robert Schumann heard this story, he’d be very jealous.
Like… look at what Wieniawski had to say about his new muse:
“I wish to marry a young English woman whom I love more deeply than the finest Stradivarius or Guarneri”
AWWW! Trust me, it takes a lot for a violinist to grow more attached to something than a fine instrument. :)
As a teenager myself, I can attest to how well Wieniawski captures the aching spirit of young love. The Legende itself is in simple ternary (ABA) form, with an inner section in G Major. The main theme is a prime example of Wieniawski’s abilities as a melodist. It is discussed more in depth below, so I will skip to my favorite part of the A section. I am always a complete sucker for drones. The violin has an astounding natural resonance with very audible overtones, and drones are the perfect way to bring that out. Furthermore, a drone makes it clearer where the melody is going by exposing the more unstable scale degrees. It is just a joy to listen to! Needless to say, Paganini Caprice 20 is my favorite caprice. Anyway, the piece opens with a mysterious sixteenth-note passage played by the woodwinds. After the first theme reaches its ultimate fortissimo climax, the violin plays this hushed opening on the g string against a d string drone. I just love it, especially since it is so fun to play.
Another important aspect of the main melody is how soloistic it is. For example, it opens with the dynamic piano, but the violinist still has to make a statement. It is a soloistic piano. Therefore, it's not exactly a sin to use a very wide, intense vibrato - almost as if Wieniawski were crying. It's a very hard feeling to achieve. You want to save overt intensity for later, yet don't want to sacrifice brilliance and consistency for that feeling of "pulling back." There also needs to be a connection between the notes, which is very difficult to achieve. The second time the theme enters, it is played forte. There, we are making more of a statement. I feel this opening just goes from intense to more intense. If you are to lose that intensity, it is not engaging.
After this drone section, the music suddenly sighs with relief on a cadence in G Major, introducing a sublime double stop section. By design, the violinist has to slide across the fingerboard in order to play the double stops. My teacher always used to make fun of me for using Romantic slides while playing Baroque pieces, but finally they actually enhance the music! Romantic slides are quite literally ROMANTIC slides. They add just the right amount of tenderness and playfulness, better replicating the inflections of a human voice than razor-sharp shifts do. The double stop section is accompanied by a march-like rhythm from the orchestra, reminiscent of a polonaise. I found that significant because many violinists seem to ignore the march and simply play everything super legato. Young Henryk may have also been trying to integrate part of his culture when presenting this most heartfelt appeal to his British suitor’s parents. Even though the B section isn’t as harmonically interesting as the A section, its modulations still call for slight pulls of dissonance from the solo violin. I love hearing a major seventh interval played on the violin. It just sounds so cool! The single beat where they are played - fleeting dissonance - further adds to the sheer romance. Young love is generally relaxed and playful, but there is always that tinge of exasperation, which these dissonances represent. After many repetitions and modulations, this once relaxed melody spirals out of control. Before we know it, the melody cannot contain itself any longer. Piercing octaves on the note G unravel into a fiendish chromatic scale run. Not only is this chromatic scale the first true display of virtuosity, but it is also a supreme display of anguish. Chromaticism, of course, represents confusion in music. Such a rushing chromatic scale feels like a desperate cry for help. Mozart did something similar in his sonata in E Minor, also written on a very profound subject:
(Wieniawski comparison @ 4:59: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywcrIyrR34E&t=186s)
Immediately following the chromatic outburst, we are brought back to the A section as the main theme is played Sul G, taking on a stormy character. Ah, how I love Sul G passages, especially since my violin has no wolf tones…
Even though the final A section is largely a direct restatement of the first, Wieniawski makes some interesting markings in the music: "con sordino" and "sotto voce." The former marking tells the violinist to put a concert mute on their instrument, giving it a more hushed and hollow tone quality. The latter marking translates roughly to "in a quiet and hushed voice." It's not necessarily a dynamic, but more a feeling or impression - so the mute helps the performer achieve the "sotto voce"sound. It is as if Wieniawski, after his loud outburst, is suddenly muttering his repentance.
Interestingly enough, the previously mentioned Mozart sonata also has the "sotto voce" marking immediately following the chromatic section (8:35):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UhnfWzOCMo
Wieniawski ends his love letter with pianississimo arpeggios, culminating in the highest G the violin can play. This high note withers away until all that is left are two broken pizzicatos from the violin solo. What genius rhetoric! He is telling Hampton's father: "see, my spirit has completely given up." Who wouldn't feel guilty after experiencing that?
My migraines are still pretty bad, so I can’t practice more than 2.5 hours per day. Perhaps thinking about phrasing in this piece could save me a lot of practice time in the future…
Vibrato queen’s phrasing/analysis/whatever:
A specific dissection of the main melody
0:28: the first two notes are accompanied by tense chords, indicating a sense of confusion
The music moves with the next three notes
Vibrate and increase bow speed on the e-flat
The A is anticipatory to the G, which is like a sigh of relief
On the repetition, the first three notes (d, c#, d) are accompanied by different chords
Again, the orchestra leads the next three notes (g, f, d) in a significant modulation to the relative major
I have trouble varying my bow speed
Second phrase
The most important thing is to vary intensity on repetitions, and to play the orchestra part in your head as you are playing the melody
1:00
Call and response sorta thing between violin and orchestra
Climax and release
1:22
A HUGE climax. The first time double stops are used, and a full-bodied orchestra part
Then, it suddenly dies (the orchestra lightly pizz’s again)
This contrast is important
Interesting harmony on the octaves
When we reach the b flat octave, the accompanying chord is actually e flat minor
Thank God my ears still function after slacking off in musicianship class
This is interesting because the same cadence in the solo part implied a major chord before
Thus, you need a bit more “bite” to start off this b flat
The chord remains the same on the C, adding tension
And then releases on the D
Interestingly, the chord accompanying the D in the solo part is D Major
However, the solo part still trills with the E flat, anticipating the arrival back to g minor.
In masterclasses, there are usually 2 scenarios. The student has faulty technique, so the artist works on basics with them, or they are completely unaware of what goes on in the music. I was forced into watching a masterclass for CSULB students with Joan Kwuon, and she literally spent the entire time trying to explain to this student where the cadences were in the Adagio from the Bach C Major sonata. *facepalm* So hopefully my work here
will save my teachers a lot of energy!
With a renewed appreciation for this music, I genuinely can’t wait to work on the Legende tomorrow. Powerful stuff!
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