Jump to content

Analysis of John Williams Violin Concerto No. 2


Falstaft

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, Falstaft said:

Hi everyone. I thought it might be useful to put together a listening guide of sorts for Williams's second violin concerto. This struck me as appropriate given the fact it's going to be heard in performance again fairly soon, and the piece, particularly its first movement, is fairly difficult to grasp on first listen!

 

I've only put together a guide to the first movement (by far the most challenging), but if this is indeed helpful I'll consider doing the other three--or maybe someone else would like to. It's quite difficult to do this without a score, to put it mildly, so take everything here as provisional. I'm surely missing quite a lot of important details...

 

 

Listening Guide for John Williams, Violin Concerto 2

 

MOVEMENT 1: "PROLOGUE" 

Overall, the most formally loose and spontaneous-seeming movement, fitting given Williams's striving for a "quasi-improvisatory" character. Not a truly non-repetitive piece, however: there are both aspects of inner-movement unity and some subtle prefiguring of material to come, particularly the concerto's principle "leitmotif" introduced in the 2nd Movement. The unpredictability of the music on a measure-to-measure level is compensated by an extremely clear division of 6 large-scale sections, summarized below.

 

VC2 Movement 1.png

 

More in-depth account:


SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION 

  • 0:00    Quiet, slow introduction showcasing harp, supported by bed of strings. Shape of opening harp melody (D3-E3, D3-E3-C3-A3-D3) vaguely anticipates some later motivic details. First harp-based subphrase tonally centered on B♭-lydian, with contrasting Gm6(♭13) in middle.  Second, string-based subphrase more dissonant, melodically disjunct. The third, once again harp-based subphrase coalesces on Dmaj6/min chord.
  • 1:11    Introduction of soloist. Violin begins with repetition of note F4, giving bluesy quality to faint D-major tonality maintained by strings/harp. Melodic D tonic flanked by tritones A♭4 & G♯3 above and below. Progressively expands range upward, with what will become a quasi-motivic repeated note figure, here on B♭4 and E♭5. Thinner texture and new harmonies (F♯m and A-dim) and octatonic scale-fragment in violin at 1:50, followed by downwards chromatic cascades and melodic peak of E♭6. Unaccompanied violin sags glumly back downwards.

 

SECTION 2 – FAST AND TURBULENT 

  • 2:24    Pulsing, agitated pattern in orchestra midrange on dissonant harmony (A3+B♭3+C4+ D♭4), supported at unpredictable intervals by rising bass-figure starting on low D. Violin gathers energy with repetition of Eb4, proceeds to a flowing, unpredictable musical thought, up to the first of several big orchestral swells marked by dissonant chord and percussive punctuation that swallows up soloist.
  • 2:46    Violin reasserts itself over motivic rising bass-figure. Pace of textural and melodic change speeds up considerably, and music becomes increasingly key-less, violin and orchestra exchanging frenzied, short-lived ideas. Particular prominence to harp, timpani, clarinet. Low-strings trade downwards arpeggio of important Gm9 chord, echoed by violin (3:09), and Em9♭5, F♯dim7.
  • 3:16    Lighter but more dissonant texture. Spiky, progressively accelerating violin writing against unpredictable staccato wind and pizzicato bursts.
  • 3:33    Arpeggiating eighth-note figures in low strings resume, now upwards (D2-B♭2-D3-G2-C3-E♭3, etc.), quickly losing tonal focus as another dissonant tutti swell overtakes violin, followed by brief timpani solo (3:44).
  • 3:46    Purely orchestral climax. Dissonant pitch pyramid assembled over B pedal. Similarly vaulting bass figures under now unified upper strings in octaves on urgent melody, arching upwards in successive swells. Pulsing/sustained brass and string melody help refocus tonality onto D, and downwards chord progression (D--C--B), while dissonant, can be referred to D-center. Ends on a shrieking tutti cluster, similar to opening sonority of section but greatly intensified. 

 

SECTION 3 – SLOW  AND TRANSPARENT 

  • 4:23    Dreamy extended-tertian sonorities, starting with and centered on Gm13 (chord anticipated at 3:11, arpeggiated texture anticipated at 3:33). Violin enters with comparatively lyrical theme with pronounced downwards-moving trajectory. Tonality shifts to Dm, moving stepwise to Fm. Melodic shape heard in passing at 5:00 (F5-E5-G♯5-C5) seems to anticipate the recurring “leitmotif” of movements 2  & 4 -- you know, the one that sounds a bit like "Moonlight" from Sabrina.
  • 5:10    Clear sense of tonality dissolves, violin becomes more agitated, emphasis on dotted rhythms, brief mini-solo of dissonant stops (5:18-5:22). Followed by dense, highly dissonant wind-ensemble writing, drawn from immediately preceding violin solo and segueing back into it.
  • 5:39    Deep, dark minor chords (C♯m--Caug) prepare a catchy but ominous melody for solo violin built on double-stops (parallel minor 6ths), again with contour (A♭4-A♭4-G4-B4-C4) that anticipates shape of recurring leitmotif from mvts 2 & 4. 
  • 5:50    Busily spinning passagework for violin and glittering accompaniment, foreshadowing movement 2, recedes to background to allow brief flute solo (B♭4-A4-E5-G5-F♯5-F♯4) in E-minor, suggestive but as far as I can tell not motivically derived from anything else. Violin follows-through with flute melody, seamlessly moving to a…
  • 6:20    Pre-cadenza for violin and harp, again with elements of flute melody (G6-F♯6-A5…B♭5-D♭6-C6-C5)

 

SECTION 4 – CADENZA

  • 6:50    Succession of contrasting technical and expressive ideas, not a huge degree of thematic connectivity with preceding sections though fairly consistent within its own scope.

(Substructure: Downwards Em/B♭ chords—leaping octave pairs—compound melody (E6-D♯6-B5-A♯5, D♭6-C6-A5-G♯5)—trills—resigned droop—gathering energy—ascending melody over pedal—arpeggios—trills—melody reminiscent of VC1—ascending passagework maxing out at A6—descending, harsh stops, ending with repeated D4.)

 

SECTION 5 – BROAD AND CLIMACTIC

  • 8:38    Rather spooky melody for violin (F♯4-D5-B♭6-F♯5) over brief suggestion of B-minor.  Quickly yields to new material for orchestra, with massed brass, strings in octaves, and thick, repeating wind quasi-fanfares, all grounded over low C-pedal (C-A♭-D♭-G chord?). Classic JW concert music stuff (c.f. For Seiji, Soundings, Heartwood, etc.). Much of this seems to respond vaguely to material introduced in the Cadenza.
  • 9:00    Almost aleatoric sounding passage for harp, solo high winds, pizz strings.
  • 9:09    Emphasis on low winds and strings. Recollection of ascending bass figure from 3:33 (now E2-B2-D3, F♯2-B2-E3)
  • 9:14    Climax building really starts in earnest. Wind chords seem to outline violin’s spooky melody from start of section, against aggressive massed-string section counterpoint, ending on bright, dissonant wind chord.  
  • 9:25    Violin solo reasserts self, now more actively interacting with rest of orchestra. Strong sense of rhythmic and harmonic acceleration, climax building pauses after timpani interjection (9:40).
  • 9:48    Final, rapidly attained climax, fastest solo violin writing; impression of huge sweeping motions from whole orchestra, culminating on a huge tutti chord of characteristically JW-dissonant flavor (A-C-E- F-A♭-C♭)

 
SECTION 6 – AFTERMATH AND CODA

  • 10:11    Instantly quiet, clear duet for harp and violin. Clear reminiscence of beginning of Section 3, via repeated harp arpeggio of extended triadic sonority, this time F♯m11(b♭13) instead of Gm11(nat13). Meditative violin solo above, not clearly connected to previous themes.
  • 10:40    Quiet upwards scurrying from violin, reaching high B6, followed by abrupt, staccato motif (second phrase accompanied by four dissonant pizzicato chords from rest of string section).
  • 11:03    Violin settles on sustained low A♭3, against resonant F2-A1 bass support on harp. Full fade-out by 11:16.

:worship:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Well, darn, looks like the YouTube upload of the new concerto got taken down.

 

On one hand, I understand fully why this was done. But at the same time, it's depriving many a chance to hear and familiarize themselves with the work. Especially considering prior exposure & study helps enormously if you're going to review a live performance!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Falstaft said:

Well, darn, looks like the YouTube upload of the new concerto got taken down.

 

On one hand, I understand fully why this was done. But at the same time, it's depriving many a chance to hear and familiarize themselves with the work. Especially considering prior exposure & study helps enormously if you're going to review a live performance!

I think Arte (https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/104491-000-A/anne-sophie-mutter-und-john-williams-mit-einer-urauffuehrung/) is the only free and official video source then, right?

 

Edit: The link seems to work only in Germany and France, because Arte as public owner has only acquired the rights for the German-French area. So good news for all Germans and French and bad news for everyone else

@Miguel Andrade @Manakin Skywalker

Is there perhaps a way to get around the barrier?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Concerning the themes and motives in the new concerto I was permanently reminded on the first violin concerto and even the cello concerto. And that made me think, can it be that JW has a crush on certain intervals and motifs in his concert pieces? Maybe driven by the intention to avoid too common patterns he uses another uncommon set of intervals everytime. Anyone feels similar about it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
On 08/08/2021 at 6:58 PM, Falstaft said:

 

  • 3:46    Purely orchestral climax. Dissonant pitch pyramid assembled over B pedal. Similarly vaulting bass figures under now unified upper strings in octaves on urgent melody, arching upwards in successive swells. Pulsing/sustained brass and string melody help refocus tonality onto D, and downwards chord progression (D--C--B), while dissonant, can be referred to D-center. Ends on a shrieking tutti cluster, similar to opening sonority of section but greatly intensified. 

This segment sounds very much like TROS, down to the structural chaos. Just like with Tchaikovsky's late symphonies vs. his commercial music of the same period, I wonder whether it's sincere or ironical...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Perdon my ignorance, but what are they key signatures of the two violin concertos of JW? B minor, C major, etc.?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My understanding is that contemporary composers of classical music, going back decades, moved away from the notion of being beholden to a home key, or even in a key from a 12-tone scale (e.g., modes or atonality or your second Viennese school whatnot). Instead of writing in a key signature, JW just writes in all the accidentals as needed. Someone help me out; am I even remotely right about that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know why you would want info on a key signature.  A key does not even know how to write.  Francis Scott Key being the only exception.  

 

I might be drunk.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Bespin said:

Well the first movements surely starts in somewhat key???

 

11 hours ago, Bayesian said:

My understanding is that contemporary composers of classical music, going back decades, moved away from the notion of being beholden to a home key, or even in a key from a 12-tone scale (e.g., modes or atonality or your second Viennese school whatnot). Instead of writing in a key signature, JW just writes in all the accidentals as needed. Someone help me out; am I even remotely right about that?

 

 

The Violin concertos, like most of JW's concertos, are not strictly tonal (although there are some tonal centers, but not in the classical sense), so they have no key signatures. Key signatures almost never occur even in his most tonal film cues. One of the reasons is that he often modulates and uses chromatic harmonies that require many accidentals outside the main key, so he just writes all accidentals close to the notes as needed. Another reason, I guess, is that it might be easier for the session musicians to read accidentals close to the notes, rather than in key signatures. Even in the most diatonic passages - e.g., some parts of Schindler's List in D minor, G minor, C minor, G sharp minor - there are no key signatures. He used key signatures, however, in some pieces such as the Superman March, the Raiders' March, the first part of Princess Leia's Theme, the second part of The Throne Room and Finale, the End Credits from A.I., Exsultate Justi from Empire of the Sun, and a few others (really not many).

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.