Page 43 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2018. Nova glasba v “novi” Evropi med obema svetovnima vojnama ?? New Music in the “New” Europe Between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 2
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janáček’s maestoso
played again and elaborated for eight bars marked maestoso in espressione,
a slowed-down intensification of the music before a Vivace continuation.
Some clue as to what this meant for Janáček can perhaps be provided by a
tiny fragment jotted down in the Památník pro Kamilu Stösslovou [Album
for Kamila Stösslová], dated 5 August 1928, a week before he died and a few
months after completing the Second String Quartet. Here, having written
out themes to represent “Ty vlnky mé zlaté Kamily” [The waves (i.e. breasts)
of my dear Kamila], and others to show the waves crying “passionately”
(“vlnká lká”; “vášnivě”) he writes two chords (the second very spread out),
marked maestoso with the comment “Ta slasť!” [That bliss!] (see ex. 4).
*
Janáček’s maestoso passages in the years up to his last opera, From the
House of the Dead, have a number of shared characteristics. They are most-
ly loud and slow, generally providing a contrast in speed to what comes be-
fore and (unless they end a piece) after. While some more extensive ex-
amples can be found, most are short sections. Apart from a few instances
where Janáček used maestoso to highlight important words of moments in
operas, Janáček limited his uses of maestoso to purely orchestral (or instru-
mental) music. Generally the marking is always appropriate to the solemn
or majestic or occasionally otherworldly mood. Their uses can be categor
ized as follows:
a. Heroic/patriotic nationalism;
b. Structural (I): conclusion of act or movement;
c. Structural (II): dramatic stopping-point towards the end of a pie-
ce, followed by a precipitate close (= “11th-hour Maestoso”)’
d. For highlighting important words;
e. For marking important moments;
f. To suggest a transcendental, visionary quality.
Maestoso in From the House of the Dead
The oddity of the way in which Janáček used maestoso in From the
House of the Dead becomes clear when his usage there is compared to that
in the three proceeding operas.
Káťa Kabanová (1921): 5 occurrences:
41
played again and elaborated for eight bars marked maestoso in espressione,
a slowed-down intensification of the music before a Vivace continuation.
Some clue as to what this meant for Janáček can perhaps be provided by a
tiny fragment jotted down in the Památník pro Kamilu Stösslovou [Album
for Kamila Stösslová], dated 5 August 1928, a week before he died and a few
months after completing the Second String Quartet. Here, having written
out themes to represent “Ty vlnky mé zlaté Kamily” [The waves (i.e. breasts)
of my dear Kamila], and others to show the waves crying “passionately”
(“vlnká lká”; “vášnivě”) he writes two chords (the second very spread out),
marked maestoso with the comment “Ta slasť!” [That bliss!] (see ex. 4).
*
Janáček’s maestoso passages in the years up to his last opera, From the
House of the Dead, have a number of shared characteristics. They are most-
ly loud and slow, generally providing a contrast in speed to what comes be-
fore and (unless they end a piece) after. While some more extensive ex-
amples can be found, most are short sections. Apart from a few instances
where Janáček used maestoso to highlight important words of moments in
operas, Janáček limited his uses of maestoso to purely orchestral (or instru-
mental) music. Generally the marking is always appropriate to the solemn
or majestic or occasionally otherworldly mood. Their uses can be categor
ized as follows:
a. Heroic/patriotic nationalism;
b. Structural (I): conclusion of act or movement;
c. Structural (II): dramatic stopping-point towards the end of a pie-
ce, followed by a precipitate close (= “11th-hour Maestoso”)’
d. For highlighting important words;
e. For marking important moments;
f. To suggest a transcendental, visionary quality.
Maestoso in From the House of the Dead
The oddity of the way in which Janáček used maestoso in From the
House of the Dead becomes clear when his usage there is compared to that
in the three proceeding operas.
Káťa Kabanová (1921): 5 occurrences:
41
