Licia Sirch and
Henry
Howey
The
Doctrine of a Critical Edition of the Band Music of Amilcare
Ponchielli
|
1.
The idea of a critical edition of the music of
Ponchielli has been recently begun as the result of a series of
different intersecting factors. To begin with, there is a
considerable musical corpus: 82 original works [See
Appendix A] and more than 120 arrangements of works by
other composers are extant from a possible 400 works listed in the
programs of more than 350 concerts from the years 1865-1873. More
than 98 per cent of the sources are autographs conserved within the
Biblioteca Statale in Cremona. Thus we have today a splendid
collection that is very accessible. However, nearly 20 years of
effort were necessary to arrive at this point.[1] An example of this is the band version of
the well-known Il Convegno for two clarinets that was lost
in the shelves of the Museo civico for many years. A bridge between
the piano version (1857) and the orchestra version (1873), the band
version seems to have been prepared for the band in Piacenza
(1861-64) and copied by Johannes (Giovanni) Haagen (or Hagen), an
Austrian player and composer leader the band of Cremona from
1844-1859 and then vice-maestro of the musicians.[2] Even more exciting is a copy of Il
Convegno found in Parma, the home of Vincenzo Franchini, an
A-flat clarinetist in both the band in Piacenza and the second band
in Cremona. Franchini is an excellent candidate to have been one of
the soloists. While Haagen’s manuscript is known in the band
collection, there is no present certainty that Franchini was the
copyist of the version from Parma.[3]
[ex. 1a
& 1b]
In an already unique musical corpus, this latest discovery merely
illustrates the problems dealing with music held closely and only
in manuscript.
Some years ago, that is to say before the
1990’s, very little was known about Ponchielli’s
activities as capo-banda at Piacenza and Cremona from 1861
to 1873,[4] and documentation
that could be used to reconstruct the historical events was very
limited.[5] In the following
years historical and archival research of the great Italian
“band” phenomenon of 19th century[6] (and on the activities of bands in
Cremona[7]) have altered this
situation. Further, thanks to the readjustment of the catalogue in
the Biblioteca Statale of Cremona[8]
(and not in the least) to Dr. Howey’s database of the
band’s concert repertoire drawn from a newspaper (Corriere
Cremonese) and manuscript programs in the State
Archive,[9] we have arrived at
the present situation in which the whole body of Ponchielli’s
music for band can be seen and placed in a historically documented
context.[10]
This repertoire serves as a touchstone for the
Italian band tradition of the 19th century. All of the genera are
represented: quickstep and funeral marches, concertos, dances,
glosses on various operas (only one of Ponchielli’s own
operas), arrangements of overtures, and scenes of popular operas of
the day. As noted, 82 works qualify as “original” and
span the entire range of the genera represented. [See
Appendix A.] Also for these reasons this collection is
emblematic of the various roles performed by Italian band in 19th
century: source of popular entertainment and education, spreader of
civil values and ideas of the Risorgimento, and disseminator of
opera. As noted, the wind band functioned as a pre-radio technology
for the popular diffusion of music and its benefits.
2.
The revival of interest in this music has been a
direct result of Dr. Sirch’s catalog and the never-ending
quest by performers to have new and exciting repertoire to perform.
To this end, practical (though not necessarily accurate) versions
of the brass concertos have been accomplished and performed. Not
the least of these is Professor Howey’s first efforts in the
Concerto per flicornobasso in 1992.[11] Along with
Professor Max Sommerhalder, both have produced parallel editions of
all four major brass solos, including piano reductions and
orchestral transcriptions.[12]
The various versions have been performed and recorded around the
world over the last fifteen years. Presently, Professor Howey has
transcribed all 82 pieces intended for the critical edition, as
well as three of the opera scenes of great interest to brass
soloists such as Gabriele Cassone,[13] Colliard Corrado, Steven Mead,[14] and Crispian
Steele-Perkins.
An exhaustive search of the philological record has
produced an awareness of the unique conditions of
Ponchielli’s repertoire. Only four works, Elegia per
Felice Frasi, Marcia funebre per i funerali di Francesco
Lucca, Fantasia militare and Marcia funebre
“Alla memoria mio Padre”[15] were published
from Ponchielli’s period as capo-banda but as piano
reductions. The later Marcia funebre per i funerali di
Manzoni (1873), Sulla tomba di Garibaldi (1882), and
Il Gottardo (1882) were written only after Ponchielli had
left Cremona.[16] With the
exception of the march Milano,[17] and Il
Gottardo,[18] no other pieces
became generally available in publication. Several other works of
interest survive only as copies, though the copyists can be
identified. Most prominent of these are Giovanni Haagen and
Ponchielli’s successor Raffaele Coppola[19] who made
several.[20] In one or two
instances, only Coppola’s copy survives. There is however a
measure to be used in assessing Coppola’s work as there are
two works where both Coppola’s copy and the autograph
survive. These are the Marcia funebre No. 1 and the
Concerto per flicornobasso. [ex. 2a,
2b,
2c,
2d]
All of these copies or editions display errors that
render them a challenge to any editor. Even the Fantasia
militare (published in Ponchielli’s lifetime) exhibits an
ignorance of Ponchielli’s scoring practices. The bulk of the
errors made by these individuals develop from a lack of familiarity
with Ponchielli’s manuscript techniques and his predilection
for certain types of self-inflicted errors. In his capacity as
Maestro, Ponchielli had two principal responsibilities: to prepare
music for the band to perform and to conduct rehearsals and
concerts. The list of traps for the unwary transcriber is lengthy;
however, a familiarity with Ponchielli’s (and his
copyists’) penchant for time-saving practices will elicit
information equal to the depth of one’s study.
As mere “brani per banda
musicale,” the already notorious penchant of the Ricordi
firm for making errors in the operas of Verdi becomes clear to one
who has seen numerous examples of Ponchielli’s own
autographs. In any event, any 19th-century copy must be approached
with particular care and a full awareness of its potential
pitfalls. Not the least of these considerations was that Ponchielli
seems to have considered these works trifles whose usage (even in
repeat performances) was transitory and ephemeral.
Ponchielli’s attitude towards these pieces was that they were
for the moment, not the ages.
The following list of occasions for error or
misunderstanding is neither complete nor exhaustive; however, it
will only grow as more of Ponchielli’s scores become
transcribed into digital programs on their way to utility. Most of
these “errors” are the result of the frantic pace
(especially April-September) to provide repertoire before the days
of copy machines and inkjet printers. Even difficult virtuoso
pieces such as the Variazione Carnevale di Venezia had as
little as two weeks to prepare. The end of the score states its
completion as “11 Aprile 1868.” In the database of
concerts, its premiere is 26 April in the Piazza Cavour.
[ex.
3]
For a musician of Ponchielli’s skills, the
score was useful as a means of transmitting his composition to the
band members through the medium of his copyist/editor. Presently,
only one incomplete set of parts prepared for Ponchielli’s
band exists. The work, the overture to Ruggero Manna’s La
Vergine di Kermo, is notable among Ponchielli’s
transcriptions in its detail. Its twelve appearances in the years
1868-1873 make it one of the most performed works. The extant
parts, however, are in excellent condition. There is no means short
of an exhaustive (and distracting) examination to determine any
editing by Ponchielli’s copyist. Suffice it to say that these
parts, original or not, are from an autograph score with
considerable detail and thus beg the question of any detail added
by Francesco Belforti whose role as copyist considerably augmented
his salary as Tromba di spalla. [ex. 4a,
4b
score page and part]
The rehearsal structure of the Banda nazionale is
known from the new regulations of 1865. Sectional rehearsals under
the principal players were followed by full rehearsals with
Ponchielli. In these several levels of preparation, one may assume
that the various errors were corrected. The problems arising in
this edition of works will be multitudinous, and the accompanying
list cannot begin to present all of them. A description of several
problems and the procedures used for them will illustrate the
process.
One early problem dealt with the later handling of
the score for the Concerto per tromba. Ponchielli often
fills the margins of a page with notes. The longest cadenza in the
work was covered at a later date by someone binding the score. The
“hidden” notes reappear when this scrap is photographed
with a light source behind it. [ex. 5a,
5b]
While many pages of music are simple solo and
accompaniment, Ponchielli uses the many parts of the band to great
effect with pages of great complexity. One of the marvelous effects
of modern notation software (here FINALE) is the ability to hear
these pages with timbre and dynamics. [ex. 6a,
6b,
6c[21]]
An obvious requirement of any edition is the right
notes. Considering the speed and volume of production (400 works)
between mid 1866 and January-March of 1873, Ponchielli often leaves
an editor wondering whether a note was on a line or space. Also,
considering that the scores were approximately A4 size in a
landscape position, staves and notes are miniscule, and an error of
even a few millimeters can create a wrong note. When ledger lines
are included, the occasion for error rises geometrically. For this
problem, technology can be very helpful: digital images can be
enlarged and the playback function of FINALE reproduces sounds,
even if virtual, so a wrongly interpreted note in one part can be
heard, and the remainder of the score can be used to find a double
of the note in error. When no doubling is found, the harmonic
context provides the means to make the “line or space”
controversy disappear. The very few unique examples that do not
suggest a ready solution can be handled by a textual note.
[ex. 7,
Dinorah, p. 39]
Errors in transposition are also a hazard when one
considers that Ponchielli must master transpositions containing up
to five embedded flats. His use of accidentals seems haphazard as
some of the “helping” accidentals are redundant. An
explanation of these errors might be that Ponchielli (who was an
organist) used the “C” clefs for his transpositions and
forgot about the embedded flats. [ex. 8,
Trovatore Fantasia, Trumpet part is in E-flat, not F as in
other pages.]
Another problem with accidentals is their appearance
in only one part where several instruments need them. Again, the
playback features of modern notation programs are invaluable in
solving this problem.[ex. 9,
compare clarinets and horns]
Rhythmic notation is very time consuming, so
Ponchielli creates an “editor’s nightmare” in too
many very busy passages. Particularly when a note and a rest are
required, many of the parts participating in a particular rhythmic
pattern will only show a single note of value equal to the actual
desired notation. [ex.
10] Are the trombones with the high trumpets and clarinets
or the low trumpets?
By the mid-19th century articulations were considered
a necessity to good order in score/part preparation. As in the case
of rhythmic notation, parts sharing the same musical events often
lack a full set of articulations and slurs. One curious notation
practice of Ponchielli is the use of staccato notes in the
clarinets while the brass have accents. This practice is repeated
often enough that it must be considered an aesthetic choice.
[ex.
11]
Dynamic markings are rare enough that one may presume
these were given by Ponchielli from the podium.
Crescendo-diminuendo markings are also rare or in only one part.
Because there is no continuing tradition of performance associated
with any of these pieces, our preference for an ideal interpreter
is an individual steeped in the Italian tradition in both opera and
instrumental music. [ex.
12]
The excellence of the Banda nazionale under
Ponchielli and Coppola adds to the difficulty of these works. Only
in the clarinets are found notations of tremolos that can only be
interpreted as requiring a delicate rapid articulation. Today such
skills are associated with only the most accomplished performers
such as Giuffredi Corrado from Parma. All of the players (including
students filling out a section) were expected to accomplish this
difficult multiple-tongue technique. [ex. 13a,
13b]
One very curious aspect of the lone existing
photograph of the band is the difficulty in finding a clearly seen
clarinet mouthpiece. This is important, as
“reed-on-top” has long been believed to have been the
tradition in 19th-century Italy. The sound produced by this setting
was very powerful and coarse. The principal players in the band
were intended to teach as part of their duties as principal
players. Actually there is one clarinet mouthpiece to be seen, and
it appears the reed is on the bottom. [ex.
14]
That Ponchielli had a “scratch” copy of
his intentions prior to the final score can be seen by the many
uses of a shorthand to indicate repeated or inserted measures.
Letters and drawings abound. [ex. 15a,
15b]
Ponchielli eschews the normal practice of
“da capo” and “dal segno” in
favor of complex instructions such as are shown below.
[ex.
16]
Phrasing is a great problem as Ponchielli uses it in
the same matter as all other aspects. Occasionally, he notes
phrases that are physically impractical to accomplish. [ex.
17, p. 6 of Concerto per Tromba]
One great concern has been the failure by many
performers to realize the bel canto tradition that is one of
the great qualities of Ponchielli’s music. Of particular
concern for Dr. Howey is the failure by colleagues to realize that
the details of phrasing contained in his edition of the Concerto
per flicornobasso are precisely as notated by Ponchielli. The
theme and accompanying variations become only difficult (not
impossible) if Ponchielli’s own phrase markings are
interpreted properly with time added to breathe after the fourth
measure as Ponchielli notes. [ex.
18, Concerto per Flicornobasso, p. 21]
Another problem arises from the instrumentation of
the band as it evolved under Ponchielli. Low (or no) interest loans
to band members by the city for instruments and uniforms were an
important part of the new regulations of the band. The addition of
flugelhorns, genis (alto horn in E-flat), clarone
(bass clarinet), and pelittone (contrabass tuba) are to be
found in many pieces after 1868. The third trombone part is often
left vacant with or without instructions to double the highest part
for the bass tubas. [ex.
19]
The bass clarinet part usually doubles the
bombardinos; however, a lone solo does exist. [ex.
20, P. 15, Trovatore Pot-Pourri]
The genis (alto flugelhorn or
“tenorhorn”) functions as a melodic instrument either
in octaves with the cornet or flugelhorn or in unison with the
flicornobasso or bombardino. The poor horns are never
allowed to do more than supply harmonic/rhythmic roles.
Occasionally the normal three horns are left to sort out four (or
more) notes from the score. One never reads of a student
(allievo) on the horn part, so three horns was never
exceeded. [ex.
21]
The performance of these works is problematic at
best. Modern B-flat trumpets are capable of sounding all of the
notes played in these scores; however, their timbre is quite a bit
lighter and brighter than the mezzo-soprano E-flat instruments they
replace. The A-flat clarinet was Ponchielli’s own choice as
the top voice, and, in a list of names scribbled in a score,
Ponchielli places the name of Vincenzo Franchini at the very first
on his list. [ex.
22]
3.
Beyond the issues already discussed in detail, the
over-reaching problem relevant to this repertoire remains its
performance traditions and its particular instrumentation. The
instrumentation of Ponchielli’s band (as has been noted) was
the result of his own local experience as there was no
“Italian” standard as such at that time. This would
occur gradually toward the dawn of the 20th century with the
“Vessella reforms.”[22] The situation in the second half of the
19th century was fluid, viz. the theoretical writings of
Domenico Gatti[23] and Amintore
Galli.[24] Another proof for
this situation may be found in the “stage band” of the
19th-century opera theatre where the band was sketched merely as a
two-stave score by the original composer that was realized by a
local composer according to the resources of that
community.[25] In this light we
can assert that (as regards the instrumentation of any piece for
the band) that local conditions (that is, the band in each
community) were recognized by each individual composer in its
variety and insurmountable limits. As for Ponchielli and his
autograph scores, we know that his instrumentation choices were
“contingent,” not “absolute.” Ten years
after leaving the band and his hometown (1882), the city fathers of
Cremona commissioned the Elegia funebre per Garibaldi from
Ponchielli for which he requested “the organization of the
city band in score order to familiarize myself with any changes in
the number and kind of instruments.”[26] As early as
November 2, 1865 in the Progetto della pianta
organica,[27] we can observe
the elements and principles that led to the
“Ponchielli” band: “all bands, not only these of
the military, are in continual transformation.”[28] Above all, these
concerns had to “balance the solo and accompanying
instruments regarding harmony and musicality.”[29] This means (from
this document) that a band’s instrumentation must be balanced
not only by the timbres of the instrumental families (e.g.,
for Ponchielli the bright ringing of the “fanfare”
trumpets versus the darker, opaque, melancholic flugelhorns of
those times) but also among the melodic instruments (e.g.,
trumpets, cornets, clarinets, alto/tenor horns), and the
accompaniment instruments (e.g., clarinets), and the
harmonic/rhythmic instruments (e.g., horns and tubas).
Further, he considers the interchangeability between flugelhorn and
cornet, horn and alto/tenor horn, A-flat clarinet and piccolo,
trombone and baritone/euphonium. The choice of one instrument
rather than its equivalent can be due to factors independent of its
intrinsic features and qualities, rather the selection may be due
to the ability of a particular performer available to a
composer.
Returning to the corpus of Ponchielli’s
band music, one may infer from the numerous contemporary copies of
Ponchielli’s band works with instrumentations different from
the autographs (and only these) that they not be judged too
severely and discarded out of hand insofar as they convey
Ponchielli’s intent. On the contrary, they must be examined
very carefully as evidence of the dissemination of
Ponchielli’s music and help to resolve some of the problems
discussed above. The selection of arrangements by other composers
must be confined to only his pieces for band. Any band arrangements
of his operatic, choral, or orchestral repertoire by other
composers will not be considered for the critical edition.
Particularly important to this study will be the late 19th-century
copies made in Cremona for the purpose of conserving the autograph
scores for rehearsals and performances. With the near-mythic status
Ponchielli achieved in Cremona with the success of the second
version of Promessi sposi and his removal to Milan to
dedicate himself to the operatic stage in 1873, any manuscripts or
other tangible evidence of his local activities shared in this
adulation. The care lavished upon these
“preservationist” copies (particularly by Raffaele
Coppola) makes them an additional resource for the critical
edition. While human error (beyond that of Ponchielli himself)
might compound the problems of unintentional errors, ambiguities,
or lack of critical markings, these copies are valuable resources
as their existence witnesses the longevity of the tradition begun
by Ponchielli. Their value aside, their contribution to the
critical edition must be weighed carefully by the editor(s).
Related to the above discussion there lies a
concurrent problem overall: that of the considerable changes in the
instrumentation of the band (variety and quantity) between today
and the 19th century. The obsolescence of several of the
instruments used by Ponchielli and the use in the present-day bands
of instruments, like saxophones, quite unknown to the Italian bands
of that age, mean that modern performances cannot hope to recreate
the sonority of a 19th-century band. The performance of
Ponchielli’s scores from a critical edition prepared with the
best practices available to modern philology – “the
consideration of a musical text with the purpose of realizing its
critical restoration, equally giving credence to its relationship
with its composer as much as to one who has benefited from and
borne witness to its tradition, and, by thus making it [his own],
as he interpreted it from time to time” (as defined by Maria
Caraci Vela[30]) – and
technology is the goal of this project. Given the improbability of
modern bands acquiring the instrumentation of a 19th-century band
in order to reproduce its sonorities (not to mention the wait for
the reproduction of accurate copies of these instruments), we
propose an interim solution consisting of a “practical”
performing edition useful to a modern band on a CD-ROM. For the
model of an “outdoor” band, we are planning to base the
edition for modern band on the published editions of the marches of
John Phillip Sousa as it represents a continuing tradition of an
“outdoor band” from the 19th century to today. In spite
of the reforms by Alessandro Vessella (1860-1929) in the Italian
band tradition at the beginning of the 20th century, this American
model seems to have become the norm throughout the world and will
encourage the spread of this marvelous repertoire. While the
critical edition will leave Ponchielli’s instrumentation
unaltered, a “modern” version based on the critical
edition will be offered in parts and score on an accompanying
compact disk in the Acrobat format that will accompany the printed
critical edition. In spite of its practicality as regards
instrumentation, it will otherwise be in concordance with the
purpose and criteria of the critical edition. Further, this
solution will insure a measure of quality control based on the
critical edition, not to mention the possible inclusion of images
of the sources on CD or on a website.
We must consider Ponchielli’s own
trascrizioni (a more correct word would be
“instrumentations”) of operatic and instrumental works
by other composers in light of this discussion of the actual
instruments of his band.[31]
This characteristic (tout court) portion of the repertoire
of the 19th-century Italian band is inconceivable in a version for
a modern band. Any re-instrumentation for modern band would have
the effect of erasing Ponchielli’s contribution, his original
instrumentation. The necessity of historically-advised performances
with original or reproduction instruments becomes evident here as
this is the only way to approach Ponchielli’s concept of
performing vocal pieces with only instrumental resources. These
works will not be edited but will be provided in digital images on
a CD-rom. As noted
above, the transcriptions for band of Ponchielli’s other
pieces by others will not be considered.
The genre of pieces variously referred to as
“fantasie, ricordanze, potpourri, etc.” merit
close attention as they are not mere collages of the work of other
composers; rather, they are real, surprising elaborations by
Ponchielli pleasing to the ear and fun to analyze. [Listen to
Appendix B, Appendix C][32]
On this subject there are several cases that are
ambiguous and must be considered separately. One of these is the
Concerto per clarino di Domenico Mirco (add 50), which
Ponchielli himself characterizes as “ridotto per banda”
on the autograph score. By this one might assume it to be one of
several virtuosic works for clarinet of great interest to the
clarinet community. As demonstrated in research undertaken by Fred
Ormand, the actual situation is both more complex and interesting.
The piece is an orchestration for band of a “concerto”
of the then contemporary Italian sense, a “variazioni su
un tema” or variations for clarinet and piano composed by
Domenico Mirco on a “Venetian popular theme,” precisely
on the barcarola Vieni, la barca è pronta by Giacomo
Bortolini (?-1875).[33] In addition
to the re-orchestration, Ponchielli adds an altogether
newly-composed introduction. This piece with its threefold
“stratified” parentage should qualify for both critical
and modern band editions.
Until 1989 (the year of the publication of the
thematic catalog) Ponchielli’s popular Il Convegno (a
Divertimento for two clarinets) was known from the 1857
autograph for soloists and piano,[34] the 1857 edition published by Lucca, the
1865 (if not earlier) autograph score for orchestra,[35] as well as a
number of manuscript arrangements for band by various individuals
dating from the turn of the last century.[36] A comparison of
the two versions of 1857 (autograph and Lucca edition) reveals a
significant difference in the second clarinet part in the Presto
finale in 3/8.[37]
The discovery in a concert announcement in the pages
of Corriere Cremonese of an 1865 performance of a
“Concerto originale per due clarini-Amilcare
Ponchielli” in the Piazza Cavour,[38] spurred a
re-examination of the archives in Cremona. The score that was found
was entitled Il Convegno,[39] and though it was not an autograph, the
“hand” of the copyist was readily identified as
Giovanni Haagen’s, who was (in 1865) Ponchielli’s
Vice-maestro or Second Leader. There are several copies of
Ponchielli’s arrangements (from Piacenza?) in Haagen’s
hand from this era that are already accepted as
“authorized” copies whose autographs are lost. The
archives of the city band of Parma contains a “twin” of
this score in too many ways to not to be recognized as such. A list
of details are beyond the scope of this paper; however, the archaic
score order (horns over trumpets), instruction to double the cornet
part with flugelhorn, and the peculiar absence of
Ponchielli’s particular favorite – the A-flat clarinet
– are but a few of the reasons to suspect a “missing
link,” Ponchielli’s autograph. The
“archaic” nature of this piece further marks it as
having a Piacenza origin. The State Archive in Piacenza has a
series of autograph letters by Ponchielli to the mayor in which he
argues for an improved instrumentation of that city’s band.
The December 1872 performances are doubly documented. The newspaper
announcement of the concert is mirrored by an autograph program
signed (for Ponchielli) by his second Vice-maestro,
Bissocoli. It is one of several programs from this period signed by
Bissocoli or Cesura (also self-identified as
“Vice-maestro”).
Looking carefully, moreover, at some pages of
Haagen’s manuscript, we can see a few touches of
Ponchielli’s hand which infer he used this score for a
performance of the piece.[40]
[ex.
23] And again we can take in consideration that this work
– in Ponchielli’s version for orchestra and for chamber
and also in those ones for band which prolong the life of this
piece until the first years of 20th century – was always
popular with players and public: today it is in the international
repertoire, and there are some recordings.[41]
The Fantasia sulla Traviata for solo cornet
and band has become very popular recently. Its inclusion in the
catalogue was never questioned as its status as a copy was never
considered a handicap. Its true status was both clarified and
confused in a single day. The published program in the Corriere
Cremonese and the later discovered autograph programs in the
State Archive in Cremona reveal that Ponchielli always shared
authorship with a “Pasciuti” who still cannot be
identified conclusively. In the pair of programs for
Ponchielli’s last (of three) concerts with this piece, he
re-arranges the authorship to “Pasciuti-Ponchielli”.
The simultaneous publication of an article announcing the existence
of a pristine (unused) autograph score in the library of the Milan
Conservatory repeated the “Ponchielli-Pasciuti”
authorship in a work for trumpet in F and band.[42] [ex.
24; ex.
24a; ex.
25; ex.
25a] This relatively late composition (1869) has only three
documented performances between July 1869 and November 1871.
Recently-viewed documents in Cremona’s State Archive from
1882 indicate that the post of solo cornet (never mentioned in
Ponchielli’s band) had supplanted the first trumpet as the
highest-paid brass soloist in the band. The copyist (post c.1880)
cannot be presently named, though the cornet version reflects the
“preservationist” tradition of copies and the
continuing evolution of the structure of the 19th-century Italian
band. It is a wonderful joke if you know Traviata and, in
this case, the source chosen for the critical edition will be the
autograph version for trumpet, but the version for cornet will be
documented as well in light of the continuing evolution of the band
even during Ponchielli’s brief lifetime.
4.
The realization that this edition is without
precedent in the practice of philology has only intensified our
several efforts to see it accomplished. Met with the entire gamut
of human reaction from indifference to enthusiasm, our efforts were
rewarded when we encountered the reaction of a truly intuitive
musician. Upon being asked his impression of Ponchielli’s
waltz Voluttà del Ballo, he responded, “Non
è bello, è magnifico!”
Denied a place in opera history by his premature
death, it is only right that Amilcare Ponchielli should be
remembered by a repertoire he wrote for the first citizens of a new
Italy, full of hope, patriotism, and Italy’s gift to the
world: music.
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[1] The first notice of
the discovery of many manuscripts was given by Licia Sirch,
“Manoscritti di musica per banda di Amilcare
Ponchielli,” Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana 22
(1988): 211-214, and L. Sirch, ed., Catalogo tematico delle
musiche di Amilcare Ponchielli (Cremona: Fondazione Monteverdi,
1989).
[2] Sometimes he signed
his copies with a pencil so now it is possible for us to recognize
his hand.
[3] See also the second
part of this article.
[4] Pier Maria Trucco,
“La banda di Cremona e la sua illustre tradizione,”
Cremona 5 (1933), n. 8: 1-15.
[5] To see the different
consistency between the present list of Ponchielli’s music
for band and the old one, it is enough to compare the former to the
entry “Ponchielli” in the first edition of
Grove’s (Fedele D’Amico, “Ponchielli,
Amilcare,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and
Musicians, 1st ed., ed. Stanley Sadie (London:
Macmillan, 1980), XV: 75-77); even so, this one was a very good
starting point to research the sources of Ponchielli’s
works.
[6] Roberto Leydi,
“Diffusione e volgarizzazione,” in Storia
dell’opera italiana, ed. Lorenzo Bianconi and Giorgio
Pestelli (Torino: EDT/Musica, 1988), VI: 301-92; Antonio
Carlini, “Le bande musicali nell’Italia
dell’Ottocento: il modello militare, i rapporti con il teatro
e la cultura dell’orchestra negli organici
strumentali,” Rivista Italiana di Musicologia 30
(1995), n. 1: 85-133 and idem, “Le bande a Milano nella
seconda metà dell’Ottocento,” in Milano
musicale 1861-1898, ed. Bianca Maria Antolini (Lucca: Libreria
Musicale Italiana, 1999): 283-310; idem, “La banda, strumento
primario di divulgazione delle opere verdiane nell’Italia
rurale dell’Ottocento,” in Verdi 2001: Atti del
Convegno internazionale, Parma-New York-New Haven, 24
gennaio-1° febbraio 2001, ed. Fabrizio Della Seta, Roberta
Montemorra Marvin, Marco Marica (Firenze: Olschki, 2003): 135-43;
Marino Anesa, Dizionario della musica italiana per banda.
Biografie dei compositori e catalogo delle opere dal 1800 a
oggi, 2nd ed. (Gazzaniga, BG: ABBM, 2004).
[7] Nino Albarosa¸
“Amilcare Ponchielli, ‘capomusica’ a Piacenza e a
Cremona (1861-1874),” in Amilcare Ponchielli 1834-1886:
Saggi e ricerche nel 150° anniversario della nascita
(Soresina: Cassa Rurale ed Artigiana di Casalmorano, 1984): 93-124,
and Claudia Devotini, “Inventario del fondo della banda
musicale del Comune di Cremona” (diss., Università degli
studi di Pavia, Scuola di Paleografia e Filologia Musicale di
Cremona, 1998-1999).
[8] Raffaella Barbierato,
“Gli indici del ‘Fondo ponchielliano’ nella
Biblioteca Statale di Cremona,” Annali della Biblioteca
statale e Libreria civica di Cremona: Studi e bibliografie 7
(2005): 109-42.
[9] This database has made
us aware of nearly 200 works that are lost, several of which fall
under the heading of “original” works.
[10] See Licia
Sirch, ed., Ponchielli e la musica per banda: Atti della tavola
rotonda, Ridotto del Teatro Ponchielli 27 aprile 2001 (Pisa:
ETS, 2005), including an update of the thematic catalogue by
Raffaella Barbierato, I manoscritti ponchielliani nella
Biblioteca Statale di Cremona: novità ed integrazioni (pp.
355-435). New entries are numbered as add (addenda).
[11] Amilcare
Ponchielli, Concerto per flicornobasso, ed. Henry Howey
(Annandale, VA: Tuba-Euphonium Press, 1992); see also Henry Howey,
“The Revival of Amilcare Ponchielli’s ‘Concerto
per flicorno basso’, Opus 155, Cremona, 1872,”
T.U.B.A. Journal 23 (1996), n. 4: 42-49.
[12] Amilcare
Ponchielli, Concerto per tromba in fa, ed. H. Howey (Irving,
TX: Cimarron Music & Productions, [n.d.]); idem, Fantasia
per cornetto su La Traviata, ed. H. Howey (Irving, TX: Cimarron
Music & Productions , [n.d.]); idem, Concerto per
cornetto, ed. H. Howey (Irving, TX: Cimarron Music &
Productions, [n.d.]); idem, Concerto for Euphonium and Band,
ed. Max Sommerhalder (Crans Montana: Marc Reift, 1992).
[13] Amilcare
Ponchielli, Concerto per banda, Prf. Luca Valenti, Gabriele
Cassone, Banda Civica Musicale di Soncino (Milano: Stradivarius,
2001 [STR 33591]).
[14] Amilcare
Ponchielli, “Concerto per flicorno basso,” in The
World of the Euphonium (Polyfonic Reproductions, 1997 [QPRZ
019D]).
[15] Bibliographic
references on these works are in Sirch, Catalogo tematico,
and in Barbierato, Manoscritti.
[16] They were
published by Ricordi only in piano arrangements.
[17] Amilcare
Ponchielli, Milano, Marcia, arr. by G. Iasilli (New York: Di
Bella, [1913]).
[18] In an
arrangement for solo band by Raffaele Ascolese (Milano: Ricordi,
[1882]).
[19] Raffaele
Coppola (1841-1910) was Ponchielli’s successor from 1875 to
1897.
[20] Il
Gottardo, op. 158a, PP.94.6; Sinfonia op. 106, PP. 95.6;
Sinfonia op. 107, PP.115.1; Fantasia originale op.
126, PP.95.7; Ricordanze dell’opera La Savoiarda op.
127, PP. 95.4; Carnevale di Venezia, 15 variazioni op. 140,
PP.123.4; Canto greco, 10 variazioni op. 144, PP. 135.14;
Sinfonia in Si op. 153, PP. 95-9; Voluttà
del ballo, valzer op. 154, PP. 95.8; Ricordanze
dell’opera ‘Luisa Miller' op. 178, PP. 95.1;
Sinfonia dell’opera ‘La Savojarda’ , op.
4, PP. 95.5; Gran pot-pourri sull’opera ‘Il
Trovatore', ADD 17, PP.56.3; Marcia funebre n. 1,
op.172, Ms.Civ. 81; Marcia funebre n. 12, op. 145, PP. 94.7;
Marcia funebre n. 2, op. 173, PP. 94.2; Tabe senile,
marcia funebre n. 7, op. 179, PP. 94.5; Concerto per
flicorno basso e banda, op. 155, Ms. Civ. 85. These copies kept in
Cremona, Biblioteca Statale are generally signed by Coppola.
[21] Listen to the variation for the
bells.
[22] Alessandro
Vessella, “Sulla evoluzione storica della partitura di
banda,” in Atti del Congresso internazionale di scienze
storiche (Roma: Tip. della R. Accademia dei Lincei, 1903), 8:
Atti della sezione IV: Storia dell’arte musicale e
drammatica, [1905]; idem, Ancora di un più razionale
ordinamento delle musiche militari italiane: considerazioni e
proposte di riforme (Roma: Tip. Fratelli Pallotta, 1894);
Marino Anesa, “Non solo Vessella: altre voci nel dibattito
sull’organico bandistico italiano fra Ottocento e
Novecento,” I fiati 2 (1995) n. 5: 38-43, n. 6: 38-40,
n. 7: 42-44, and idem, “Il dibattito sull’organico
bandistico italiano fra Ottocento e primo Novecento,” in
idem, Dizionario della musica italiana per banda, II:
437-70.
[23] Domenico Gatti,
Gran trattato d’istrumentazione storico-teorico-pratico
per banda (Napoli: Cromolitografia V. Steeger, [ca. 1881]).
[24] Amintore Galli,
Manuale del capo-musica: Trattato di strumentazione per
banda (Milano: Ricordi, [1889]).
[25] Licia Sirch,
“Trascrizioni, pot-pourri, fantasie, ricordanze di brani
d’opera. Aspetti drammaturgici e formali,” in
Ponchielli e la musica per banda, 155-56.
[26] “La
pianta della Banda Municipale in ordine di Partitura onde sapermi
regolare, caso mai il Corpo mus.e avesse subito delle
modificazioni per il genere e quantità degli strumenti.”
Cremona, Archivio Statale (I-CRa), Comune di Cremona, Banda
Municipale, b.1277.
[27] More details of
this documents are discussed by Licia Sirch, “Ponchielli e la
musica per banda. Introduzione,” in Ponchielli e la musica
per banda, 25-27.
[28] “Tutte le
bande musicali, non escluse quelle militari, sono in quasi continua
trasformazione.”
[29] “Il
necessario equilibrio fra gli strumenti di canto e di
accompagnamento, sia nei rapporti dell’armonia e
dell’effetto musicale.”
[30] “La
riflessione su di un testo musicale allo scopo di procurarne la
restituzione critica, valutandone sia il rapporto con
l’autore sia quello con chi nel tempo ne ha usufruito e lo ha
tramandato e, così facendo, lo ha di volta in volta
interpretato”: see Maria Caraci Vela, La filologia
musicale. Istituzioni, storia, strumenti critici. I: Fondamenti
storici e metodologici della Filologia musicale (Lucca:
Libreria Musicale Italiana, 2005), 17-19: 18.
[31] For his
‘transcriptions’ for band, generally Ponchielli used
the vocal scores or reductions for solo piano of the operas which
were easily available in Ricordi or Lucca editions. The word
Ponchielli used in his scores for band to specify his work, was
“riduzione,” but in the case of Variation on
themes of Elisir d’amore di Donizetti by
Ernesto Cavallini (ADD 33), he wrote
“instrumentazione.” See Sirch, Trascrizioni,
pot-pourri, 150-52.
[32] These
appendices are several pages long with accompanying mp3 files and
also some digital images of the autographs of two
«glosses» on Verdi operas: Appendix B: Gran Capriccio dell’opera
Rigoletto, Library Number: 142.1, Catalog Number: 128.
First found in a program for 1865, it is likely from the Piacenza
band. Between 1865 and 1873, it was performed 17 times. To see the
score: AppB1;
AppB2;
AppB3;
AppB4.
Appendix C:
Pot-Pourri sull’opera Il Trovatore di Verdi ,
Library Number: 58.15, Catalog Number: ADD17. To see the score:
AppC1;
AppC2;
AppC3;
AppC4;
AppC5;
AppC6;
AppC7;
AppC8;
AppC9.
The name «variatione» was quite common in
Ponchielli's concerts. For a comment see Sirch, Trascrizioni,
pot-pourri.
[33] Fred Ormand,
Forgotten Gems: Ponchielli’s Compositions for
Clarinet, in Ponchielli e la musica per banda, 255-90:
267-68.
[34] This manuscript
(now in Archivio Storico Ricordi, I-Mr, T.ii.64/3) presents a
ductus which does not look properly that fluid of
Ponchielli’s maturity. Here the intent of the author’s
hand is the clarity for Lucca’s engraver of the plate.
[35] The dating here
proposed is based on the number “65” written at the end
of the composition (I-Mc). This kind of dating, which looks like a
reminder, is infrequent in Ponchielli’s manuscripts where
usually we find more detailed dates (when they occur), but this
manuscript looks a little more than a sketch: there are many
deletions and corrections, the staffs for the clarinets are almost
always blank and they leave us to suppose Ponchielli considered the
clarinet parts like acquired, because notated in other sites.
Certainly here Ponchielli’s hand is young. A case quite
similar to this one is that of the autograph of the orchestral
version of Quartetto op. 110A. See Licia Sirch, Le tre
redazioni del quartetto per fiati op. 110 di Amilcare
Ponchielli, in Problemi e metodi di filologia musicale. Tre
tavole rotonde, ed. Stefano Campagnolo (Lucca: Libreria
Musicale Italiana/Una Cosa Rara, 2000): 159-68.
[36] To this list
must be added the Ricordi reprint of 1890.
[37] Ormand,
Forgotten Gems, 256-60.
[38] On
4th September 1865.
[39] I-CRs (Cremona,
Biblioteca Statale), PP.141.3. A list of the sources of Il
Convegno is available in: Ormand, Forgotten Gems,
285-86.
[40] The pages of
the manuscript are not numerated. Our numeration begins from the
first page of the score. See [7], [8], [9], [21], [32], [55], [56],
[57]. In the ex. page [32].
[41] E.g. in
The Italian clarinettist (London, ASV, 1983 [ASV ALH 942]),
Donald Watson, clarinet; Amilcare Ponchielli, Il convegno:
divertimento for two clarinets and piano, ed. David Hite (San
Antonio, TX: Southern Music Co. c1991 [LC Call No.: M317.P8C6
1991]); Il convegno. Amilcare Ponchielli Première Recording
of Solo Works for Winds, dir. by Fred Ormand (Copenhagen:
Danacord, 1996 [DACOCD 471]); Ponchielli musica da camera
(NuovaEra, 1996 [7275]), Luigi Magistrelli, clarinet.
[42] I-Mc (Milano,
Biblioteca del Conservatorio “G. Verdi”), TM.52, cfr.
Agostina Zecca Laterza, A proposito di fondi musicali. Gli
ultimi doni alla Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Milano, in
Una piacente estate di San Martino. Studi e ricerche per
Marcello Conati, ed. Marco Capra (Lucca: Libreria Musicale
Italiana, 2000), 481-96: 495.
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Copyright
© Università degli Studi di
Pavia |
Dipartimento di
Scienze musicologiche e paleografico-filologiche –
Facoltà
di Musicologia |
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