Monday, February 27, 2006

Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata



The arpeggione is an instrument which is obsolete nowadays. Pretty interesting instrument which is somewhat like a cross between a cello and guitar. Fretted, the instrument is played with a bow and tuned to the guitar. Back in the early 19th century, Schubert wrote a sonata for the arpeggione and piano, in an attempt to promote this instrument.

Written in November 1824, the Arpeggione Sonata is one of his many late compositions which candidly reflects this Austrian composer's volatile emotional state due to the effects of the syphilitic infection which he had contracted. This composition is such a gem in itself simply because it is the sincere reflection of how this one of the most gifted composer had felt in the last years of his life. This fact alone gives meaning and a deep emotional value to every single note and chord which is written.

This sonata was written two years after the dreaded disease had set in. The music exhibited the same cyclothymic characteristics as the effects felt by Schubert from the onslaught of his venereal disease. The more I listen to this music, the stronger the emotion of melancholy I feel. Somehow, it seems that Schubert, in the midst of his physical and emotional pain (probably from the social stigma associated with syphilis), laments the transience of life and reminisces the good times which he had had.

One feature of this composition which strikes me upon the first hearing were the various almost unexpected changes of mood throughout the music. At the same time, I'm well amazed at how Schubert had the magical musical ability to blend those extreme diverse emotional moods into a seamless music composition of the highest quality.

Though Schubert had immense respect for his contemporary Beethoven, the intensity of those emotions in his music isn't conveyed through to the listeners by intense drama found in Beethoven or Mahler's music, but his own unique poetic style. His lyricism and poetic qualities shines through even in the maddest moments of his music, touching the listeners in the most special way.

And of course, this gem, will soon be in my repertoire. I just can't resist learning this piece of music, no matter how technically challenging it is for my instrument. I'm surprised that they actually have the first movement of this music in the ABRSM Grade 8 syllabus. The almost 10-minute movement can easily be technically and musically more challenging than the rest of the music in there.

1 comment:

Arpeggione said...

I am researching this thing such as musicology of Arpeggione sonata which
F. Schubert composed in the history of Arpeggione.

Mr.Berndt Bohman played my OK-model.
in his lecture concert, at the Asahi culture center, Shonan, Kanagawa-pref., Japan.
He is a Swedish principal cellist of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.
You will see some snap photos at his Lecture & Concert, May 2, 2009

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/zero_concert/folder/931112.html

And I made update my home page; http://arpeggione.web.fc2.com/

Now, I play “Song of the Birds” by my OK-model Arpeggione.
You can see this on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkrDTQyjAN4


My Arpeggione information publicity is reported in the “Unusual Instruments” site:

http://www.siegelproductions.ca/fiddlefarmers/unusualinstruments.html

Arpeggione
As played by Berndt Bohman
Swedish Principal Cellist of
Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
(Guitar D’amore, Guitar+Violin_Cello)
Made by Osamu Okumura
President Arpeggione Society
Japan



The Arpeggione is a
six-stringed musical instrument,
fretted and tuned like a guitar,
but bowed like a cello,
and thus similar to the
bass viola da gamba.
The Modern -Arpeggione is a
string instrument built by
Osamu Okumura.
It is an acoustic, upright -fretted,
seven string instrument
tuned from a bass G up to E
(half-step below the high E on a guitar).
The body is larger than an acoustic guitar,
with an arched fingerboard
and bridge for bowing or picking.