Gerald Finzi : Five Bagatelles, Op. 23

Clarinet and Piano – 20th Century / Post-Romantic

Description:

Gerald Finzi's Five Bagatelles, Op. 23, is a beloved and essential work in the clarinet repertoire. Published by Boosey & Hawkes, this collection of five short pieces beautifully showcases Finzi's gift for lyrical and expressive writing. Ranging in difficulty from easy to advanced, the suite is a staple in both educational and concert settings. It was featured on the Trinity syllabus in 2007 and the ABRSM syllabus in 2006, highlighting its pedagogical value and popularity among students and teachers.

Product Features:

• Pedagogical Value: This collection is a staple in music education, having been included in the syllabi of major examination boards like Trinity and ABRSM.
• Diverse Musical Character: The five pieces each have a distinct personality, from the lyrical "Romance" to the lively "Prelude" and the contrapuntal "Fughetta."
• Post-Romantic Style: The music showcases Finzi's unique blend of elegant craftsmanship and deeply emotional, lyrical writing, a hallmark of 20th-century English music.

Performance Tips:

To perform these bagatelles, the clarinetist should focus on a warm, singing tone and a flexible approach to phrasing. Each piece has a distinct character, from the lively "Prelude" to the melancholic "Romance" and the playful "Carol." The "Forlana" requires a graceful, dance-like quality, while the final "Fughetta" demands rhythmic precision and clear articulation to bring out the contrapuntal lines. Both the clarinetist and pianist must work together to create a cohesive and expressive performance, with a special focus on dynamic nuances to capture the emotional depth of Finzi's music.

Programme Note:

By the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Finzi’s technical facility as a composer had developed considerably; on the cusp of 40, he felt more in command of his skills than ever before. Although he believed Britain had no alternative but to fight the Nazi menace, he felt intensely frustrated at the prospect of looming war service which would interrupt his composing, just at this moment of new confidence. Nevertheless, in the spring and summer of 1941 he grabbed the moment for a burst of composition before he was drafted to work in the Ministry of War Transport that July. Among works completed were three character pieces for clarinet, using, according to Finzi, ‘20-year-old bits and pieces’, which he had been working on since 1938. Together with a fourth, completed in January 1942, they were given their first performance on 15 January 1943 by Pauline Juler accompanied by Howard Ferguson at one of the renowned National Gallery daily lunchtime concerts that did so much to hearten war-weary Londoners.

Subsequently, when Finzi discussed publication of the Bagatelles with Leslie Boosey (co-founder of Boosey & Hawkes) the latter wanted to print them separately; however, the composer stuck to his belief that they should be published together, and won the argument, albeit with the compromise that he would add a fast additional movement, following comments after the premiere that a quick finale was needed. When published in July 1945 the Five Bagatelles rapidly became Finzi’s most popular work, the initial print run selling-out within a year. However, their success vexed Finzi – ‘they are only trifles’ – he complained, and ‘not worth much, but got better notices than my decent stuff’. Firmly within the capabilities of amateur musicians and students, though, they have remained a staple part of the clarinet repertoire and ‘set pieces’ for examination boards.

Finzi was attracted to the deep-hued sound of the clarinet and demonstrated in the Bagatelles a highly effective exploitation of the instrument, its range and colour. The ‘Prelude’ (Allegro deciso) is the longest, showing the influence of Bach on Finzi, indeed it might be likened to a two-part invention. Its slower central section also features one of the composer’s melodic finger-prints, the interval of a falling minor 7th, creating that wistful quality so redolent of his music. ‘Romance’ (Andante tranquillo) has a peaceful, slightly other-worldy character, with a melodic line in which triplets are prominent and a song-like middle section.

An aspect of Finzi’s compositional method is how some compositions came to fruition over many years, decades even passing from start to finish. The ‘Carol’ (Andante semplice) exemplifies this, since it began life as ‘a little carol for Ursula Mary Howells’, composed on 16 December 1925 for the daughter of the composer Herbert Howells. It was a setting of a poem titled ‘Carol’ from the collection Severn and Somme by Ivor Gurney beginning ‘Winter now has bared the trees’. It lay dormant for over a decade until Finzi took the melody up again for this bagatelle. Marked by a simple, tender clarinet melody, in the final verse, the piano has embedded as a tiny refrain, the melodic phrase from the song heard at the words ‘Christus natus hodie!’

The fourth bagatelle bears the title Forlana (Allegretto grazioso), perhaps borrowed from Ravel’s ‘Forlane’ in his *Le Tombeau de Couperin*, although Finzi confessed to the composer Edmund Rubbra that he was having difficulty finding a suitable description for a piece that in character seemed on the one hand, a berceuse, and the other a forlane. Certainly this tender, lilting music seems worlds away from the lively Venetian folk dance which is the origin of the word. The Fughetta (Allegro vivace) undoubtedly provided the lively finale that Boosey wanted. Full of Bachian conceits, it explores the full range of the clarinet in a devil-may-care exuberance.

Andrew Burn
April 2011

About the Composer:

Gerald Finzi (1901–1956) was a prominent English composer of the 20th century. His music, often described as lyrical and deeply expressive, is celebrated for its elegant craftsmanship and emotional sincerity. Finzi’s works are characterized by their beautiful melodies, rich harmonies, and a distinctly English pastoral quality. His contributions to the clarinet repertoire, particularly the *Five Bagatelles* and his Clarinet Concerto, are considered masterpieces of the instrument.

Contents:

• Prelude
• Romance
• Carol
• Forlana
• Fughetta

Product Details:

• Composer : Gerald Finzi
• Publisher : Boosey & Hawkes
• Instrumentation : Clarinet and Piano
• Opus : Op. 23
• Level : Easy to Advanced
• Product Type : Sheet music
• Binding : Saddle-wire stitching
• Item Number : BH 2300046
• ISMN : 9790060030253
• UPC : 073999657890
• Pages : 32頁
• Approx. Duration : 14'

★ Prices and availability subject to change without notice ★

傑拉爾德・芬濟 : 五首小品，作品23

單簧管與鋼琴 – 20世紀 / 後浪漫派

簡介:

傑拉爾德・芬濟（Gerald Finzi）的《五首小品》（Five Bagatelles），作品23是單簧管曲目中備受喜愛且重要的作品。這套由Boosey & Hawkes出版的五首短曲，優美地展現了芬濟抒情與富有表現力的寫作天賦。曲目難度從初級到高級，是教學與音樂會上的經典。此曲曾被列入2007年聖三一學院和2006年ABRSM的考試大綱，突顯了其教學價值以及在師生間的受歡迎程度。

產品特點:

• 教學價值: 本曲集是音樂教育的基石，曾被列入聖三一學院和ABRSM等主要考試委員會的考試大綱。
• 多樣化的音樂特質: 五首小品各有獨特的個性，從抒情的「浪漫曲」到活潑的「前奏曲」和對位法的「小賦格」。
• 後浪漫派風格: 音樂展現了芬濟獨特的優雅技藝和深邃情感的抒情寫作，這是20世紀英國音樂的標誌性特徵。

演奏提示:

要演奏這些小品，單簧管家應著重於溫暖、如歌般的音色，並靈活處理樂句。每首曲子都具有獨特的性格，從活潑的「Prelude」到憂鬱的「Romance」和俏皮的「Carol」。這首「Forlana」需要優雅、舞蹈般的特質，而最後的「Fughetta」則要求節奏精準和清晰的分句，以凸顯對位線條。單簧管家與鋼琴家必須緊密合作，共同創造連貫且富有表現力的表演，尤其要注重力度的細微變化，以捕捉芬濟音樂的深層情感。

作品解說:

在歐洲第二次世界大戰爆發之際，芬濟的作曲技術已相當成熟；年近40歲的他，感覺對自己的技巧比以往任何時候都更有把握。儘管他認為英國別無選擇只能抗擊納粹威脅，但他對即將到來的兵役將中斷他的作曲感到極度沮喪。然而，在1941年春夏，他抓緊時間進行了一次集中創作，直到當年7月被徵召到戰爭運輸部工作。在完成的作品中，有三首單簧管小品，據芬濟所說，它們使用了他自1938年以來一直在創作的「20年前的零碎小品」。連同1942年1月完成的第四首，它們在1943年1月15日由寶琳·朱勒（Pauline Juler）在霍華德·弗格森（Howard Ferguson）的伴奏下，於著名的國家美術館每日午間音樂會上首次演出。這些音樂會為飽受戰爭摧殘的倫敦人提供了極大的慰藉。

隨後，當芬濟與博西＆霍克斯（Boosey & Hawkes）的共同創辦人萊斯利·博西（Leslie Boosey）討論出版《五首小品》時，博西希望將它們分開印刷；然而，作曲家堅信它們應該一起出版，並贏得了這場爭論。最終的妥協是，芬濟在首演後根據一些評論，同意增加一個快速的樂章作為終曲。1945年7月出版後，這套《五首小品》迅速成為芬濟最受歡迎的作品，初版在一年內售罄。然而，它們的成功卻讓芬濟感到煩惱——他抱怨道：「它們只是一些小玩意兒」，「不值什麼錢，但卻比我那些不錯的作品得到了更好的評價」。儘管如此，由於它們非常適合業餘音樂家和學生演奏，這套作品至今仍然是單簧管曲目的必備曲，並被列為考試委員會的指定曲目。

芬濟被單簧管深沉的音色所吸引，並在《五首小品》中展示了對該樂器音域和音色的高效運用。「前奏曲」（Allegro deciso）是其中最長的一首，展現了巴赫對芬濟的影響，甚至可以將其比作一首二聲部創意曲。其中較慢的中段也帶有作曲家旋律上的標誌性特徵——一個下行的小七度音程，創造出他音樂中那種充滿憂傷的特質。「浪漫曲」（Andante tranquillo）則帶有寧靜、略帶超凡的氣質，旋律線中以三連音為主，並包含一段如歌般的樂曲中段。

芬濟的作曲方法有一個特點，就是有些作品需要經過多年、甚至數十年才能完成。「頌歌」（Andante semplice）就是一個很好的例子，它最初是芬濟在1925年12月16日為作曲家赫伯特·豪厄爾斯（Herbert Howells）的女兒厄休拉·瑪麗·豪厄爾斯（Ursula Mary Howells）創作的一首名為《頌歌》的小曲，詩詞則來自艾弗爾·格尼（Ivor Gurney）的詩集《塞文與索姆》，開頭是「冬天已使樹木光禿」。這首曲子沉寂了十多年，直到芬濟再次將旋律用於這首小品。樂曲以簡單、溫柔的單簧管旋律為標誌，在最後一節中，鋼琴將歌中唱到「Christus natus hodie！」的旋律樂句作為一個微小的副歌融入其中。

第四首小品題為「弗拉納舞曲」（Forlana，Allegretto grazioso），或許是借鑒了拉威爾《庫普蘭之墓》中的「Forlane」一曲。儘管芬濟曾向作曲家埃德蒙·魯布拉（Edmund Rubbra）坦承，他很難為這首作品找到一個合適的描述，因為它的特質一方面像一首搖籃曲，另一方面又像一首弗拉納舞曲。但毫無疑問，這首溫柔、搖曳的音樂似乎與這個詞的起源——活潑的威尼斯民間舞蹈——相去甚遠。「小賦格」（Fughetta，Allegro vivace）無疑是博西想要的那個熱鬧的終曲。這首充滿巴赫式巧思的作品，以一種無憂無慮的興奮感，充分展現了單簧管的全部音域。

安德魯·伯恩（Andrew Burn）
2011年4月

作曲家介紹:

傑拉爾德・芬濟（Gerald Finzi, 1901–1956）是20世紀傑出的英國作曲家。他的音樂常被形容為抒情且富有深刻表現力，以其優雅的寫作技法和真摯的情感而聞名。芬濟的作品以其優美旋律、豐富和聲和獨特的英國田園風格為特點。他對單簧管曲目，特別是《五首小品》和他的單簧管協奏曲，被視為該樂器曲目中的傑作。

收錄曲目:

• 前奏曲（Prelude）
• 浪漫曲（Romance）
• 頌歌（Carol）
• 弗拉納舞曲（Forlana）
• 小賦格（Fughetta）

書籍詳細資料:

• 作曲者 : 傑拉爾德・芬濟
• 出版社 : Boosey & Hawkes
• 樂器編制 : 單簧管與鋼琴
• 作品號 : 作品23
• 程度 : 初級到高級
• 產品類別 : 樂譜
• 裝訂 : 騎馬釘
• 商品編號 : BH 2300046
• ISMN : 9790060030253
• UPC : 073999657890
• 頁數 : 32頁
• 時長 : 約14分

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