Dances & Romances
Ludwig van Beethoven - Romance in F Major, Op. 50
Kinga Augustyn, violin
and musicians of Skagit Symphony
Barry Ulman - Four Ballroom Dances for Wind Quintet
I. Cha-ch-cha
II. Waltz
III. Swing
IV. Samba
Skagit Symphony's Northwinds Quintet
Ludwig van Beethoven - Romance in G Major, Op. 40
Kinga Augustyn, violin
and musicians of Skagit Symphony
Composer and Program Notes
by Mandy Walters Whitaker
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G Major, Op. 40 (1802)
Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F Major, Op. 50 (1798)
Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most famous and influential composers, whose works are widely considered the transition between the formal Classical period to the more emotional Romantic era. His nine symphonies are a cornerstone of symphonic repertoire. Likewise, his piano sonatas and string quartets are standards of the form.
Beethoven was born in Bonn, Electorate of Cologne (then the Holy Roman Empire, now Germany) in 1770. Both his father and grandfather served as musicians in the court of the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, with his grandfather serving as music director for a time. Beethoven’s father recognized his son’s talent at an early age and began teaching the boy keyboard lessons. Eventually Beethoven took lessons from other musicians around Bonn, learning to play the violin and viola, as well as starting to compose. Beethoven became the assistant organist for the court at the age of thirteen and completed his first compositions that year, a set of piano variations dedicated to the Elector. Recognizing the boy’s talents, the Elector encouraged Beethoven’s musical education and paid for a trip to Vienna in 1787 where Beethoven hoped to meet Mozart. No records exist to tell us whether or not the two composers ever met. Beethoven’s trip was cut short due to his mother’s illness. He returned home and was able to see her before she died. His father had always had issues with alcohol; however, his wife’s death exacerbated his addictions. This left Beethoven, at only seventeen, to shoulder the responsibility of caring for his two younger brothers, Karl and Johann, since his father could not.
Beethoven spent the next five years in Bonn, teaching piano lessons and playing viola in the court orchestra. He also composed, completing two cantatas (a type of composition featuring chorus, soloists, and orchestra that is not staged and can be secular or sacred). He became acquainted with many of the musicians and important families in Bonn, some of whom would become lifelong friends and supporters. In 1790 Beethoven met Franz Joseph Haydn for the first time. Haydn, the most famous composer of the day, stopped in Bonn on his way to London. On his return trip in 1792, Haydn again stopped in Bonn, this time he heard Beethoven play in the orchestra. Soon after, arrangements were made for Beethoven to return to Vienna. Upon his arrival, Beethoven began studying composition with Haydn, took violin lessons, and studied opera with Antonio Salieri. The Elector, who had once again helped to pay for the trip, expected Beethoven to return to Bonn. Beethoven never did, establishing Vienna as his home for the rest of his life. Beethoven became known for his performance skills after his first public recital in 1795. In these concerts he often featured his own compositions, which were subsequently published. Over the next few years, Beethoven’s reputation, not only as a performer but as composer, continued to grow. He completed his first six string quartets, the first two symphonies, and several piano sonatas. Although these early works have the undeniable influence of Haydn and Mozart, the works have Beethoven’s unique style throughout, featuring the use of modulation and heightened emotional impact.
Although things were going incredibly well for Beethoven in Vienna, by 1798 he was already beginning to deal with the loss of his hearing. In 1802 Beethoven traveled to the small town of Heiligenstadt on the advice of his doctors. While there, he wrote a letter to his brothers, known as the Heiligenstadt Testament. In this document, Beethoven wrote of the devastating effect his hearing loss was having on him and acknowledged that he had contemplated suicide. The letter, which he never actually sent to his brothers and was discovered in his papers after his death, ends with Beethoven’s conviction and determination to live for and through his art. Beethoven did return to the concert stage one last time in 1811 to premiere his Piano Concerto No. 5. But his hearing had deteriorated so much that he could not hear the orchestra, causing major problems for the performance. After this concert, Beethoven turned his focus entirely toward composition.
Between 1802-1812 Beethoven completed many of his most well-known works, including Symphonies 4-8, the Violin Concerto, and the opera Fidelio, during what scholars call his “Heroic Period.” Unlike many composers, such as Haydn, who relied on the patronage of a noble family, Beethoven was able to support himself with the revenues from concert performances and the publications of his work. Since he didn’t have to please someone, Beethoven was free to compose what he wished.
By 1812 Beethoven was struggling in several aspects of his personal life. He had fallen in love with several women; however, his feelings were never reciprocated. He entered into a drawn-out legal battle with his sister-in-law over the custody of his young nephew. Beethoven, who was never the healthiest individual, became sick and was unable to write, causing financial worries. In the last decade of his life, with many of these issues settled, Beethoven completed several major works which featured a new more romantic style. These works often featured expanded structures and more interesting harmonies. His Symphony No. 9, Choral, featured something completely new, a choir and vocal soloists within a symphony. For the last eighteen months of his life Beethoven was confined to bed with illness. He continued to work, completing six final string quartets in 1825-26. Beethoven died in 1827 during a thunderstorm right as a clap of thunder struck overhead. Beethoven struggled with hearing loss, financial troubles, family squabbles, and was unlucky in love, however he was able to use this raw emotion to create some of the most passionate and well-loved musical compositions of all time.
Although the two violin Romances were published in the 1803 and 1805, they were actually completed years before. In fact, the second Romance was written first, but published second, hence the confusing title and timeline. When Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792 he was best known as a performer who composed, although he thought of himself primarily as a composer. To bolster this reputation, Beethoven began his studies with Haydn to help him prepare to write his first orchestral pieces for Viennese audiences. Beethoven began work on the second Romance in 1798, perhaps intending it to be the slow movement of his abandoned Violin Concerto in C Major (WoO 5) since the two works both utilize the same orchestration for a small chamber group. Beethoven was still trying to find his own unique voice and many of his early works bear the influence of Haydn, Mozart, and French composers, who often used Romances as the slow movement of their string concerti. In this context a Romance, or Romanze in German, was an instrumental work in a slow duple meter that featured a song-like melody line.
The Romance in G Major is in rondo form which features a returning theme that has contrasting sections. This piece features a five-part rondo: the main theme is introduced (A) which is contrasted with a new melody (B), before the melody returns (A), then a second contrasting section (C), then the piece concludes with the main melody again (A). The work begins with the solo violin introducing the melody utilizing a technique called double stops, where the violin can play chords by using more than one string at the same time. The orchestra then joins in, taking over the melody from the soloist. To complete the opening section the soloist and the orchestra pass the melody back and forth. Then, the new melody featuring some rhythmic contrast is introduced before the main theme returns, this time featuring a more elaborate restatement featuring ornamentations on the melody line. The second contrasting section changes to E minor and is more dance-like and less lyrical than the previous sections. The main melody returns a final time in an even more embellished form, ending the piece with a virtuosic flourish.
Romance in F Major is also in five part rondo form with an added coda at the end. Overall, this piece is more complex and lyrical than its counterpart, featuring an expressive solo line. Throughout, Beethoven uses a high range for the soloist with a restrained accompaniment that supports and responds to the melody. This allows the soloist to shine with a lovely songlike melody, showcasing the main theme that will return throughout the piece. Melodically the second section draws heavily on the main theme but does feature more virtuosic writing for the soloists with added leaps and embellishments. There is a somewhat agitated feel which is supported by a move toward D minor. After a return of the main theme, the second contrasting section is based on motives from the main theme that Beethoven shifts through several different keys making it reminiscent of the development section in standard sonata form. The melody line is dramatic and expressive here featuring a lovely interplay between the soloist and the orchestra which seems conversational at times. There is a final, short restatement of the main theme before the work concludes with a quiet coda.
Written early in his career when Beethoven was still finding his orchestral language, these two works are lovely examples of fine string and orchestral writing which show a depth of emotion and skill in a concise composition.
Barry Ulman (b 1940)
Four Ballroom Dances for Wind Quintet
Four Ballroom Dances for Wind Quintet is a setting of four common dances, the cha-cha, waltz, swing, and samba, set in a stylized form. The composer wrote that the piece was inspired by a gig playing for a dance every Saturday night for about five years. Every week the band would play all kinds of dance music suitable for ballroom styles including foxtrots, polkas, and the forms that ended up becoming the namesake movements for the piece.
The first movement is called “Cha-Ch-Cha,” a deliberate misspelling. There are two time signatures used throughout the work, alternating between 7/8 and 4/4. As the piece goes along between these two different meters it creates what Ulman calls a “cha-cha with a limp.” The delightful movement progresses in this interesting rhythmic pattern. Each instrument is given a moment to shine when they play the melody which is then answered by the rest of the ensemble. It sounds like a new couple dancing together for the first time with a few fits and starts before they find their rhythm enabling them to end with an enthusiastic “cha, cha, cha.” Next comes the “Waltz.” The underlying waltz foundation is introduced at the beginning of the movement by the horn, bassoon, and oboe, then the main melody enters with the clarinet. Soon all the instruments are sharing the swirling motion of the main motive. Again, each instrument has a chance to shine when they play the melody with the rest of the group providing accompaniment and responding to the melody. The movement swirls forward evoking its namesake dance before ending in a quiet flourish of notes. The third movement is “Swing” which features a lovely, syncopated melody. The whole movement features a variety of interesting rhythmic ideas and forward motion. Unlike the previous two movements, the instruments play largely together here, with only a few solo moments throughout. The piece evokes a fun and carefree party atmosphere, full of lively dancers. The work closes with a “Samba” which is filled with rhythmic activity. The horn plays the main melody to start with a lively accompaniment of Latin rhythms beneath it. After a highly syncopated section in the middle, with everyone playing, the oboe takes over the melody followed by the clarinet. The horn returns to the forefront and then the entire ensemble dances their way to the end. This charming quintet portrays the color and variety of a Saturday night dance and sends everyone home with happy memories of a great party.
Barry Ulman was born in 1940, in Howell, Michigan. He had piano lessons starting at age 5, and had his first clarinet lessons at age 10. He didn't really get serious about music until he was about 17, when he fell in love with jazz and took up saxophone along with clarinet. He studied jazz at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. From about that time to the present, he has played many gigs of many different genres, including dance jobs, jazz, classical, opera, shows, cruise ships, and a circus. He presently performs with the Skagit Symphony Orchestra. Ulman enrolled at Western Washington University, getting his Bachelor's Degree in music in 1981, and a Master's Degree in composition in 1988. He has composed over twenty works for different chamber ensembles, two pieces for orchestra, and has written a number of jazz tunes.
In addition to music, Ulman enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling and hiking, and is an avid bird watcher and photographer. (Biography provided by the composer)
Artist Bio
Kinga Augustyn is a New York City-based virtuoso concert violinist and recording artist. One of the last students of the legendary Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School, Ms. Augustyn has a large repertoire of more than 40 concerti, both standard and lesser–known, that she has performed with such orchestras as the German Kammerorchester Berlin and the Wroclaw Philharmonic. Augustyn’s expanding discography on major labels such as Naxos, includes the Paganini Caprices, which music critics consider as convincing as Perlman’s or Midori’s, and an “an enduring benchmark” (Classical Net). “Stylish and vibrant” (The Strad Magazine), and “beyond amazing, one hell of a violinist!” (The Fanfare Magazine), Kinga Augustyn is often praised for her musical interpretations. Music Web International describes her recording of the Bruch Violin Concerto with Janacek Philharmonic as “extremely moving and expressive,” characterized by “beauty, richness and smoothness of her tone,” and as “music she responds to on a deeply personal and emotional level.”
Augustyn has performed as a soloist with orchestras in the United States, Europe and Asia, including the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Riverside Symphonia. She has toured China and performed at China’s most prestigious venues such as Beijing Poly Theater and Shanghai Oriental Art Center. Other venues she has appeared at as a recitalist or chamber musician include both the Stern Auditorium and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Aspen Music Festival, and Chicago Cultural Center. In addition to concerti with orchestras and recitals with piano, she frequently performs unaccompanied solo violin recitals.
Augustyn’s most recent recording was released in 2019 by Naxos, and it features world premieres by the contemporary Polish composer Romuald Twardowski (b. 1930) performed with the Torun Symphony Orchestra and maestro Mariusz Smolij. Augustyn, who has proven her commitment to increasing awareness of music by Polish composers, had previously made a significant contribution to Polish music by recording the Polish Violin Music, a highly praised, “fascinating” (The Strad) album of lesser-known Polish composers. Augustyn’s other recent and critically acclaimed recordings include the Telemann 12 Fantasias for Solo Violin (Centaur Records), in which “her interpretations are convincing in every piece here, and the Baroque spirit of the violin and Telemann’s mastery abiding throughout” (Music Web International); and Glen Roven’s Runaway Bunny Concerto performed with Catherine Zeta-Jones as a narrator and featuring Kinga Augustyn’s Solo Violin Cadenza (GPR Records). Her “exquisite playing” (Music Web International) is often praised for the profundity, deft phrasing, beautiful tone, mastery of the bow, and perfect intonation. “With completely secure technical control, she couples a tapestry of tone color to her innate musicality” (The Fanfare Magazine).
Ms. Augustyn is an advocate of new music and premieres and records new works, oftentimes written especially for her. A new album of contemporary works will be released shortly. In 2020 she will also record the Tchaikovsky and Wieniawski Concertos with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine under the baton of maestro Philip Greenberg.
Ms. Augustyn has won international awards, including First Prizes at the Alexander & Buono International String Competition (NYC), Artist International Presentations (NYC), J. S. Bach String Competition (Zielona Gora, Poland), and the 2017 "Young Poland" contest in Poland. Other top honors include prizes at the Johannes Brahms International Competition (Poertschach, Austria) and the Kloster Schoental International Young Artist Competition (Kloster Scheontal, Germany).
Ms. Augustyn studied at The Juilliard School with Dorothy DeLay, Cho-Liang Lin, and Naoko Tanaka, and earned there both the Bachelor and the Master degrees. She also holds a doctorate from the Stony Brook University where she worked with Phil Setzer and Pamela Frank. A versatile artist, Ms. Augustyn also plays baroque violin, for which she has received training from the historical performance practice specialists William Christi and Les Arts Florrisants, and violinist Cynthia Roberts.
Kinga Augustyn plays on a violin made by Joseph Gagliano in 1774, generously on loan to her from a private collector. In 2019 she was appointed the Artistic Director of New York Dance Arts & Innovations and the International Chopin & Friends Festival.