The Principal Theme of Béla Bartók's Viola Concerto

Author(s): Peter Bartók

Source: Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae , 1993 - 1994, T. 35, Fasc.
1/3, Denijs Dille Nonagenario (1993 - 1994), pp. 45-50
Published by: Akadémiai Kiadó

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 The Principal Theme of Bela Bartok' s Viola Concerto

Peter BARTOK
Homosassa

In the course of preparing corrected editions of my father's music the

suggestion was made to me, by violist Paul Neubauer, that the Viola Con-
certo be performed "as Bela Bart6k wrote it". I dismissed that idea at first,
on the ground that my father did not leave the composition in a perfor-
mable state: he sketched his ideas but did not prepare a final orchestra
score.
Correction of the printed editions involved a comparison of available
manuscript sources including my father's own printed copies in which
he entered corrections for future reprintings with the latest editions in
circulation and the preparation of correction lists for the publishers. (In
reality the task turned out to be considerably more complex, but this was
the initial approach.) The Viola Concerto was left for some later date, as it
promised to be a more difficult project, there being no final Bartok manu-
script as a guide, but Paul Neubauer's idea was intriguing and the com-
position was moved up to a higher priority.
It became clear that we could not merely compare the printed score
with the final manuscript prepared from my father's sketches by Tibor
Serly, and discover engraving errors, but we would have to start with the
sketch itself. Two years of this work resulted in a revised score that differs
in some respects from the previously printed version.
Relating the main areas of differences and their rationalization is a
subject for another essay. Only one modification is mentioned here: that of
bars 11F134 of movement III (11F133),1 as well as related conclusions.

' Bar references are to the revised score; Tibor Serly's corresponding bar numbers appear in parentheses.

Studia Muvicologica Acadaniac Scicntiarum Bungaricac 35/1-3, 1993-94, pp. 4S-SO

Akademiai Kiado, Budapcst

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46 P. Barto'k: The Principal Theme of Barto'k's Viola Concerto

The music in these bars, sketched by the composer in AS, appears in the
key of A in Tibor Serly's score. In the revised version it was lowered back
to AW, but it seemed desirable to analyze the reason for the choise of key,
to determine the probable purpose for the new key in the sketch, and to
question whether the composer himself may have raised it to A at the time
of final scoring.
The preceding section up to bar 110 ends in A; bars 111-114
are a transition arriving to AS in bar 1 14. The last movement, up to here, is
Rumanian in character, but there is a change of mood at bar 114, where
the orchestra accompaniment is a drone-like chord consisting of AS and ES
and a "new" tune is introduced, first by an orchestra instrument at bar 1 17
( 1 1 6), then by the viola solo at bar 1 25 ( 1 24). The sketch here contains the
direction "harmonics" for the viola solo, omitted in Tibor Serly's score.
It was concluded, in examining the circumstances, that my father's
choice of a new key was probably deliberate: the change of key coincided
with a change of mood, as if to accentuate, stress, this change. Modulation
occurs in the three transitory bars those would serve less purpose if the
key remained A. There should be no qualms in restoring the half step
downward shift at bar 114, as found in the sketch; my father must have
designed this change for a reason.
It was pointed out previously that the music in this section contained
a bagpipe tune (Halsey Stevens);2 that it could be Scottish in character,
perhaps in deference to Primrose's origin [David Dalton].3 Halsey Stevens
also mentioned that perhaps the opening theme is derived from the same
tune as what appears beginning in bar 117 (116). Nelson Dellamaggiore
who did most of the work connected with revising the score sug-
gested that the accompaniment of repeated A;-ES chords perhaps
represents the bagpipe's drones, and the direction "harmonics" to the solo
viola at bar 125 (124) may be a deliberate introduction of a tone character
reminiscent of the bagpipe's chanter. Thus, this direction appears in the
revised score, despite the added difficulty the production of the harmonics
involves for the soloist.

2 The Life and Music of Bela Bartok, Oxford University Press, 1953 p. 255.
3 David Dalton, Document submitted to the graduate faculty of the School of Music in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music, Indiana University, May 1970 p. 60.

Studia Musicologica Academiac Scicntiarum Bungaricae 3S/1-3, 1993-94

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 Oboesl,ll #: < ;*vr P'- U
P. Bartok: The Principal Theme of Bartok's Viola Concerto 47

It was impossible not to speculate further as to the role of the bagpipe

tune-like melody that seems to first appear at bar 117 (116), but then
returns several times until just before the work's concluding bars. Further-
more, the first movement's opening theme indeed appears as if it could be
a remote variant of the phrase. Its Scottish character is confirmed: a tune,
"Gin a Body Meet a Body, Colmin' Thro' the Rye"4 was found to contain
a similar phrase:

(3'
k 82L;b > | * L I 5 | b 'L) ' 1Sa

; # A tempo tn

I1 - ka las sie has herladdie

In the work's opening theme the relationship is distant5 but recog-

nizable as if viewed through the mist; appearing again and again, al-
ways in a different variation, throughout the first movement as well as in
the ritornellos following the first and second movements.

I wish to digress for a moment to recapitulate some facts known

about the birth of the Viola Concerto. During the winter of 19214 45 Wil-
liam Primrose asked my father to write the concerto, and he apparently
agreed to do so before January 22nd, 1945.5 He received two other com-
missions, but rejected at least one of those and did not write the other. His
New York residence was unsuitable for composing work,6 and he also
wanted to write a piano concerto for my mother. In June he went to
Saranac Lake, New York to simple but tranquil surroundings, and on
August 5th drafted a letter, relating to Primrose:

4 Seventy Scottish Songs, selected and arranged by Helen Hopekirk, O 1992 by Dover Publications, New
York, p. 47 (reprinted by permission).
5 Letter of William Primrose, January 1945, to Bela Bart6k.
6 Letter of Bela Bartok to Peter Bartok, February 8, 1945.

Studia Musicologica Academiac Scicntiarum Bungaricac 3S/1-3, 1993-94

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48 P. Bartok: The Principal Theme of Bartok's Viola Concerto

About mid-July I was just planning to write you a rather desponding letter, explalning
you the various difficulties I am in. But, then there stirred some viola-concerto ideas
which gradually crystallized themselves, so that I am able now to tell you that I hope
to write the work, and maybe finish at least its draft in F5 weeks, if nothing happens
in the meantime which would prevent my work.

By September 8th he was able to advise Primrose that the draft was
ready:

I am very glad to be able to tell you that your viola concerto is ready in draft so that
only the score has to be written which means a purely mechanical work, so to speak.

At the same time he was working on the Piano Concerto No. 3, as it

was planned to be a birthday present for my mother, to be ready before
October 31 st.

These facts suggest a scenario that, although it fits all the known
facts, in the absence of more details can only be regarded as speculation:
in 1945, probably related to the recent successes of the Violin Concerto
No. 2 and Concertofor Orchestra, he was virtually inundated with work:
the commissions received and the composition he wanted to write. At the
first opportunity beginning of the summer at Saranac Lake, New York
he started drafting the piano concerto, for which ideas were already
chosen, such as bird calls noted down the previous year in Asheville,
North Carolina. It is probably not easy, even for an experienced composer
or writer, to concentrate simultaneously in two different creative channels;
as the piano concerto was making good progress, thoughts about a viola
concerto were relegated to second place.
Initially (in July) suitable ideas did not occur to him and he even con-
sidered to decline Primrose's commission, at least for the time being. But
then, perhaps when the inventive phase of the Piano Concerto No. 3 was
over and he could start the "mechanical work" of scoring it, an idea made
the Viola (^oncerto possible: Primrose was from Scotland; my father had
been there and was interested in Scottish bagpipe music. Why not make a
fragment of a bagpipe tune the nucleus of the concerto to be written for
the Scotsman? And so the little tune was invented (it is not suggested that
the phrase in question is an exact copy of a particular tune; rather, that it
was invented in the Scottish style), subjected to "development"-varia-

Stutlia MusicoSogica Aratlemiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 35/1-3, 1993-94

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 P. Barto'k: The Principal Theme of Barto'k's Viola Concerto 49

tions so distant as to be hardly recognizable, and the first movement could

begin, as well as the ritoInellos. The rest the lyric slow movement, the
Rumanian dances in the finale, could be added probably with no problem,
once the idea of the basic thread to be woven into the composition
throughout, was invented; they are made up of elements that remind of
other Bartok compositions. The fact that in the finale Scottish and
Rumanian elements are juxtaposed is not surprising see, e.g. the Dance
Suite, making use of four or five different national characteristics.7
Although the Scottish tune appears in many variations, it does not
follow the more common pattern where the basic theme is first introduced,
followed by its more and more distant derivatives; here we have all the
variations first, but must wait for introduction of the source-melody until
near the end. In this respect the pattern is reminiscent of Bach's Variations
on Weinen, Klagen.
Notwithstanding the remarks of Halsey Stevens and David Dalton, it
is possible that the Scottish music introduced in the bars following bar 1 14
of the finale goes unrecognized as such. In order to call attention to it, a
snare drum has been added to the orchestration of this section in the
revised score. (Such an addition is believed permissible, since my father's
sketch did not contain any specification for percussion other than timpani;
all other percussion had to be added to the orchestrator's discretion.)

When the revised score was we thought complete, we sent a

copy to Prof. Denijs Dille. This was done mainly to show him what we
had done; it was natural that we wanted him, a friend who has been so
deeply associated with my father's life and music, to see our work. We
were not entirely surprised, however, to receive our score back from him,
with numerous critical and helpful suggestions. It was pursuant to Denijs
Dille's comments, for instance, that the instrumentation was amended to
include English horn. At certain places the oboe part reached near the
lower end of the instrument's permissible range, where it is uncomfort-
able. English horn accomodates these parts and can contribute elsewhere
too.

7 Ferenc Bonis, "Bartok Tanc-szvitjenek szuletese", in: AIodolat Bart(wknak es Kodalynak (Budapest:
P{iski, 1992).

Stutlia Muvicslsgica Acatlemiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 35/1-3, 1993-94

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50 P. Bartok: The Principal Theme of Barrok's Viola Concerto

Without going into many details we thank Denijs Dille for his con-
tributions-not only in this instance but for being always ready in all
other areas where his efforts could help Bela Bartok, and his music, to be
better known and understood. For his tireless research in determining er-
rors and corrections in the Hungarian Folk Song publications; investigat-
ing the circumstances surrounding the creation of Five Songs, Op. 15; his
publications, such as Documenta Bartokiana; determination of the Bartok
family tree, etc. Undoubtedly his presence, and the possibility of his be-
coming its Elrst director, played a role in the early establishment of the
Budapest Bartok Archivum. Without further words, we are grateful for all
you have done; happy birthday, Denijs Dille!

Stu(lia Musicologica Aca(lemiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 35/1-3. 1 'Y'93-'94

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