Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 05/20/2004, uploaded on 03/23/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

"SCOTTISH FANTASIES"
by Rachel Barton Pine

In Scotland, the cross-fertilization between classical violin music and traditional fiddle tunes began in the 18th century, more than a hundred years before the pieces featured on this album were written. Musical Societies which presented classical concerts flourished throughout the country. Legendary fiddlers such as Robert Mackintosh, William McGibbon, Charles McLean, and James Oswald were respected also as classical performers and composers. The same violinists who performed in a Handel Oratorio or a Corelli Concerto Grosso one night might be playing for a dance the next evening.

Because fiddle players in Scotland had an unusually high rate of musical literacy, their folk music, unlike that in other countries, was often learned and transmitted in writing. As a result, hundreds of printed and manuscript collections were created between the 1740s and the end of the century. Within these collections, baroque sonatas mingle with simple tunes and their cello accompaniments. Some sonatas were Italian in style, often with Scottish embellishments. Others were Scottish tunes transformed into suites of baroque dance movements. Virtuoso variations on folk tunes were yet another genre, giving Scottish fiddlers an opportunity to demonstrate many of the innovative techniques being developed by classical violinists on the continent.

Reciprocally, continental composers such as Geminiani, Veracini, J.C. Bach, Haydn, Weber, Beethoven, Berlioz, Bruch, and Sarasate arranged Scots tunes or incorporated them into their compositions. Purcell and Brahms wrote imitation Scottish songs. Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 ("Scottish") and Hebrides Overture were inspired by a visit to Scotland, although those works' connection to Scottish folk music is tenuous at best...

Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascuéz (1844-1908) was a Spanish violin virtuoso and composer trained at the Paris Conservatoire. One of the greatest soloists of his era, he was renowned for his facile technique, pure tone, and impeccable phrasing. He inclined towards the lighter virtuoso repertoire. This leaning is also reflected in his own compositions, which include many Spanish dances, opera fantasies, and early pieces in the French style. His Airs écossais, Op. 34 could be grouped with his more famous foray into the arranging of fiddle tunes, Ziguenerweisen, Op. 20 (Gypsy Airs).

Many composers were inspired by Sarasate's playing and dedicated works to him. Among these were Bruch, Mackenzie, Saint-Saëns (Concertos Nos. 1 and 3; Introduction et Rondo capriccioso), Lalo (Concerto in F Minor and Symphonie espagnole), Joachim (Variations for Violin and Orchestra), Wieniawski (Concerto No. 2), and Dvorák (Mazurek). Scott Skinner, the greatest Scottish fiddler of the time, dedicated his virtuoso piece for violin and piano entitled Will O' the Wisp to "the eminent violinist." It is not known whether Sarasate and Skinner ever met.

Sarasate spent a significant amount of his career touring in Great Britain, where he was very popular and successful. In December 1893, he performed in Glasgow and at Balmoral Castle at the invitation of Queen Victoria. Upon returning to London, he starting writing Airs écossais, and continued to work on it in Paris during Christmas. For the orchestration, he consulted with Mackenzie. The work's premiere in London's St. James Hall on May 28, 1894, generated one of the most enthusiastic responses Sarasate had ever received. He dedicated Airs écossais to the great Belgian violinist and composer, Eugène Ysaÿe.

Unlike the more serious Scottish Fantasy and Pibroch Suite, Airs écossais is an unapologetic virtuoso showpiece. The orchestration displays great skill and taste, but unlike Bruch and Mackenzie, Sarasate relegates the orchestra to a purely accompanying role.

The piece is a medley of six traditional tunes. The first, a march, remains unidentified despite efforts to discover its source. (If you are able to "name that tune," please let me know.) Next, Sarasate uses "Bog of Gight," also known as "Lady Augusta Murray's Strathspey." In this section, he stretches virtuoso pyrotechnics to their utmost. A quick run through the B section of the reel "The Mason's Apron" is followed by a brief, unaccompanied cadenza. The next slow, minor-key air is "(Oh) Open the Door, Lord Gregory." The final two tunes are jigs: "Johnny McGill" or "Come Under My Plaidie" (also known by many other names) and "The New Water Kettle." This last tune appears only in Gow's Complete Repository among the 18th century collections. The Repository's inclusion of two of the other tunes in the same order as they appear in Sarasate's medley suggests that Gow must have been one of Sarasate's sources. Sarasate's wickedly difficult pyrotechnics continue to the end.

Sarasate also wrote a version of Airs écossais for violin and piano. This is the first recording of his version for violin and orchestra.

To purchase the CD or download this performance, click here.

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