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Castelnuovo - Tedesco and the Shakespearian TheatreAuthor(s): H. G. SearSource: The Musical Times, Vol. 79, No. 1143 (May, 1938), pp. 345-346Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/922754 .

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THE MUSICAL TIMESCastelnuovo-Tedescon d t h eShakespearianh e a t r e

By H. G. SEARIF even-handed justice prevailed in this world,Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's devotion toShakespeare should secure for his work a fullmeasure of performance in the poet's land ofbirth.Some years ago the Italian composer's impor-tant cycle of Shakespearian songs, by their con-tinuity of musico-poetical expression, and bytheir sincerity, made connoisseurs certain thathere was a highly individual talent. That cyclenow embraces the whole of the lyrics. It ismonumental.

Tedesco's inspiration did not stop at the songs.It is clear that the understanding they revealedcould not have been confined to a close considera-tion of the lyrics only. They draw their life-bloodfrom the body of the drama, and to arrive at thatmeasure of understanding the composer musthave steeped himself in the atmosphere of theplays.Indeed, quite apart from my certain knowledgethat Shakespeare is a passion with him, concreteproof of this is not wanting. Amongst his orches-tral works is a series of 'Overtures for theShakespearian Theatre.'What ambition I Here is an Italian composer,apparently uncommissioned by any theatricalproducer, with overtures for five of the dramas tohis credit. He has outstripped in number ofconcert-overtures any of our own composers, andtheir quality is so considerable that no time shouldbe lost in putting them to the proof of perform-ance. Only one of them, 'The Taming of theShrew,' has, at the time of writing, been heard inthis country.Some hint of the general trend of Tedesco'smusical thought can be drawn from his musicaldirections. 'Rudely and incisively'; 'Furiously';' Ecstatically'; ' Excitedly'; ' Anxiously.' Notmore than a hint, of course, since fine feathers donot make fine birds. But to me, score in hand, hisscheme and his treatment of that scheme arevividly presented. They make me realize some-thing of the working of the composer's mind andtemperament. His mental perception has beensharpened by Shakespeare, and his swift, fiercetemperament fastens precisely upon that aspectof the story that he wishes to unfold, and holds itsecurely.'The Taming of the Shrew' bears the date1931. Possibly it may have some special andesoteric significance for the composer, for it isdedicated 'A Petruchio.' It is scored for twoflutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, twobassoons; four horns, two trumpets, one trom-bone; timpani, triangle, tambourine, cymbals,bass drum, glockenspiel, xylophone, harp, piano-forte; twelve first and twelve second violins,eight violas, six 'cellos and five contra-basses-anorchestra of a size that rules out a theatrical

performance. The Overture was first heard atFlorence in 1931, under Vittorio Gui.It plunges us at once in medias res. The com-poser concentrates on Petruchio and Katharina.Where Hermann Zilcher, for instance, who alsosupplied music for this play, gives us the circum-stances, even to the incident of the deception ofChristopher Sly, Tedesco distils the very essenceof the conflict between the wilfulness of the Shrewand the humorous discernment of her conqueror.Thus Katharina speaks (or one may say, spits)first, with the spitefulness of muted trumpets,ff,the tearing shrillness of high wood-wind, theclatter of harp, pianoforte and xylophone. Run-ning concurrently with this theme is that ofPetruchio, a broader, more tolerant, morehumorous melody, heard in the strings. Thesetwo tunes are played off one against the otherin the most brilliant fashion. It is almost as ifthe hearer were taking part in the quarrel. Notunnaturally, Katharina's pace is twice as swift asPetruchio's, but he has more force. His verytolerance gives him reserves, and he is easily ableto mock her abusive words. His deeper tones areheard, burlesquing her shrillness, now in bassoons,now in the horns, and for some time she maintainsher spirit magnificently. However uproariouslythe two behave, his mood has the greater elas-ticity; he has a quiet jibe here, a tender wordthere; he has time to sing or hum, or whistle orroar a tune, obvious and even common. This tunehas such an effect on Katharina as to constrainher to give way. She gives a furious scream, thelast blast before the storm abates, her proudspirit breaks, and resignation follows. At oncethe wily Petruchio changes his note. The recapitu-lation melts the themes together, hers sweetlyflowing, his broad song the lay of his affection.It is a brilliant, likeable piece of work, as plainas a pikestaff to him who knows the story, yetperfectly satisfying to him who does not.

Four years later, the same conductor introducedthe overture to 'Twelfth Night.' Simply byreason of its subject-matter, this composition hasa greater beauty. With due allowance for modernfreedom, it is couched in classical overture form.Castelnuovo-Tedesco says that in this comedy thegeneral argument need not be stressed. The storyof the play is of a conventional, almost stiltednature, but by the incomparable art of the poetthe unforgettable figures of the Duke, ot Violaand Olivia, and of Malvolio emerge. The musicis a character study.Orsino's plaintive cor anglais theme is labelledwith the lines beginning:' If music be the food of love, play on ... 'And the tune is simple and melancholy, in keep-ing with both song and mood, the large orchestrabeing used charmingly and with great restraint.The bassoon takes the part of Malvolio, in anodd little semi-serious melody that affords fun to

lMaax 1938 345

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THE MUSICAL TIMESall the onlookers, who titter and imitate hislanguishing gait, particularly the celesta in itsown mocking version of the tune.All the orchestral materials for merry-makingare gathered for the third section, headed ' ThreeMerry Men we be,' after which comes one of themost effective parts of the overture, headed:' For the rain it raineth every day,'in which the Duke's air is gently breathed overa patter of rain in strings and harp. This maybe regarded as the development section, for themood is deepened, a kind of conflict expressed,the purely musical nuance being carefully anddelicately handled. The marked rhythm of thegalliard that is to come into prominence later isforced through a glittering maze of sound. Allthis produces excitement which is not diminishedwhen the trumpets, 'bell held aloft,' blare outthe galliard rhythm, joined by the full orchestraa few bars later. The Overture is rounded off bya coda, inscribed:'But that's all one, our play is done,And we'll strive to please you every day.'The overture to ' Twelfth Night' demands theaddition of cor anglais, bass clarinet, a secondbass trombone and tuba, castanets, celesta, andbell in C.Towards the understanding of the 'Merchantof Venice' overture, Castelnuovo-Tedesco givesus no literary aid beyond these three lines :

'My daughter ! 0 my ducats ! 0 my daughter !Fled with a Christian! 0 my Christian ducats !Justice! the law! my ducats and mydaughter I 'Indeed, his thematic material is scantier in thisthan in the two preceding overtures, but it is usedso incisively and coloured so vividly that thewhole picture is immediately presented. Therecan scarcely be said to be two themes, but rathertwo facets of the one idea, Shylock's double loss.We are left in doubt as to which of these isthe more poignant, for the two melodic phrasesare joined by a whirling septuple figure thatrepresents (at all events, for me) the torturedturmoil of Shylock's thoughts. There is littledoubt that the composer is expressing the pitiableside of the Jew's tragedy. It is by shades ofexpression that he makes subtle play upon thelistener's feelings. The same phrases are regarded,now passionately, now bitterly, with rude force,and with uncontrolled fury, as Shylock broodsover his loss, with sympathy from none. Asection in barcarolle measure, andantino, sereno eaffettuoso,may or may not indicate the coming ofPortia; it is brief in itself, but important in itseffect. It seems to bring the first quiver of fearand doubt into Shylock's mind. The whirlingfigure gives a sharp and dramatic sense of histotal collapse and the Overture ends with astrident repetition of the opening ' ducat ' phrase.'The Merchant of Venice' was first heard atTurin, in 1935, under the direction of MaximoFreccia. It is dedicated to Arturo Toscanini.The same year saw the first performance, underMolinari at the Augusteo, Rome, of the ' JuliusCaesar Overture. This work is far more circum-stantial. It opens in the streets of Rome:'But, indeed, sir, we make holidayTo see Caesar,and to rejoice in his triumph.'

The music here is plain and broad; trumpetsbrawl and flutes shrill. Caesar s the hero of theday. But the volatile mob is easily affected.Soon the trumpets sing another tune and thespirits of the citizens decline rapidly. The sooth-sayer has uttered his warning:'Beware the Ides of March.'No time is lost in revealing, in what may becalled the principal theme, Caesar'sown personalagitation, his ambition. This subject is given outby the bass strings over a steady drum-rhythm,coloured with foreboding by the bass clarinet.The section bears as motto Caesar'sown words:'Nor heaven and earth have been at restto-night.'His reflections are troubled by the acclamationsof the citizens, suggested by fitful bursts from thebrass. Then Calphurnia adds her supplications:' Do not go forth to-day; call it my fear.'This episode is based on a melody for clarinetover sobbing chords on celesta and divided violins.Her pleading intensifies as she recounts thereported terrors of the night:' The noise of battle hurtled in the air.'But to Caesar'sfevered imagination that noiseis but the plaudits of the populace, and thetrumpet call of the introduction is heard frombass clarinet and bassoons, and made more insis-tent, as his ambitions wax, till the two themesrun concurrently. At last, the ' people' motiveis forced aside by that of the soothsayer. Fourbars are sufficient to picture vividly the dreadfuldownfall. They are headed:' Et tu, Brute ? Then fall, Caesar.'The final section is a funeral march, duringwhich Antony delivers his famous panegyric.Here the composer gathers up all his 'themes,giving them new subtlety in apposition toAntony's oratorical powers..The fifth work, an overture to ' The Winter'sTale,' was first produced by Toscanini at a con-cert in Vienna in February of this year. It is,perhaps, the most homogeneous of the overtures.By reason of this very quality a formal analysisis made difficult. Suffice it to say that onevertebral theme, subtly varied, concentrates thewhole interest upon the fate of Hermione. Thistheme is presented in its entirety at the beginningof the overture. As an accompaniment the com-

poser uses a tranquil undulating figure, the dutyof which seems to be to carry forward the burthenof the tale. Neither is lost sight of from beginningto end, and certain contributory phrases, allclosely related in form to one or the other, revealdifferent aspects of the interplay of the characters.In this composer and in these overtures wehave a high artistic conscience moving in an orbitof its own. This is no mere romantic outpouringbolstering a second-rate inspiration by means ofliterary collusion. Castelnuovo-Tedesco's creativepenetration is made incandescent by contact withShakespeare. The overtures are only part of agreat projected cycle.The Permanent Council for the InternationalCo-operationof Composerswill hold a festival thismonth at Stuttgart. Bliss's ' MeleeFantasque willbe played on May 23. The London address of theCouncil s 7 OrmeCourt,W.2.

346 May 1938