One of my favorite concert programs of all time, at the 2017 Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, featured two fantastic orchestral pieces: Hindemith's Konzertmusik für Streichorchester und Blechbläser, Op.50 ("Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass", also Konzertmusik for short) and Debussy's La Mer (I'll definitely be talking about this piece later ... how can I not?). Although Hindemith gave most of his works some of the blandest titles of all time (just "concert music"?), I really enjoy this piece. Both movements feature some very powerful musical gestures, make use of harmonies that are extremely difficult to parse, and stretch the musical imagination of the 20th Century.
The instrumentation of the work, as scientifically indicated by the title, omits woodwinds (this makes me sad as a clarinettist, but what to do?). Hindemith employs a standard string orchestra (violins together, violas, cellos, and basses) and more-than-standard orchestral brass (four horns, four trumpets to the typical two or three, three trombones, and tuba). Again, consistent with the title, no percussion is included (not even a bass drum -- as you'll quickly hear, Hindemith doesn't need it).
Erster Teil (First Movement) - Mäßig schnell, mit Kraft
The first movement, cast in 3/2 time and marked at "moderately fast, with strength/vigor", begins with all the trumpets and trombones blaring octave C#s (two trumpets and trombones each continue to sustain) and all the strings entering likewise. The vigorous energy that starts off this movement does not subside for another five-and-a-half minutes of storminess, at times tonal and at times decidedly atonal.
The strings frequently play several figurations: {1} rapid septuplet rising scalar figures, {2} 1(e+)a 2(e+)a 3(e+)a [nonfunctional harmonic progressions bounding along], and {3} series of eighth notes outlining arpeggios of highly dissonant chords, sometimes appearing to have little functional harmonic motion, like figuration {2}.
The first melodic segment of the first movement is stretched over nearly fifty seconds, carried by the two trumpets and two trombones that sustained the initial entrance.
The first melodic segment ends, giving way to the first statement of the "main theme" or motif from the first movement appears in the first two horns and first two trumpets, with harmonic and rhythmic support from the remaining brass.
A short interlude played by brass only continues, introducing several new harmonic ideas and rhythmic figures.
The interlude gives way to a second repetition of the main theme by all four horns (Hr.).
The galloping rhythm used until now subsides into a dissonant brass chorale, signaled by an aggressive and menacing horn call:
Once the chorale passes and the tempo resumes, the second melodic segment appears in the basses and cellos (also have septuplet scalar flourishes scattered throughout the melody)...
...while the violins (Vl.) and violas (Br.) continue "call-and-response" style with the three figurations mentioned earlier.
The third and final melodic segment (enclosed in green) follows shortly after in the violins, violas, and cellos, all of which are split into divisi to cover both the melody and the continued "call-and-response" figurations while half the cellos double the basses.
The instrumentation of the work, as scientifically indicated by the title, omits woodwinds (this makes me sad as a clarinettist, but what to do?). Hindemith employs a standard string orchestra (violins together, violas, cellos, and basses) and more-than-standard orchestral brass (four horns, four trumpets to the typical two or three, three trombones, and tuba). Again, consistent with the title, no percussion is included (not even a bass drum -- as you'll quickly hear, Hindemith doesn't need it).
Erster Teil (First Movement) - Mäßig schnell, mit Kraft
The first movement, cast in 3/2 time and marked at "moderately fast, with strength/vigor", begins with all the trumpets and trombones blaring octave C#s (two trumpets and trombones each continue to sustain) and all the strings entering likewise. The vigorous energy that starts off this movement does not subside for another five-and-a-half minutes of storminess, at times tonal and at times decidedly atonal.
First page of orchestral score
The strings frequently play several figurations: {1} rapid septuplet rising scalar figures, {2} 1(e+)a 2(e+)a 3(e+)a [nonfunctional harmonic progressions bounding along], and {3} series of eighth notes outlining arpeggios of highly dissonant chords, sometimes appearing to have little functional harmonic motion, like figuration {2}.
Rapid septuplet figures in many minor keys (figuration {1})
Excerpt of first page of Violin part,
consisting almost entirely of the three figurations
First melodic segment, Trumpet I
First statement of main theme, Trumpet I
Short brass-only interlude, in full score
The interlude gives way to a second repetition of the main theme by all four horns (Hr.).
Main theme restatement, Horns
The galloping rhythm used until now subsides into a dissonant brass chorale, signaled by an aggressive and menacing horn call:
Horn call signaling brief brass chorale, in full score
Once the chorale passes and the tempo resumes, the second melodic segment appears in the basses and cellos (also have septuplet scalar flourishes scattered throughout the melody)...
Second melodic segment, Bass
Second melodic segment, Violoncello
"Call-and-response" figures in Violin and Viola parts
The third and final melodic segment (enclosed in green) follows shortly after in the violins, violas, and cellos, all of which are split into divisi to cover both the melody and the continued "call-and-response" figurations while half the cellos double the basses.
Opening of third melodic segment and continued "call-and-response" figures
Third melodic segment in lower divisi,Violin
Once the melody has been completed across many sections of the ensemble, a total recapitulation of the earlier brass interlude appears, with doublings of ideas across several instrument groups.
Original brass-only interlude and recapitulation, in full score
[click to enlarge; scroll and listen along!]
After the recapitulation, the string figurations continue much like before, slowly reaching a stratospheric register (especially in the Violin part) and brashly interrupted by highly dissonant chords from the brass.
Stratospheric Violin part in atonal material, in full score
Hindemith suddenly forces the listener into a rapid descent of dense (nearly cluster) chords, signaling a definite transition from the original style:
Rapid tempo change: allargando ("verbreitern", "widen")
In the last two broad musical gestures of the first movement, Hindemith recombines the three segments of the melody across the ensemble in 4/4 time at "Sehr breit, aber stets fließend" ("very wide, but always flowing").
Beginning of second major section of the first movement
Here, the common points between the original iterations of the melodic segments and their corresponding points to the broad reprise in 4/4 are highlighted. Both iterations have the same pitches (no transposition between iterations) -- note that the second melodic segment appears in bass clef.
First melodic segment, both iterations, Violin/Violin
Second melodic segment, both iterations, Bass/Violin
Third melodic segment, both iterations, Violin/Violin
The complete first segment repeats, with horns joining the string melody in unison.
Entrance of horns in reprise of first segment
The final gesture, with glowing brass and a powerful statement with strings and horns together, closes the first movement -- ending on a bright C# major chord and, ultimately, an unwavering C#4 unison.
Zweiter Teil (Second Movement) - Lebhaft - Langsam - In ersten Zeitmaß (Lebhaft)
Rather than yet another analysis (of the second movement) here, I will just point out the subject of the fugue and leave a little exploration to you!
Fugue subject of second movement, Violin
I hope you enjoyed this in-depth post -- please comment and share it if you did!
All score excerpts taken from orchestral score published by B. Schott's Söhne (Mainz, 1931) or instrumental parts available at IMSLP.org.
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