JAVS Summer 2026

Questions of length and harmonic scope reveal a similar balance between freedom and restraint. Quantz generally recommends that shorter cadenzas remain within the home key, reserving modulation for longer and more elaborate examples. 41 Later eighteenth-century practice, however, demonstrates increasing flexibility. Vivaldi’s surviving cadenzas range from relatively concise statements to extended virtuoso passages, while Mozart’s later concerto cadenzas frequently incorporate brief modulations and contrasting sections that expand their expressive range. Despite these differences, a common principle remains: modulation serves to enrich and intensify the musical argument rather than to obscure the tonal identity of the concerto. Whether concise or expansive, successful cadenzas maintain a clear relationship to the movement’s affect, thematic material, and harmonic framework. These considerations provide an important foundation for the cadenza presented in the following section. Toward A Historically Informed Cadenza for Stamitz’s Viola Concerto The resulting cadenza is therefore offered not as a definitive reconstruction, but as one historically informed realization of the improvisatory traditions that originally surrounded the performance of Stamitz’s concerto. Rather than reconstructing a lost original cadenza—which would be impossible given the absence of documentary evidence—the goal is to create a stylistically plausible cadenza grounded in eighteenth-century performance practice. As demonstrated by Quantz, Türk, and other contemporary sources, a successful cadenza should remain closely connected to the character and musical material of the movement from which it arises. For this reason, the cadenza draws extensively upon melodic figures, rhythmic patterns, and technical gestures already present in Stamitz’s concerto. Rather than introducing new thematic ideas, it develops existing material through sequence, ornamentation, variation, and changes of register, following procedures commonly found in surviving Classical cadenzas.

Mozart’s cadenza to the first movement of Piano Concerto No. 5 served as an especially important model. Written during approximately the same period in which Stamitz’s concerto was published, it represents an early Classical approach to cadenza construction that is concise, structurally clear, and closely related to the surrounding movement. Like Mozart’s cadenza, the present work relies on familiar figuration, balanced phrase structures, and limited harmonic excursions while maintaining an improvisatory character. The cadenza also incorporates several conventions identified in eighteenth-century treatises and surviving concerto cadenzas. These include the use of sequential development, ornamental elaboration of structural tones, rhythmic flexibility within a broadly defined metric framework, and a traditional cadential conclusion culminating in the final trill and orchestral reentry. Together, these features seek to balance technical display with stylistic coherence, a concern repeatedly emphasized by Quantz and other contemporary writers. Although no cadenza can claim absolute historical authenticity, the synthesis of treatises, surviving Classical cadenzas, and the musical language of Stamitz’s concerto provides a practical framework for creating historically informed solutions. The cadenza that follows is therefore offered not as a definitive reconstruction, but as one possible realization of the improvisatory traditions that originally surrounded the performance of Stamitz’s concerto. To hear the Xue Ding’s version of the cadenza from Movement I, visit: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JS1GWzhmzWU To hear the Xue Ding’s version of the cadenza from Movement II, visit: https://youtu.be/VwXEiHYhoc4

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 42, Summer 2026 Online Issue