JAVS Fall 2000

21

VIOLA CONCERTO IN £-FLAT MAJOR BY jOSEPH SCHUBERT

DRESDEN Dresden has supported a rich musical life for several centuries. Composers Heinrich Schlitz in the seventeenth, Johann Adolf Hasse in the eighteenth, and Carl Maria von Weber in the nine teenth century were all active in the musical life of Dresden. Dresden, the seat of the Saxon state, was foremost a city of the court and of courtly music. It was the court that provided the greatest support for music in the city, as amateur music-making was virtually nonexistent until the late eighteenth century. Further, the court favored opera and music for the church; chamber music, concertos, and orchestral works were performed less often, and were received with less enthusiasm. Saxony's defeat in the Seven Years War (1756-63) brought about severe economic hardship. Reviving the economy and rebuilding the capital diverted money away from the arts; Italian opera, previously supported by the court, was taken over by private interests in efforts to save the court money. The availability of opera for the general public in turn led to a greater desire for public orchestral performances. Instrumental music Instrumental music has historically played a subservient role to vocal music in Dresden. Orchestral music was regularly performed, but not usually in the traditional concert setting. Instead, it was used to supplement church activities and operatic performances. Symphony move ments, entire symphonies, or Mittelstiicke supplemented sacred music in the church or served as opera overtures. Purely orchestral performances were a rarity at the Dresden court. The favored form of orchestral music in Dresden was the concerto. Charles Burney attended a concert per formed by members of the court orchestra at the home of an English diplomat. In addition to 'symphonies' (possibly opera overtures), the program included six concertos! 14 Eighteenth-century instrumental music in Dresden was first influenced by Italian models. From the 1780s onward, local composers were increasingly "influenced by German/Austrian models, Vienna in particular. Schubert's concerto is clearly based on such models. Composers also produced short orchestral works for the theater and church. Members of the Hojkapelle, some ofwhom were not employed as composers, often made a "nice second income" 15 compos ing such works. Joseph Schubert was one such composer. Hojkapelle The size of the Hojkapelle orchestra can be inferred from contemporary personnel lists and per forming parts that have survived. The yearly Churforstlich (Koniglich) Sachsischer Hof und Staats Kalendar16lists musicians employed by the court. In 1800 (near the time of the performance of the revised version of Schubert's Concerto) it listed the following numbers of musicians: twenty violins, four violas, four cellos, four basses, three flutes, three oboes, two clarinets, four bassoons, and four horns. This ensemble of 48 musicians was large compared to those in other European cities. Besides Mannheim and Turin, only major political capitals such as Berlin, Naples, Paris, and London could assemble orchestras to rival the size of the Dresden Hojkapelle. 17 The list above, while designating the number of players on the payroll, does not necessarily reveal the number that actually participated in regular performances. This could be due to anum ber of circumstances: certain musicians traveled across Europe as soloists, and others may have still been on payroll although unable to play (due to age or poor health). Music Outside the Dresden Court During the first two-thirds of the eighteenth century the only art music to be found outside the court was heard in Dresden's three Lutheran churches. 18 Later in the century, additional contributions were made by ensembles supported by amateur societies, the nobility, and profes sional opera companies. Performing ensembles could be made exclusively of court musicians, amateurs, or a combination of both.