La nuit des tropiques
La nuit des tropiques (“A Night in the Tropics”), D. 104 (RO 255), is the 1st symphony by the American composer and pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829–1869). She uses Latin American percussion instruments and rumba rhythmsfor the first time in the symphony.
Origin, premiere and reception
Gottschalk's 1st Symphony was created during a multi-year tour of the Caribbean . The exact circumstances are not known; the work was probably composed mainly in Cuba , Martinique and Guadeloupe . The first movement Nuit dans les tropique , later modified by Gottschalk as the title transferred to the complete works, was probably composed in 1858 and was premiered in Havana in 1860 as part of one of Gottschalk's events, also known as Monster Concerts because of its numerous participants . The second movement - enriched with various percussion instruments - was probably composed in 1859 and was initially entitled Une Fête sous les tropiques . The first complete performance took place on April 17th, 1861 in Havana. Because of the large number of players required, there were no more performances for a long time after Gottschalk's death in 1869.
The original manuscript remained in Havana, was stolen in 1932, and reappeared in the New York Public Library in the 1950s . In 1948 the work was first performed in the USA in a version for 2 pianos by John Kirkpatrick , based on preliminary work by Nicolás Ruiz y Espadero . The first full orchestral performance in modern times took place on May 5, 1955 at Columbia University's McMillin Academic Theater , played by the Columbia University Orchestra under Andre Kostelanetz . The basis was a version with a reduced cast by Howard Shanet . The last pages of the original manuscript are missing, as are parts of the percussion parts. For the reconstruction, however, Shanet was able to fall back on contemporary piano transcriptions. An edition for the original cast planned by Gottschalk comes from Igor Buketoff .
Cast and playing time
The original line-up includes flute piccolo , E-flat clarinet , flutes , oboes , clarinets (group divided into four), cornets (group divided into four), trumpets , horns , trombones and euphonies (group divided into four), ophicleide , bass tuba , strings and percussion including Afro-Cuban Instruments like maracas and güiros . At the first performance in 1861, 6 so-called harmoniflautas were used, a Spanish instrument that no longer exists today. However, the type of cast appears to have varied from performance to performance. Gottschalk himself conducted the work with several hundred participants between 1860 and 1866 in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Martinique and Chile.
The instrumentation in the arrangement by Howard Shanet includes: flute piccolo, 2 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets in Bb, 3 bassoons , 4 horns, 3 cornets (or trumpets) in Bb, 3 trombones, tuba , timpani , percussion with bass drum , Cymbals , snare drum , claves and bamboula (a drum played with the fingers) and strings.
The performance lasts about 20 minutes.
Structure and characterization
The two movements of the symphony have the following tempo markings:
- Andante
- Allegro moderato
Formally, the work is less of a symphony than two successive tone poems . The first movement in 6/8 time is four-part and initially paints a calm tropical night in which a thunderstorm breaks in, its aftermath and the return of the initial mood. Actual “Americanisms” are missing, rather echoes of the Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz can be discerned, as well as influences by Richard Wagner and his Tannhauser overture as a model. Strings dominate the beginning, later woodwinds and brass join in, a slightly more agitated part leads to a more dramatic episode before the movement closes with the calm string material at the beginning.
The second movement outlines a Creole festival and not only makes increasing use of wood and brass instruments, but also supplements - for the first time in a composition of a symphonic character - conventional European percussion with a large group of Afro-Cuban rhythm instruments. The use of Latin American rumba rhythms is also new , while a fugue reveals Gottschalk's European training. All in all, some rhythmic and melodic formations foreshadow jazz, which only appeared decades later .
literature
- S. Frederick Starr: Louis Moreau Gottschalk . University of Illinois Press, Urbana & Chicago, 1995, ISBN 0-252-06876-9 , pp. 286/287.
Individual evidence
- ^ S. Frederick Starr: Louis Moreau Gottschalk. University of Illinois Press, Urbana / Chicago 1995, ISBN 0-252-06876-9 , p. 286.