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29-474: In a 2006 book, Raymond Monelle found musicologists' attempts to trace the style to any authentic tradition in Sicily inconclusive, though he did trace its origins back to Italian Renaissance madrigals from the 1500s, in triple time with dotted rhythms. These madrigal rhythms may themselves derive from the dactylic hexameter of the epic poetry of ancient Greece and Rome. The siciliana was firmly established as

58-413: A Theme by Handel for solo piano (1861). In another set of variations by Brahms, the orchestral Variations on a Theme by Haydn (1873), the seventh variation also takes the form of a siciliana. The second of Moritz Moszkowski 's Trois Morceaux poétiques , Op. 42 (1887), is a "Siciliano". Hélène's aria, "Merci, jeunes amies" ("Thank you, beloved friends") from Verdi 's opera Les vêpres siciliennes

87-460: A mastery of counterpoint seldom encountered in Romantic music . The finale is a magnificent theme and variations on a ground bass, five measures in length, derived from the principal theme. Its culmination, a restatement of the chorale, is a moment of such transcendence that the usually austere Brahms permits himself the use of a triangle . Just before the end of the piece, in the coda of

116-420: A repeated ten-measure passage which itself consists of two intriguing five-measure phrases, a quirk that is likely to have caught Brahms's attention. Almost without exception, the eight variations follow the phrasal structure of the theme and, though less strictly, the harmonic structure as well. Each has a distinctive character, several calling to mind the forms and techniques of earlier eras, with some displaying

145-816: A signifier of a pastoral context in the operas of Sicilian-born Alessandro Scarlatti , though only two of his slow arias in 8 are actually titled "aria siciliana" in the scores. Monelle notes that the texts of Scarlatti's siciliana arias are generally lamenting and melancholic. Several written references to the genre are known from earlier in the 1600s; and sicilianas are described in musical dictionaries since 1703. Further examples of Baroque sicilianas are found in J. S. Bach 's music: for instance, in his Sonata in G minor for solo violin, BWV 1001 , in his Sonata in E-flat for flute and harpsichord, BWV 1031 , and in his Concerto in E for harpsichord and strings, BWV 1053 . Other well-known Baroque sicilianas are:

174-436: Is Franz Xaver Gruber 's renowned Christmas carol, " Silent Night ". At the beginning of the Romantic period , John Field inserted a refined siciliana ("Siciliano") in G minor in his Fourth Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1814). Bernhard Crusell used a "siciliano" as a slow part in one of his clarinet duets (1821). Later in the Romantic era, Brahms wrote a siciliana as the 19th variation in his Variations and Fugue on

203-837: Is another example of a siciliana, suited to its setting, and is referred to as such in the score, even though it is popularly called a bolero . The opening aria of Mascagni 's masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana is the Siciliana "O Lola". Ernest Chausson composed a sicilienne as the second movement of his Concerto for Piano, Violin, and String Quartet, Op. 21 (1892). The orchestral suite from Pelléas et Mélisande by Gabriel Fauré includes his well-known Sicilienne , which he had composed for an incomplete project in 1893. Examples of sicilianas in 20th-century music include Igor Stravinsky 's Serenata from his ballet Pulcinella , Ottorino Respighi 's Siciliana from " Ancient Airs and Dances ", Suite No. 3, and Malcolm Arnold 's Siciliano from

232-567: Is better known and much more often heard than the two-piano version. The first performance of the orchestral version was given on 2 November 1873 by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Brahms's baton. It is often said to be the first independent set of variations for orchestra in the history of music, although there is at least one earlier piece in the same form, Antonio Salieri 's Twenty-six Variations on 'La folia di Spagna' written in 1815. Brahms composed

261-474: Is this movement which provides the theme on which the variations are based. Brahms's statement of the theme varies in small but significant ways from the original, principally with regard to instrumentation. Some sources state the Divertimento was probably written by Ignaz Pleyel , but this has not been definitively established. A further question is whether the composer of the divertimento actually wrote

290-573: The Saint Anthony Variations , is a work in the form of a theme and variations , composed by Johannes Brahms in the summer of 1873 at Tutzing in Bavaria . It consists of a theme in B ♭ major based on a "Chorale St Antoni", eight variations, and a finale. The work was published in two versions: for two pianos , written first but designated Op. 56b; and for orchestra , designated Op. 56a. The orchestral version

319-513: The Classical period . Joseph Haydn , perhaps inspired by the bucolic associations of the genre, wrote a siciliana aria for soprano in his oratorio The Creation , "Nun beut die Flur das frische Grün" ("With verdure clad the fields appear"), to celebrate the creation of plants. For Mozart , the hesitating rhythm of the siciliana lent itself to the portrayal of grief, and some of Mozart's most powerful musical utterances are tragic sicilianas:

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348-495: The University of Edinburgh with a doctoral thesis on "Opera seria as drama: the musical dramas of Hasse and Metastasio ", which he wrote under the supervision of David Kimbell. Monelle was renowned for his research in the field of music signification (the semiotics of music). His three books, many articles and countless lectures, presented in various venues all over Europe, North America and Israel, had an immense impact on

377-578: The "Intrada" and "Rhapsody" from Gerald Finzi 's 1939 cantata Dies Natalis . Raymond Monelle Raymond Monelle (19 August 1937 in Bristol , England – 12 March 2010 in Edinburgh , Scotland). was a music theorist , teacher, music critic, composer and jazz pianist. Monelle wrote three books, dozens of articles on music, and many music criticism reviews in newspapers, mainly for Opera and The Independent His main field of research

406-536: The "St. Anthony Chorale" or simply quoted an older theme taken from an unknown source. To date, no other mention of a "St. Anthony Chorale" has been found. The variations are scored for piccolo , 2 flutes , 2 oboes , 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons , contrabassoon , 4 horns (2 in E ♭ , 2 in B ♭ ), 2 trumpets , timpani , triangle , and the normal string section of first and second violins , violas , cellos and double basses . The piece usually takes about 18 minutes to perform. The theme begins with

435-463: The 1970s as conductor of the university society choir and opera club, and teaching History, Counterpoint, Harmony, Analysis, and the Semiotics of Music. Most famous classes were his "Wagner Project Weeks" in which he took students for a week away from Edinburgh to Holy Island , off the coast of Northumberland, for a week of listening and study of Wagner 's Der Ring des Nibelungen . He was granted

464-614: The Little Suite No. 1 for Brass. Sergei Rachmaninoff utilized siciliana style and rhythms in three of his Op. 32 Preludes for piano: the B-flat minor (No. 2), the B minor (No. 10), and the B major (No. 11). Maurice Duruflé 's Suite for Organ (Op. 5) contains a Sicilienne notable for its Impressionist harmonies, and another prominent example is the middle movement of Paul Hindemith 's Organ Sonata No. 2. Hungarian composer György Kurtág references

493-565: The analysis of music as text and The Musical Topic. In the first subject, Monelle was strongly influenced by Derrida 's writings on deconstruction. On the second subject, he presented a research into the topics of the military. Toward the end of his life, he began studying the subject of The Musical Sublime, inspired by the writings of Slavoj Žižek . Monelle joined the Faculty of Music at the University of Edinburgh in 1969 serving throughout

522-703: The aria for soprano "Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden" ("Ah, my heart, 'tis gone forever") from The Magic Flute , the F-sharp minor slow movement of the Piano Concerto, K. 488 , the F minor Adagio from the Piano Sonata, K. 280 , and the finale of the String Quartet in D minor , K. 421. In a more cheerful A major, he used a siciliana as the opening theme of his Piano Sonata, K. 331 . Other examples of Classical sicilianas are

551-512: The choir of Old St Paul's, Edinburgh.. He did some conducting, mainly of choral and opera productions, and was particularly known for his skilled jazz piano playing. He also nurtured the careers of two of Scotland's most notable living musicians, Donald Runnicles and James MacMillan . Variations on a Theme by Haydn The Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn ( German : Variationen über ein Thema von Jos. Haydn ), now also called

580-559: The controversy can be found in Douglas Yeo's 2004 edition of the "Haydn" piece (ISMN M-57015-175-1). In 1870, Brahms's friend Carl Ferdinand Pohl, the librarian of the Vienna Philharmonic Society , who was working on a Haydn biography at the time, showed Brahms a transcription he had made of a piece attributed to Haydn titled "Divertimento No. 1". The second movement bore the heading "St. Anthony Chorale", and it

609-439: The finale, Brahms quotes a passage that really is by Haydn. In measures 463–464, the violas and cellos echo the cello line from measure 148 of the second movement of the latter's "Clock" Symphony , one of the finest examples of Haydn's pioneering work in the symphonic variation form. The reader may compare the two passages by following these links: Brahms , Haydn (see below for link credits). This fragmentary allusion may be

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638-569: The international music scholarship scene. In 1988 he joined the Music Signification Project, founded by Eero Tarasti two years earlier, and became one of the project's leaders, acting as keynote speaker and editor of proceedings in all the International Congresses of Music Signification that followed. His publications touch a wide variety of subjects and musical styles, but focus mainly on two subjects:

667-416: The middle movement of Antonio Vivaldi 's Concerto Grosso, Op. 3, No. 11, from L'estro armonico (which Bach then transcribed as his Concerto in D minor for organ, BWV 596 ), the first movement of Giuseppe Tartini 's " Devil's Trill Sonata " for violin, and the last movement of Arcangelo Corelli 's Christmas Concerto , Op. 6, No. 8. Works in siciliana rhythm appear occasionally in

696-537: The pieces more saleable. Subsequent research has concluded that the wind piece Brahms used as a source does not fit Haydn's style. The wind ensemble piece remains without clear attribution. As a result, Brahms's piece is sometimes referred to today, in recordings and concert programs, as the St. Anthony Variations or Variations on the St. Anthony Chorale , in addition to the original title that Brahms gave it. A detailed survey of

725-551: The style in a surprising way in his 1987 magnum opus, Kafka-Fragmente Op. 24, for soprano and violin in the movement "Der wahre Weg" ("The true path"). Nino Rota 's "Godfather Waltz" is a classic siciliana at the start of his Grammy -winning score for the 1972 film . " Hedwig's Theme ", composed by John Williams for the Harry Potter films, is also in the siciliana genre, with a particular similarity to Fauré's Sicilienne. Other notable examples of siciliana style include

754-543: The third movement of Domenico Cimarosa 's Oboe Concerto, the last movement of Carl Maria von Weber 's Violin Sonata No. 5, and the second movement of Anton Reicha 's Clarinet Quintet in F major, Op. 107. The guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani (1781–1829) was very fond of the siciliana style and frequently composed in it. A notable example is the second movement of his Guitar Concerto No. 1 in A major, Op. 30. Another siciliana written for guitar (with vocal)

783-498: The title of a Reader in 1992(?) and full professorship in 2002(?) the year in which he retired from the university of Edinburgh. After his retirement he continued to teach theory and counterpoint at Napier University in Edinburgh. Monelle composed several works: among them works for piano and for organ, choir arrangements of Christmas Carols and a Mass setting for choir and orchestra, which he later adapted for choir and organ for

812-445: The work on a theme entitled "Chorale St. Antoni", which Brahms found in a wind ensemble composition. When Brahms discovered it, the wind ensemble piece carried an attribution to the composer Joseph Haydn . Brahms titled his own composition accordingly, crediting Haydn for the theme. However, music publishers in the early nineteenth century often attached the names of famous composers to works by unknown or lesser-known composers, to make

841-610: Was Music Signification or, as it is also known, Music Semiotics . Towards the end of his life, he wrote a novel, yet to be published, entitled Bird in the Apple Tree , about the adolescence of the composer Alban Berg . Monelle received a Master of Arts degree in modern history from the University of Oxford and Bachelor of Music degree from the University of London . A member of the Royal Musical Association at least since 1968, he completed his Ph.D. at

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