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EEE TO As indicated in my previous article on Mozart’s bowing marks, Mozart’s string slurs in his violin concertos were practicable and sensi- ble as guides to bowing. What, then, is to be made of his slurs in the horn parts in the same violin concertos? When Mozart added slurs for the horn, they must have been playable. For in- stance, in the violin concerto K. 211 in D major, third movement (Ex. 4a), slurs are indicated for the two consecutive notes of the harmonic series in both the horn parts; these slurs for the upper horn part f"—e"—d" (so part’s d"—c"-s" (sounding e"—d"—a'), are playable. In K. 218, first movement (Ex. 4b), there is a slur unding o"—f" sharp—e") as they are played using notes adjacent to one another in the harmonic series (f"-e"—d"), but there is no slur added in the second horn perhaps be- cause there is a jump in the harmonic series from c"-9' (there is an intervening b! flat at written pitch). In the same movement, however, there is a slurred g'—c" for both the horns (1 Ex. 4c). Per- haps, it was easier to play the upward g'—c". Ex. 4. Excerpts from autographs of Mozart’s violin concertos

Figure 7 EEE TO As indicated in my previous article on Mozart’s bowing marks, Mozart’s string slurs in his violin concertos were practicable and sensi- ble as guides to bowing. What, then, is to be made of his slurs in the horn parts in the same violin concertos? When Mozart added slurs for the horn, they must have been playable. For in- stance, in the violin concerto K. 211 in D major, third movement (Ex. 4a), slurs are indicated for the two consecutive notes of the harmonic series in both the horn parts; these slurs for the upper horn part f"—e"—d" (so part’s d"—c"-s" (sounding e"—d"—a'), are playable. In K. 218, first movement (Ex. 4b), there is a slur unding o"—f" sharp—e") as they are played using notes adjacent to one another in the harmonic series (f"-e"—d"), but there is no slur added in the second horn perhaps be- cause there is a jump in the harmonic series from c"-9' (there is an intervening b! flat at written pitch). In the same movement, however, there is a slurred g'—c" for both the horns (1 Ex. 4c). Per- haps, it was easier to play the upward g'—c". Ex. 4. Excerpts from autographs of Mozart’s violin concertos

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Table 1. Greene’s set of six chamber arias: selected data foliation 291-37r introduced by the library. These must have originated as a discrete group, and in Greene’s archive were possibly stored in a common wrapper, or even stitched or bound together. From this fact alone one would assume (and subsequent analysis strongly confirms) that they form a homogeneous set in the fullest sense, having the same original destination. The seventh aria (La Liberta, on ff. 14r-17v), which is set to a radically different type of literary text —with far-reaching consequences for its musical form — is in that respect an outlier, but it shares so many features with the group of six as regards scoring, vocal specification and general musical character that the idea of a common recipient and period of composition immediately suggests itself.
Table 1. Greene’s set of six chamber arias: selected data foliation 291-37r introduced by the library. These must have originated as a discrete group, and in Greene’s archive were possibly stored in a common wrapper, or even stitched or bound together. From this fact alone one would assume (and subsequent analysis strongly confirms) that they form a homogeneous set in the fullest sense, having the same original destination. The seventh aria (La Liberta, on ff. 14r-17v), which is set to a radically different type of literary text —with far-reaching consequences for its musical form — is in that respect an outlier, but it shares so many features with the group of six as regards scoring, vocal specification and general musical character that the idea of a common recipient and period of composition immediately suggests itself.
Example 1. Maurice Greene, Farfalletta festosetta, bars 10-24 (soprano part only)
Example 1. Maurice Greene, Farfalletta festosetta, bars 10-24 (soprano part only)
Example 2. Maurice Greene, Ne/orror della provella, bars 34—59
Example 2. Maurice Greene, Ne/orror della provella, bars 34—59
Ex. 1. K. 166, third movement (Andante Grazioso): oboe I (above) and English horns (below), bars 1-68 Mozcart’s Divertimento in E flat K. 166 (1773), a work for two oboes, two clarinets, two English horns, two horns and two bassoons, includes eatly examples of his slurs for wind instruments. The score shows how specific he was about the atticulations he intended. In the third move- ment, for example, he inserted, into bars 1-6 of the first oboe and first English horn parts, slurs and dots consistently, showing in detail how he wanted each note to be linked, or shortened as staccato (Ex. 1). When the same melody appears in the horns in bars 37—44, there are, however, no slurs or dots added, accountable because of the difficulty the horn player has in giving the same articulation (Ex. 2). around the middle of the 1770s. By the end of the 1770s his habit was established in most of his scores for every instrument: he wrote slurs out in full and did not add them only to the first ap- pearance of a musical figure, leaving performers to infer the need for slurs on later appearances of the same figure; and, moreover, slurs were not added randomly, unintended or impracticably. He knew how to use the slur sign for different instruments and expected his markings would produce certain effects in articulation, with the result that his music would be performed with good taste. a, oe oo oo Pe ce OO i a ee, ee
Ex. 1. K. 166, third movement (Andante Grazioso): oboe I (above) and English horns (below), bars 1-68 Mozcart’s Divertimento in E flat K. 166 (1773), a work for two oboes, two clarinets, two English horns, two horns and two bassoons, includes eatly examples of his slurs for wind instruments. The score shows how specific he was about the atticulations he intended. In the third move- ment, for example, he inserted, into bars 1-6 of the first oboe and first English horn parts, slurs and dots consistently, showing in detail how he wanted each note to be linked, or shortened as staccato (Ex. 1). When the same melody appears in the horns in bars 37—44, there are, however, no slurs or dots added, accountable because of the difficulty the horn player has in giving the same articulation (Ex. 2). around the middle of the 1770s. By the end of the 1770s his habit was established in most of his scores for every instrument: he wrote slurs out in full and did not add them only to the first ap- pearance of a musical figure, leaving performers to infer the need for slurs on later appearances of the same figure; and, moreover, slurs were not added randomly, unintended or impracticably. He knew how to use the slur sign for different instruments and expected his markings would produce certain effects in articulation, with the result that his music would be performed with good taste. a, oe oo oo Pe ce OO i a ee, ee
Ex. 3 K. 166, fourth movement (Adagio): oboes, English horns, and horns, bars 1-8
Ex. 3 K. 166, fourth movement (Adagio): oboes, English horns, and horns, bars 1-8
In the early 1780s, most composers did not use slurs in orchestral horn parts. Even in concertos, their use was very limited, possibly because composers left matters of articulation to the performers. For instance, in Michael Haydn’s Serenata for orchestra in D major, MH86 (1767), slurs are inserted for a figure in the trombone, while they are omitted when a version, in the same rhythm, is given to the horn. Mozart, however, was always very clear about whether notes could be linked easily or not, and was also aware of the capabilities of individual players. Ex. 4 illustrates what he considered to be the general ability of orchestral players for executing slurred notes. However, when writing his horn concertos for his friend Joseph Leutgeb (1732— 1811), the Austrian horn virtuoso, he was more adventurous. It has always been difficult to judge how and whether a composet’s writing is changed through the influence of a particular performer, but Mozart seems to have made the solo horn parts of unprecedented Ex. 5. K. 371, Rondo: horn solo, bars 142-151 (ff. 3v—4r)!6 According to Hans Pizka, “Leutgeb used very fine rims [mouthpieces], different from ba- roque horn players’ large, flat rims. With such a fine rim, Leutgeb could produce ‘the authentic “Hornbindungen” (slures [sic]), the “canta- bile”’.!5 This could be the reason why Mozart in- dicated these unusual slurs in the horn part, if Leutgeb could connect wide leaps and play them beautifully as legato. Flute slurring
In the early 1780s, most composers did not use slurs in orchestral horn parts. Even in concertos, their use was very limited, possibly because composers left matters of articulation to the performers. For instance, in Michael Haydn’s Serenata for orchestra in D major, MH86 (1767), slurs are inserted for a figure in the trombone, while they are omitted when a version, in the same rhythm, is given to the horn. Mozart, however, was always very clear about whether notes could be linked easily or not, and was also aware of the capabilities of individual players. Ex. 4 illustrates what he considered to be the general ability of orchestral players for executing slurred notes. However, when writing his horn concertos for his friend Joseph Leutgeb (1732— 1811), the Austrian horn virtuoso, he was more adventurous. It has always been difficult to judge how and whether a composet’s writing is changed through the influence of a particular performer, but Mozart seems to have made the solo horn parts of unprecedented Ex. 5. K. 371, Rondo: horn solo, bars 142-151 (ff. 3v—4r)!6 According to Hans Pizka, “Leutgeb used very fine rims [mouthpieces], different from ba- roque horn players’ large, flat rims. With such a fine rim, Leutgeb could produce ‘the authentic “Hornbindungen” (slures [sic]), the “canta- bile”’.!5 This could be the reason why Mozart in- dicated these unusual slurs in the horn part, if Leutgeb could connect wide leaps and play them beautifully as legato. Flute slurring
Ex. 8. K. 299, second movement: flute solo, bars 42 and 74 (ff. 32v, 35v)2’ cal Exx. 7 and 8 illustrate the shared practice in K. 315 and K. 299 (also shared with the quar- tet, K. 285). In the second movement, Mozart linked the first slur to the tie in bar 42, while the second slur was marked separately from its pre- vious tied note. In bar 74, both the slurs before and after the tie do not include the tied notes. Although the second slur after the tied note seems to have started earlier than the semiquaver c", this is its most likely starting point on musical rounds, rather than the b". Mozart was quite consistent, then, in keeping slurs apart from their previous tied notes. Yet, what does this mean? previous tied notes. Yet, what does this mean?
Ex. 8. K. 299, second movement: flute solo, bars 42 and 74 (ff. 32v, 35v)2’ cal Exx. 7 and 8 illustrate the shared practice in K. 315 and K. 299 (also shared with the quar- tet, K. 285). In the second movement, Mozart linked the first slur to the tie in bar 42, while the second slur was marked separately from its pre- vious tied note. In bar 74, both the slurs before and after the tie do not include the tied notes. Although the second slur after the tied note seems to have started earlier than the semiquaver c", this is its most likely starting point on musical rounds, rather than the b". Mozart was quite consistent, then, in keeping slurs apart from their previous tied notes. Yet, what does this mean? previous tied notes. Yet, what does this mean?
Ex. 10. K. 285, second movement: flute, bars 5—6
Ex. 10. K. 285, second movement: flute, bars 5—6
Ex. 11. K. 285, first movement: flute and violin, bars 17-18 (f. 1v) Apart from these fundamental technical considerations, Mozart’s slurs were also helpful to show how he wanted the music shaped. The second movement of K. 285, an Adagio, has a vocal-inspired idiom with its accompaniment of string pizzicato. As Quantz indicated, with a slur, the player does not need to accentuate every note, but the first one only. In other words, notes under or above a slur are to be performed in one gesture, since players do not separate the notes through re-tonging. In bars 5—6 (see Ex. 10), Mozart did not give a whole-bar slur in each bar, but left each dotted crotchet alone and slurred the rest of the six semiquavers. Did Mo- zart not want a continuously phrased line in each bar? He did, but he also needed to ensure that the phrase was appropriately shaped.*°
Ex. 11. K. 285, first movement: flute and violin, bars 17-18 (f. 1v) Apart from these fundamental technical considerations, Mozart’s slurs were also helpful to show how he wanted the music shaped. The second movement of K. 285, an Adagio, has a vocal-inspired idiom with its accompaniment of string pizzicato. As Quantz indicated, with a slur, the player does not need to accentuate every note, but the first one only. In other words, notes under or above a slur are to be performed in one gesture, since players do not separate the notes through re-tonging. In bars 5—6 (see Ex. 10), Mozart did not give a whole-bar slur in each bar, but left each dotted crotchet alone and slurred the rest of the six semiquavers. Did Mo- zart not want a continuously phrased line in each bar? He did, but he also needed to ensure that the phrase was appropriately shaped.*°
Ex. 12. K. 370, first movement: oboe, bars 31—34 (f. 1v)%° When Mozart wrote his F major Oboe Quartet (oboe, violin, viola and cello), K. 370, in he early 1781, however, he seems to have taken in approach different to the one in his flute writ- ng.3> During his stay in Munich, a great German »boist, Friedrich Ramm, was also there.34+ Mozart iad earlier written a Sinfonia Concertante in which the oboe part was written for Ramm.%5 [he oboe quartet, K. 370, was probably also Since Mozart was probably writing for a professional oboist, he could focus on conveying shape rather than purely technical matters. In the third movement, Rondeau, Mozart opens by giv- ing the main theme to the oboe, which is re- peated by the violins (1 the slurring pattern of tained. To the violinist, Ex. 13). When repeated, the first statement is re- this is a simple passage, ee i - iia “iia In bars 31-32 of the first movement (see Ex. 12), Mozart indicated double slurs. The big- ger slur in each bar guides an articulatory accent on the first dotted crotchet and the connection of all the notes under it. Within this bigger slur, the smaller slur could be a visual-aid for group- ing the small notes. In the following bars 33-34, his cross-bar slur covers thirty-two semiquavers. Such a long slur was unusual at a time when composers, in the 1770s and early 1780s, still in- dicated short articulation slurs, within-bar, or simple cross-bar slurs for the oboe, as can be seen in Antonio Salieri’s Concerto for Flute and Oboe in C major (1774), and Ignaz Pleyel’s Sym- phonie Concertante in E flat major, B.111 (1786). which the oboe part was written for Ramm.%* and the slurring is easy for the bowing too. The same passage for the oboe, however, is not so simple because the highest pitches, c" and d", are beyond the best part of the range.*” Mozart must have known, or presumed, that the oboist would have had no difficulty in playing the same artic- ulation as found in the violin part.
Ex. 12. K. 370, first movement: oboe, bars 31—34 (f. 1v)%° When Mozart wrote his F major Oboe Quartet (oboe, violin, viola and cello), K. 370, in he early 1781, however, he seems to have taken in approach different to the one in his flute writ- ng.3> During his stay in Munich, a great German »boist, Friedrich Ramm, was also there.34+ Mozart iad earlier written a Sinfonia Concertante in which the oboe part was written for Ramm.%5 [he oboe quartet, K. 370, was probably also Since Mozart was probably writing for a professional oboist, he could focus on conveying shape rather than purely technical matters. In the third movement, Rondeau, Mozart opens by giv- ing the main theme to the oboe, which is re- peated by the violins (1 the slurring pattern of tained. To the violinist, Ex. 13). When repeated, the first statement is re- this is a simple passage, ee i - iia “iia In bars 31-32 of the first movement (see Ex. 12), Mozart indicated double slurs. The big- ger slur in each bar guides an articulatory accent on the first dotted crotchet and the connection of all the notes under it. Within this bigger slur, the smaller slur could be a visual-aid for group- ing the small notes. In the following bars 33-34, his cross-bar slur covers thirty-two semiquavers. Such a long slur was unusual at a time when composers, in the 1770s and early 1780s, still in- dicated short articulation slurs, within-bar, or simple cross-bar slurs for the oboe, as can be seen in Antonio Salieri’s Concerto for Flute and Oboe in C major (1774), and Ignaz Pleyel’s Sym- phonie Concertante in E flat major, B.111 (1786). which the oboe part was written for Ramm.%* and the slurring is easy for the bowing too. The same passage for the oboe, however, is not so simple because the highest pitches, c" and d", are beyond the best part of the range.*” Mozart must have known, or presumed, that the oboist would have had no difficulty in playing the same artic- ulation as found in the violin part.
Ex. 13. K. 370, third movement: oboe (above), bars 1-8; violin (below), bars 9-14 ‘Inconsistent’ slurring patterns parts in parallel motion, and only vary according to the technical requirements of particular in- struments. Yet, slightly different articulation pat- terns are common between parallel passages, and between simultaneous parts, in eighteenth cen- tury music. Although some composers tended not to include detailed performing guidance, others were meticulous, while at same time
Ex. 13. K. 370, third movement: oboe (above), bars 1-8; violin (below), bars 9-14 ‘Inconsistent’ slurring patterns parts in parallel motion, and only vary according to the technical requirements of particular in- struments. Yet, slightly different articulation pat- terns are common between parallel passages, and between simultaneous parts, in eighteenth cen- tury music. Although some composers tended not to include detailed performing guidance, others were meticulous, while at same time
Ex, 14. K. 285, third movement: flute (above) and violin (below), bars 154-160 (ff. 13r-13v) An example illustrating a variant slurring yattern reflecting the capabilities of the instru- nents occurs in the third movement of K. 285 Ex. 14). Here the violin (below) is in parallel enths with the flute (above) in bars 154—60, and, xcept in bar 154, the slurring pattern is the same n both parts. The sudden dynamical change fp, yn. the second beat of bar 154 requires a tonged 1ote in the flute, whereas in the violin, all three ing to lend interest to this fast-tempo passage. notes can be slurred without compromising an abrupt articulatory accent. As is typical of Mo- zatt, neither slur in bar 155 is connected to the second tied note (although this is not very clear in the flute). In this case, however, the slur takes on different meanings because of the types of in- strument involved: in the violin part, it indicates a change of bow stroke, whereas for the flautist it might suggest where to take a breath (as well as tongue). The effect of both, however, is to give a slight articulatory pause after the tie, help- ing to lend interest to this fast-tempo passage. welcome variation that was doubtless inten- tional. In this case we have an intentional ‘incon- sistency’.°?
Ex, 14. K. 285, third movement: flute (above) and violin (below), bars 154-160 (ff. 13r-13v) An example illustrating a variant slurring yattern reflecting the capabilities of the instru- nents occurs in the third movement of K. 285 Ex. 14). Here the violin (below) is in parallel enths with the flute (above) in bars 154—60, and, xcept in bar 154, the slurring pattern is the same n both parts. The sudden dynamical change fp, yn. the second beat of bar 154 requires a tonged 1ote in the flute, whereas in the violin, all three ing to lend interest to this fast-tempo passage. notes can be slurred without compromising an abrupt articulatory accent. As is typical of Mo- zatt, neither slur in bar 155 is connected to the second tied note (although this is not very clear in the flute). In this case, however, the slur takes on different meanings because of the types of in- strument involved: in the violin part, it indicates a change of bow stroke, whereas for the flautist it might suggest where to take a breath (as well as tongue). The effect of both, however, is to give a slight articulatory pause after the tie, help- ing to lend interest to this fast-tempo passage. welcome variation that was doubtless inten- tional. In this case we have an intentional ‘incon- sistency’.°?
Ex. 15. K. 335/1: oboe and violin, bars 23-26 (p. 3)4° From c.1773, Mozart was already famil- iat with the techniques of different wind instru- ments. As a result, his use of slurs for these in- struments varies, since the practical considera- tions are always taken into account. Sometimes the performer’s ability was a consideration, while at other times, slurs could be used to create par- ticular articulation effects and sonorities, and helped lend shape to the music. There is no sign that slurs in Mozart’s music are entered ran- domly or are unintended. Instead, there is evi- dence that they are an integral part of Mozart’s performing guidance.
Ex. 15. K. 335/1: oboe and violin, bars 23-26 (p. 3)4° From c.1773, Mozart was already famil- iat with the techniques of different wind instru- ments. As a result, his use of slurs for these in- struments varies, since the practical considera- tions are always taken into account. Sometimes the performer’s ability was a consideration, while at other times, slurs could be used to create par- ticular articulation effects and sonorities, and helped lend shape to the music. There is no sign that slurs in Mozart’s music are entered ran- domly or are unintended. Instead, there is evi- dence that they are an integral part of Mozart’s performing guidance.
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