Partita, Scherzo
for solo violin
Grażyna Bacewicz’s Partita for solo violin was written shortly after she completed her composition studies on a scholarship at the Ecole normale de musique in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and instrumental studies with the legendary Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch. Her contact with those two outstanding personalities exerted a huge influence on the style of Bacewicz’s music at that time. The prototype for this work was a version for violin and piano composed at the very beginning of the 30s. Bacewicz decided to alter the first movement and arrange the work for solo violin. This three-movement Partita is marked on one hand by the great exuberance of the outer movements and on the other by the tangible Parisian elegance. The middle movement Andante is a very lyrical, somewhat melancholy song. These skilfully contrasted movements make up a composition that is complete in terms of form and variety of characters.
Interestingly, the year of this work’s composition (1935) was the year Grażyna Bacewicz received first distinction in the 1st International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition. At that time, she was on brilliant form as a violinist, as is evidenced by the huge virtuosity and showstopping character of the works she wrote at that time, including the Partita.
Grażyna Bacewicz’s Scherzo for solo violin is an exceptional and very valuable work. It expands the still modest repertoire for unaccompanied violin. This virtuosic minia-ture, lasting just a few minutes, was written in 1945. The motif that evolves as the work progresses is initially presented in the key of C major, before modulating to many different keys, sometimes quite distant from one another, in a sequential man-ner that is characteristic of many of Bacewicz’s works. A layer of humour and refined wit conceals a wealth of ideas, which at first seem rather conventional, but reveal their musical depth on closer analysis and as the work unfolds.
This light, airy and joyful Scherzo will certainly be to the taste of all violinists seeking striking and interesting works. It will be a splendid choice for every concert occasion, as part of a recital or as an encore piece.
My proposed fingering and bowing are based largely on ideas and suggestions contained in the autograph manuscripts of these works. The composer was also an excellent violinist and knew perfectly well how to prepare a work to meet the requirements of comfortable and effective instrumental performance.
- Editor: Agata Szymczewska
- Series: Strumento
- ISMN 979-0-2740-3047-2
- Language of edition: eng, pol
- Number of pages: 20
- Cover: softcover
- No. of edition: 1
- Published: 2020
- Type: instrumental solo
- Size: N4 vertical (235x305 mm)
Other titles in the series
Jean Baptiste Accola
Concerto in A minor
Buy in the new PWM bookstore13,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Grażyna Bacewicz
Easy Duets on Folk Themes
Buy in the new PWM bookstore15,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Grażyna Bacewicz
Two Studies for Double Notes
Buy in the new PWM bookstore8,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Grażyna Bacewicz
Partita (youthful work)
Buy in the new PWM bookstore15,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Other author's publications
Grażyna Bacewicz
Violin Concerto No. 2
Buy in the new PWM bookstore33,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Grażyna Bacewicz
Polish Heroines of Music
Buy in the new PWM bookstore15,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Grażyna Bacewicz
Violin Concerto No. 7
Buy in the new PWM bookstore30,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Grażyna Bacewicz
Concerto for String Orchestra
Buy in the new PWM bookstore22,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Grażyna Bacewicz
String Quartet (youthful work)
Buy in the new PWM bookstore29,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Grażyna Bacewicz
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Buy in the new PWM bookstore25,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Violin solo
Joachim Kaczkowski
Six Etudes or Caprices, Op. 13
Buy in the new PWM bookstore11,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Henryk Schradieck
Finger Exercises in Seven Positions
Buy in the new PWM bookstore15,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Henryk Wieniawski
L'École moderne - Études-Caprices
Buy in the new PWM bookstore22,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Solo
Antoni Stolpe
Selected pieces for piano
Buy in the new PWM bookstore16,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Krystyna Moszumańska
3 Concert Studies
Buy in the new PWM bookstore12,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Ignacy Feliks Dobrzy
Fantaisie sur des thèmes de l’opéra "Don
Buy in the new PWM bookstore25,00 EUR Suggested retail price.
Marta Ptaszyńska
Bells of St. Catherine
Buy in the new PWM bookstore9,00 EUR Suggested retail price.