Vocalise for soprano and viola
ed. Ewa Biegas
Vocalise for soprano and viola was written in 1952, when the 22-year-old Józef Świder was on the verge of choosing his musical path. Studying three objects (theory, piano and composition withBolesław Woytowicz), the young most passsionately devote his artistic life's journey to composing. Most of his new works reflect his fascination with the human voice, clarly undercoring his links with the word of amateur and professional singing. That fascination would endure till the end of his life, becoming the main strand in the Silesian composer's oeuvre.
From the opening bars of this work, the composer draws the listener into an exeptional, unique world of musical dialogue between two media very rarely juxtaposed: the viola and the human voice. This composition is lent a special 'flavour' by the frequent agogic changes (from an initial Allegro moderato, it passes into Andante, befor returning to the Tempo primo and ending with a dignified Lento), rare rhythmic figurations, unusual harmonic solutions and melodic progressions remarkably merged in the musical conversation. The difficulties which the composer sets before the performers require exeptional predispositions, both vocal and instrumental, to fully convey the specificities of his musical language.
In his journal, the composer made the following remark: 'In January, I wrote a vocalise for soprano and viola at the professor's request. Looking back, I think I wrote entirely unwittingly, which may explain how it turned out so well, as everyone climes'. Yet one cannot resist the impression that this 'unwittingly' written work presages on of Swider's most important mature compositions: the Concerto for soprano and orchestra. [Ewa Biegus, translated by John Comber]
- Series: Canto
- ISMN 979-0-2740-2308-9
- Language of edition: eng, pol
- Number of pages: 12+8
- Cover: softcover
- No. of edition: 1
- Published: 2019
- Type: solo part (vocal) + accompaniment
- Size: N4 vertical (235x305 mm)
