Corelli's Ornamentation

Author(s): Sol Babitz

Source: Music & Letters, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Apr., 1953), p. 182
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/730870 .
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MUSIC AND LETTERS MUSIC AND LETTERS MUSIC AND LETTERS MUSIC AND LETTERS
combinations. He
replaced
it
by another,
and far
finer,
movement in
ER,
the one which now stands in the trio.
We must
believe, surely,
that there was no
long delay
between
Schubert's attraction to the
pile-drivers' song
and its
incorporation
in an
instrumental work. This means that the Trio in
B[
dates
probably
from
1826,
and
possibly
from late
I825.
Marlborough.
MAURICE
J.
E. BROWN.
CORELLI'S ORNAMENTATION
Sir,
Stewart
Deas, writing
in Music & LETTERS
(January I953)
on Corelli's
ornamentation of the first six sonatas of his
Op.
5, says
that such orna-
mentation has no
place
in the
straightforward
dance movements of the
second
part
of the book. If this is so then Geminiani's excellent ornamen-
tation of the
complete
sonata
IX,
as
published
in Hawkins's
History,
is a
mistake.
At the bottom of the matter is the desire on the
part
of Messrs.
Deas,
Pincherle and others to leave well
enough
alone and stem the
progress
of
the idea of free ornamentation of
early
music
by
modern violinists.
Only
by ignoring
historical facts can the
arguments against
free ornamentation
be
presented.
Pincherle's statement that Corelli's written-out ornaments
are
merely pedagogic
can be
easily
refuted on the concert
stage by playing
both versions in
succession,
as has been done,
and
leaving
the decision to
the audience.
1970 Cheremoya,
SOL BABITZ.
Hollywood
28,
California.
THE LONDON AUTOGRAPH OF 'THE
48'
Sir,
In
your January
issue, page
40,
Miss Richardson makes a
slip
in
stating
that I informed her that " Miss Emett received ?8 when she sold
the
manuscript
in
1879
". The information I
gave
her was that Miss
Emett
paid
Clarissa Clarke ?8 for the
autograph
in
I879.
The
receipt
for
this sum is included in Add. MS.
35,022
in the British
Museum, signed
by
Clarissa Clarke and dated
June I9th I879.
Lewes.
STANLEY GODMAN.
HANDEL'S 'ESTHER'
Sir,
Under 'Handeliana'
(Music
&
LETTERS, April I950),
I
suggested
that
Burney's
statements that a
performance
of' Esther' was
given
at the
house of Bernard
Gates,
on
February 23rd 1731 (i.e. I732),
were
open
to
question,
because of a reference in a
manuscript
of the work sold some
years ago by
Ellis of Bond Street. This I had not
seen,
but I should now
like to record that I have
recently purchased
a fine
contemporary
manu-
script
of the oratorio which confirms the
evidence, given
in the Ellis
manuscript,
that the work was
performed
on the date mentioned at the
combinations. He
replaced
it
by another,
and far
finer,
movement in
ER,
the one which now stands in the trio.
We must
believe, surely,
that there was no
long delay
between
Schubert's attraction to the
pile-drivers' song
and its
incorporation
in an
instrumental work. This means that the Trio in
B[
dates
probably
from
1826,
and
possibly
from late
I825.
Marlborough.
MAURICE
J.
E. BROWN.
CORELLI'S ORNAMENTATION
Sir,
Stewart
Deas, writing
in Music & LETTERS
(January I953)
on Corelli's
ornamentation of the first six sonatas of his
Op.
5, says
that such orna-
mentation has no
place
in the
straightforward
dance movements of the
second
part
of the book. If this is so then Geminiani's excellent ornamen-
tation of the
complete
sonata
IX,
as
published
in Hawkins's
History,
is a
mistake.
At the bottom of the matter is the desire on the
part
of Messrs.
Deas,
Pincherle and others to leave well
enough
alone and stem the
progress
of
the idea of free ornamentation of
early
music
by
modern violinists.
Only
by ignoring
historical facts can the
arguments against
free ornamentation
be
presented.
Pincherle's statement that Corelli's written-out ornaments
are
merely pedagogic
can be
easily
refuted on the concert
stage by playing
both versions in
succession,
as has been done,
and
leaving
the decision to
the audience.
1970 Cheremoya,
SOL BABITZ.
Hollywood
28,
California.
THE LONDON AUTOGRAPH OF 'THE
48'
Sir,
In
your January
issue, page
40,
Miss Richardson makes a
slip
in
stating
that I informed her that " Miss Emett received ?8 when she sold
the
manuscript
in
1879
". The information I
gave
her was that Miss
Emett
paid
Clarissa Clarke ?8 for the
autograph
in
I879.
The
receipt
for
this sum is included in Add. MS.
35,022
in the British
Museum, signed
by
Clarissa Clarke and dated
June I9th I879.
Lewes.
STANLEY GODMAN.
HANDEL'S 'ESTHER'
Sir,
Under 'Handeliana'
(Music
&
LETTERS, April I950),
I
suggested
that
Burney's
statements that a
performance
of' Esther' was
given
at the
house of Bernard
Gates,
on
February 23rd 1731 (i.e. I732),
were
open
to
question,
because of a reference in a
manuscript
of the work sold some
years ago by
Ellis of Bond Street. This I had not
seen,
but I should now
like to record that I have
recently purchased
a fine
contemporary
manu-
script
of the oratorio which confirms the
evidence, given
in the Ellis
manuscript,
that the work was
performed
on the date mentioned at the
combinations. He
replaced
it
by another,
and far
finer,
movement in
ER,
the one which now stands in the trio.
We must
believe, surely,
that there was no
long delay
between
Schubert's attraction to the
pile-drivers' song
and its
incorporation
in an
instrumental work. This means that the Trio in
B[
dates
probably
from
1826,
and
possibly
from late
I825.
Marlborough.
MAURICE
J.
E. BROWN.
CORELLI'S ORNAMENTATION
Sir,
Stewart
Deas, writing
in Music & LETTERS
(January I953)
on Corelli's
ornamentation of the first six sonatas of his
Op.
5, says
that such orna-
mentation has no
place
in the
straightforward
dance movements of the
second
part
of the book. If this is so then Geminiani's excellent ornamen-
tation of the
complete
sonata
IX,
as
published
in Hawkins's
History,
is a
mistake.
At the bottom of the matter is the desire on the
part
of Messrs.
Deas,
Pincherle and others to leave well
enough
alone and stem the
progress
of
the idea of free ornamentation of
early
music
by
modern violinists.
Only
by ignoring
historical facts can the
arguments against
free ornamentation
be
presented.
Pincherle's statement that Corelli's written-out ornaments
are
merely pedagogic
can be
easily
refuted on the concert
stage by playing
both versions in
succession,
as has been done,
and
leaving
the decision to
the audience.
1970 Cheremoya,
SOL BABITZ.
Hollywood
28,
California.
THE LONDON AUTOGRAPH OF 'THE
48'
Sir,
In
your January
issue, page
40,
Miss Richardson makes a
slip
in
stating
that I informed her that " Miss Emett received ?8 when she sold
the
manuscript
in
1879
". The information I
gave
her was that Miss
Emett
paid
Clarissa Clarke ?8 for the
autograph
in
I879.
The
receipt
for
this sum is included in Add. MS.
35,022
in the British
Museum, signed
by
Clarissa Clarke and dated
June I9th I879.
Lewes.
STANLEY GODMAN.
HANDEL'S 'ESTHER'
Sir,
Under 'Handeliana'
(Music
&
LETTERS, April I950),
I
suggested
that
Burney's
statements that a
performance
of' Esther' was
given
at the
house of Bernard
Gates,
on
February 23rd 1731 (i.e. I732),
were
open
to
question,
because of a reference in a
manuscript
of the work sold some
years ago by
Ellis of Bond Street. This I had not
seen,
but I should now
like to record that I have
recently purchased
a fine
contemporary
manu-
script
of the oratorio which confirms the
evidence, given
in the Ellis
manuscript,
that the work was
performed
on the date mentioned at the
combinations. He
replaced
it
by another,
and far
finer,
movement in
ER,
the one which now stands in the trio.
We must
believe, surely,
that there was no
long delay
between
Schubert's attraction to the
pile-drivers' song
and its
incorporation
in an
instrumental work. This means that the Trio in
B[
dates
probably
from
1826,
and
possibly
from late
I825.
Marlborough.
MAURICE
J.
E. BROWN.
CORELLI'S ORNAMENTATION
Sir,
Stewart
Deas, writing
in Music & LETTERS
(January I953)
on Corelli's
ornamentation of the first six sonatas of his
Op.
5, says
that such orna-
mentation has no
place
in the
straightforward
dance movements of the
second
part
of the book. If this is so then Geminiani's excellent ornamen-
tation of the
complete
sonata
IX,
as
published
in Hawkins's
History,
is a
mistake.
At the bottom of the matter is the desire on the
part
of Messrs.
Deas,
Pincherle and others to leave well
enough
alone and stem the
progress
of
the idea of free ornamentation of
early
music
by
modern violinists.
Only
by ignoring
historical facts can the
arguments against
free ornamentation
be
presented.
Pincherle's statement that Corelli's written-out ornaments
are
merely pedagogic
can be
easily
refuted on the concert
stage by playing
both versions in
succession,
as has been done,
and
leaving
the decision to
the audience.
1970 Cheremoya,
SOL BABITZ.
Hollywood
28,
California.
THE LONDON AUTOGRAPH OF 'THE
48'
Sir,
In
your January
issue, page
40,
Miss Richardson makes a
slip
in
stating
that I informed her that " Miss Emett received ?8 when she sold
the
manuscript
in
1879
". The information I
gave
her was that Miss
Emett
paid
Clarissa Clarke ?8 for the
autograph
in
I879.
The
receipt
for
this sum is included in Add. MS.
35,022
in the British
Museum, signed
by
Clarissa Clarke and dated
June I9th I879.
Lewes.
STANLEY GODMAN.
HANDEL'S 'ESTHER'
Sir,
Under 'Handeliana'
(Music
&
LETTERS, April I950),
I
suggested
that
Burney's
statements that a
performance
of' Esther' was
given
at the
house of Bernard
Gates,
on
February 23rd 1731 (i.e. I732),
were
open
to
question,
because of a reference in a
manuscript
of the work sold some
years ago by
Ellis of Bond Street. This I had not
seen,
but I should now
like to record that I have
recently purchased
a fine
contemporary
manu-
script
of the oratorio which confirms the
evidence, given
in the Ellis
manuscript,
that the work was
performed
on the date mentioned at the
182 182 182 182