Cadenza Study
Cadenza Study
Cadenza Study
This thesis is an analytical study of various cadenzas written for the first movement of
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K.466. As one of the six of his own concertos for
which Mozart did not provide an original cadenza, the D minor concerto poses an important
challenge to the performer: should she compose or improvise her own cadenza, or should she
select one written by someone else? Many composer/pianists active during the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries penned cadenzas to this concerto for their own use, and this thesis explores
those by August Eberhard Müller, Emanuel Aloys Förster, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann
Busoni, Bedrich Smetana and Paul Badura-Skoda. In addition to these written-out cadenzas, it
also discusses improvised cadenzas in the recordings by Robert Levin and Chick Corea. Each
composer/pianist’s unique compositional style is illuminated through the study of each cadenza,
and consideration of these styles allows multiple views on a single concerto. A discussion of the
meaning and history of cadenzas precedes the analytical study, and in conclusion, the author
Dr. Karim Al-Zand, for your guidance and wonderful insight during my research.
Dr. Jon Kimura Parker, for being the endless source of my inspiration, in every way.
Dr. Robert Roux and Dr. Richard Lavenda for your continuous support throughout my five years
of study at Rice University.
And my deepest love and gratitude to my parents, for always believing in me.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Acknowledgements
Introduction.......................................................................................................1
Conclusion.......................................................................................................96
Bibliography
Appendix
Robert Levin’s Improvised Cadenza
Jeewon Lee’s Cadenza
1
Introduction
In April 2009 I performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466 at the
Shepherd School of Music, Rice University. This experience sparked my interest in pursuing
cadenzas in Mozart as a research topic. This piece has always been one of my favorite
concertos, one that I had always wanted to learn and perform. I studied the score, listened to
many recordings, and spent hundreds of hours at the piano with the hope of giving the best
performance I could.
With only days left before the performance, I suddenly realized that, just as in many of
the famous recordings of this concerto, I was playing Beethoven’s cadenza. By force of habit
from my youth, I had simply flipped to the end of the score, found the cadenza, and
automatically played the one presented in that particular edition. But, as a graduate student
without any compositional training, I was left embarrassed and with few options. I had never
questioned the justification for why I was playing that particular cadenza, besides the fact that
Little did I know that there are more than a dozen cadenzas written for this concerto. A
few months after the performance, however, I realized it was not really a coincidence that so
many people play Beethoven’s cadenza for Mozart K. 466; most other students and colleagues
played that cadenza for the exact same reason I did. We spend hours trying to learn the notes
and give a performance that is technically flawless and beautiful musically. Yet, we hardly think
about recreating the piece according to the spirit Mozart intended when he wrote it, over 250
years ago.
Today, with little training in composition or improvisation, the vast majority of pianists
brilliance has left the modern audience without any surprises to look forward to at the grand
cadential fermata in a concerto movement. Countless audio recordings and easy media access
only intensify the problem, since today’s audiences know the works more intimately than
audiences of Mozart’s time, and might even expect a particular extant cadenza.
Selecting a cadenza, or choosing to improvise one is one of the most personal aspects of
performing any concerto. In a recent New York Times article, “Titans Clash over a Mere
Cadenza,” Daniel J. Wakin writes about Hélène Grimaud’s cancellation of her recording contract
and performances of Mozart Piano Concerto No. 19 and No. 23.1 Claudio Abbado insisted that
their recording include Mozart’s cadenzas and Grimaud demanded that it is the soloist’s
prerogative to choose her own cadenza, in this case, Busoni’s cadenza. Grimaud commented,
“...it's pretty clear he has no interest in working with someone who doesn't do what he likes,”
referring to Abbado, who declined to comment. While it is almost shocking that the two artists
who had been collaborating for years can clash over a cadenza, this story confirms the stylistic
The popularity of Mozart’s K. 466 throughout the nineteenth century led many
composer/pianists to write their own cadenzas to the concerto. K. 466, along with Don Giovanni
and the G Minor Symphony, is among his ‘romantic’ works and placed Mozart as the supreme
composer in most musicians’ minds. Unlike many other concertos written for Mozart’s patrons,
K. 466 was written and premiered by the composer. Within ten years of his death it was
performed by important composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, who rarely engaged in
In this thesis, I will trace the origin of the cadenza and its development, raise important
issues regarding the cadenza in general, and examine aesthetic, stylistic and analytical matters in
various cadenzas written for Mozart’s concerto, K. 466. At the end of this thesis, I will provide
1
Daniel J. Wakin, “Titans Clash over a Mere Cadenza,” New York Times, October 30, 2011.
3
masterpiece. It is my hope that this thesis will encourage more students and today’s performers
to make informed, yet personal decisions in choosing a cadenza for their performances.
4
Chapter 1: A Brief History of the Origin and Performance Practice of the Cadenza
Like many musical terms we use today, the meaning of the word “cadenza” has evolved
through several different eras in music history. From thirteenth-century medieval polyphony to
refers to the practice of elaborating the end of a single melodic line. “Cadenza” derives from the
same root as “cadence,” the Latin cadere meaning “to fall,” which relates to the function of the
cadence to bring a phrase to closure. Beyond this basic understanding, however, the function,
scope, context, and syntax of the word has gradually developed along with the genres in which
The instrumental cadenza found at the end of a concerto movement comes from the vocal
practice of embellishing the penultimate note in a cadence, a practice that flourished from the
late seventeenth to early eighteenth century. In operatic arias, singers freely improvised the
penultimate note of a melody, usually either the second or seventh degrees of the scale over
dominant harmony. This decoration delayed the final cadence and served as a chance for the
singer to dazzle the audience with brilliant vocal technique. Trills, scales, turns, and other types
of passagi were improvised according to the taste of the singer. Very often, singers overly
treatises, such as Pier Francesco Tosi, appealed for moderation from their contemporary singers,
and even discouraged the practice of improvising. Tosi, in his chapter entitled “Cadences,”
Generally speaking, the Study of the Singers of the present Times consists in terminating the
Cadence of the first Part with an overflowing of Passages and Divisions ad Pleasure, and the
Orchestre waits; in that of the second Dose is encreased, and the Orchestre grows tired; but on
the last Cadence, the Throat is set a going, like a Weather-cock in a Whirlwind, and the
5
Orchestre yawns. But why must the World be thus continually deafened with so many Divisions?
I must (with your leave, Gentlemen Moderns) say in Favour of the Profession, that good Taste
does not consist in a continual Velocity of the Voice, which goes thus rambling on, without a
Guide, and without Foundation...2
Tosi’s account offers an amusing yet compelling testimony to overindulgence in this vocal
practice, since scant evidence of the practice survives today. Despite the criticisms of theorists,
however, the performance practice of freely improvising before the tonic resolution of a cadence
became a standardized expectation from both the audience and composer in the mid-eighteenth
century.
The vocal practice and theory of the cadenza gave rise to a number of instrumental
counterparts from the middle of the eighteenth-century. The most important treatises to include
information on the instrumental cadenza include those by Giuseppe Tartini (1740), Johann
Joachim Quantz (1752), Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach (1753), and Daniel Gottlob Türk (1789).
These treatises, which consist of lessons on harmony and technique as well as the authors’ views
“cadenza” in their treatises. The composers and theorists of this period rather loosely used the
terms, cadenza, perfido, cadence, and capriccio, eingang, among others, to describe any
virtuosic passage near a cadence. How one defined this kind of passage varied from one country
to the next and according to the specific timeframe within the eighteenth-century. According to
Eva Badura-Scoda, the distinction between the Italian term, cadenza for fermata embellishments
and the French cadence for a harmonic progression at the end of a phrase, first came about in
2
Pier Francesco Tosi, Observations on the Florid Song, trans. John Ernest Galliard (New York:
Johnson Reprint Corp, 1968), 128-129.
6
Quantz, in his chapter entitled “Of Cadenza,” discusses his belief that cadenzas first came
into use in Corelli’s twelve solos for the violin, which were published in 1716. More
importantly, Quantz makes a distinction between these earlier examples of cadenza and the types
Perhaps the surest account which can be given of the origin of cadenzas is that several
years before the end of the previous century, and in the first ten years of the present one, the
close of a concertante part was made with a little passage over a moving bass, to which a good
shake4 was attached; between 1710 and 1716, or thereabouts, the cadenzas customary at present
in which the bass must pause, became the mode.5
This statement evinces the origin of the instrumental cadenza as we understand it today, in which
the ornamentation of cadences began to require the bass to pause. Daniel Gottlieb Türk, in
discussing the origin of cadenza, gives precisely the same dates as Quantz does:
Formerly before a cadence, only such embellishments were used which required no cessation of
the meter...These so-called figurated cadences apparently found favor, then were enlarged and at
the same time were not so closely bound to the meter. Accompanists were so obliging as to yield
(to linger) slightly until finally, little by little extempore cadenzas were the result. The origin is
placed in the year 1710 to 1716. The country of origin is very likely Italy.6
In both cases, the authors place the origin of cadenza between 1710 and 1716. They also
emphasize the soloist role in embellishing the cadence over a paused bass. This new stylistic
element suggests that the degree of embellishment was high enough that the music required a
3
Eva Badura-Skoda, "Cadenza" Grove Music Online, accessed November 10th, 2011,
<http://www.grovemusic.com>.
4
Early English term for trill.
5
Johann Joachim Quantz, On Playing the Flute, trans. Edward R. Reilly (New York: Schirmer
Books, 1975), 179.
6
Daniel Gottlob Türk, School of Clavier Playing Or Instructions in Playing the Clavier for
Teachers and Students, trans. Raymond Haggh (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska, 1982),
297.
7
In the early eighteenth century, the late Baroque masters Bach and Handel were also
writing solo keyboard concertos. Bach produced many of these concertos in the Italian style,
which he emulated by studying Vivaldi’s concertos. One of these concertos, the first movement
of the Fifth Brandenburg concerto, famously showcases a written-out cadenza-like section for
the harpsichord. During this passage all the other instruments come to a complete stop while the
harpsichordist plays a virtuosic, freely modulatory sixty-five bar passage of music. Since many
cadenzas or cadenza-like sections were improvised and not written down, the Fifth Brandenburg
concerto is a valuable testimony to understanding the style of the Mozartian cadenza in its early
stages of development.
At this period in the evolution of the cadenza, not all cadenzas were improvised and in
fact, some, like Bach’s Brandeburg Concerto No. 5, were written down by the composer. The
composer may have written it for his own performance, or for the performances of less skillful
students or patrons who could not improvise on the spot. In other cases composers demanded
that the performer play an obbligato cadenza. Obbligato cadenzas served to satisfy the
expectant listeners without compromising the integrity of a particular composer’s works, which
were often violated by performers’ distasteful interpretations. Examples of these cadenzas are
found in C.P.E Bach’s set of six concertos, H. 471-6, one of which is provided in Example 1
below.
8
Example 1: Obbligato cadenzas in C.P.E. Bach Harpsichord Concerto, H 475, First Movement.
By the middle of the eighteenth-century, with the increasing popularity of solo concertos,
performance tradition. The cadenza served to articulate the conclusive character of the cadence,
to dramatize the musical experience, and to provide contrast and balance between the tutti and
the soloist sections. Moreover, the growing number of concertgoers appreciated and admired
virtuoso players who had brilliant technique and possessed remarkable gift of free improvisation.
All of this contributed to the standardization of the cadenza as a performance practice at this
C.P.E. Bach, whose Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments (1753)
provides valuable information on cadenzas, composed fifty-two keyboard concertos from 1733
to 1788. Written over a span of 50 years, his collection illustrates a great multitude of styles. At
the end of his life, he also produced a collection of nearly eighty cadenzas written for these
concertos, catalogued as H. 264. Although he wrote cadential fermatas at various points in his
concertos, most of his cadenzas occur at the point of a cadential six-four chord toward the end of
the final solo section of a movement (Shown in Example 1). This placement for the great
9
majority of cadenzas by C.P.E. Bach was not at all coincidental. In C.P.E. Bach’s treatise
mentioned above, he writes of the accompanist: “On the entrance of an elaborated cadence, the
accompanist, regardless of whether a fermata appears over the bass, holds the six-four chord for
a while and then pauses until the principal part, at the end of its cadenza, plays a trill or some
other figure which requires resolution of the chord.”7 Undoubtedly C.P.E. Bach’s vast concerto
output contributed to the cadenza becoming a performance tradition leading to the High Classical
period.
By the time of Mozart, the pianoforte was the most important and popular keyboard
instrument. The harpsichord, the main keyboard instrument in the Baroque and Pre-Classical
periods, gradually lost its popularity. The pianoforte introduced a multitude of new sounds,
varying colors, and a wider range of both dynamics and register. Mozart’s twenty-seven
concertos lie at the heart of the entire pianoforte repertory and many studies have been done on
these masterpieces. Recent scholarship has concerned itself in particular with the issue of
his own music.8 In fact, as Robert Levin attests, in the public’s mind Mozart’s skills as an
improviser transcended his deftness as a pianist and composer.9 If this is true, why then, did he
write down so many of his cadenzas? Many musicologists agree that the written cadenzas
Mozart left for us were written for performances by his pupils, amateur patrons, and his sister
7
C.P.E. Bach, Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments (London: Eulenburg
Books, 1974), 380.
8
Robbins Landon, The Mozart Compendium: A Guide to Mozart’s Life and Music (London:
Thames and Hudson, 1990; New York: Shirmer Books, 1990), 131.
9
Robert Levin, "Improvised Embellishments in Mozart’s Keyboard Music," Early Music, 20
(1992): 221.
10
Nannerl, among others.10 For those concertos that do not have an original Mozart cadenza, many
composers and performers throughout the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries have composed
their own.
One such figure was Beethoven, who himself composed five concertos in the early to
middle part of his compositional career. He composed multiple cadenzas for some of his
concertos and his collection of fourteen original cadenzas include two cadenzas (one each for the
first and the third movements) for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466. the
beyond Mozart’s stylistic and registral boundaries; Beethoven asserts his own character within a
Mozart’s concerto. Like Beethoven, many contemporary composers of Mozart, like Johann
Nepomuk Hummel (who also wrote a cadenza for Mozart K. 466), Jan Ladislav Dussek, and
Muzio Clementi, penned cadenzas for Mozart’s piano concertos. Similarly, these composers’
results with modern harmony and pianistic virtuosity, are not necessarily stylistically congruent
The tradition of improvising a cadenza gradually lost its popularity, with the result that
virtuoso pianists and composers of the nineteenth century, like Clara Schumann and Johannes
Brahms, contributed cadenzas of their own for concertos of the previous era. Although most of
these cadenzas are a departure from Mozart’s in style and scope, it is nonetheless worthwhile to
study them; they reveal each composer’s own interpretation and insight into the masterpiece.
Many composers wrote cadenzas for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor, K. 466 in
10
Frederick Neumann, Ornamentation and Improvisation in Mozart (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton
University Press, 1986), 257.
11
had previously not been confronted. The study of appropriate period practice engages
performance issues relating both to historical instruments and style-specific cadenzas. While
some scholars like Robert Levin emphasize the tradition of improvising a cadenza –supporting
the idea of a performer substituting her own cadenza in place of Mozart’s original –others
vehemently disagree, arguing that Mozart’s written cadenzas are obbligato, to which a performer
must defer. To some ears, the wild modulations, total length, pitch range and empty virtuosity in
some nineteenth-century cadenzas had become stylistically ahistorical and seem to say, in Paul
What exactly makes a cadenza sound, as Badura-Skoda claims, “foreign” and like
“‘tumors’ on a beautiful, complete organism?”12 In the following chapter I will explore the
typical issues musicologists have raised in discussions about stylistically “correct” cadenzas.
Specifically, I will discuss spontaneity, harmonic language, individuality, structure, and length.
Following this, in Chapter 3, I will analyze various cadenzas written specifically for Mozart K.
466.
11
Paul Badura-Skoda, Cadenzas, Lead-ins & Embellishments for Mozart's Piano Concertos
(Wien: Doblinger, 2008), Preface.
12
Paul Badura-Skoda, Cadenzas, Preface.
12
Improvisation
The original ethos of the cadenza revolves around the practice of improvisation. Whether
or not the performer must improvise a cadenza has been an important aesthetic and philosophical
question in recent years of performance practice studies. Quantz, before the time of Mozart’s
concertos, speaks of cadenzas that “were studied in advance and memorized by singers.” As he
continues to describe the performance practice of his day, he writes, “Among instrumentalists
there are still a few who possess the requisite knowledge,” referring to the gift of improvising.13
He adds that the knowledge in the art of composition is beneficial, “...if, unlike many, you do not
wish simply to memorize cadenzas by rote...”14 From these brief statements, one can infer that
the ability to improvise freely was by no means available to all performing musicians, and the
Daniel Gottlieb Türk wrote a set of ten rules for the cadenza, which appear in his
Clavierschule, written in 1789, only two years before the death of Mozart. As with Quantz, Türk
does not require improvisation in the cadenza. Under the tenth rule, he states:
To be sure, a cadenza is often first invented during the performance, and if it succeeds, the player
receives so much the more applause. But this enterprise is too risky and one should not count on
such a happy coincidence when playing for a large audience...For my part, I would rather choose
the more certain way which is to sketch the cadenza in advance.15
13
Quantz, 186
14
Quantz, 181
15
Türk, 301.
13
While Türk encourages performers to write cadenzas down, it is clear that he was more
concerned with the artistic result and effect rather than of the process of how the cadenza came
to be.
Despite the flexibility that Quantz and Türk allow, some recent scholars like Robert
Levin show steadfast loyalty to the eighteenth-century tradition of improvising the cadenza.
Levin writes, “The need for improvisation and embellishment in Mozart’s vocal and instrumental
works derives not just from musical and musicological factors, but from dramatic ones. Drama
is inherent in performance, and especially in the relationship between soloist and orchestra in
aria and concerto.”16 In Levin’s view, improvising the cadenza emphasizes the theatrical aspect
of the genre is emphasized and the duality between the soloist and orchestra is thus highlighted.
Robert Levin’s analogy between the actor and performer is illuminating. He writes, “The
illusion, in the theater, that things could actually turn out differently this time is one reason why
Racine or Shakespeare). If this is missing from music, then it is merely gymnastics with the
affectation of emotional content. So the main benefit I feel as a performer from improvising a 2-
minute cadenza in a concerto is what happens to the other 28 minutes.”17 Levin argues that
Mozart expected performers to improvise and embellish; furthermore, that playing printed notes
without the kind of freedom and spontaneity improvisations allows, would be “a deadly ritual of
misguided reverence.”
16
Robert Levin, “Improvisation and Embellishment in Mozart’s Piano Concertos,” Musical
Newsletter V/2 (1975): 11.
17
"Robert Levin." Contemporary Music Review 25, no. 5/6 (October 2006): 509-512. Music
Index, EBSCOhost (accessed October 27, 2012).
http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.rice.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b24db013-3c41-
4a3b-9c51-2a1f43f22624%40sessionmgr14&vid=4&hid=1
14
In Mozart’s century, a pianist’s ability to improvise was valued as highly as her technical
virtuosity, and improvisational facility was more commonly found among pianists than in the
present era. Mozart had an unmatched gift for improvisation. There are many accounts of his
sonatas, fantasias and variations in public performances. These pieces were often only written
down later for publication. For this reason, many of his seemingly non-improvisatory works are
essentially written-out extemporizations, and they must be played in the spirit of improvisation.
However, no less important is the fact that Mozart was one of the first composers to write
cadenzas down meticulously. Original cadenzas exist for twenty-one of his twenty-seven piano
concertos.
expression and individuality, and regarded them as personal property. As Philip Whitmore
points out, Clementi’s 1787 publication of cadenzas in the styles of Mozart, Haydn, Vanhal,
Kozeluch, Sterkel, and himself, is evidence of this.18 In the spirit of these examples, the practice
of writing down cadenzas became the norm among the next generation of composers (some of
The question remains: for whom did Mozart, who himself could improvise superbly,
write down the cadenzas? While many scholars subscribe to the idea that Mozart’s cadenzas
were written down for his pupils and his less skillful sister, Nannerl, Christoph Wolff firmly
believes that these cadenzas were written for Mozart’s own performances. He cites as evidence
the fact that Mozart “guarded [his cadenzas] jealously” and they were not copied without
18
Philip Whitmore, Unpremeditated Art: The Cadenza in the Classical Keyboard Concerto
(Oxford [England]: Clarendon Press 1991), 128.
15
Mozart’s authorization.19 In a letter to his father, Mozart wrote, “I am sending you at the same
time the last rondo K. 382 which I composed for my concerto in D major and which is making
such a furore in Vienna. But I beg you to guard it like a jewel - and not to give it to a soul to
play...I composed it for myself and no one else but my dear sister must play it.”20 Wolff believes
that Mozart protected his cadenzas similarly, since virtually no copies existed outside the inner
family circle.
Wolff’s view is supported by evidence that Mozart did not always improvise his
cadenzas: “improvisation on the spur of the moment may indeed be an essential element of the
earlier Salzburg cadenza style, but less so in regard to the new Viennese style.”21 Wolff’s points
to many surviving Mozart’s sketches which exhibit careful planning and organization of ideas,
and also to the fact that the majority of these extant cadenzas date from Mozart’s Vienna years
after 1782. Wolff’s research challenges the long-held belief that Mozart always improvised
during his concerto performances throughout his lifetime. That Mozart started writing down his
cadenzas may derive from the increasing complexity of the concertos themselves or the fact that
the cadenza became a crucial part of the concerto movement’s compositional development and
not simply a performer’s opportunity to dazzle the audience. Türk’s tenth rule in Clavierschule
and a careful study of Mozart’s own performance practices justify today’s performers in
“[sounding] as though [ideas] had just occurred” to them in their performance of cadenzas;
improvising on the spot, then, is not necessarily mandatory even by the eighteenth-century
standard.
19
Christoph Wolff, “Cadenzas and Styles of Improvisation in Mozart’s Piano Concertos,” in
Perspectives on Mozart Performance: Cambridge Studies in Performance Practice (318), ed.
Todd, R. L. and Peter F. Williams (Cambridge, NY, England: Cambridge University Press,
1991), 230.
20
Wolff quotes this letter in the footnote on p. 230.
21
Wolff, 233.
16
How, then, does Mozart achieve the “effect” of improvisation in his written out
cadenzas? Examining the content of some of his cadenzas is useful at this point. Mozart’s
cadenzas date from 1777 to 1791 and illustrate a multitude of styles.22 Considering that many of
his cadenzas were likely not written down or do not survive, it would be difficult to ascribe any
However, there are common traits and compositional techniques that appear again and again in
Structure
Eva and Paul Badura-Skoda have provided a structural analysis of Mozart’s cadenzas in
their book, Interpreting Mozart at the Keyboard.23 The tripartite design that they assign to them
features virtuosic figuration, often with materials from the closing tutti section just heard, or a
simple reminiscence of a theme from earlier in the movement. The second section presents a
cantabile theme, then extends it through a harmonic sequence leading back to the cadenza’s
opening six-four over the fifth scale degree. The final section returns to a series of fast notes,
comprising a quick passage that leads to a cadential trill on the supertonic over dominant seventh
harmony. While the closing sections are short in the Salzburg cadenzas, Mozart later
incorporated further motivic and thematic materials in his Viennese cadenzas.24 To illustrate the
22
Wolff documents the date of each cadenza in his article on p. 229.
23
Eva and Paul Badura-Skoda, Interpreting Mozart on the Keyboard (New York: Da Capo Press,
1986), 215.
24
Salzburg cadenzas refer to the cadenzas before Mozart moved from Salzburg to Vienna, in
1782.
17
Badura-Skodas’ tripartite design, I have marked the three sections in his first movement cadenza
to K. 453.
18
Mozart begins the cadenza by quoting the first main theme of the piece without its original bass.
He avoids harmonic stability by using the fifth scale degree as the pedal tone from m. 3. The
striking flat-six harmony (E-flat major) in m. 7 interrupts the theme and leads to its
fragmentation from mm. 8 to 10. After a transitional passage from mm. 12 to 17, we arrive at
the second section, in which Mozart uses another thematic quotation as the primary material.
Similar to the opening section, Mozart fragments the second part of this theme, (two eighth-notes
followed by a quarter-note) and extends the idea in continuous development.25 The breathless
quality of the continuous development leads to the six-four chord, which begins a long
transitional passage to the final section in m. 34. The D octave (V) in m. 34 is approached by a
sharped 4th in the previous measure, creating a stronger tendency toward the dominant and
accentuating the need for the tonic resolution. The closing section concludes the cadenza with a
As the Badura-Skodas acknowledge, this tripartite design may not be applicable to all
cadenzas by Mozart. Their model primarily uses the first-movement cadenzas, since Mozart
tends to be formally freer in designing the cadenzas for his second and third movements. In
addition, they choose most of their examples from the cadenzas written in the 1780s, during his
Vienna years. The cadenzas written in the 1770s are shorter and are primarily comprised of
virtuosic figuration like arpeggios and scales.26 A clearly delineated structure of these
improvisatory compositions becomes more and more transparent in Mozart’s later cadenzas.
25
Continuous development, a term used by Badura-Skoda, p. 222, is a technique in which some
motive from the theme is unexpectedly treated in sequence, often in rhythmic diminution. This is
done in such a way that the motive almost always ends with a sustained chord or note.
26
A few exceptions exist; for instance, K. 271.
20
cadenzas and Eingänge. She carefully analyzes the cadenzas she sees fitting into the Badura-
A few other scholars have proposed other models to emulate the structure of Mozart’s
cadenzas. Robert Levin’s analysis concludes that there are no organic forms detected in the
1. Fantasy: free passage work; or the reiteration of themes with their supporting texture changed
from stable (e.g. root position tonic harmony) to unstable (e.g. six-four harmony).
2. Repeated rhetorical reminders of the coming cadence: the periodic return to the tonic six-four
chord that brought on the cadenza. The six-four is emphasized rhythmically and texturally,
often punctuated by another fermata. (Sometimes the dominant note appears alone in this
function).27
This analysis, more general than the Badura-Skodas’ tripartite design, takes note of underlying
tension, which embodies the ethos of the cadenza as a genre. Rather than using labels such as
“virtuosic” or “thematic” passages as the primary way of articulating the structure, Levin’s
analysis involves recognition of propulsion to and from the six-four. A slightly more nuanced
1. Fantasy: free passage work, generic (not motivic often essentially out of meter, outlining a
progression, melismatic.
2. Thematic quotes: harmony made unstable, treated to sequence, interrupted lack of closure;
homophonic; metered.
27
Robert Levin, “Improvisation and Embellishment in Mozart’s Piano Concertos,” Musical
Newsletter V/2 (1975): 11.
21
This categorization separates Levin’s first type of musical activity, “Fantasy,” into two,
distinguishing between generic passagework and thematic quotes. While it offers a more
nuanced view of different musical activities in a cadenza, this categorization stays away from the
formulaic division of the cadenza into three sections, as in the Badura-Skodas’ analysis.
Harmony
Of harmony and modulation, Quantz writes, “You must not roam into keys that are too
remote, or touch upon keys which have no relationship with the principal one. A short cadenza
must not modulate out of its key at all.”28 Some forty years later Türk agrees with Quantz, but
Modulations into other keys, particularly to those which are far removed, either do not take place
at all–for example, in short cadenzas–or they must be used with much insight and, as it were,
only in passing. In no case should one modulate to a key which the composer himself has not
used in the composition. It seems to me that this rule is founded on the principle of unity, which,
as is well known, must be followed in all works of the fine arts.29
In both treatises, the authors advise against decisive harmonic modulations, remaining
faithful to the original function of the cadenza, to simply embellish a final cadence. Mozart’s
cadenzas do not deviate from this prescription and do indeed use diatonic harmony for the most
part. As Whitmore notes, “The limited tonal range of Mozart’s cadenzas ensures that the
articulation of a structural cadence–is never obscured.”30 Mozart’s careful use of the chromatic
28
Quantz, 184.
29
Türk, 300.
30
Whitmore, 197.
22
harmony makes the aural memory of the tonic six-four chord possible throughout the cadenza.
The diminished-seventh chord, secondary dominants, augmented-sixth chord and the flat six are
movement cadenza to K. 453. Here, the flat-six chord prevents the thematic quotation from
rounding off to closure, which allows the fragmentation of the theme and continuous
Mozart frequently uses the diminished-seventh chord to mark the end of continuous
the same cadenza, which brings us to a transitional passage with sixteenth notes, performs this
function. Because of the tension of the chord itself, combined with the strong-beat rests, the
overall effect is one of hesitancy, of slowing down momentum. Thus, the quotation of the second
theme passes through continuous development that leads to the tension of the diminished-seventh
Often Mozart takes a motivic idea and presents it in harmonic sequence, usually aiming
toward a key either a step higher or lower. The musical idea used may or may not be subject to a
note-for-note repetition, and it may also involve harmonic alterations. This compositional
technique does not necessarily require smooth harmonic transition, and allows for quick
movement toward or away from any implied key (thereby not interfering with the aural memory
of the tonic six-four chord). The swift movement from distantly related keys creates an
improvisatory effect and is intended to generate a sense of suspense and drama for the listener.
In the cadenza for the first-movement of K. 488, shown below, there are two such occasions:
Example 2.2: Mozart’s Cadenza to the First Movement of K. 488, mm. 10-19: i-V-i progression
Joseph P. Swain explains Mozart’s careful use of register in the bass to amplify the effect
keyboard, the lowest note (or the second lowest note after the raised fourth scale-degree) is
reserved for the fifth scale-degree, to simulate the effect of a pedal point. The cadenza to K. 456
in B-flat major is shown below, where the low F octave is marked with a fermata and a
sforzando.
31
Swain, 40.
24
Example 2.3: Mozart’s Cadenza to the First Movement of K. 456, mm. 12-17.
Similar use of resister in the bass to highlight a harmonic arrival appears in many other cadenzas
by Mozart, such as in the cadenza for the first movement of K. 175, as shown below.
Example 2.4: Mozart’s Cadenza to the First Movement of K. 175, mm. 21-24.
Mozart’s Viennese cadenzas written after 1781 show a remarkable degree of harmonic
unity. By staying close to diatonic harmony with a sparing use of secondary-dominant chords,
diminished-seventh chords, augmented-sixth chords, and the flat six, Mozart retains the basic
tonality.
25
Quotation
Closely linked to the discussion of unity in the cadenza on the local level is the
discussion of unity on the global level, which Mozart achieves by quoting themes from the
parent-movement. The first rule of the cadenza in Türk’s Clavierschule states, “...the cadenza,
among other things, should particularly reinforce the impression the composition has made in a
most lively way and present important parts of the whole composition in the form of a brief
summary or in an extremely concise arrangement.” Türk continues, “It would further follow that
in any case, some of the important ideas–to be sure not in their entirely but nevertheless in
extracted form– can be woven into the cadenza if they are skillfully united with the whole.” 32 In
addition to the function of summarizing the movement, weaving a thematic or motivic idea from
the parent-movement into the cadenza allows the listener to experience the materials heard
earlier in a new light; for example, being presented in transposition or supported by a bolder
harmonic progression.
Mozart’s cadenzas do not quote from the parent-movement until about 1779. The early
“generic” cadenzas, which primarily consist of scales and arpeggios, could theoretically be
transferred for use in another concerto movement that had the same key and similar tempo. For
example, the cadenza for the first movement of K. 238 in B-Flat major is filled with common
scalar figurations with no thematic link to the movement. Because of the absence of a musical
link between the movement and the cadenza, this cadenza might easily be transposed to suit
32
Türk, 288-299.
26
However, Mozart’s cadenzas written after 1779 begin to quote and develop themes from
the movement for which they were written. Ruth Rendleman catalogued the number of thematic
quotations for each cadenza in K. 626a. She found that every cadenza excepting one (written for
K. 238) contains a thematic or motivic quotation. In her research, the sources of the quoted
material in each cadenza are also documented in detail.33 While the “‘checklist of themes’
research allows us to recognize a few salient points regarding thematic and motivic quotations in
Mozart’s cadenzas.
First, the number of thematic/motivic quotations can range from zero to as many as six,
and the themes may be used in any section of the cadenza (opening, middle, closing). Second,
the thematic content of the cadenzas is varies widely. Thematic quotation often involves
negligible motivic ideas from the transitional sections from the body of the movement. Very
often, Mozart begins a cadenza with the same figurations that just concluded the orchestral tutti,
as in the first movement cadenzas for K. 415, 449, 450, and 456. This compositional technique
gives the impression of spontaneous improvisation, since the “closest” idea for an improviser
The first theme of the concerto appears in only twenty-five percent of all the cadenzas by
Mozart; the cadenzas begin with the first theme in only eight instances.35 Swain attributes the
relatively infrequent appearance of the primary theme in the cadenzas to the goal of achieving
harmonic tension: “[Mozart’s practice] usually makes use of subsidiary thematic material or
connective passage work borrowed from the movement as the principal material for the cadenza.
33
Ruth Rendleman, “A Study of Improvisatory Techniques of the Eighteenth-Century Through
the Mozart Cadenzas,” Ph.D. diss., Columbia University, 1979, 78.
34
Levin, “Improvisation and Embellishment,” 11.
35
Rendleman, 89.
27
This may be due to the strong association the main theme will have with the tonic key in any
classical concerto. Mozart, whose aim is to have the listener wait for the tonic chord, will avoid
On the occasions when Mozart does quote the main theme, it appears in fragments and
always over the six-four chord, which is to say, over unstable harmony. While Mozart’s
cadenzas broadly adhere to their original function by articulating the overall harmonic
progression from the dominant to the tonic, on no occasion do they sound monotonous or
uneventful.
Mozart wrote two cadenzas for the first movement of K. 271 in E-flat major, a concerto
nicknamed “Jeunnehomme.” Of these, the first cadenza, K. 626a, No.15 (Example 2.5) is a rare
early example of Mozart utilizing two main themes from the parent-movement. The famous
fanfare motive from the very opening of the movement begins the cadenza with the dominant
note (B-Flat) as its bass. However, Mozart immediately transforms it into a playful sequence,
which leads to the passage-work heard earlier in the tutti (m. 14 in the movement proper). In the
cadenza, provided below in Example 2.5, B-Flat is played again and again in the bass for the
first eight measures before moving away from the six-four harmony. The diminished-seventh
chord in m. 9 begins step-wise bass motion and the busy sixteenth notes come to a momentary
repose in m. 12. The tension of the dominant chord with D in the bass is held until m. 16, where
the tension is kept by the right hand holding D under a fermata. When Mozart introduces the E-
flat major cantabile theme in m. 17, it is heard over a first-inversion harmony, in order to avoid a
premature sense of harmonic stability. Through continuous development, Mozart extends this
theme to a surprising deceptive flat six, where he builds tension by alternating between the
36
Swain, 58.
28
augmented-sixth chord and the minor cadential-six-four chord. This harmonic tension—in
addition to the rhythmic tension created from the eighth-rests in mm. 24 and 25, which add a
breathless quality and the syncopation from mm. 26 to 28—leaves no room for relaxation for the
listeners at the end of this cadenza, which finally resolves after a typical virtuoso scale and a trill.
The cadenza for the first-movement of K. 271 imaginatively weaves in the main themes from the
movement, plays with listeners’ expectations, and maintains tension throughout. While it
successfully achieves harmonic and thematic unity on the local and global level, it is also packed
For Quantz, “regular meter is seldom observed, and indeed should not be observed in
cadenzas.”37 Similarly, Türk’s ninth rule states, “The same tempo and meter should not be
maintained throughout the cadenza.”38 In advising against monotony, and emphasizing the
importance of variety, Türk proposes creating “an apparent disorder” filled with rhythmic and
melodic variety.
Despite the freedom indicated in contemporary treatises on the issue of meter and
rhythm, Mozart’s cadenzas are, by and large, metered and measured. Exceptions do occur in
purely virtuosic passages, especially at the beginning and the end of the cadenza, during the
37
Quantz, 185.
38
Türk, 301.
31
prolongation of the tonic six-four chord. A few changes of tempo in the course of the cadenza
are marked by Mozart, as in the first-movement cadenza for K. 450. These changes
notwithstanding, the cadenzas project a steady sense of pulse, just as in the rest of the movement.
The overall sense of pulse is partly due to the strong rhythmic, thematic, and motivic
connections between the cadenza and the parent-movement. Unlike other eighteenth-century
cadenzas and eingange39, which are purely virtuosic, mainly comprised of arpeggios and scales
(such as those by C.P.E. Bach), Mozart’s utilize thematic as well as rhythmic ideas from the
parent-movement, as discussed above. In some cases, a characteristic rhythmic idea alone can
link the movement and the cadenza, even without any melodic connection between them. This is
the case in the first-movement cadenza to K. 595 in B-flat major. The beginning of the first
theme consists of one dotted-quarter note followed by two sixteenth notes, as shown in Example
2.6.
It is no coincidence that this rhythm is abundant in this cadenza. Mozart makes use of it both in
and out of context: that is, with and without the original melodic contour. In this cadenza, the
39
Eingang refers to a short improvisatory section that leads into a statement of theme. The term
‘lead-in is synonymous to Eingang. Unlike cadenzas, Eingang is typically non-thematic and
begins with a dominant triad or seventh chord.
32
rhythmic reference to the parent-movement does not escape the ear. Example 2.7 shows
Example 2.7 Examples of How Mozart Employs the Above Rhythmic Idea.
mm. 5-6
mm. 14-22
mm. 34-36
33
Mozart employs a sense of regular meter to his advantage by creating exciting and
suspenseful moments within a cadenza. Within this overall regularity, rhythmic compositional
Often, a cadenza presents a musical idea (whether or not it is borrowed from the
449, a three-note ascending gesture is abbreviated to two notes in mm. 20-21. Then, the
fragmented rising half-step becomes shorter in value in mm. 22-23, which leads to the closing
section. As shown in Example 2.8 below, the fragmentation of the motive creates the effect of
spontaneity and drives to the cadence. Furthermore, it is used immediately preceding a virtuosic
by way of spontaneity and excitement, the opposite technique, rhythmic augmentation, is used to
34
create a similar effect by eliciting a sense of uncertainty and suspense. The first-movement
cadenza to K. 595 in B-flat major, seen in Example 2.9 illustrates this effect. A simple
descending-scale in m. 19 doubles its length, now played over four beats instead of two in mm.
20 and 21. This type of written-out ritardando is effective especially in cadenzas; it creates for
the listeners a sense of unpredictability. After two beats of silence, a low F octave is played,
representing the six-four harmony, which must be played forte to surprise the listeners.
Individuality
So far, I have discussed the issues of harmonic, structural, rhythmic, and thematic content
using examples from Mozart’s original cadenzas. The availability of original cadenzas by
Mozart himself and of contemporary treatises dealing with the subject, allows one to gain
valuable technical tools to emulate Mozart’s genius. There remains yet the issue of the artistic
function of the cadenza as a means for the personal expression of the performer. Concertos with
performers’ own cadenzas have an additional, heightened “interpretive layer, ” controlled by the
soloist. Cadenzas allow the soloist the opportunity to develop and transform any number of
motives or themes from the movement according to the performer’s mood, taste, or personality.
others, availed themselves of this opportunity. They rendered unique and individual cadenzas—
even to works not their own—which can sound anachronistic or even grotesque to conscious
These nineteenth-century cadenzas written for Mozart’s concertos are fascinating. They
intriguing to compare what Brahms chose to explore in K. 466 as oppossed to Alkan in the same
concerto. Before dismissing such cadenzas as stylistically unfit and unusable, one must bear in
mind that Mozart himself improvised or composed in his own style during performances of
concertos by other composers. Whether to imitate the composer (of the concerto) or wholly to
project one’s own musical interpretation onto the cadenza is entirely up to the performer. Upon
Mozart’s own musical language, performers can acquire the necessary skills and artistic
The dark drama and romanticism of Mozart’s K. 466 have attracted many composers and
pianists to write their own cadenzas for this concerto. Following are the analyses of ten selected
cadenzas by August Eberhard Müller, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Ludwig van Beethoven,
Charles Valentin Alkan, Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Bedrich Smetana, Ferrucio Busoni,
Robert Levin, and Chick Corea. While these cadenzas do not constitute all of the cadenzas
available for this concerto, each cadenza serves as an individual case by which to examine the
generalizations and guidelines discussed in Chapter 2. All of the scores are readily available in
modern editions, except for the unpublished cadenza by Förster and the improvised cadenzas by
August Eberhard Müller, a German conductor, keyboard player, flautist and composer,
began his musical studies with his father and later studied with Johann Christian Bach. Although
his keyboard compositions, including two piano concertos and fourteen sonatas, are rarely played
conducted the first performance of Haydn’s Seasons outside of Vienna in 1801 and was the first
pianist to play all of Mozart’s existing piano concertos in public by 1794. In addition, Müller
37
wrote a guide to Mozart’s piano concertos in 1796 as well as the cadenzas for Mozart’s K. 456,
459, 466, 488, 491, 503, and 537, available in print in the Peters Edition.40
All forty-three measures in Müller’s cadenza for the first movement of K. 466 stay within
the boundaries of Mozart’s practice in terms of harmony, texture, and structure. Following the
tripartite design of Mozart’s original cadenzas, the three sections of Müller’s cadenza can be
identified as follows: the first section from mm.1 to 30, the second section from mm. 30 to 39,
The cadenza opens with the solo principal theme, to which Müller adds scalar figurations.
With the quotation of the soloist’s principal theme in the tonic, the cadenza immediately releases
the tension built up to the orchestral six-four chord, and loses excitement. The theme, broken
40
August Eberhard Müller, Kadenzen zu Mozart Konzerten, ed. Alfred Kreutz (Leipzig: C.F.
Peters, 1941).
38
into two-bar fragments, in D minor, G minor, then C dominant, leads to F major. Such an
expected harmonic progression passing through the circle of fifths, combined with the symmetry
of the phrase structure on the micro (scalar figure followed by the lyrical melodic line) and
The extensive passagework which follows emphasizes the relative major, F. Although
references to transitional passages from the movement may be heard, the passagework largely
involves generic arpeggios, broken intervals, and scales (chromatic and diatonic), which would
typically appear in many eighteenth-century keyboard works. The sixteenth-note passage above,
along with a triplet motive in the left hand added later, gradually build up tension. After a
dominant arrival in m. 30, Müller appropriates the transitional passage from the movement
The closing section from m. 40 to the end consists mostly of unmeasured virtuoso
passagework, using arpeggiation, blocked chords, and the chromatic scales. In this last section,
Müller is most successful in avoiding a formulaic pattern of sixteenth-note passages and creating
a sense of improvisation. As shown in Example 3.2, the harmonic progression which follows in
m. 40–D minor to B-flat major (VI), to G-sharp diminished (vii7 of V) and to V–adds harmonic
excitement while the contrast between the arpeggios and blocked chords adds textual variety.
The two chromatic scales ascending to A both emphasize the dominant, and the musical gesture
which leads to the cadential trill is markedly free and improvisatory. The cadenza ends
conventionally with the trill on the supertonic with dominant-seventh chord in the left hand.
39
As Alfred Kreutz remarks in the forward to the Peters edition, the cadenza accords with
the style of Mozart’s originals. Staying within the harmonic boundaries of the High Classical
style, Müller predominantly uses diatonic harmony, asserting the tonic. The pianistic figurations
stay within the range of Mozart’s original instrument and pass through the sequences seamlessly.
The length of the cadenza is also appropriate. Although Müller’s cadenza does not satisfactorily
continue the drama inherent in the concerto, Müller’s cadenza is a rare “textbook” solution to the
missing cadenza.
40
In the early 1990s, Musicologist Cliff Eisen discovered a set of Viennese cadenzas at the
Austrian National Library.41 The two cadenzas, along with the four cadenzas written for K. 271
and 413 are attributed to Austrian composer and teacher Emanuel Aloys Förster. Förster, a
lesser known contemporary of Mozart, composed solo piano works, piano concertos, and
chamber works, most of which are not available in modern editions. In Dexter Edge’s article
“Recent Discoveries in Viennese Copies of Mozart’s Concertos” there appears a facsimile of the
score of the cadenza.42 Although the precise date of Förster’s cadenzas is not established, Dexter
Edge surmises that the cadenzas were written after Mozart’s death, “dating from the 1790s or
even later.”43 Along with the cadenza by August Eberhard Müller, Förster’s cadenza survives as
The first movement cadenza displays the tripartite structure used in Mozart’s original
cadenzas. The first and last sections, which consist predominantly of sixteenth-note figurations,
feature brilliant passagework. The ominous triplet motive from the beginning of the movement
opens the cadenza, and propels the momentum forward to a rush of sixteenth notes. The broken
octaves and other patterned accompaniment, which abound in the transitional sections of the
parent movement, drive to the middle section of the cadenza. Quoting the soloist’s principal
theme in the tonic, Förster combines the harmonic and melodic ideas presented in the
development section of the movement. By repeating a fragment of the theme, Förster engages
41
Dexter Edge, “Recent Discoveries in Viennese Copies of Mozart’s Concertos,” in Mozart's
Piano Concertos: Text, Context, Interpretation, ed. by Neal Zaslaw (Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press, 1996), 55.
The author does not mention the date of the discovery.
42
Dexter Edge, 56-57.
43
Dexter Edge, 59.
41
the technique of continuous development to build momentum for the return of the sixteenth
notes. With the quotation of the transitional material from m. 98 in the movement and the triplet
motive played in the left hand, the tension builds to the maximum capacity and leads to the last
section of the cadenza. In the final drive to the cadence, Förster employs chromatic scales,
broken thirds and arpeggios. The last section of the cadenza is unmeasured and the scalar
passages in the left hand under the cadential trill display especially elaborate and virtuosic
writing. Förster’s cadenza, stylistically coherent and packed with excitement, is an excellent
Included in the Shirmer edition of the concerto, Beethoven’s cadenzas to the first and the
last movements of Mozart K. 466 are heard more frequently than any other cadenzas. The date
of the composition, however, is not clear. Scholars once believed that the cadenzas were written
for Beethoven’s own performance on March 31, 1795, at the Burg Theater. However, the
watermark on the manuscript paper of the cadenza suggests that it could not have been written
before 1800, leading scholars to believe that it was written for his pupil, either Archduke Rudolf
or Ferdinand Ries in 1803-4 or 1809. As Beethoven’s only cadenzas to a Mozart concerto, the
cadenzas are a unique testament to his great admiration for Mozart and his reaction to the
concerto itself, since Beethoven almost never engaged in public performances of other
composers’ music.
42
register of the keyboard employed, and the construction all deviate from Mozartean models.
Much has been written about the cadenza. Richard Kramer’s “Cadenza Contra Text: Mozart in
Beethoven’s Hands” provides an excellent overview and insights into understanding the cadenza
from multiple perspectives. Kramer begins the article with powerful words: “Mocking the
uneasy composure of Mozart's Concerto in d-minor through a diction and a posture alien to
Mozart, the cadenza [to the 1st movement] threatens to dismember its host. The tunes are
Mozart's, but the touch, the rhetoric, is emphatically Beethoven's. Manifesto-like, these opening
measures insinuate themselves into the concerto, infiltrating the text.”44 As Kramer notes, the
struggle inherent in all of Beethoven’s music asserts itself from the very beginning. The sudden
shifts in register and the extreme distance in register between the two hands immediately draws
44
Richard A Kramer, “Cadenza contra text: Mozart in Beethoven’s Hands,” 19th-Century Music
15/2 (1991): 116.
43
As you can see in Example 3.3 above, each of the three musical ideas which make up the
ominous opening of the movement, the triplet motive, syncopated triads, and the melody played
by the strings, is juxtaposed with one another. The dissolution of the musical material in the
very beginning of the movement accentuates a volatility and instability in the opening of the
cadenza.
The key of D minor is not heard until forty-three measures into the cadenza, and the
choices of the keys Beethoven employs in the cadenza are striking. The E-flat major chord,
established at the outset, immediately grabs the attention. The chord evokes the Neapolitan sixth
chord heard in the main body of the movement (in mm. 49, 220-31, 371). Kramer explains that
the rhetorical significance of the E Flat is intensified by the B Major tonality (Example 3.4),
which Kramer views as the “ghost of an augmented-sixth chord.” Kramer notes, “the rhetoric of
the cadenza revives the tensions normally associated with the extreme dissonance of Beethoven’s
development. This in turn suggests a misalignment with the place and idea of cadenza in
Classical concerto.”45 Britbizer-Stull also remarks on the overtly Beethovenian character of the
harmony, pointing out that the tonicization of the Neapolitan at the opening of the cadenza and
its shift to its parallel minor in m. 12 “introduces a harmonic move Mozart made in none of his
surviving cadenzas, and one that is, rather, characteristic of Beethoven’s music.”46
45
Kramer, 127.
46
Matthew Bribitzer-Stull, “The cadenza as parenthesis: An analytic approach,” Journal of
Music Theory 50/2 (2006): 239.
44
The quotation of the second theme is in B Major, a key very remote from D minor. As
Britbizer-Stull’s harmonic interpretation shows, Beethoven approaches B Major (m. 18) from Eb
minor (m. 14) by way of enharmonically respelling Eb as D#, which is related to B Major by a
chromatic third. Rather than embellishing the six-four, the extreme dissonance in relation to the
key of the movement removes all traces of the memory of the cadential six-four. The gesture
explains further that the choice of the quotation of the second theme in B, a minor third below
the tonic D, balances the F major presentation of the theme in the exposition of the movement,
which “makes a case for hearing this theme related by symmetrical minor-thirds to tonic.”47 In
47
Britbitzer-Stull, 241.
45
addition, Bribitzer-Stull associates the “redemptive quality” with the major-mode thematic
quotation. As nineteenth-century composers favored the major mode for the second theme in the
That Beethoven immediately switches back to the minor mode in m. 26 for the same
movement. In m. 25, the major-mode quotation comes to a halt and is left unresolved, at which
point Beethoven quotes the same theme in the minor-mode. The apparent flexibility of the
theme itself (the antecedent in one mode and the consequent in the other), further compromises
the case for the “redemptive quality” of the romantic era in Beethoven’s cadenza.
thematic quotation in m. 26, the harmony also gets more and more unstable with diminished-
seventh harmony preparing for the agitated return of the triplet figures in G minor in m. 36.
Here, the choice of the key is again, Beethovenian. The chain of major thirds employed so far in
the cadenza, from E Flat (D#) to B and to G, spells out the equal division of the octave. The
triplet figures are now heard against what resembles the soloist’s transitional material heard in m.
95 in the exposition. The tension builds up further with the quotation of the soloist’s first theme
above the agitated accompaniment, with the bass line neighboring around the A to emphasize the
dominant.
48
Britbitzer-Stull, 241.
46
However, the quotation of the soloist’s first theme is not complete. As shown in
Example 3.5, a fragment of the theme is repeated, then set in rhythmic diminution in m. 51
(marked Piu Presto), after which the cadenza rushes in a long scalar passage to the highest F on
keyboard, a note that surpasses well beyond the range of the keyboard for which the concerto
was written. Beethoven revisits the Neapolitan chord briefly from mm. 57 to 59, before the final
virtuosic passage culminating in the cadential trill. Whereas most of the cadential trills in
Mozart’s cadenzas are on the supertonic descending to the tonic, the trill on the 7th scale degree
incongruent cadenzas, all together expressing his disproval of the cadenza in his book,
Ornamentation and Improvisation in Mozart: "Beethoven's cadenzas to the d-minor Concerto are
fine compositions and technically reasonable, but they do not fit the work either; they are too
long, and they modulate too soon and much too far afield; also the endless trill chains in the
47
cadenzas to the Rondo are a stylistic misfit."49 Other scholars like Hutchings acknowledge
of Beethoven’s cadenzas in a positive light: “They cannot be said to show inordinate length or
stylistic incongruity, and they seem to be a sincere and modest attempt to avoid such incongruity.
The chief trouble is that a rival turn of genius cannot help just showing itself--in other words,
Beethoven's cadenzas are too interesting.”50 As Hutchings as well as many other scholars agree,
rhetoric, harmonic language, and length all deviate from what one would expect from a cadenza
to the Mozart concerto and it is equally explicit that Beethoven never attempted to imitate or
engage the Mozartean ideals. However, it is also hard to believe that Beethoven, who counted
himself among the greatest admirers of Mozart, meant to put an end to Mozart’s music by
imposing an unMozartean cadenza, as Kramer implies in his article.51 The concerto stands as
the only concerto, other than by himself, Beethoven left cadenzas for. This fact must be a
reminder that the sounds of the Mozart’s D minor piano concerto must have resonated with
Beethoven in a deep, meaningful way. To say the cadenza threatens or challenges the concerto
would be to dismiss the artistic relationship Beethoven shared with Mozart in his life and music.
49
Newmann, 259.
50
Hutchings, 206, footnote.
51
Kramer writes, "[Beethoven’s cadenzas] then, are no cadenzas in the Mozartean sense. The
continuity of Mozart's discourse is not in question. The music is stopped dead in its tracks.”
48
important figure in understanding some of the musical traditions transitioning from the Classical
to the Romantic era. A protégé of Mozart, Hummel later studied with Muzio Clementi. By
1800, he had established himself as one of the most celebrated pianists, and even a rival to
Beethoven in his powers of extemporization. As one of the highest-paid piano teachers, Hummel
passed on his legacy to important pianists of the later generation, such as Carl Czerny, who later
taught Franz Liszt. In 1828, Hummel published the highly regarded treatise on pianism, A
Complete Theoretical and Practical Course of Instruction on the Art of Playing the Piano Forte
(1828).
Hummel composed cadenzas and eingange for seven of Mozart’s piano concertos that are
collectively designated as his Op. 4, dating from the 1790s, though the cadenzas never appeared
in print until their 1990 publication as part of Hummel's Complete Works for Piano by Garland
Press.52 In addition, Hummel published his arrangements of seven Mozart concertos for piano
accompanied by violin, flute and cello, which included both added embellishments and
cadenzas.53 Contemporary critics highly praised Hummel’s arranged edition of K. 466, in the
way that it “both respected and preserved the beauty of Mozart’s original while enhancing its
Arthur Hutchings views Hummel’s cadenza to the first movement of K. 482 to be “excellent
52
The cadenzas and eingangs for K. 413, 414, 415, 451, 459, 537, and 595.
53
K. 365, 456, 466, 482, 491, 503 and 537 .
54
Grayson, 379.
49
Hummel,” he sees it as stylistically incongruous, which is “not to be used by any player with a
Improvisation in Mozart, also criticizes Hummel’s cadenza to the first movement of K. 491 as
"technically incompatible with the main body of the work.”56 David Grayson, takes a slightly
more flexible stance regarding some of Mozart’s cadenzas, taking into account that Hummel
wrote the cadenzas for his arrangements of Mozart’s concertos: "When considering and
evaluating these Cadenzas and Eingangs, it is important to bear in mind that they were originally
composed for these highly embellished arrangements using additional keys, and one therefore
should not blame Hummel if they do not suit a literal performance of Mozart's printed notes.
Still, his cadenza for the 1st movement of K. 491 remains one of the finest ever written for that
work."57
Hummel’s direct contact with Mozart during his lifetime as well as the favorable reception
Hummel’s works received from his contemporaries, Hummel’s cadenzas to and arrangements of
Mozart concertos are some of the most valuable testaments to the authentic tradition.
Hummel’s cadenza for K. 466 may be divided into three sections. The introduction and a
rather lengthy closing section elaborate the main part of the cadenza, which utilizes the second
theme of the movement. This main section, which is preceded by the virtuosic introduction,
begins with the sequential statements of the second theme. The theme in D minor, at first, gives
the impression of being a direct quotation from the recapitulation. However, the expectation of
55
Hutchings, 146.
56
Newmann, 259.
57
Grayson, 383.
50
the Neapolitan is shortly abandoned, as Hummel simply transposes the first part of the phrase to
The triplets in the left hand accompany the thematic quotation in F Major, which is
immediately followed by a parallel minor repetition. Starting in m. 14, the left hand plays the
same theme in D-flat major (Example 3.6), while the right hand accompanies with triplet figures.
The augmented chord in m. 17 resolves to a B-flat major chord, which serves as the dominant for
the E-flat major thematic quotation in the left hand in m. 18. A similar quick harmonic
What follows in m. 20 derives from the transitional passage played by the soloist in the
exposition of the movement (m. 95). The increasing movement and agitation of the first section
51
of the cadenza climaxes in a sequence of three diminished seventh chord sequence from m. 31 to
and unexpectedly relieves the tension built up so far from m. 20. The dominant arrival in m. 36,
approached by a long descending bass line, closes the first section and leads to the second
The second theme from the movement returns in the middle section. Here, the theme,
played in the left hand under a right hand trill, repeats itself one octave lower, before the
completion of the full statement. The emphasis on the lowest note of the theme, A, serves as the
dominant pedal in addition to the treble A held throughout by the trill. The repetition of the
theme in the same key under the trill, propels no movement forward and creates an enervated or
haunting atmosphere. As the bass descends chromatically from C#, the momentum finds its way
back harmonically. The triplets starting in m. 46 and 47 (marked accelerando), lead to the
52
Neapolitan, E-flat major. At first narrow in its range of motion, the movement of the triplets
octaves of the keyboard in m. 52 and 53. The final reminder of the dominant comes in m. 54
protégé, it provides a glimpse into the stylistic trend of writing cadenzas in the early nineteenth
century. J.R. Schultz who commissioned the arrangement of Mozart’s piano concertos by
Hummel desired “a certain degree of modernization...in keeping up with the modern style of
its technical demands and harmonic language, employing frequent augmented-sixth and
diminished chords. Though Hummel’s cadenzas are rejected by scholars and performers for
their non-Mozartean traits, nineteenth-century composers such as Bedrich Smetana studied and
It comes as a surprise that Bedrich Smetana (1824 - 1884), a Czech composer largely
concertos. Although Smetana never became the piano virtuoso he aspired to be, he was quite
proficient at the instrument and left a significant amount of piano music, mostly consisting of
folk-based character pieces. Smetana’s cadenzas to K. 466 were written for his own
performance in 1856, when he was invited to perform the work for the Mozart centennial in
58
Grayson, 373.
53
Prague. Smetana left a few other cadenzas, those for K. 491, K. 595 and Beethoven’s Third
unexpected musical association between the two composers is at least partly due to the fact that
Hummel was one of the composers that Smetana studied extensively during his youth,59 not a
surprising fact considering the fame and respect Hummel enjoyed as a pianist and composer in
the mid-nineteenth century. The main body of the cadenza, after the virtuosic introduction, is a
note-for-note copy of Hummel’s version. Aside from the opening virtuoso passage, the
exclusion of the second thematic quotation in Smetana’s version stands out as the primary
difference between the two cadenzas. The cadenza continues the drive to the cadence without
additional insertion of the lyrical theme, and is thus more successful than Hummel’s cadenza in
French pianist and composer, Charles Valentin Alkan (1813 - 1888), made an indelible
impression as one of the leading piano virtuosos of the nineteenth century. He possessed
astonishing pianistic abilities and produced technically daunting compositions for the piano,
including the Grande-Sonate, op. 33 and Twenty-Four Etudes, op. 35 and 39. In addition to a
wide variety of original compositions for the piano, Alkan also arranged the compositions of
other composers, for he was especially fascinated by the potential of the piano to create an
59
Brian Large. Smetana. (New York: Praegar Publishers, Inc., 1970), 9.
54
compositions, especially those from the Baroque and the Classical periods. Collections such as
Chambre, include simplified reductions of orchestral and chamber works for the modern piano,
transcriptions which Alkan intended to present in concert. His admiration for Handel, Mozart
and Beethoven are apparent not only in the works he transcribed, but also in the faithfulness with
In 1861, Alkan made a complete transcription of K. 466 with original cadenzas to the
first and third movements. While the concerto movement itself faithfully adheres to the original
text, the cadenza to the concerto is stylistically far removed from Mozartean norms. The longest
of all the cadenzas discussed here, Alkan’s eighty-three-measure cadenza takes over four
minutes to perform. Since Alkan composed the cadenza specifically for his arrangement of the
concerto, many of the rules and conventions for the cadenza in general do not apply to this
particular cadenza. The orchestral sound-palette which Alkan strives to create in the movement–
with thick chords, and encompassing the wide range of register available in the nineteenth-
century piano–is also used in his cadenza, resulting in an original cadenza appropriate only for
Alkan draws themes and motives from the movement and works them into his own
harmonic language and sound world, one distant from the rest of the movement. In addition to
the variety of materials re-worked in the cadenza, Alkan incorporates a theme from Mozart’s
In the cadenza, Alkan marks “Alla Sinfonia in C,” in m. 26. Clearly, the triplet figure
and the melodic contour that follows is inspired from the Jupiter. Alkan incorporates the
symphony into the musical materials of K. 466, and he later provides a more overt and direct
Though he marks “Alla Sinfonia in C” only in m. 26, Alkan makes the connection to the Jupiter
even earlier, from the beginning of the cadenza. The short melody which immediately follows
the triplet figures in the symphony shown in Example 3.11a is suggested at the beginning of the
cadenza.
58
Both the Jupiter theme and the soloist’s first theme contain a rising third and falling
second intervals, which Alkan cleverly uses in the beginning of the cadenza. As Example 3.10
shows, the cadenza starts with the reminiscence of the soloist’s theme, and the melody of the
soloist’s theme is disguised in the triplets in m. 3. Even in the absence of the dotted rhythm, the
interval content and the gesture of the melodic line is remarkably similar to the theme of the
symphony.
The cadenza develops the themes from the symphony rather excessively. Positioned in
the middle of the cadenza, this “development” section, Alla Sinfonia in C, continues for twenty-
four measures, longer than the total length of some of the other cadenzas written for the concerto.
Alkan’s choice of the key in this section in E-flat major, neither the key of the symphony nor the
movement, may have been deliberate, given the dramatic effect of the Neapolitan in the
The next section which quotes the second theme of the movement in B Major is
reminiscent of Beethoven’s cadenza for the same concerto. Not only do both cadenzas quote the
second theme in the same key, but they also approach the B major from the key of E flat. The
enharmonic respelling of Eb to D# and the emphasis of it in m. 50, leads to the third section of
the cadenza, which contrasts the previous two sections with its textural and harmonic
transparency. The glistening scales and the playful rhythm, alla Mozart, seem to rid the memory
60
of the pompousness that preceded it. From m. 62, however, the intensity builds up, culminating
in the long tremolo, alla Liszt, from m. 70 to 75. The dramatic return of the syncopation in
m. 76 brings the cadenza to the coda. The triplet figure with which it begins, transforms to a
whirlwind of scales gushing across the keyboard, bringing the cadenza to a dramatic closure.
Charles Valentin Alkan’s cadenza shows no sign of restraint in harmony, texture, and
length. It is longer than the development section of the movement, and twice the length
prescribed by the theorists of the eighteenth century. Alkan quotes and freely develops the
themes from the movement, and relates the ideas to those from Mozart’s late masterpiece, the
Jupiter Symphony. Alkan’s search for external musical inspirations to serve the cadenza, the
wild harmonic modulations and key relations between the sections of the cadenza, are
Mozart. Furthermore, the constant semblance of closing and restarting –articulated by the
dynamics, key change, thematic materials employed and Alkan’s own marking of double bars–
weaken the sense of unity, and the cadenza as a result does not maintain harmonic tension
throughout. Essentially, Alkan begins a fantasy at the cadential fermata, unleashing his
imagination inspired by the movement. Texturally dense with chords and octaves, Alkan has
created a cadenza for his transcription of the concerto, which would be stylistically inappropriate
for Mozart’s original work. Manifesting the uninhibited power of the full orchestra, Alkan’s
Clara Schumann, one of the most celebrated pianists in the nineteenth century, wrote
cadenzas to Beethoven’s third and fourth Piano concertos as well as for Mozart’s Piano
the concerto. According to Burk’s biography, she gave the her first performance of the concerto
in Leipzig in 1857. Clara Schumann writes, “I played Mozart’s D minor Concerto, for the first
time in my life and Beethoven’s Eroica Variations. I was terribly agitated! When the audience
received me with a warmth as if every heart grieved with mine, I had to respond with all that was
in me. I played well, except for the beautiful cadenzas of Johannes.”60 The second document
appears in the letter she wrote to Brahms, dated September 17, 1878: “In the daytime I am able
to practice there, in my beautiful music room, for the Hamburg recital; I have to work out some
cadenzas-–a terribly hard job in my present frame of mind. I’ve used some ideas of yours, with
Years later as Schumann was preparing the first edition of her cadenzas in 1891, she was
suddenly struck by the guilty realization that her cadenza to K. 466 was largely based on
60
John N Burk, Clara Schumann; A Romantic Biography (New York: Random House, 1940),
344.
61
Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms, Letters of Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms,
1853-1896, trans. Berthold Litzmann (New York: Vienna House, 1971), 188.
62
I beg you very sincerely simply to let the cadenzas go into the world with your name. Even the
smallest J.B. would only look peculiar; it really isn’t worth the trouble, and I could show you
many a more recent work in which there is more by me than an entire cadenza! What’s more, by
rights I would then have to add to my loveliest melodies: actually by Cl.Sch.! For after all if I
think of myself, nothing clever, let alone, beautiful, could occur to me! I owe more melodies to
you than there are passages or suchlike that you could take from me.62
On the surface, the cadenza is similar to that of Brahms (discussed in the next section) in
the choice of the musical materials quoted, the texture, and the compositional technique
employed to present the musical materials. There can be little doubt that one cadenza was
inspired by the other. However, the structure and the effect of the two cadenzas differ
significantly when the harmonic content is examined more carefully. Whereas key changes and
thematic quotations rarely coincide in Brahms’s cadenza, Clara Schumann tends to articulate the
beginning of each section by the change of theme, key, and mood, offering a more sectionalized
cadenza. While Brahms constantly moves the harmony in a bold progression, gradually building
tension until the very end, Clara Schumann’s cadenza tends to build excitement and tension and
relax in several places throughout the cadenza, which keeps it from maintaining tension
throughout. Her tempo markings, Allegro, Allegretto, ad lib recitative and con bravura, mark
After a virtuosic section with broken octaves in the beginning, a descending bass line, A-
G-F#-E-D, leads to the B minor thematic quotation in m. 16. The bass line movement of the first
section is shown in Example 3.12 below. The sixteenth-note tremolo in the left hand
accompanies the soloist’s second theme from m. 15, similar to Brahms’s version. The harmony,
stable and expected at first, starts to move forward from m. 24. As shown in Example 3.13,
Schumann fragments the second part of the theme and quickens the harmonic movement.
62
Styra Avins, Johannes Brahms: life and letters (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 687.
63
The harmonic urgency accompanied by accelerando intensifies with the quotation of the
transitional material that follows. Marked con fuoco and fortissimo, the vigor of the left hand’s
broken octaves and the dotted rhythm and chords in the right-hand is short-lived, and all quickly
simmers down to the sixteenth-note transition in m. 38, where Schumann re-builds drama
towards the D-major arrival in m. 44. The triplet arpeggios and the chromatic bass movement
64
(F#-F-E-D#) lead to the next section of the cadenza, which serves to prepare for the final build
up to the end.
and chords in the left hand. Using the bass, E, as a dominant pedal point, the tension builds and
the figuration creates a sense of improvisation. Rather than relieving the tension as in Brahms’s
version, the intensity of the pedal point escalates with the chromatic bass movement from E up to
A (Example 3.14).
The harmonic tension reaches its climax with a series of diminished-seventh chords from m. 68.
Despite the series of diminished chords and the dominant, A, held as the pedal point from m. 61,
Schumann’s approach to the con bravura asserts less drama than that of Brahms in the same
section. Even though Schumann builds enough tension with diminished harmony up to this
point, the necessary arrival of scale degree 5 (A) and the six-four chord does not coincide with
65
the con bravura (Example 3.15). Instead, con bravura begins with a root position A-major triad,
which by nature requires no need for resolution, and therefore holds no harmonic tension. Thus,
the A-major triad in root position falls flat, despite its supposed dominant function in the
cadenza.
cadenza idiomatic to the instrument, while staying away from bombastic chords and octaves
which would not have been played during Mozart’s time. However, compared to Brahms’s
version, the cadenza is less successful in serving the movement as a dominant prolongation. The
sectionalized cadenza, structurally articulated by tempo markings and the change of key and
thematic materials, does not hold together, nor maintain tension throughout. Though it is about
66
the same number of measures as that of Brahms’s, Schumann’s version disintegrates quickly and
Hamburg in January, 1856 for a concert celebrating Mozart’s centenary. During his lifetime, he
wrote cadenzas to several piano concertos by Mozart: Along with cadenzas for a Bach Concerto
(BWV 1052) and for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4, Op.58, Brahms’s cadenzas for Mozart’s
Piano Concertos, K. 453, 466 and 491, were all published after his death and carry no opus
designations.
On the autograph of the K. 466 cadenza in the hand of Clara Schumann, is written:
“Cadenza to the d-minor Concerto of Mozart by Brahms with usage of a cadenza of mine. On
the other hand, I used in my later published Cadenza several passages from the Brahms Cadenza,
Clara Schumann, 1891."63 The active musical exchange between the two is not at all surprising.
Following Robert Schumann’s suicide attempt in 1853, and until the composer’s death in 1856,
Brahms seldom left Clara Schumann. During these three years, Brahms frequently brought the
music he composed to Clara, which she reviewed and offered advice on.
The musical exchange between the two artists was further enriched by Robert
Schumann’s melodies and musical innovations. The theme from Robert’s Bunte Blätter, op. 99
63
Clara Schumann, on the manuscript of the Cadenza to Mozart Piano Concerto in D Minor, K.
466 by Johannes Brahms, writes “Kadenz zu W.A. Mozarts Klavierkonzert in D moll Kochel-
Verzeichnis Nr. 466. Mitt Benuntzung einer Kadenz von Clara Schumann.” Accessed at the
Library of Congress.
67
first inspired Clara to compose Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann, to which Brahms
responded with his own variation set. As Malcom Macdonald notes, Brahms’s Variations on a
Theme of Robert Schumann shows Brahms absorbing some of Schumann’s most personal
innovations in texture and the variation technique.64 It then comes as no surprise that similar
techniques of variation and thematic transformation are some of the most prominent features in
Brahms’s cadenza to K. 466, written during this time. Adventurous harmonies throughout the
cadenza never sound aimless because of strong bass line support. The themes from the
movement are presented in new light without altering their basic elements. In eighty-one
measures Brahms takes the listeners through a fantasy on the themes from the movement while
The cadenza may be divided into three sections. The first and closing sections, both of
which utilize the soloist’s closing material in the exposition and recapitulation, comprise
virtuosic passage work embellishing the dominant. Brahms achieves cyclic unity by engaging
the same musical material both at the beginning and at the end. The longer middle section, from
mm. 13 to 66, quotes a variety of themes from the movement and is emphatically romantic in its
use of chromaticism and non-harmonic tones. For this reason, while Brahms bases the thematic
content of the cadenza on the parent movement, the chromatic harmony of the cadenza, foreign
to Mozart’s musical language, separates the cadenza from the movement itself.
The themes Brahms utilizes in the middle section of the cadenza subdivide this section
into two. The transitional materials in the movement serve to link one main part of the cadenza
to the next, and show Brahms’s carefully planned architectural scheme. The first section, from
mm. 13 to 35, quotes the second main theme of the movement, accompanied by the nervous
64
Malcolm Macdonald, Brahms (New York: Schirmer Books, 1990), 82.
68
development of the theme and developing it organically. Set in two-voice counterpoint, the
conversation between voices continues to move the harmony in unexpected ways (including a
deceptive cadence in m. 15). Example 3.16 shows the technique of inverting and varying the
theme (m. 18). Brahms also disguises the theme in the busy left-hand tremolo in m. 22. Both of
these procedures are found throughout Brahms’s early works, such as his three piano sonatas and
variations.
The quotation of transitional material from mm. 30 to 35 prolongs the G# dominant chord
in C# minor, a key distantly removed from the tonic and never before explored. The bass line
ascends in stepwise motion from B# until it reaches the next higher B# in m. 34, as shown in
69
Example 3.17
The busy sixteenth notes gradually add tension to the highest C#, which is supported by the G#
dominant chord in the left hand (m. 35). The prolonged dominant transition from mm. 30 to 35
leads to the next thematic quotation. From mm. 36 to 66, Brahms develops the soloist’s first
theme, marked ad lib.recitativisch. Compared to the thematic quotation earlier, where Brahms
treated the original idea motivically, developing and transforming a fragment of the theme, the
70
thematic quotation in this section adheres to the original phrase structure in the movement. This
free fantasy-like thematic quotation therefore contrasts the earlier, more formal working of a
musical idea, displaying Brahms’s complete mastery in treating a theme in various ways.
The thematic quotation continues to expand the harmonic realm, never giving the
impression of settling in one key area. It appears with the ascending arpeggiated left-hand
accompaniment at ad lib recitativisch. The two phrases, the first in m. 36 and the second in m.
45, are supported by their corresponding dominant pedal, C# and E. A momentary feeling of
temporal suspension, created by the dominant pedal, is resolved by the quick broken sixths at the
end of the first phrase (mm. 43-45). The second phrase, supported by the low E, serves as V/V
for the rest of the cadenza. The bass line of the middle section is shown below.
Measure #’s: 36 43 44 45 53 56
A minor: V7/V V7 i
D minor: V7
In m. 56, there is a momentary feeling of repose before the final build up to the end of the
cadenza. The seemingly less intense thematic quotation in D-major sonority, however, is over its
dominant (A) and only an illusion of relaxation. The flat seven (C) in m. 61 adds tonal
ambiguity by turning the tonic D minor sonority into a dominant-seventh chord. This type of
71
tonal ambiguity by Brahms is found in his early works, such as in his Piano Sonata No.1 in C
Example 3.19 - Brahms Piano Sonata Op.1 No.1 in C Major, The First Movement.
The Exposition:
The Recapitulation:
Similar to the procedure in the cadenza in the sonata, Brahms begins the recapitulation with the
first theme, but this return is made tonally ambiguous by the flat seventh (B Flat).
Compared to Schumann’s approach to the final section, Brahms transitions to the final
section in a dramatic fashion, using the full thematic quotation and mostly triadic harmony
(Example 3.20). However, the pedal points A, then D, are still present, not letting go of the
suspense completely. When the final build up begins in m. 67, the D-minor six-four (marked
piano), is harmonically unstable. During the final dominant prolongation to the end of the
72
cadenza, the interplay between D-major and minor sonorities adds to the excitement. From
piano to fortessimo, the cadenza concludes with the most dramatic and virtuosic drive to the
cadence.65
Brahms’s cadenza to Mozart’s K. 466 is a beautifully crafted work which shows complete
mastery of various compositional techniques. Though the cadenza explores the same thematic
materials from the movement as Schumann’s version, Brahms’s cadenza displays a higher
65
On the manuscript, Brahms had crossed out the original dynamic, forte, and replaced it with
piano in m. 67, which builds drama much more effectively than Clara Schumann’s closing of the
cadenza, where she marks forte.
73
The Italian piano virtuoso and composer Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) is largely
remembered today for his arrangements and transcriptions for the piano, which reflects his
affinity for the composers whose works he arranged or transcribed. Also, Busoni’s original
music, in which Mozartean purity and transparency are manifest, reveals Busoni’s excitement
and admiration for Mozart’s music. Busoni rejected atonality and participated in the revival of
Classicism in the early twentieth century by performing and arranging works by Mozart in his
own inimitable way. His high estimation of Mozart is also evident in his writings about the
Viennese master, such as in the Aphorisms (1906) and For the Don Giovanni Jubilee (1887).66
Busoni’s cadenzas to eight of Mozart’s piano concertos were published by Breitkopf and
Härtel in 1921, at the time of Busoni’s legendary performances of six concertos. B&H issued a
new edition in 1992 with newly published cadenzas and fermatas, including another version of
cadenzas to K. 466. According to Reinisch, Busoni penned the first version of the cadenza to K.
466 in 1907. The next cadenza he wrote, for K. 271, came seven years later in 1916, and the rest
of his cadenzas came in rapid succession from 1919 to 1923, more than a decade after the
supposed date of his first version of cadenzas (first and third movement) to K. 466. Though the
precise chronology of the two cadenzas for K. 466 is not yet established, Reinisch believes that
“the commonly known, succinctly formulated and pianistically somewhat more restrained
66
Ferrucio Busoni, The Essence of Music and Other Papers, trans. Rosamond Ley (London:
Salisbury Square, 1957).
67
Reinisch, Preface to Busoni’s cadenzas.
74
Larry Sitsky, in his Busoni and the Piano, mentions the shorter version but neglects to
discuss the longer version included in the B&H edition. Instead, Sitsky refers to yet another
version of the cadenza as Busoni’s “final” version, one which was handed down in manuscript
form by Egon Petri.68 This later version, which Sitsky includes in the appendix of his book
“deletes some overloaded chording and contains generally a purer, thinner line… Petri indicated
that it was composed circa 1920.”69 Other than the texture, the two cadenzas Sitsky speaks of
are essentially the same, and the following discusses the two cadenzas included in Brietkopf
While most of Busoni’s cadenzas unabashedly challenge the harmonic, and structural
guidelines prescribed by the theorists during Mozart’s time, the cadenzas to K. 466 reveal
faithfulness to Mozart’s musical language and admiration for the music of the Classical Viennese
master. Busoni’s unique style of combining various compositional elements, often juxtaposing
the old and the new materials, is manifested in these cadenzas which he used for his own
performances. Though they are largely neglected today, these cadenzas were appreciated by the
68
Included in the appendix of Sitsky’s book Busoni and the Piano, this “later” version Sitsky
mentions offers only minor alterations to the “short version” included in the Breitkopf and
Hartel edition.
69
Sitsky, 250.
75
legendary pianist, Vladimir Horowitz, who performed Busoni’s cadenzas to Mozart concertos
Within its modest fifty-two measures, the shorter version of the two falls into three main
sections. The first section begins with the soloist’s first theme. Aside from the register of the
theme and its accompaniment, the cadenza follows the character of the original statement in the
movement. The running sixteenth notes transitioning to the next section continue to accompany
the closing material which introduced the soloist’s theme in the movement. This thematic
material, not specifically underlined or explored by Mozart in the movement proper, gains
prominence in the cadenza, and makes up most of the middle section. Busoni does not indulge
in excessive chromaticism or counterpoint, but rather preserves the original character of the
melody. A hint of major-minor duality is suggested in m. 27 and again in m. 29, with the
presence of both the C# and C natural. Such an instance adds a spark and infuses the cadenza
70
Reinisch, Preface to Busoni’s cadenzas.
76
The transparency of the themes and texture gives way to virtuosity in the final section of
the cadenza. Using the closing material at the end of the exposition and recapitulation in the
movement, the cadenza builds the momentum in two stages, initially from mm. 31 to 39 and
secondly from m. 39 to the end. The orchestral texture points towards nineteenth-century
keyboard virtuosity, yet the “Lisztian” passages are in fact meant to be played “lightly and
71
Sitsky, 246.
77
Harmonically, Busoni does not stray far away from Mozartean norms, and a remarkable
degree of unity holds the cadenza together. The original function of the cadenza to embellish the
cadence is achieved by its emphasis on the dominant, which functions as a pedal point
throughout the cadenza. No modulation to foreign keys take away from the tension of the
dominant, and the need for a resolution in the tonic D minor, is satisfied only at the end of the
cadenza.
The quotations of the themes from the movement take the cadenza from one place to the
next. The musical materials from the movement are combined with a new accompaniment or a
complementary idea, rather than being replaced by a completely new theme in the cadenza. The
running sixteenth-notes in the middle section (m. 19) which smoothly transition from the
previous section of the cadenza, accompany the closing theme of the orchestral exposition
Example 3.23: Quotation of Mozart’s Closing Theme in Busoni’s Shorter Cadenza, mm. 18-21.
The longer version which the B&H edition also includes features an expanded version of
the first section of the shorter cadenza. This longer cadenza, otherwise identical to the shorter
version from m. 32 to the end, displays a higher degree of freedom in harmony and counterpoint
in the first section, infusing Busoni’s personal style. The quotation of the soloist’s first theme is
set in counterpoint between the two hands over a dominant pedal point. The searching quality
created by the two-voice counterpoint leads to the deceptive cadence in m. 15, where Busoni
quotes the ominous triplet motive and the syncopated melody played by the strings at the
beginning of the movement. As appears in the example below, the untransposed syncopated
melody originally played in D minor is set in the key of its relative major.
79
The keys of B-flat major, accentuated by the bass, and D minor, implied by the melody which
began the entire concerto, are set in opposition, heightening the sense of suspense.
The uncertain chronology of the cadenzas, discussed above, calls for further research.
The shorter cadenza, which represents the final version for some scholars, may be the only
Busoni maintains the balance between the carefully planned architecture of the whole and the
technical brilliance of nineteenth-century pianism, which reflects the German and Italian
traditions Busoni inherited as a composer and a pianist. The blend of the two traditions, also
inherent in Mozart’s compositions, perhaps allowed Busoni to emulate the great Austrian master
Paul Badura-Skoda’s cadenzas and eingange for Mozart’s piano concertos were first
published by Bärenreiter in 1967.72 The cadenzas for K. 175, 415, 466, 467, 482, 491, 503 and
537 are the culmination of his research on the subject and they were written with utmost
understanding of Mozart’s harmonic language and the structure of the extant cadenzas.
Consequently, Badura-Skoda’s cadenzas are a good point of departure for studying the possible
Both of Badura-Skoda’s two cadenzas to the first movement of K. 466 are excellent
options, structurally intelligible, harmonically interesting and they maintain dominant tension
while exploring various themes from the movement. The first cadenza has an alternate ending in
which Badura-Skoda quotes from Mozart’s D-Minor Fantasy, K. 397. Also, Badura-Skoda
includes ossia in several parts of the two cadenzas, offering variable options the performer can
While Badura-Skoda quotes the secondary theme in the middle section of both cadenzas,
the openings of the two cadenzas each make use of different musical materials from the
movement. Therefore, each cadenza makes a completely different impression on the listeners.
The final drive to the cadence at the end of the two cadenzas are only slightly varied and the first
cadenza’s ending quotes the end of Beethoven’s cadenza. The two endings are exchangeable,
72
Paul Badura Skoda, Kadenzen, Eingänge und Auszierungen zu Klavierkonzerten von
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 1967).
73
Consequently, the first cadenza can be played with three different endings: 1. As written, 2.
with the alternative ending quoting Mozart’s D-minor Fantasy, K. 397, and 3. the ending of the
second cadenza.
81
The first cadenza quotes a variety of themes and materials played by the orchestra in the
movement. The theme played by the strings in m. 50 in the movement begins the cadenza at a
piano dynamic and surprises the listeners with the deceptive cadence in m. 4. The emphatic
octaves arpeggiating downward are played in the left and right hands creating a two-bar
sequence, articulating the V-I progression in B-flat major, G minor and, F minor. Here, the
beginning of the movement. The carefully thought-out reworking of musical ideas and the
orchestral texture do not step outside of Mozart’s norms in terms of harmonic language, but give
little impression of improvisation. The descending bass line from D to A (mm. 11 to 15) repeats
itself in quicker motion in m. 16 and 18 (C# to A), reinforcing the dominant, A. Although
connective descending bass lines appear in many of Mozart’s cadenzas, the chromatic harmonic
unMozartean.
82
With the sixteenth-notes played over A, G, and G# in the left-hand, the tension escalates.
At the maximum point of intensity in m. 26, the passagework comes to a stop without resolving
the diminished harmony. The quotation of the second theme and the passagework from m. 26 to
m. 36 carries the nervousness accumulated by the previous eight measures (m. 19-26). In the
quotation of the lyrical theme, Badura-Skoda omits the second half of the original theme (for the
obvious reason of not letting the harmony relax) and sets only the first part of theme in
counterpoint. Each repetition of the theme overlaps the previous statement, creating a feeling of
leads to the triplets and then sixteenth-notes which drive to the dominant, where the low G#,
hanging throughout the whole quotation of the second theme (from m. 25) finally resolves to A.
The final drive to the cadence takes off, quoting the last four bars of Beethoven’s cadenza.
In comparison to the orchestral and grand gestures of the first cadenza, the second
cadenza is lighter and full of sixteenth-note passages quoting transitional material from the
movement. Employing the broken octaves in both hands, the soloist immediately grabs our
attention with dramatic force. The contrast between the dynamics is used successfully,
reinforcing the tonic-dominant relationship before the sequence in the next twelve bars. The
sequence articulating the V-I progression from m. 7 to 18 combines the soloist’s sixteenth-note
passage in the right hand and the triplets originally played by the strings in the left-hand. Each
of the three four-bar segments of the sequence ascends a whole step higher, from E minor to F-
sharp major and then A-flat major, elevating the intensity to a key area unlikely for Mozart. The
A prominent feature of this second cadenza by Badura-Skoda is the use of the Neapolitan
chord, which came as a surprise in the second thematic area of the recapitulation (m. 307). By
emphasizing the E-flat major chord in several places throughout the cadenza, the cadenza
directly relates to the movement in its harmonic and modulatory scheme. The first appearance of
emphasizing the chord becomes clearer in mm. 34, 35 and 36 where V/bII- bII progression is
iterated three times before resolving to the cadential six-four, which initiates the improvisatory
Both of the cadenzas have the clear tripartite structure we would expect. With unusually
short middle and final sections, the two cadenzas differ primarily in their initial impact after the
orchestral six-four chord. The first cadenza, which has a thematic opening, quotes the themes
previously played by the orchestra, combining it with syncopation, an idea which pervades the
whole movement. The second cadenza quotes the closing material just heard before the cadenza,
making a dramatic transition from the tonic six-four chord to the theme in the tonic in the middle
section.
hoped them to be. Moments of highly dissonant chromaticism, unseen in Mozart’s own
cadenzas are brief but striking. In addition, the cadenza gives the impression of being carefully
crafted. The combination of several musical ideas and the contrapuntal setting of the second
theme in the first cadenza are carefully thought-out and give little impression of improvisation.
However, the structurally coherent cadenzas by Badura-Skoda, as a collection, are valuable for
those interested in exploring beyond the cadenzas written by Mozart himself. Different options
also allow one to see numerous possibilities of quoting various themes and engaging a particular
thematic material in different ways. The cadenzas may be viable options for those who find the
studied, “textbook” model cadenza does not come without the risk of turning the performance
Robert Levin, one of the most prominent pianist/scholars in the subjects of cadenza and
improvisation, recorded Mozart’s Piano Concerto, K. 466 under the direction of Christopher
Hogwood, another period-conscious artist with an expansive discography of the music of the
Classical Period. The two musicians come together in the most refreshing and historically
informed performance of two concertos by Mozart: No.17 in G Major, K. 453 and No.20 in D
Minor, K. 466. In addition to the cadenza to the first and last movements of K. 466, Robert
Levin also improvises the cadenzas for K. 453, despite the survival of two sets of the cadenzas
After considerable reflection the soloist, conductor and producer felt that observing the spirit of
Mozart’s concerto performances, instead of the letter of their transmission, was especially
important, and a logical outcome of the historical performance movement. We are fully aware of
the peril of our choice: even the most inspired cadenza cannot bear comparison with Mozart’s
peerless invention. However, an audience that knows (and anticipates) every note of the
authentic cadenzas as well as the concerto proper is deprived of the critical element of
uncertainty that is the very raison d’être of the cadenza.74
Robert Levin, who evidently feels strongly about resurrecting the practice of
improvisation, purportedly improvises differently in each live performance and each take of the
recording. Consequently, the current discussion of this particular cadenza does not necessarily
represent Levin’s concrete ideas about the cadenza. The cadenza in Appendix A at the end of
this document and the analysis below, are provided as a means of understanding Levin’s style of
improvisation in general rather than attempting to formalize one example among Levin’s
limitless possibilities.
74
Levin, CD insert.
90
The cadenza can be divided into three sections, adhering to Badura-Skoda’s analysis of
Mozart’s cadenzas. Three quotations from the movement, thematic and transitional, structure the
cadenza into the beginning, middle and final sections. The first and last sections employ
passage-work which continues the momentum of the orchestral six-four chord and drives the
music to the tonic, respectively. The middle section, which quotes the second theme from the
movement, contrasts the other two sections with a cantabile subject. As in the first movements
of the Concertos K. 271, 415, 450, 453, 456, 459 and 595, this type of organization of thematic
quotations is frequently used by Mozart. The increasing rhythmic activity of the sixteenth-notes
drives to the highest note on the fortepiano, F, which Levin uses as an appoggiatura to the C#
diminished 7th chord that follows. At the peak of harmonic intensity and register, Levin
arpeggiates five octaves down to the lowest note, A, from which he begins the final bravura
Mozart’s cadenzas. Accordingly, the two types of musical activities - reiteration of themes
moving from stable to unstable, and repeated rhetorical reminders of the coming cadence - can
be identified in Levin’s cadenzas. In the first quoted theme, Levin moves from stable to unstable
by sequencing. By inserting an extra bar in m. 5, the symmetry of four plus four bars is thrown
off balance, instilling the opening with excitement before the recitative-like prolongation of V/V
in m. 9. The example below shows this movement from stable to unstable by employing the
The next section as a whole also belongs to the first type of musical activity in Levin’s
analysis, reiterating themes and moving from stable and unstable. Here, Levin re-stabilizes the
tension of the V/V held at the end of the previous section with the quotation of the second theme
from the movement. As Levin improvises in this section, the accelerando in the harmonic
92
motion as well as the note values (moving from the half notes, eighth notes, then sixteenth notes)
drive from stable to unstable. The bass line descends to the C# in m. 21, from which the right
The final section of the cadenza begins immediately with the held dominant in the bass
and the sixteenth-note arpeggiation in the right hand. The tension builds gradually at first with a
change of harmony every two bars, then the harmonic progression accelerates with a moving
bass line from m. 28. The tonic six-four chord is reached in m. 35 by way of the augmented-
sixth chord in the previous measure. Full of ascending and descending arpeggios supported by
its bass line, the last section is virtuosic and dramatic, and builds the maximum amount of
intensity before the final resolution to tonic. The closing material at the end of the development
section from the movement (m. 230), which heightened the tension and drama before the
Not deviating from Mozart’s harmonic language nor the guidelines set by the theorists,
Levin’s improvised cadenza serves to both prolongates the dominant and surprise the audience
with virtuosity, both technical and artistic. Even though the cadenza was improvised at the spur
of the moment, the cadenza shows a remarkable degree of organization. The tripartite structure
of the improvised cadenza falls into Badura-Skoda’s analysis of Mozart’s cadenzas and the
musical activities in each section display a clear harmonic direction of moving from stable to
unstable (first and middle sections) or remind the listeners of the coming cadence (last section).
Jazz pianist and composer, Chick Corea has recorded Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 in
D Minor, K. 466 with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Bobby Mcferrin.
The recording, entitled The Mozart Sessions, also includes Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K.
488 and the Sonata No.2 in F Major, K. 280. This album contributes to the crossover movement
popular in the 1990s with the two most well-known piano concertos by Mozart, which are
The Music Sessions received mixed reviews from the press. While adding a “prelude” to
Mozart’s original text was unacceptable to the purists, the rather unremarkable musical
interpretation of the work and the tame improvisation in the cadenza came as a disappointment to
the hybridists, or the enthusiasts of crossover music. The improvised prelude to the concerto was
described as “good-natured noodling,” which “undercut the drama of the tensely syncopated
opening,” by the New York Times critic James Oeistreich. Of the improvised cadenza, James
Oestreich wrote, “...the anachronisms were not so disruptive as the sheer size and scope of the
excursions, which were out of proportion to the whole.”75 Geoff Brown from The Times was on
the other side of the spectrum: “Sacrilege, or what? Not particularly. Performing practices in
Mozart's time allowed for more freedom than most current classical pianists usually give
themselves; and Corea's minor-key jazz musings did no harm to Mozart's filigree beauty.”76
Chick Corea’s improvised cadenza separates itself from the movement written more than
two-hundred years ago, and the audience is thus invited to experience Chick Corea’s unique
75
James R Oeistreich, "Good-Natured Noodling, and Blues, for Mozart," New York Times, 4
November 1996.
76
Geoff Brown, "Chick Corea," The Times, 5 November 1999.
94
exploration of K. 466. In addition to the harmonic language which most flagrantly sets it apart
from the movement, the musical syntax and even the pianist’s touch at the keyboard do not
attempt to imitate eighteenth-century practice. Corea, whose main musical inspirations include
Latin and Spanish music, incorporates the flamenco rhythms and other exotic sounds of Spain.
Corea says, “Hearing Mozart's themes in D minor throws me right into flamenco changes and a
flamenco feel. It absolutely felt like I was connecting with myself, with the Spanish music that's
always been important to me, that's in the roots of my life. I can hear a flamenco singer with a
real gravelly voice, but almost operatic, singing that opening melody."77 As Corea notes, the
flamenco rhythms and sounds are at the forefront of the cadenza. The beginning starts with a
long held trill in the right hand while the left hand improvises a soulful melody in the style of
cante jondo.78 Phyrigian scales, strongly associated with the Spanish music, are played with
clarity and speed by Corea, displaying technical virtuosity. Quotations of the primary and
secondary themes are avoided in the cadenza and Corea develops and reinterprets the transitional
materials (for example, the sixteenth-note passage in m. 99 in the movement) to shape the
cadenza. The cadenza concludes by quoting the end of Beethoven’s cadenza to the same
concerto. The total of two and a half minutes of cadenza contributes rather substantially to the
Although the cadenza does not meet most of the technical requirements from a traditional
point of view, Chick Corea is successful in delivering an improvised cadenza which is sure to
surprise the audience and relates to the movement on deeply personal level. The emotional depth
and drama of K. 466 are highlighted by engaging the rhythm and melody of the flamenco, whose
77
Chick Corea, in the CD insert to “Mozart Sessions”
78
Cante jondo is a profound and most serious Spanish Gypsy song, usually dealing with death,
religion and anguish.
95
roots are so strongly associated with the soulful music of the gypsies. The common musical
grounds the music of Mozart and jazz share, such as the clarity of texture and the bass line, are
CONCLUSION
As one of the six concertos lacking an original cadenza by the composer, Mozart’s Piano
Concerto No.20 in D Minor, K. 466 has inspired a great number of pianists and composers to pen
their own. The birthdates of the composers surveyed in this study span over two-and-a-half
centuries. This illustrates the constant popularity this concerto has enjoyed since its
composition. My focus in this thesis was to analyze many different cadenzas written for a single
concerto, which reveal various aspects of the composers’ lives and their connection to this
concerto, as well as the musical means each composer uses to fulfill the artistic goal of
The composers I included in this study, from Müller to Corea, were inspired to write
cadenzas for various reasons. Composers like Clara Schumann, Brahms and Müller composed
their cadenzas for their own performances of the concerto. Naturally, these cadenzas embody
these composers’ most personal expressions. In the cases of Clara Schumann and Brahms, the
cadenzas reveal the artistic exchange between the two composers. Though each of their
cadenzas is strikingly similar on the surface, close harmonic analysis actually reveals a dramatic
On other occasions, cadenzas were written for students and patrons. Beethoven’s
cadenza for K. 466 is the only one he wrote for another composer’s concerto. Written for his
pupil, either Archduke Rudolf or Ferdinand Ries, this cadenza remains the most popular cadenza
for this concerto. Hummel, the most important pedagogue of his time, arranged Mozart’s
concertos for a smaller ensemble, which included cadenzas in his own style. Cadenzas by
97
Mozart’s contemporaries, as well as documented reviews of the critics, help guide us toward
Alkan, inspired by the possibilities of creating orchestral sounds on the new nineteenth-
century piano, transcribed many orchestral works for the solo piano, including Mozart’s D Minor
Concerto. The cadenza he wrote for this transcription is the longest and most harmonically
adventurous among the cadenzas I included in this study. Although using Alkan’s cadenza in a
unique example of its kind and has much to offer when considered on its own.
own idiosyncratic compositional framework, thereby creating a stylistic gap between their
aimed to reconcile this gap by studying the original performance practice of the eighteenth-
century concerto. Scholars like Neumann and Badura-Skoda exhaustively studied Mozart’s
extant cadenzas, which has helped to elucidate the harmonic, structural, and syntactical language
Mozart used specifically in his cadenzas. Many scholars have dismissed nineteenth-century
Mozart’s cadenzas has sparked interest in creating an eighteenth-century cadenza in the authentic
style of Mozart. In addition, his collection of cadenzas to those concertos lacking an original
cadenza by Mozart offers exemplary models for study and emulation. A great number of pianists
like Soulima Stravinsky, Geza Anda, and Alfred Brendel also published their own cadenzas to
Mozart concertos they performed. Musicologist and pianist Robert Levin took stylistic
authenticity one step farther in recreating a truly Mozartian concerto performance by actually
98
Jazz pianist Chick Corea, in his performance of K. 466, also improvises the cadenza.
While Chick Corea takes expressive, personal, idiosyncratic liberties in his performance by using
jazz idioms, Keith Jarrett, another jazz pianist and composer, plays Beethoven’s cadenza in his
recording of the same concerto. Jarrett takes a strict position regarding the incorporation of jazz
improvisation. Noting the differences in touch and manner between the Classical and jazz styles,
Jarrett notes, "I don't do my own {cadenzas}. If there's no Mozart cadenza, I look for one I like.
I can't do my own. It's like turning off one switch and turning on another switch. So if I'm
playing Mozart, what I'm doing, if I do my own cadenza, is changing channels. And I want to
stay on the same program. ” Jarrett adds, "In fact, I wouldn't play a solo concert or a trio concert
The opposing views on the subject of improvising the cadenza indicate differences in
personal taste. As such, the decision to choose from existing cadenzas by other composers, to
reflects not only one’s knowledge and academic understanding of the subject, but also personal
beliefs and individual taste. By studying a cadenza written by any respective composer, one may
gain access to that particular composer’s interpretation of the concerto, broadening the effect of
the cadenza to the entire experience of hearing the concerto as a whole. For example, playing
and studying Beethoven’s cadenza amplifies the effect of Beethovenian aspects of the concerto.
This process can have a transformative effect on the listener’s experience of the concerto as a
whole. Looking through a Beethoven’s lens will have a different effect than looking through
79
Don Heckman, "JAZZ; Jarrett and Corea Try Their Hands at Mozart," Los Angeles Times, 8
December 1996.
99
Müller’s or Busoni’s. Considering the impact of the cadenza on the concerto as a whole, and the
parting of Hélène Grimaud and Claudio Abbado in October, 2011 based on artistic differences.
As the culmination of this study, I contribute my own cadenza, which I have included in
the Appendix. Despite the exceptionally large number of cadenzas to choose from, some of
which I studied and analyzed, I came to the realization that a thoroughly personal interpretation
of the concerto could only be possible with one’s own cadenza. This belief, as well as my
intimate understanding of the concerto, allowed me the expressive and technical abilities, which
resulted in a satisfying cadenza of my own. One might be surprised that my cadenza neither
strictly follows the eighteenth-century theorists’ views nor attempt to imitate a particular
composer’s style. While the study in this thesis as a whole inspired my own cadenza, it did not
limit the process from almost infinite number of possibilities a cadenza’s path could take.
As my first cadenza, it represents the beginning of many cadenzas I will write for my
future performances of any Mozart concertos that lack an original cadenza by Mozart. This thesis
focused on cadenzas by ten representative composers. More inspirations for writing a cadenza to
Mozart’s K. 466 can be found in cadenzas by Soulima Stravinsky, Gino Tagliapietra, Carl
Reinecke, Marius Flothius, Edwin Fischer, and Geza Anda, among others.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
Burk, John N. Clara Schumann; A Romantic Biography. New York: Random House, 1940.
Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Essay on the True Art of Paying Keyboard Instruments. London:
Eulenburg Books, 1974.
Badura-Skoda, Eva and Paul. Interpreting Mozart on the Keyboard, trans. Leo Black. New York:
St. Martin’s Press, 1962.
Isaacs, Nicholas. The Keyboard Cadenza. Thesis (D.M.A.), Stanford University, 1986.
Landon, H.C. Robbins, ed. The Mozart Compendium: A Guide to Mozart’s Life and Music.
London: Thames and Hudson, 1990; New York: Shirmer Books, 1990.
Quantz, Johann Joachim, and Edward R. Reilly. On Playing the Flute. New York: Schirmer
Books, 1975.
Rosen, Charles. The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997.
Schumann, Clara, Johannes Brahms, and Berthold Litzmann. Letters of Clara Schumann and
Johannes Brahms, 1853-1896. New York: Vienna House, 1971.
Sitsky, Larry. Busoni and the Piano: The Works, the Writings, and the Recordings. New York:
Greenwood Press, 1986.
Türk, Daniel Gottlob and Raymond Haggh. School of Clavier Playing Or Instructions in Playing
the Clavier for Teachers and Students. Lincoln, NE, USA: University of Nebraska, 1982.
Whitmore, Philip. Unpremeditated Art: The Cadenza in the Classical Keyboard Concerto.
Oxford [England]: Clarendon Press, 1991.
Zaslaw, Neal. Mozart's Piano Concertos: Text, Context, Interpretation. Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press, 1996.
Levin, Robert D. "Improvised Embellishments in Mozart’s Keyboard Music." Early Music 20,
no. 2 (1992): 221-233.
Swain, Joseph, P. “Form and Function of the Classical Cadenza.” The Journal of Musicology:
A Quarterly Review of Music History, Criticism, Analysis, and Performance Practice 6,
no. 1 (1998): 27-59.
"Robert Levin." Contemporary Music Review 25, no. 5/6 (October 2006): 509-512. Accessed on
October 27, 2012 Music Index, EBSCOhost.
http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.rice.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b24db013-
3c41-4a3b-9c51-2a1f43f22624%40sessionmgr14&vid=4&hid=1
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Heckman, Don. "JAZZ; Jarrett and Corea Try their Hands at Mozart." Los Angeles Times,
December 08, 1996.
Oestreich, James R. "Good-Natured Noodling, and Blues, for Mozart." New York Times,
November 04, 1996.
Wakin, Daniel J. “Titans Clash over a Mere Cadenza.” New York Times, October 30, 2011.
SCORES
Alkan, Charles Valentin, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 in D
Minor, K. 466 Transcription de Concert. Paris: Simon Richault, n.d. (ca.1863). Accessed
on December 15, 2012, International Scores Music Library Project,
http://imslp.org/wiki/Transcriptions_-_Mozart_%28Alkan,_Charles-Valentin%29
C.P.E. Bach, Six Harpsichord Concerti, Wq 43 (H 471-476), Hamburg: Author, 1972, Accessed
November 20, 2012, International Scores Music Library Project,
http://imslp.org/wiki/6_Harpsichord_Concerti,_Wq.43_%28H.471-476%29_
%28Bach,_Carl_Philipp_Emanuel%29.
Beethoven, Ludwig van. "Cadenza," in Mozart Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466. New York:
Schirmer, 1902.
Brahms, Johannes. Complete Transcriptions, Cadenzas and Exercises for Solo Piano. Edited by
Eusebius Mandyczewski. New York: Dover Publications. Inc., 1971.
Busoni, Ferrucio. Kadenzen von Ferrucio Busoni. Leipzig: Breitkopf and Härtel, 1920.
Hummel, Johann Nepomuk, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 in
D minor, K. 466, arranged. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1878. Accessed on November
11, 2012, International Scores Music Library Project, http://imslp.org/wiki/
Piano_Concerto_No.20_in_D_minor,_K.466_%28Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus%29.
Müller, August Eberhard. Kadenzen zu Mozart Kozerten. Edited by Alfred Kreutz. Leipzig: C.F.
Peters, 1941. Accessed on November 30, 2012, International Scores Music Library
Project, http://imslp.org/wiki/Cadenzas_to_Mozart%27s_Piano_Concertos_ %28M
%C3%BCller,_August_Eberhard%29.
Schumann, Clara, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Fünf Kadenzen: Für
Klavier Zu 2 Händen. Leipzig: Peters, 1915.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, and Franz Kullak. Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466. New York:
G. Schirmer, 1929.
_____________. Piano Concerto No. 9 in E Flat major, K. 271. Neue Mozart-Ausgabe Digital
Mozart Edition. Salzburg: Internationale Stiftung.
______________.Piano Concerto No. 14 in E Flat Major, K. 449. Neue Mozart-Ausgabe Digital
Mozart Edition. Salzburg: Internationale Stiftung.
____________. Piano Concerto No. 27 in B Flat Major, K. 466. Neue Mozart-Ausgabe Digital
Mozart Edition. Salzburg: Internationale Stiftung.
AUDIO RECORDINGS
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. The Mozart Sessions. Chick Corea and Bobby McFerrin. Sony
Classical, CD, 1996.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Piano concerto no. 17 in G major, K. 453 Piano Concerto No. 20
in D minor, K. 466. Robert Levin, Christopher Hogwood and The Academy of Ancient
Music. The Decca Record Company Limited, CD, 1997.
Appendix A
Cadenza
to Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor, K. 466 Robert Levin
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&b ˙ Ó œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ
b œ œ œ œœ œ
5
&
&b œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ
œ
# œ œœœœœ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ
b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
7
&
œœ œœœœœ œœœœœœ œ
& b œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ ? ! œ
œ
2 Cadenza
U n œ # œ œ # œ œ # œ œ œ œ nœ
#œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ
& b #œ ! nœ œ
9
˙
? # n ˙˙˙
b
~ U œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ
b œ œ # œ œ œ œ ! œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ
11
& œ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ
#œ œ
œœ
? b # œœ
U ‰ jœ œ œ ‰ jœ œ œ
&b œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ
14
˙ #˙ ˙ Ó ˙ ˙ ˙ œ Ó
œ œ ˙
U̇ Œ Œ
? b # œœœœ œœ
œ ˙
˙ ˙˙˙ ˙˙ ˙ & œœ œ œ ? # ˙˙ # ˙˙ #
˙˙ œ
˙ & œ œœ œœ ?
œ œ
Ó Ó
bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ. œœœ œ
‰j
& b #˙ œ
19
˙ #˙ Ó
˙ Œ
? b ˙˙ b ˙˙ ˙
˙ & # œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
œ
œ.œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ
&b
23
œœ œ œœ œ œœ
& b œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ ? #œ œ #œ
#œ b œœ
Cadenza 3
œ œ #œ œ
œ œ #œ
b œ œ œ œ œ œ
26
& #œ œ
? # ˙˙˙˙ œ œ #œ œ œ œ
b œ œ œ
#œ œ
œ #œ
&b ! œ #œ œ œœœœœ œœ
27
œ œ œœœœ œœ #œ œœ
œ
œœ
?b œ œ #œ œœ
w
w
&b ! œ œ œ œœ œœœ œœ
œœœœœ œœ
29
œ œ œœ œœ œ œ
œœ œ œ œœ
?b
w
w
œ œ bœ œ
b œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œœœ
œ
& b ! bœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ
31
œ œ œ œ bœ
?b
w
w
& b ! œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ! bœ œ œ œ œ ! œ œ œ œ œ ! œ œ œ œ œ
33
œ œ œ œ œ œ
?b ˙ #˙ ˙ ˙
#˙ ˙ ˙
˙
4 Cadenza
&b ! #œ ! nœ ! œ!
35
œ œ œ œ #œ
#œ nœ nœ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
?
b œœ #œ œ
œ œ #œ œ œ
#œ œ
œ
œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œ œ œ n œ # œ
&b œ œ n œ œ œ œ nœ #œ
37
œ œ b œ œ œ
œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ nœ
?b œ
#œ œ nœ œ œ œ #œ œ œ nœ bœ
œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ # œ œ œœ œ
&b ! #œ œ œ œ
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ ? œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ
40
&
?b œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ
œ
n œ # œ œ bœ nœ œ
#œ œœ œœ œ
&b ! œœœœ œœœnœ
42
# œ
nœ œ œœ œ œ œ œ
?b œ œ œ œ œœœœ
œnœ#œ œ œ
w
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
w ˙
&b œœœ
43
˙˙
?b Ó # ˙˙˙˙ ˙
Appendix B
Cadenza
to Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor, K. 466 Jeewon Lee
4
&b 4 œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
Piano
? 4
b 4 œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œœ
&b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ
3
œ œ œ œ
œ #œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
?b œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ
œœ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ #œ œ
# œœ œœ œœ œœ
œ œ œ œ
&b Œ Œ Œ Œ
5
œ #œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ
?
b œ #œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ #œ œ œ œ
# œœ œœ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ .. œœ œœ œœ
œ œ. œœ œ œ œ. œœ œ
&b
7
? œ #œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ
b œ #œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ
œ #œ œ œ œ œ
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœ œ
b ! œ #œ œ œ ! œ œœ œ
œ œœœœ
9
& œ œ œ #œ œ
j
? b œj # œœœœ œ
œœœ j œ
n œ œœ
œœ
œ
j# œ
œ œœœ œœœœ j œœ œœ
J œ œ œ
œ nœ J œ J œ
nœ œ œ
œ œ nœ œ
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&b ! nœ #œ nœ œ œ œ
13
œ nœ œ #œ œ
?b j n œœœ œœ
œ
œœ
œ
œœ
œ œ #œ œ œ nœ œ œ
#œ J #œ
#œ
œ œ œ #œ œ
œ œ rit.
?b œ œ œ œ œœ œ j
œ œ œ œ # œœœ œ œ œ œ œ # œœœ œ œJ œ # œœ œ œ jœ œ Ó
œ J œJ œ J œ
J J
œ. œ œ # œ œ ˙ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ # ˙˙˙ n œœœ œœœ
&b œœ .. ˙ œœ œ
19
œ
œ # œ œ œ #œ œ
?b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
œ Ó Ó œ nœ œ œ
Cadenza 3
œ. œ œ #œ œ ˙˙ œ. œ bœ œ œ œœ b œ
b œœ .. œ œ œ œœ .. b˙
23
j
& œ ˙
œ œ œ
?
b œœ œœ œ œ #œ œ
œ
œ Ó œ bœ œ œ œ
œ bœ
œ bœ œ œ nœ
œ bœ
œ
#œ nœ ˙ # n œœ œ œ. bœ œ œ #œ œ œ
b b ˙˙ n œ ˙ bœ œ œ œ œ œ
27
& #œ
œ œ bœ
? b œ b œ œ œ œ n œ # œ n œ œ œ œ œ # œ n œ # œœœ
& b bœ #œ œ œ œ œ ! œœ ! nœ œ
30
œ œ œ
œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ nœ œ œ œ
?b " œ j j œ œ
J œ œ œ J
œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ
œ œ
& b ! œ œ œ œ œ ! œ œœ n œ œ œ œ œ ! œ œ œ œ
32
œ œ
?b œ j j œ œ œ
J œ œ œ J œ
œ œ U
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&b nœ œ œ
34
#œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ nœ bœ
?b U
rit.
Œ
4 Cadenza
œœœ œœœ
&b " ‰ " ‰ "
41
œ œœœ œ #œ œ œ
œœ
? ˙˙ ˙˙ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙ # ˙˙ œœ œœ œœ ˙ # ˙˙
˙˙ n ˙
b ˙ ˙ œ Œ Ó ˙˙ ˙ œ Œ Ó
& œ œ œ
? b œœœ œ
cresc.
Œ Œ ?
œ & œœ œœ œœ
?
œœ n œœ œœ n œœ œœ œœ
&
# œœ œœ œœ
œ œ œ œœœ
œœœœœœ #œ œ œ œ ? nœ #œ
&b ‰œ ‰œ ! œ nœ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
50
&
f
?b œ œ ? œ ? # œœœ œœœ
œ
œ & œœ œ œ œ & œœ # œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ #œ
! œ nœ #œ œ œ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ nœ œ #œ
&b œ œ œ nœ #œ œ #œ œ œ œ
53
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ nœ #œ œ œ
? b œ nœ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ #œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ nœ œ #œ
œ & œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
œ w w w œ
&b œ
55
œœ
#œ œœ
&b " Œ œ Œ œ Œ #œ ? œœ
œ #œ œ #œ œ