38. The Arpeggione, A Famous Theme, and A Masterclass in Craftsmanship

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Do you think that classical music is not for you and you don't know where to start? Or maybe you're a fan already and would welcome a fresh approach. You've come to the right place. Perfect pitch is for everyone, beginners or experts, whatever your age. Lend Nick Healy Hutchinson your ears for his weekly dose of classical music that will enrich your life.

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The word extent is not one you often associate with musical instruments. But apart from a small revival dissentary, the arpegni was to have only a very brief existence after its invention in 1823 in Vienna. The instrument is played like a cello, but instead of four strings, it has a fix like a guitar. And using a bow across a six guitar strings meant that the sound was difficult to project, so it wasn't long before it gave in to the wager sounds of the viola and the cello. But not before Franz Hubert had composed a perfectly delightful sonata over the instrument in 1824. Nowadays it is most widely played on the cello or the viola. It's very tempting to play the whole piece, but in nearly half an hour it would consume most of the podcast. So we're going to listen to the second movement, which runs seamlessly into the third. But the pairing between him and this is Love Ross and his recording takes a zombie and what melodies. Most of his outfit was of a sacred nature, which is not surprising considering the posters he had as organist of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal. We heard Dido's lament from Dido and Aeneas not long ago, but Benjamin Britton's playing in that Arpegioni sonata has driven me to Perth's most famous piece of, which Britain then adapted in his Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra about 250 years later. So here is that theme, the rondo from the Abdelaza suite in its original form, played by the voices of music on original instruments. In 1788, just three years before his death, Mozart wrote what would turn out to be his last three symphonies. And the last of these, number 41, now known as the Jupiter, is actually the longest of all his symphonies. We're going to listen to the final movement now. Oh, yeah, I know this one, you'll say when it starts, because it's certainly another one of those pieces which almost everyone knows so well, but with the result that it's easy to completely gloss over its underlying genius. Don't worry, I'm not going to pick it all apart now. But let me briefly explain what I mean, because if you really listen, you'll see that I'm not exaggerating, and I think it will enhance your enjoyment of it. I know I've already mentioned the word masterclass, but I can't find a decent synonym for it. So I'm going to have to say it again. This final movement is a masterclass in craftsmanship. There are no less than five different themes here, and Mozart uses a musical device called a startretto to give the passage its relentless momentum. Astretto is where one theme is interrupted by the arrival of another one, but just before the first one is complete. The movement is riddled with them. And at the end, all five themes come together in a majestic finish. Some say the finest of all. It's an extraordinary achievement and clever beyond any words I can add. So listen to how Mozart builds the final movement of his last symphony, number 41, The Jupiter, played here with the unmistakable freshness and vigour by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Charles McCarron.

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But you can't look at that.

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Thank you for listening to Perfect Pitch with Nick Healy Hutchinson. He'll be back again next week with some more treasures for you. So please do join in then. And you can subscribe to this podcast by clicking on the link below.