[Fr., baritone horn] [Ger., euphonium] [Ger., hybrid form of a bass viol]
- French term for baritone horn.
Also [Eng.] baritone horn, [It.] Baritono, [Ger.] Bariton, [Sp.] Barítono, [Sp.] Bombardino.
- German term for Euphonium.
Also [Eng.] Euphonium, [Fr.] Euphonium, [Fr.] Basseà pistons , [It.] Eufonio, [Ger.] Euphonium, [Sp.] Euphonium, [Sp.] Bombardino.
- 18th century bowed stringed instrument.
| CLASSIFICATION: | |
| HISTORY: | |
The baryton is a bowed stringed instrument similar to the bass viol. It is a hybrid instrument based on the Baroque bass viol and includes features of the Lyra viol and the Bandora (a metal-strung plucked bass instrument). The instrument is bowed like a bass viol and simultaneously plucked from behind the fingerboard. The strings behind the fingerboard also act as sympathetic strings that will resonate along with the frequencies from the bowed strings. These unique features provided a rich palate of sounds for the composer and musician. Originally, the baryton was performed with the bowed strings playing the melody while the plucked strings provided the accompaniment. In later years, it became less common to hear both sets of strings played simultaneously, especially in chamber music. The two sets of strings were more likely to be performed in alternation. The original baroque practice of playing a melody with accomaniment was left to only the most skilled performers. The baryton was said to have been invented in England by Daniel Farrant, but that is of some debate. It is clear that versions of the baryton were in existance early in the 17th century in Germany (c. 1618) and England (c. 1608). By the 18th century, baryton parts were notated in the treble clef, sounding an octave below. Numbers below the staff indicated the strings to be plucked. The plucked strings were indicated from lowest to highest in this period. Austria and southern Germany was where the baryton was most developed. Most notably in the court of Prince Nicolaus Esterházy. Court composer Franz Joseph Haydn composed numerous chamber works for the baryton as his patron, Prince Nicolaus, was an amateur musician who played the baryton. Haydn composed for baryton between 1765 and 1778 and a common baryton trio included the baryton, viola and cello. By 1800, the baryton was still in use, but it's popularity was waning. The baryton is also know by several other names and variations of those names including bariton, barydon, paradon, paridon, pariton, viola paradon, viola di bordoni, viola di bardone, and Viola di Bordone. Although the baryton was seldom heard in concert by the end of the 19th century, there was a late 20th-century revival with a number of composers writing new compositions for the baryton. Additionally, the International Baryton Society was formed in 1992 to coordinate and promote baryton research and performance. | |
| PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: | |
The baryton is a large instrument, similar to a bass viol. Often known as the "instrument of kings", most barytons are highly ornamented with decorative carvings. This includes carved scrolls, (often in the shape of heads and painted), and inlays using ivory, ebony or mother-of-pearl. Early descriptions of the baryton indicated that it was a bass viol with the addition of wire strings to make the sound better. There are three basic versions of the baryton found today; Baroque, Classical and revival. The Baroque baryton has six bowed gut strings (like a bass viol) over a very broad neck with a fingerboard with seven frets (known as the upper manual). The fingerboard is hollowed in the rear to accommodate as many as twenty sympathetic strings (known as the lower manual). Originally, the baryton had nine metal bass strings in the lower manual that ran parallel to the fingerboard on the and were plucked from behind the neck with the left thumb. They provided the baryton with the capability to simultaneously play melody and accompaniment while enhancing the sound by sympathetic resonance. The number and pitch range of the metal plucked strings was later increased and sometimes a third manual, with gut strings, was added. The Classical baryton was used extensively in the Esterházy court during the 1760s and 70s with around 170 compositions by court composer Franz Joseph Haydn. The lower manual was tuned to the same pitch range as the upper four strings of the upper manual with a seventh bowed string and a lower manual of 15 or more metal strings. The strings in the lower manual were connected to individual bridges and tuned with tuning pegs from the head of the instrument. Later in the century, up to 44 lower-manual strings were used on some barytons. The revival baryton closely resembles the Esterházy instrument. This was a heavier instrument, but, was soon replaced by lighter instruments. | |
| SOUND PROPERTIES: | |
The sound of the baryton is like that of a bass viol with the sympathetic strings providing a unique and warm resonance. When the strings of the lower manual are plucked, they create an effect of a lute accompaniment. | |
| RANGE: | |
Typically, the six bowed strings in the upper manual are tuned like those of the bass viol, D - G - c - e - a1 - d1, but it was common that the baryton also used scordatura tunings. The sympathetic strings in the lower manual are tuned in diatonic or chromatic progression, and since there were numerous variations in the number of strings in the lower manual, there is no standard tuning for this manual. | |
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Also bariton; barydon; paradon; paridon; pariton; viola paradon; viola di bordoni; [It.] viola di bardone; [Ger.] Viola di Bordone. | |
Source: http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textb/Baryton.html
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Baryton
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| Classification | |
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| Related instruments | |
The baryton is a bowed string instrument in the viol family, in regular use in Europe up until the end of the 18th century. In London a performance at Marylebone Gardens was announced in 1744, when Mr Ferrand was to perform on "the Pariton, an instrument never played on in publick before."[1] It most likely fell out of favor due to its immense difficulty to play. Its size is comparable to that of a violoncello; it has seven or sometimes six bowed strings of gut, plus ten sympathetic wire strings tuned into a d major scale. The gut strings are bowed while the wire strings are plucked by the thumb of the performer in order to create a contrasting tonal quality. It is rarely played today. Alternate spellings include: bariton, barydon, paradon, paridon, pariton, viola paradon, viola di bordoni, [Italian] viola di bardone, [German] viola di bordone.
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The Haydn baryton trios
Of the repertoire for this instrument, the best known works are the 175 compositions written by Joseph Haydn for his patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, who enjoyed playing this instrument. Of these, 126 are trios for viola, cello and baryton. They were written in the earlier part of Haydn's career, from 1766 to 1775.[2]
Of the trios, John Hsu writes, "Throughout the trios, there is a feeling of intimacy. This is the most private of chamber music, written especially in response to the wishes and needs of one person. We can easily imagine the satisfaction and inspiration which Prince Esterházy experienced while playing these trios." Hsu conjectures that when the Prince played baryton trios, the viola part was taken by Haydn, and the cello part by whoever was the cellist in the Prince's orchestra at the time.
The instrument that the Prince used had seven bowed strings, tuned like a bass viola da gamba (to which the sound of the bowed baryton strings is quite comparable); i.e. AA, D, G, c, e, a d'. This consists of a sequence of rising fourths, except for the third between c and e. The ten plucked strings were tuned in a D-major scale, plus the A a fourth below and the E a major second above.
John Hsu estimates that the Prince was probably not a virtuoso on his instrument, judging from the difficulty of Haydn's writing. The composer used only the top five of the seven bowed strings, and seldom required the player to pluck and bow simultaneously. The keys chosen are also the simplest to play in: mostly D major and the neighboring keys of G major and A major.
Of the trios, critic Lucy Robinson has written "Despite the limitations of the combination, Haydn's genius is evident in the kaleidoscopic range of melodic and textural ideas and the witty interplay between instruments."
Performance on the baryton in modern times
The baryton was "completely neglected" (Hsu) in the nineteenth century, but in the twentieth, with the rise of the authentic performance movement in classical music, new barytons were built and played, and at least a fraction of the repertoire can now be heard in recordings. Probably the first person to initiate the revival of the viola di pardone or baryton was Christian Döbereiner in Munich. In 1934 he ordered a copy of an instrument by Simon Schodler (1782) from the renowned luthier, Ferdinand Wilhelm Jaura in Munich. The first performance in modern times on that baryton took place in Munich in 1936, which featured a Trio by Haydn. This instrument forms part of the Vazquez Collection of Historical String Instruments and is frequently employed in performance by the Orpheon Foundation. A complete documentation of the Jaura Baryton is available at the Orpheon Foundation web site.
Among the modern active baryton players are Jeremy Brooker, Kazimierz Gruszczyński, Balasz Kukak (Haydn Baryton Trio of Budapest), José Manuel Hernández, John Hsu, Roland Hutchinson, José Vázquez, and Kenneth Slowik. In 2009 a complete recording of Haydn's works for baryton was launched. The Esterházy Ensemble (Michael Brüssing, baryton) recorded the pieces in Esterházy castle, Eisenstadt. In addition, the Swiss composer Klaus Huber has written an important solo part for the instrument in his work ...à l'âme de marcher sur ses pieds de soie... (2004).
Notes
- ^ Quoted in Warwick William Wroth and Arthur Edgar Wroth, The London Pleasure Gardens of the Eighteenth Century, 1896:96.
- ^ Hsu, cited below
References
- Much of the information above is taken by program notes written by barytonist (and Cornell University professor) John Hsu for his performance of trios #97, 111 87, and 101 with violist David Miller and cellist Fortunato Arico on ASV (GAU 104, 1986).
- Lucy Robinson's evaluation appeared in The Musical Times (1981), p. 540. (available on JSTOR)
External links
- The first modern Baryton, by Ferdinand Wilhelm Jaura
- Döbereiner and the Baryton by Ferdinand Wilhelm Jaura
- Roland Hutchinson and the Baryton (demonstration video at YouTube)
- Burgksteiner: Divertimento for baryton trio (performance on YouTube)
- Songs with baryton accompaniment by Prince Pal Esterhazy (performance on YouTube)
- International Baryton Society
- Baryton by John Pringle
- Esterházy Ensemble
- Haydn Baryton Trio Budapest
- Michael Brüssing barytone player
- Trio Baryton de Madrid
- The Finnish Barytontrio
