O Andante do Concerto Op. 3 de Serge Koussevitzky: práticas de performance na sua gravação histórica de 1929.

Abstract

Serge Koussevitzky stood out in the first half of 20th-century musical scene as a great double bassist, conductor and commissioner of vanguard and conservative music. As a composer, he wrote a small number of conservative romantic works. Among them, the Concerto Op.3 for Double Bass and Orchestra arguably the most popular work with the double bass as a soloist instrument. As a double bassist, Koussevitzky made a historical recording of the Andante from his Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra Op.3 (1929) that synthesizes his eclectic interpretative choices. Excerpts of this recording reveals Koussevitskys expressive left hand performance practices, such as portamenti (an technique that declined in the second half of the 20th century), continuous vibrato (a technique that became a trend in the second half of the 20th century), and an expressive practice related to tempo, the rubato. The methodological procedures used in this research include qualitative analyses (aural and formal analyses) and quantitative analyses (spectrographic analysis using Adobe Audition software) with descriptions of: (1) three kinds of portamenti in isolated notes (conclusive, initial and with intermediate note), (2) rates, amplitudes and regularity in three kinds of vibrati (punctual vibrato, continuous vibrato and two-finger-vibrato) and (3) timings in rhythmic realization. An Edition of Audiovisual Performance (EdiPA) of the Concerto op.3s Andante was created to show the interpretative practices performed by Koussevitsky in his 1929s recording. Moreover, a performance edition was created using traditional musical notation, containing indications and suggestions about the use of those interpretative resources.