Sonata for Bassoon and Piano by Romeo Cascarino (United States) *English Version.
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Today our travel will be to the past, a friendship flourishes in the middle of the Second World War and a sonata is born from this union; Through the sonata for bassoon and piano by the composer Romeo Cascarino we will learn about this beautiful story.
The sonata for bassoon and piano by the composer Romeo Cascarino is a short work with great influence on the music of the '40s of the composer Aaron Copland, and the traditional American music; the sonata is a fully expressive nationalist work, with three small contrasting movements and a particularly brilliant sonority.
The piano with a contrapuntal accompaniment marks the beginning of a dazzling sonata, the bassoon quickly joins the piece, and with the same energy as the piano makes the exposition of the theme that will be developed together making small variations of the theme without changing the character and tonality of movement.
A second movement with a totally expressive and contrasting character, with long phrases and a beautiful melody subtly accompanied by the piano and a complex harmony in the accompaniment, creates an incredible effect on the nostalgic voice of the bassoon.
The bassoonist Sol Schoenbach asks the composer to include a mocking theme in the piece and this character is reflected in the third movement, a constant game between the piano and the bassoon serves as a concluding theme, which quickly comes to an end.
The sonata for bassoon and piano has a captivating history, which dates back to the 40s when maestro Romeo Cascarino served as a military musician during his service in WWII, where he met the bassoonist and soldier Sol Schoenbach who asked him to write a short work that should capture the essence of the bassoon in a few minutes.
Professor Schoenbach not only wanted a humorous character to be reflected in the work, but he also wanted it to be an expressive and melancholic piece, and it's precisely in this way that it brings all the characteristics of the work.
The sonata began to be written during the Second World War and was completed in 1947, later Columbia Records made the recording of the work, and it was performed by the virtuoso bassoonist Sol Schoenbach to whom the work was dedicated, the maestro Romeo Cascarino played the piano on this recording.
Romeo Cascarino
Composer
Maestro Romeo Cascarino was born in Philadelphia (United States), in 1922 and died in Pennsylvania in 2002, his life was full of recognition for his hard work, as a composer, arranger, director, and professor; Among the awards he received, two Guggenheim scholarships in composition 1948 and 1949 stand out, as well as the Gershwin Memorial Prize, among others.
Combs College of Music awarded him an Honorary Doctorate, in which he served for many years as the main of the composition department until his retirement in 1990; his most successful composition of his was the opera William Penn, he was also musical director of the Co-opera Company.
Maestro Cascarino made great contributions to American music throughout his life, his perception of music and art was "Art tends to the good of humanity".
Sol Schoenbach
Bassoonist
Maestro Sol Schoenbach was born in the United States in 1915 and died in 1999, a bassoonist recognized worldwide for his great musical contributions, he is one of the first pioneers in recording music for bassoon, as well as publishing his book of solos for bassoon and piano accompaniment; Throughout his musical career, he received numerous awards and distinctions, such as the Philadelphia Prize in 1975, among others.
He studied at New York University with prominent maestro Simon Kovar; Temple University and the Curtis Institute of Music awarded him an Honorary Doctorate, in 1937 he had the position of principal bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra, also he was the director of the Settlement Music School, as well as the president of the International Double Reed Society from 1981 to 1984.
Maestro Schoenbach for his hard work as a professor and performer is recognized to this day as one of the most influential bassoonists in the world.
Thank you for accompanying me on this great trip to the past discovering this great true story with a musical legacy where the bassoon is the protagonist!
See you soon Fagoteando por América!
Jonaira Rosero
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