MARIA SZYMANOWSKA: ETUDES AND NOCTURNE

Maria Szymanowska was a middle-class Polish composer in the early 19^th century. Well known as a lyrical player with excellent technique, she toured across the Western world as a concert pianist and became the Court Pianist to successive Tsarinas of Russia beginning in 1822, which is quite impressive considering that she was Jewish woman performing in a rather anti-Semitic area Many composers of the period admired Szymanowska, dedicating pieces to her. Critics also wrote that she “defined Romanticism” through both her performances and compositions. However, while these performances and compositions may reflect the period, they are not as enjoyable to listen to as one might expect, and perhaps it is the positive attributes of Szymanowska’s concert tours that should be studied intensely rather than her musical writing.

For someone so well respected in the Romantic Period, Szymanowska’s etudes and nocturne found on the album Premiere are surprisingly lackluster. These piano solos were recorded by Nancy Fierro in 1974, and as this was the American premiere recording, one can see that these etudes were neglected for many years, probably for a reason. Most of Szymanowska’s pieces are varied miniatures for piano, and while her nocturnes (though she only wrote two) may be considered an important link between John Field and Frederic Chopin (Grove Music Online S.v. “Szymanowska, Maria”), her etudes are not likely to be affixed in the popular Canon because they are simply not memorable.

Szymanowska was well known for a large dynamic range in her performances, made possible by new innovations of the piano. While certain etudes of hers do not utilize the sustain pedal to the extent that other composers of the time did, her written dynamics reflect that strength found in her own performances. Etude in F Major is filled with alternating passages of piano and forte. Sometimes she writes abrupt dynamic changes in these passages, while in other areas she places a controlled (poco a poco) diminuendo or crescendo. Sforzandi are scattered across the solid sixteenth note rhythms. This accentuation of non-downbeats would likely cause metrical uncertainty in a listener had the downbeats not been so clearly recognizable. Many of the downbeats are emphasized by either rolled chords or grace notes. Szymanowska also utilizes a large range of notes on the piano in her Etude in F, reaching all the way to C6 and repeating that passage several times, descending an octave in each iteration.

Perhaps Szymanowska’s clearest link to Romantic ideals is her emphasis on the role of the individual. Most of her output was written for virtuoso piano. She was an empowered woman herself, winning the Court Pianist position in Russia, despite her Jewish heritage. Her own soloistic nature can be seen clearly in these etudes, and one can imagine how she must have played them with such flair. Her Etude in C Major seems particularly virtuosic as it requires that a flowing 8^th note melody and a 32^nd note accompaniment be played by the right hand simultaneously as the left hand plays dotted quarter notes along with the 8^th notes. The melody must not be swallowed by the accompaniment, but they both must be played with the same hand. The 32^nd note accompaniment therefore has a small range so that the notes are reachable, and this makes the piece sound oddly contained, particularly after listening to the wide-reaching Etude in F Major.

Szymanowska’s left hand writing seems to be much simpler than one might have expected based on improvements to the sustain pedal of which other composers were taking advantage. Rather, her writing seems to take advantage of the light style of Viennese mechanisms of the period that facilitated her stile brillant performances and compositional habits. These mechanisms gave the piano a lightness that allowed virtuosic playing without the use excessive finger strength or athleticism. In fact, many female performers avoided keyboards with English mechanisms, which required a firmer touch, though in her later tours, Szymanowska became proficient on these pianos as well (Slawomir Dobrzanski Maria Szymanowska 53). Also, stile brillant compositions such as hers generally avoid the “darker” side of the piano (low range, dense chords, etc.). Because of this, many of Szymanowska’s etudes avoid intense left hand usage. By the middle of Etude in C Major, the left hand joins in with the right hand’s 32^nd notes, but they are simply an Alberti bass. Etude in F Major had an even simpler bass part as described previously. While this may just indicate Szymanowska’s emphasis on lyricism and lightness, it is a bit of a disappointment to a listener expecting to hear virtuosity in both hands.

Szymanowska’s middle-class heritage really began to shine through her compositions in her Etude in E Major, in which she created a notably more chordal texture along with more varied rhythms and chromaticism not found in either Etude in F Major or Etude in C Major. While the other etudes had been full of lighter, running fast notes, this etude feels heavier. Despite this, the melody comes through just as strong, if not stronger than the other two etudes because of the constant reinforcement of the melodic rhythm. The texture of this etude sets it apart from the others on this recording. It is comprised of a folk texture evident through the rhythm and accents as well as the 2/4 meter, which supplies a strong dance beat. Often the second 16^th note of each beat is emphasized, giving a “hobbling” feel common in Jewish folk music of the era. Szymanowska used folk music profusely in her mazurkas (Grove Music Online), so it is logical to assert that her etudes might also show some of that influence. This also reflects a catering to the musical preferences of the middle class rather than only that of the bourgeoisie, a prominent characteristic of the Romantic period.

Her Nocturne in B-flat Major was the star piece of the recording, containing musical depth that was missing from the etudes. One would expect it to be the most musically pleasing of the group since etudes were generally for study (although etudes of this period were increasingly becoming “musical statements” of their own rather than practice pieces and would continue to grow in popularity as performance pieces (Slawomir Dobrzanski Maria Szymanowska 74)) while nocturnes would have been more likely to be performed in concert. Also, this piece was written near the end of Szymanowska’s life and perhaps reflects the culmination of her talents. She actually introduced the nocturne to Poland and is well known as a “stepping stone” from the nocturne technique Field to that of Chopin. One immediately notices her use of four measure phrases, a doubling of the two measure phrases preferred by Field in his nocturnes, thus expanding the lyrical possibilities of the line. This lyrical expansion suits her strengths as a performer quite well. Again, this piece contains a less active left hand part than one would expect, especially considering the nocturnes of Chopin that this piece immediately preceded.

However, Szymanowska’s developmental sections in this nocturne are what incite the most interest in a listener and truly set it apart from the etudes. She adds more texture to the themes as the piece progresses, adding ornamentation such as turns and trills as well as virtuosic embellishments on the theme. The B section begins with the left hand switching to a more chordal texture as the right hand exploits the upper reaches of the piano’s range. This exploration of range is limited to the high reaches of the piano and not the low, again reminiscent of the stile brillant in which Szymanowska performed. The form is clearly audible in this piece, consisting of variations, transitions, and a coda. Finally, in this nocturne, the listener can hear some of the left-hand arpeggiation that had been lacking in the etudes. Despite all this, rhythmic variety was lacking, and the ending of the piece (a trill with a partial scale to do) seemed forced and trite.

After complimenting her as being the most remarkable female composer, Robert Schumann added that “we also find the woman full of feeling, who has more to say, if only she knew how” (Premiere RD 77:524). Perhaps this best sums up my feelings on Szymanowska’s works. While beautiful, lyrical melodies fill the works (and based on texts describing her performances, these lyrical melodies and virtuosity would have been highly obvious in Szymanowska’s playing), their settings seem a bit drab. The bass lines are surprisingly simple given the improvements to the piano (such as the sustain pedal) that other piano composers were utilizing to the maximum in their nocturnes, and variety outside of dynamics was lacking when present at all. If someone wanted to do a study on women’s works, she would certainly be at the top of the list, but in the grand scheme of compositions, I do not think she quite makes it to the Canon based on these samples of her work.