The ''Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso'' in A minor (french: Introduction et Rondo capriccioso), Op. 28, is a composition for violin and orchestra written in

1863 Events January–March * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaims t ...

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

. It was dedicated to the

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

violinist

Pablo de Sarasate Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués (; 10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908), commonly known as Pablo de Sarasate, was a Spanish (Navarrese) violin virtuoso, composer and conductor of the Romantic period. His best known works include ...

, who performed the solo violin part at the premiere in April 1867.

History

The ''Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso'' was originally intended to be the rousing finale to Saint-Saëns' first violin concerto, Op. 20, though its success as a solo composition at its first performance led Saint-Saëns to publish it separately. The premiere took place on 4 April 1867 at the Champs-Élysées, with

playing the solo part and the composer conducting. Several arrangements of the score have been made, including for violin and piano by

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

, piano duet by

Jacques Durand Jacques Durand (28 June 1920 – 16 August 2009) was a French engineer, model builder and automobile designer. He is primarily known for designing several sports cars, which were built in small volumes in France beginning in the 1950s and c ...

, and two pianos by

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo violin, 2 flutes/piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets (or cornets), 3 timpani and strings.

Style and structure

The piece opens with a 36-bar theme in A minor, (although the initial tempo should be Andante malinconico) establishing key as well as rhythmic and harmonic themes. The orchestra supports the violin with block chord progressions while the soloist plays virtuosic arpeggios and chromatic scalar passages. Saint-Saëns destabilizes the rhythm of the soloist oscillating between syncopated rising arpeggios and falling eighth notes. In bar 18 the motion picks up when the tempo indication changes from Andante malinconico to animato and the soloist jumps into a rapid thirty-second note line.

In Popular Culture

The 1939 film They Shall Have Music features a performance of the piece by the legendary violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz. The work also features prominently in the manga and anime Your Lie in April. It is played in its violin and piano arrangement by the show’s two primary protagonists as part of a musical competition.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Concertos by Camille Saint-Saëns Saint-Saens 1863 compositions Compositions in A minor Music with dedications