BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND 1956-1957 SEVENTH RECITAL under the auspices of THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST ROBERT GOLDSAND Pianoforte THE SIR WILLIAM WHITLA HALL QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd 1957

THREE SONATAS Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) SONATA IN G MINOR, Op. 22 Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Vivacissimo Andantino Scherzo Rondo Schumann's experiments in the piano sonata date from 1835, but the first movement of this one had been sketched out some years previously and the final movement was re-written and, in the form in which we now have it, dates from 1838 so that he was at work on this sonata at various times for five years. He fully realized his own weakness in tackling the major musical forms, but on the whole the first movement here is concise and adequate. The Andantino (the material for which comes from one of his early songs Im Herbste) and Scherzo are brief. In the Rondo he is perhaps formally least sure of himself and his handling of the large amount of material he introduces is not always secure, but this movement (and indeed the whole work) is brilliantly laid out for the pianist. THIRD SONATA Paul Hindemith (1895- ) Ruhig bewegt Sehr lebhaft Mässig schnell Fuge: lebhaft Hindemith is in many respects the most traditionally minded of the great musical figures of our time, and in particular he makes very frequent use of the standard eighteenth century musical forms. This sonata, the third of a set of three written in 1936, consists of an andante movement in sonata form, a scherzo and trio, a moderato slow movement, and finally an allegro fugue. The last two movements are thematically related: soon after the opening of the slow movement there is a fugal episode, the theme of which re-appears about half way through the final movement. In the powerful closing pages of the sonata the two fugue themes are brought together. INTERVAL

IMPROMPTU IN F SHARP, Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) Op. 36 This work was composed in 1840 in the happy summer Chopin spent with Georges Sand at Nohant. It is the longest of the three impromptus. There is a dreamy opening, interrupted by a march in D major, returning to F major. The brilliantly written coda embodies some excellent melody that may escape notice owing to the pace at which it is played. The work ends with two chords marked ff, but most pianists prefer to end the work softly. VARIATIONS AND FUGUE ON A THEME OF HANDEL Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) The theme on which this work is based comes from Handel's ninth suite for harpsichord, where it formed the subject of a set of five variations, which are so simple that they form an enormous contrast to what Brahms does with it. He has twenty- five short variations, not often immediately recognizable by the ear as closely connected with the theme, in which he tackles a wonderful variety of technical problems, always as an artist and never, in spite of their prodigious learning, in a spirit of dry pedantry. He sets very tight limits for himself, keeping to Handel's eight- bar scheme throughout and departing from the key of B flat in only four of the variations and that no further than to the tonic minor or relative minor. The final fugue is an exhilarating ending to a superb work.

THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY SINGERS and THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY STRING ORCHESTRA Anthems and Motets by:- PALESTRINA, TALLIS, PURCELL, HANDEL, etc. ORGAN CONCERTO BY JOHN STANLEY ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28th at 7.45 p.m. IN FISHERWICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Last B.M.S. Concert: SATURDAY, MARCH 16th LISA DELLA CASA, Soprano GERALD MOORE, Pianoforte AUF DEM WASSER ZU SINGEN DU BIST DIE RUH GRETCHEN AM SPINNRADE IMMER LEISER WIRD MEIN SCHLUMMER VON EWIGE LIEBE STANDCHEN BEGEGNUNG GEH, GELIEBTER, GEH JETZT ER IST'S FOUR LAST SONGS EINERLEI ICH WOLLT EIN STRAUSSLEIN BINDEN BEFREIT SCHLECHTES WETTER Schubert Brahms Wolf R. Strauss