Composer Information: Sigfrid Karg-Elert:
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Teaching the etudes of Karg-Elert
By: Dr. Kimberly
Walter-Clark
learn more about Dr. Clark
and the program "Floot Fire"
Some of the most challenging flute etudes to play and teach are the 30 studies, opus 107 of Sigfrid Karg-Elert. Karg-Elert (Nov. 21, 1877- April 9, 1933) was a German composer, theorist and organist. Well known for his piano virtuosity, he often wrote music that reflected his skill as a performer, which accounts for his frequent use of unusual and difficult rhythmic groupings and metric patterns.
The 30 studies, opus 107 (written between 1918 and 1919) are frequently chosen as TMEA All State Flute Music because of their depth and complexity. I am always fascinated by these etudes because they have so many levels at which they can be played. Their performance can show a lot about a flutist's understanding of musical line, harmony, and meter.
For most young players one of the most confusing aspects of Karg-elert's works is his style of musical notation. To better understand his method, one must look at all of his etudes as a whole rather than judging the etudes individually. There are two aspects of his notation which will be addressed-- Karg-Elert's identification of melody and harmony, and his use of note groupings to show pulse and subdivision.
Looking at the following example from Op. 107, No.13, (mm. 1- 4), we see a style of writing that looks very much like that used in keybard music. Here, Karg-Elert clearly defines the melody and harmony lines with his stemming of notes. The melody has upward stems and the accompaniment has downward stems. Although this type of notation is used periodically in single line insrument music, it is very common in keyboard works.
Looking at No. 18 from Op. 107 (m. 9), we see a similar style of notation. While this style of natation is used in may of his flute etudes, it is not evident in all. When it does appear, the flutist must work carefully to be able to show two independent lines. Students should practice playing each part separately. In lessons I will often have the student play one line while I play the other so they can get the sense of two parts happening simultaneously. The goal is to sound like a melody and an accompaniment, not just an endless chain of notes. Students should work to highlight the melody by softening the accompaniment and thinking of the accompaniment as travel notes or pick ups to the melody. Too oftern the students will try to demonstrate the melody by accenting or elongating the notes of the tune, which can make the music to sound heavy and cause it to lose forward motion and direction.
Another difficult aspect of Karg-Elert's Music is his unusual note groupimgs. To me this is what makes his music so much fun to play. I believe Karg-elert's method of note groupings gives his etudes an enormous amount of charm, depth, and quirkiness. Many people make the mistake of ignoring this somewhat strange notation and in my opinion, miss the point of many of these etudes. For example in No. 9 of Op. 107, we see the groupings switch from two groups of three to three groups of two. This change in subdivision is quite a surprise and makes the etude sound very playful. (See Op. 107, No. 9, mm. 3-6)
In No. 29 of Op. 107 we see a similar style of notation. The unusual beaming
across the barlines makes this etude difficult to read at first. In fact at
least one edition of this etude has been rewritten so that the groups remain
within the measure . Unfortunately this same edition chose to eliminate some
of the later groupings
of two thus deleting the effect of the hemiola altogether. I believe that part
of the charm of this piece is the change in the pulse. I spend a great deal
of time with my students counting and clapping the pulse created by the different
groups. (See. Op. 107, No. 29, mm. 1- 4)
An interesting feature of Karg-Elerts grouping is that they often have contradictory
markings. For example in No.10 of Op. 107, we see rhythmic beamings of three,
repeated notes of groups in groups of two, and articulation in groups of two
that do not coincide with the melodic pattern. while the temptation in a passage
like this is to feel the measures in groups of two, I believe that Karg-Elert
specifically wanted them to be played in threes. (See Op. 107, No.10, mm. 18-
20)
We see another example of contradictory markings in No. 29 of Op. 107. Here,
the composer used a notational grouping of two, a melodic grouping of two (descending
intervals), yet the articulated accents fall in groups of three. Playing a hemiola
with misplaced accents sounds and feels very different than playing a line in
threes with metrically correct stresses. This is part of the charm of the works
in my opinion, very important to the essence of its character. (See Op. 107,
No. 29, mm. 31-32)
The unusual and complicated melodic lines often buried beneath a web of complex rhythms and articulation patterns make Karg-Elerts flute etudes some of the most challenging to play and to teach. Carefully examining the type of notation used throughout Karg-Elerts Op. 107 can help to identify a commonality in his method of writing. Understanding this method allows performers to make educated stylistic decisions regarding the performance of these works.