Quodlibet

A Quodlibet (Latin as one pleases ') is a piece of music that combines the melodies that originally nothing to do with each other. Unlike potpourri and medley is originally the focus is on the simultaneous sounding; For this reason, aspects of polyphony and counterpoint are affected. In the Viennese popular comedy the Quodlibet is a scenic song form, in the classical music elements contrasted with simple, often banal melodies and mixed (→ Main article: Quodlibet ( Viennese popular theater) ).

The Quodlibet in classical music

The first polyphonic vocal compositions, who wanted to bring intentionally disconnected juxtaposition of text and melody fragments comical effect, dating from the year 1544 ( " Good, selzamer, and artificial Teutonic vocals, particularly Ettlich artificial Quodlibet "). The typesetting of the Quodlibet is however older, like the Codex Montpellier (14th century) hit with a number quodlibet -like plants. Also, some motets in the 13th century have quodlibetartige elements, since in them various pre-existent melodies are combined.

In Glogau Song Book three quodlibets on O rosa bella by John Dunstable (1390-1453) are preserved, the original cantus maintained and counterpoint in the tenor with beginnings of various German folk songs. In the first Quodlibet not less than 22 love songs are cited.

Renaissance

As entertaining vocal form, the Quodlibet was very popular in the Renaissance and Baroque. It was first of Wolfgang Schmeltzl (ca. 1505-1564 ) as referred Quodlibet ( Since they drunk ).

In France and Spain developed in the Renaissance independent forms of quodlibets: Fricassée and Ensalada.

Baroque and Classical

Even Johann Sebastian Bach composed some quodlibets, such as BWV 524 for the wedding of Johann Friedrich or the last movement of the Goldberg Variations. In the Bach family to have been improvised at meetings quodlibets.

Mozart wrote in 1766 a Galimathias Musicum (French gibberish, meaningless chatter, nonsense ') titled Quodlibet with 18 numbers for orchestra ( KV 32), in which he put together well-known songs of his time on the nature of the then widespread practice suite and also experimented with joint techniques. He used in the final fugue of the play the melody of the song Dutch Willem van Nassau as a theme. The occasion was the installation of Prince William V of Orange in the Mozart family was present in the Hague, in March.

Romantic

Carl Maria von Weber wrote a Quodlibet for 2 voices and piano (Op. 54 No. 2, 1817) So it goes in Schnützelputz - Häusel and he attributed Quodlibet as incidental music for the Austrian camp by Heinrich Schmidt ( by Friedrich Schiller) to celebrate of victory in the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.

In the Biedermeier Quodlibet was taken up by the composers of the Viennese popular comedy and adapted especially in the pieces Nestroy as scenic song sequence ( see Quodlibet ( Viennese popular theater) ).

Albert Lortzingstraße wrote quodlibets to L. Breitenstein The conductor of Venice, Karl Haffner's extravaganza sold The Sleep (1844 ) and Johann Nestroys a joke he wants to make (friends, comes to tables, 1842).

By Richard Wagner's opera Rienzi, there is a Quodlibet in the arrangement of Josef Schantl.

Modern

By Kurt Weill, there is a Quodlibet, Op 9, a suite for orchestra from the pantomime Zaubernacht Opus 4 (1923).

From John Cage are in the String Quartet in four parts a Quodlibet from the year 1950.