Weinzweig: Essays on His Life and Music

10. "The Story of My Life": The Divertimento Series

225 Chapter 10 “The Story of My Life”: The Divertimento Series james k. wright Introduction O ver a span of more than fifty years (1946–98), John Weinzweig created his extraordinary series of twelve Divertimenti. Nine of these works feature a woodwind or brass instrument—flute, oboe, bassoon , trumpet/trombone, clarinet, alto saxophone, French horn, tuba, and English horn—in a virtuosic solo role, accompanied by string ensemble (Nos. 1–4, 6, 7, 11), concert band (No. 5), or full orchestra (No. 8). Divertimento No. 10 features solo piano with string orchestra, and No. 12 features wind quintet in place of the soloist, in the manner of the historical concerto grosso. Divertimento No. 9 is exceptional; it is written for full orchestra throughout, without soloist. Weinzweig repeatedly stated that the Divertimento series constitutes the very core of his compositional output and contribution,1 going so far as to describe these works as“the story of my life,”2 and suggesting that they reveal central aspects of his character and temperament: The Divertimento series reflects my thinking in a general way … [My Divertimenti ] have an element of control and an outward look as far as their emotional nature is concerned. They are not afraid to be witty when that is necessary … [and their] slow movements have a lyric sense that has always been strong in my temperament.3 The series was not consciously conceived as such at the outset. Rather, following the international success of Divertimento No. 1, they became “a kind of hobby” for Weinzweig,4 one that would preoccupy him for the latter half 226 the composer of his career. Given that the Divertimento genre is generally thought to presuppose a certain lightness of approach,5 it seems ironic that a composer known for a sparse and often acerbic style should favour this format in such centrepiece works.Indeed one critic has commented on the delicacy of this task, citing the rare capacity of Weinzweig’s music “to mix pleasure with the ominous .”6 The composer never fully explains his decision to pour so much of his creative energy into this unlikely vessel. He describes his approach to the Divertimento with disarming simplicity: “I am taking the term literally, not historically; the pieces are diverting, they have a brightness to them.”7 Weinzweig wanted above all for his works to be performed, and in this respect he grew increasingly pragmatic throughout his career. Through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, he grew firmer in his conviction that he should turn his focus away from orchestral writing toward the creation of chamber-scale works. His Divertimenti were created out of a“union of inspiration and economics .”8 “The solo wind instrumental and string ensemble is cheaper to package for the consumer than a symphony,” he wrote. “This is a fact of life in our country and reflects the very modest relationship of the composer to the Canadian economy.”9 The greater number of performance opportunities for chamber works,10 and the challenging politics of negotiating with orchestras and conductors, also influenced his decision:“I was dedicated to writing for the orchestra … However over the years I have become disenchanted with the politics of the orchestra —or the politics of orchestral programming … Orchestras are only interested in a premiere … That to me is the same as saying ‘hello and goodbye ’and this does not make for a culture.”11 Furthermore, by marrying a number of seemingly irreconcilable streams in twentieth-century music— Stravinskyan rhythmic animation and neoclassicism, with jazz and Viennese dodecaphony—the Divertimento format allowed Weinzweig to showcase the versatility and multi-dimensionality of his compositional personality.12 It also allowed him to give expression to his long-standing love of wind instruments. During his formative years, he had learned the sousaphone and saxophone, as well as double bass, mandolin, and piano. His experience with the orchestra at Harbord Collegiate, and his later work as a teacher of theory and musicianship with the Royal Canadian Air Force had further fuelled his interest in writing for winds.13 Weinzweig noted that more and more music was being written for string players, because“string players in the major Canadian cities were technically superior to winds, and conductors came from their ranks.”14 Never hesitant to swim against the current, Weinzweig was determined to compose a series of works that would begin to address the lacuna of new wind repertoire in Canadian...