Posted by Steve Marcus on February 19, 2003 at 15:35:47:
Until the 19th century, cadenzas were commonly not provided by the composer of a concerto. Sometimes the performer was expected to improvise the cadenza. Sometimes another composer would provide the cadenza that might even become the standard for current performance. However, in the last 200 years, rarely is the cadenza not written out by the original composer.
Last evening, I heard a very well-played performance of the John Williams Tuba Concerto. Although not a cadenza per se, the score contains a long, sustained Bb, two ledger lines and a space below the staff, at the beginning and end of the second movement, with no “optional 8va” indicated. But the soloist played these as pedal notes, one octave below the written Bb.
When “ad libitum” is not indicated, how much liberty can/should a player take with cadenzas written in the last 100 years?