Joachim Raf

Born in Lachen, Switzerland, 1822

Died in Frankfurt, 1882
Octet in C Major, Op. 176
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Allegro
Allegro Molto
Andante Moderato
Vivace

Scored for four violins, two violas, and two cellos

An immensely prolific composer with over 200 opus numbers and further more
unpublished works, including arrangements of his own music, composer Joachim
Raf is nothing less than a prime example of extreme dedication and passionate
love in the field of music. A self-taught musician who rose to become music director
at the Hoch Conservatory, near Frankfurt, Raf regarded his musical mission as
combining the latest in music innovation and development with a more academic
regard for the forms and traditions of the past.
Caught between the Brahms tradition and the forward outlook of revolutionary ideas
by contemporaries such as Liszt and Wagner, Raf received harsh criticism for
lacking originality and uniqueness in his compositional style; nevertheless, his
music was well esteemed by the concert-goer and music lover for his memorable
melodies and immediately accessible harmonic progressions. During his lifetime,
Joachim Raf produced not only a vast amount of piano works, but 12 symphonies, 9
concertos, 6 operas, as well as other incidental and chamber works, thus becoming
acknowledged by colleagues and critics alike for his master works in most of the
main musical forms.
While much respect and critical acclaim as composer was enjoyed by Joaquim Raf
during his lifetime, after his death, the performance of his works in the concert hall
greatly declined for reasons that we can now only speculate. Today, as the
Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio inaugurates yet another series, Unsung, with
The Unsung Octet, we celebrate the genius that touched Rafs vast output
through his Octet in C major, a work which now stands amongst those in the
tradition of octets possessing immense technical skill, daring musical imagery, and
astonishing beauty.
The year 1872 saw the creation of his Octet, along with his String Sextet and the
famed Leonore Symphony. The Octet was dedicated to Johann Lauterbach (18321918), a prominent violin virtuoso with whom Raf had recently come into contact.
As with most of his large scale chamber works, the Octet is written in four
movements. Although firmly in the Mendelssohnian tradition, Rafs writing exhibits
a more intense and momentum-driven sound with a confidence typical of his mature
style.
The opening movement begins with the violas and cellos establishing the prominent
thematic material from which the movements subsequent development will take
place. This assertive introductory idea is answered by the violins in a scalar eighth

note theme pattern that, along with the first idea, dominates the exposition of the
movement. A third more lyrical and joyful melody is introduced by the first violin
and becomes another muse for the characteristic tossing of thematic fragments in a
typical Raf succession of first movement sections (a classical tradition of
exposition, development, and recapitulation) where the conclusion is ultimately
based on the opening idea.
The energetic second movement interplays two contrasting themes in successive
ABABA form. The first, a dynamic and rhythmic idea that builds momentum through
sudden exchanges of contrasting dynamics and terraced entrances, soon generates
the excitement that contributes to the playful character of the movement; The
second theme, more lyrical and melodic in contour, is first stated almost in unison
(without the second violin and the first cello), and is followed by a second
restatement in the cello line against a pizzicato accompaniment. The final account
of the A theme comes in concert with the melodic design of the second to provide a
slowing down efect and a great segue into the character of the next movement.
By the time we reach the Andante moderato, we are ready to experience the slow
and serene phrases of an introductory opening melody. While the initial material
develops into a much sweeter sound, it nevertheless reveals a melody immersed in
melancholy and regret. The overall mood of the Andante is based on the expressive
rendition of cells extracted from the prominent theme and then reworked to reveal a
full apotheotic transformation of the original theme, only to retreat back to the pure
and peaceful memory of its initial phrases.
The triumphant and spirited finale is masterfully implemented through an efective
interjection of two contrasting, but rhythmically complementary ideas carried out
simultaneously by diferent sets of strings. One of the most interesting aspects of
the movement, however, is Rafs interjection of a much less lively melodic material
which stands out for its placement within the work. As the listener readies to hear
what may be the final resolution to the tonic through the sustained dominant
tension highlighted by an eight-measure trill in the high strings, the first and second
violin interrupt the momentum with a brief passage of contemplation-- before
heading back into an exhilarating conclusion in the form of a delightfully
intoxicating coda.