Rode, Pierre (1774-1830)

Rode's thirteen violin concertos, despite holding the interest of the nineteenth century (Wieniawski wrote a cadenza for Rode's Violin Concerto No. 7), have fallen into obscurity. His best known composition is the Violin Concerto No. 7 in A minor, probably written in 1803. This concerto, along with Violin Concerto No. 1, was one of the very few works (besides his own) that Paganini consented to play. Typically the first movements of Rode concertos feature a moderato or similar tempo and three solo sections. The first solo is the longest and weightiest, and the second solo section is usually in the nature of a contrasting section rather than a development of previous thematic material. The final solo section usually repeats thematic material from the first section, though sometimes Rode introduces new material in this section as well. In the first movement of Concerto No. 7, marked Moderato, the soloist enters after the orchestral introduction with a theme that begins with the descending A minor triad. After passage-work and a shift to the major, the soloist sings a lovely dolce theme (heard previously in the orchestral introduction). The movement reworks these elements, a cadenza serving as bridge between the second and third solo sections. The Adagio is a song in ABA form, while the Rondo is a lively piece written in Rode's best good-humoured vein.