A Beautiful Theme

Exposed Fifths

2006-06-10T15:14:00.000+10:00

I am now blogging at Exposed Fifths.

Asturias

2006-05-29T16:29:00.000+10:00

Guitar music is a foreign art to me, and Spanish music even more so. The two find a natural fit in Albeniz's Asturias, a piece originally for piano virtuoso, but even more stunning as a guitar showpiece. Angel Romero strums his fingers off in this youTube video.

Here.

Dead Russian Composer Test

2006-05-28T13:51:00.000+10:00

These personality tests do the rounds all the time over at Live Journal, but I've been tipped off by tracifish regards this one here.

It's the Dead Russian Composer Test, and by answering 10 simple questions, you can find out which Slavic Composer you have the most affinity with.

Now if you like your vodka, like red-nosed Mussorgsky on the left, this will be a breeze.

Have a bit of Sunday fun, here.

LaripS: Temperament and Tuning

2006-05-27T08:41:00.000+10:00

Standardisation has brought many evils into the world, and the exchange we make for interoperability is blandness and mundanity. That unique individuality and style that makes human beings so lovable is ground into the dust of normality. Celebrate the quirks!

And so a most insidious process has slipped its way into modern instrumentation. This great Debilitator is Equal Temperament, or Equal Tuning, where all the notes on a keyboard are spaced equally apart in terms of frequency ratios. This is the ultimate sellout - the basis of our tonal system is the third and the fifth, and these ratios do not match those frequencies given by Equal Tuning. To corrupt Pure Harmony in pursuit of easy access to all keys is Blandness personified.

Bach, of course, and the Baroque and later Eras, had to confront this problem as they moved away from the simple keys (the "white" keys), into the more complex and multifaceted "black" keys, with their large numbers of sharps and flats. Each musician had their own preferred tunings, which best reflected their music's intent and emotionality. Bach faced an even more challenging puzzle in that the Well-Tempered ranged over all available 24 tonalities, and retuning every 5 minutes is not a real option.

Bradley Lehman has investigated these issues over a 20 year period, and has made his results available online. His training in maths, musicology, and the keyboard are impeccable, and now his findings are taking public form with the release of CDs that exemplify his approach. He has been so kind as to make a selection of tracks fully accessible. Here.

John Sankey - Harpsichordist to the Internet

2006-05-25T17:46:00.000+10:00

I've had the enormous pleasure over the years of listening to John Sankey's midi renderings of Bach and Scarlatti. There is also the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book for those that like their Grounds and Pavans, but I'm a confirmed Baroque nut, so I'll stick to the music of the post 1720's.

Sankey has done virtually all of the Bach harpsichord music. The Well Tempered, the 3 sets of Suites, the Goldbergs, the Tocattas, Duets, it's an embarrassment of Riches. My musical education was confirmed with the fifteen 2-part Inventions, and they're performed wonderfully here as well.

I've often spoken about the gift of Music, and the Gift of Musicians in speaking to the world. Their's is a voice that carries the message of Harmony, Proportion, Balance, Planning, and Reason. And for those that gift their music to the Public Domain, additional kudos accrue - they follow the footsteps of J S Bach in doing God's work, the better to glorify Him.

For those who have ambushed John Sankey on his Journey, woe to you, the Truth will out, for a man is known by his Deeds. Until then, enjoy all 555 of the Scarlatti Sonatas, an epic in composition, and a monumental effort in performance. Here.

The Violobot - A Violin Playing Machine

2006-05-24T07:28:00.000+10:00

Classical Lovers - prepare to be shocked. I am about to introduce you to the World's First Violobot, pictured, quite unmistakably, on the left. No, it's not a machine for torturing naughty, misbehaving Violins, the Violobot is a Machine that plays the violin, or at least makes an attempt to. I can't really say much for the results, except that I think the inventor needs to put in a little bit more work - that smooth string legato and vibrato just doesn't seem to be there. Then again, it is built from rummaged computer printer cartridges, so it ain't exactly state of the art.

Nice to know the Arts Council of Canada is spending its money well. Be truly dumbfounded here.

Das Rheingold

2006-05-23T06:57:00.000+10:00

Wagnerites will be a bit miffed that I missed His Majesty's birthday yesterday, so here it is - Happy Birthday Richard! One of the most unpleasant human beings that ever lived, he scammed, he cheated, he lied, and someone really no different from a madman you'd lock up in an asylum, Wagner had the gift of music, and the gift of a single loyal friend in Franz Liszt. The more than 300 letters they exchanged in their lifetimes make absorbing reading, and can be found at the Project Gutenberg site, translated into English, of course.

The site I want to point out to you right now, though, is the Vocal and Piano score of Das Rheingold. Wagner's magnum opus is the Ring Cycle, and the work was conceived as a piece, and is intended to be consumed that way. Das Rheingold is the first of the 4 operas, and serves as a Prelude and Tone-Setter for the whole Epic. A bit smaller, and a little less daunting than Die Walkure, Siegfreid, and Gotterdammerung, get your head into the Ring here.

New Zealand Music News

2006-05-22T06:45:00.000+10:00

Often a forgotten appendage of the Great Southern Land, New Zealand is a country of 4 million people and 50 million sheep. No trouble finding a woolly friend! but if you're interested in music, that might be another matter. Statistics for arts supporters and art aficionados consistently poll around the 1% mark around the Western World, and if you're any distance away from the main capital city, you're going to be relying on Naxos posted CDs for musical succour.

That said, back in 1991, the Arts Council founded a Music Information Centre called Sounz, and this organisation consistently supports native composers getting performed and recorded. They also have quite a spiffy news page, with useful links to events, opportunities and current funded projects. Not bad for a small demographic, find out more about New Zealand Music News here.

Savvy Jeff Harrington

2006-05-20T12:20:00.000+10:00

Modern american composer Jeff Harrington works within the tonal and contrapuntal tradition of the past. Human beings are bound by two legs and two arms, and so are our ears limited in what they can perceive musically. Harmony, rhythm, and consistency are vital to music composition, and junking a long lived legacy as Schoenberg did proved suicidal. Music needs sense, and composers like Shostakovich and Hindemith have shown us that the Classical Tradition can be continued and shaped for a Modern World.

So too, Jeff Harrington, who has not only solid technique, but is ultra-tech savvy, working with mp3s and midis, and making them functional online. His music is gifted to the world, and you can appreciate his Piano Preludes, Violin Sonatas, and tons of other Chamber Music on his web page here.

Dictionary of Musical Themes

2006-05-19T07:02:00.000+10:00

Barlow and Morgenstein's classic 1948 work is available online. Frustrated at the time, or probably bored during the war, Barlow and Morgenstein wanted a resource that indexed the works of the most important classical composers. What they came up with was sheer genius, in that it not only was a textual catalogue, but also a musical one - all the works listed quoted the main theme from each movement.

On the internet this is even more useful. You can punch in the first five notes of any theme, and the interface returns a list of works with that theme. Click on the piece, and it plays the first few bars for you!

Sheer wizardry, 10 000 themes to browse forever, here.

Herrick Plays Bach

2006-05-18T15:44:00.000+10:00

Here's one I haven't come across before. Christopher Herrick did a complete Bach Organ Cycle for Hyperion, released back in 2002. Sixteen discs and 288 works of Organ Madness.

Hyperion's website offers up a generous serve of complete tracks, and I must say initial impressions are quite favorable. The only complete set I've listened to has been the Werner Jacob effort from EMI, and I found it a bit tough going - the organ sound was quite thick, and the tempos were a little sluggish. Then there's Koopman's Bach which I've yet to get round to.

In the meantime, I think Herrick gets my vote for OrganMeister - spritely and conceptual, have a blast here.

Satie Remembered

2006-05-17T14:03:00.000+10:00

Eric Satie has to be one of the most truly bizarre figures in musical history. Although he composed music, he referred to himself as a "phono metrograph", a recorder of sounds, sort of a human gramophone. Strange!

He lived a well-connected life, having close associations with Debussy, Ravel, and Saint-Saens, even though he remained rigidly outside the Establishment, his true home was the cabaret, playing and inventing "living" music.

Satie is best remembered and plundered for his short piano pieces, little sculptures in sound. Here's a page of delightful midi files, starting with the Ogives. Here.

Rise of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra

2006-05-17T07:04:00.000+10:00

TOKYO, Japan boasts an impressive 8 Symphony Orchestras, and even for a city of 12 million culturally-aware persons, this is a fine ratio, considering that they are effectively playing "foreign" music. Tokyo being the political and fiscal hub of the nation, can command sponsorship dollars - the NHK, the national broadcaster, funds one orchestra, the Yomiuri, the national paper, owns another, and the Metropolitan, the local gov, powers a third.

The rest scrap it out for themselves, and by no means volunteer or charity cases, you can imagine the intense struggle between 5 powerhouse groups, all striving for excellence and that coveted Competitive edge.

In recent times, however, it has been the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra that has been challenging the big Three. Hubert Soudant, the dutch maestro and period expert, was appointed to a permanent post 18 months ago, and around the same time the Orchestra moved to the grand Kawasaki Hall, a specially built 2000 seat facility, which was 15 years in the construction. Newly motivated, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra has been stringing together audience and critical successes, the most recent being Mozart's "Clemency of Tito", which is actually a later work than The Magic Flute. And also helped, no doubt, by the charming good looks of Norichika, resident conductor, pictured up there on the left.

All in all, well done to the TSO, and you read more about the state of Japanese Classical affairs here.

Horowitz Video

2006-05-16T11:47:00.000+10:00

For those with a bit of bandwidth to spare, you can treat yourself to a video of Horowitz playing Chopin's Third Sonata.

Horowitz's attack at the piano is unique - he's like some sort of primitive warrior hurling javelins at heaven - a crisp, crunching sound, no pedal to mask imperfections in timing.

A revelation non plus ultra, you have to see this Piano Man in action. Watch for a classic Nosewipe around the six minute mark, and ignore the rudely named provider, the French can be so ill-behaved.

Horowitz in action, here.

O Primavera

2006-05-15T15:17:00.000+10:00

Claudio Monteverdi cracks the 439 year mark today. Now that's ancient! Best known for his innovative vocal writing, his 9 books of Madrigals are an astonishing study in chordal and rhythmic development, comparable to what Beethoven later did for the symphony more than 200 years later.

His other historical achievement is the initiation of the Grand Opera, with his work Orfeo in 1607. This long lineage would run through the prolific hands of Handel, the native sons of Bellini and Rossini, before culminating in the Complete Works of Verdi, the full experience musically, dramatically, and emotionally.

Monteverdi deserves more recognition for his towering achievements, and I propose a brand new 50 inch digital plasma TV, with PVR set-top box, and 80 channels of cable glory. Try composing that much with so many distractions!

Meanwhile, try this performance of O Primavera, on 2 trumpets and 2 trombones. Here.

Perfect Practice

2006-05-15T07:10:00.000+10:00

Today's Sydney Morning Herald has a nice piece on the nature of practice, and the achievement of goals and excellence. While not focused entirely on music performance, the study covered a range of endeavours including chess, writing, and piano. One of the findings is that practice is not solely about repetition - there needs to be goal-setting, constant re-evaluation of progress, and a sense of self-motivation - the task needs to be driven internally for the skill to become "natural" and effortless.

Too obvious? Well, look at how most instruments are taught to our kids. Once a week practice sessions, the goals fixed for all students by the 8 Music Levels, dull Hannon scales. Certainly Suzuki would have something to say here!

Read about Deliberate Practice here.

The Classical Blogospere

2006-05-14T12:16:00.000+10:00

Given to moments of self-doubt and introspection, I decided to punch in "classical music blog" into google, and see what I came back with. How was I faring, a young player in an old game?

The results are disappointing, truly. That dame from the north, Jessica Duchen, wins pole-position with a well-named blog, Pretenza 21, as the Monk calls it, polls second, then Sandow and Alex Ross. Institutional players to say the least.

That's page 1, then there's just plain garbage until page 8, when Overgrown Path makes an appearance. The writer, Pliable, is the only web-grown talent, and he languishes way down there. How can classical bloggers make an impact when it seems you need a real-world profile to get read?

Update: 2 hours later, and I'm up to page 97, and I still can't find me. Can you hear me crying? sob, sob.

Verify my non-existence here.

The Romantic Generation - Charles Rosen

2006-05-14T09:32:00.000+10:00

That's a very tired looking Charles Rosen on the left, exhausted by his epic writing efforts over the years. He made his first big impression with "The Classical Style", which was soon followed by "Sonata Forms". I don't have a big thing for the second half of the 18th Century, Enlightenment Ideals apart, all the good stuff was going on in the early 1700's with Newton, and Pope, and Samuel Johnson, but that's getting away from things. Charles Rosen's key contribution to the musical literature, and musical understanding is undoubtedly "The Romantic Generation". Essentially a chapter by chapter examination of the key composers of the 1830-1860's, we cover Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Berlioz.

It's heavy hitting, with 10 bar excerpts, and translated German philosophy, and it tracks the gradual weakening of the tonal system until finally Liszt and Wagner have mashed it all together - tonality eventually becomes a sequence of keys, there is no root, we have left the safe shores of Eden, and like Cain and Abel, we can fight over the scraps - who wants a C? an E flat? it's yours for the taking.

This was the book that transformed my understanding of what the Romantics were on about. How the prevailing sense of feeling, Empfigsamkeit, and passion, thanks to Beethoven, translated itself into musical notes and forms, and the consequences that had for musical Perception, musical Consumption, and Musical Taste.

Charles Rosen deserves a Symphony for this contribution. Here's his profile from Harvard University Press. Here.

Beethoven Symphonies for Piano

2006-05-13T19:02:00.000+10:00

Well, it seems as though playing the Beethoven Symphonies on Piano has become popular again. Naxos are lacking just the final disc to complete their survey - No's 7 and 8 to go, and I've just been listening to this performance of the No 9. Not overly impressed, it seems to lack fire, and the piano itself is quite tinny - it needs some serious meat, more bass definitely.

But then again, I have been spoiled. A couple of years ago I became quite addicted to the Cyprien Katsaris re-release of the cycle. That's a much more consistent set, and his Pastoral still warms my heart, one of those special readings.

Be unimpressed by Naxos here.

Very Frenchy

2006-05-12T17:45:00.000+10:00

Gabriel Faure, to me, is the essence of French. Together with Charles Baudelaire and his epic poetry collection, Fleurs de Mal, or Flowers of Evil, they form they form a powerful force in French Romanticism. The key traits are: short, dense works, heavy use of symbolism, and an over-riding sense of loss, although what exactly, and how real the loss is, we never quite know. A sort of patient bitterness, Endurance.

Faure celebrates his 161 birthday today, so let's all sing a French song, and eat croissants for breakfast. Barring that, here's a beautiful recording of Faure's last nocturne, opus 119, that sums up his art and character. Courtesy of the Piano Society, here.

Musical Feuding

2006-05-12T17:22:00.000+10:00

Well, it seems as though the Mad Monk has gotten himself into a musical war. A war of notes, you might say, about who is the better fuguer. Who can best muster the forces of counterpoint, deploy barrages of stretto, and invert and reverse-park a 10 note theme. It's all good fun watching from the side, although one team has decided to go under the cloak of anonymity. Be brave, and back your opinion!

The Musical Monk has his say here.

Bach Goes to the Movies

2006-05-11T09:41:00.000+10:00

Bach's music has a universal quality about it. I don't know if playing it to plants makes them grow any faster, but the music is malleable, and can exist in any number of formats. Whether it be performing the Well Tempered on a then non-existent modern grand, or testing some of the longer fugues on an organ, the structural integrity permits the music to survive, and thrive.

And so we come to the odd notion of Bach going to the Movies, and this is where movements or extracts have been used as filler sound for the action on screen. Today's find is a list of such occurrences, from a 1931 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde using the Organ Toccata and Fugue, through to the 2005 Kingdom of Heaven with a well-worn Jesu, meine Freude.

Browse to contentment, here.

British Ben Britten

2006-05-11T06:12:00.000+10:00

Benjamin Britten reminds me a lot of Mozart and Mendelssohn. All three had a knack for childish play, mixing notes into clever new combinations, streams of energetic charm. But ultimately, art is more than a game of Scrabble, and a work must be imbued with meaning. Music, like painting, is an abstraction, a symbol pointing to something important.

Norman Lebrecht is his usual contrary self today - he will argue a case when it suits his mood, then leap the fence the next day. A couple of weeks ago he was decrying the poor record of native English Sons, and how they were unable to construct a coherent opus. Today, he blasts the English Art Authorities for not performing a complete Ben Britten Opera Cycle when everyone else is Europe is being nationalistic and prideful. And he attributes this state of affairs to 12 year old boys.

Old Norman is making it up - here.

Buzzing Reed - Very Slowly

2006-05-10T14:25:00.000+10:00

David H Thomas is the blogmeister of Buzzing Reed, a place where he notates his thoughts on tone, temperament, and pitch - he is the Principal Clarinet in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, based in Ohio. Now, I like reading about guys who can do the job, and all the fussy details of practicing and syncing with a group, I can lead many vicarious lives this way. Just one problem with Mr Thomas' writing efforts - he's a little stingy. I mean 8 posts in 6 months?!?!

Great insight into the Reedy Clarinet, I'll be setting my calendar for next month. Until then, check out this fresh post from only 2 weeks ago. Here.

Shostakovich Preludes

2006-05-10T12:28:00.000+10:00

The Shostakovich Preludes opus 34 are a poor relative of the grander set of Preludes and Fugues op 87. And this evaluation is quite justified - the later set is in homage to Bach, and features all the mastery and originality of a learned composer, this early set opus 34 was written before Shostakovich was 30, and bears its lineage from Chopin. The figurations are all Chopin, and so too is the clean separation of hands, a definite base, and a clear melodic line. But unlike Chopin, these 24 Preludes are arranged in a definite order, here through the circle of 5ths, and different from Bach, who set the Well-Tempered in semi-tones.

The Preludes begin and end well, and should be performed as a piece, but there is the dreaded dull middle section, where 3 and 4 time alternate, and there is too much of a saminess in this run.

Worth studying, grab the 40 page PDF here.

Cello Journey - Episode 7

2006-05-10T08:46:00.000+10:00

There's something about me that thrives on the works of enthusiasts. They can do an equally adept job as the professional, and quite often they have had exactly the same training, but doing something for the pure joy of the experience, unsullied by the sense of job or gain, is something like a divine meditation. Too fanciful? Then come take a walk with me, we'll step outside, and head off for a Cello Journey.

Cello Journey is a week/bi-weekly video-cast by canadian Luke Stanley. He posts them up on youTube, although he also has a higher-definition version on his own website. Being a cellist, he loves the work of JS Bach, although he's done a couple of pieces now by David Popper, 19C Bohemian. Today's vidcast is a Tarantella, an Italian dance which has a frenetic, explosive ending. Good fun, and watch the deft fingerwork.

Come take a Cello Journey, here.

4 Orchestras into One

2006-05-09T06:22:00.000+10:00

Well, more orchestral woes, this time from the Asian land of Japan. Osaka, the second largest city, and a commercial hub, is facing the prospect of 4 orchestras being reduced to one. At the heart of the issue: big player salaries not matched by public funding and corporate sponsors. Certainly, nothing can match the power of live, 120dB triple fortes, and even if I personally prefer the grating clink of the harpsichord, if there is a public to be sated, then 4 into 1 doesn't seem a good solution.

Read the article here.

Classical goes Digital

2006-05-08T13:21:00.000+10:00

Recording, mastering, and releasing big name Orchestral performances costs big bucks. With returns typically measured over decades, it's no wonder labels are no longer offering up easy contracts. Sell it like the 3 Tenors, or it won't be done. A harsh proposition, when there are already fifty of more Beethoven 5th symphonies out there, or an equal number of Mozart Piano Concerto 21's. How can the economics of such a situation be rationalised?

First of all, cut out the retailer - there is 50% of your sale price. Next, cut out the physical distribution altogether, that is, go digital, and for the online world that can only mean one thing - iTunes. And lastly, don't use a label at all, we're in entrepreneurial land now, take all the risks, reap all the profits.

NPR has a 2 part radio broadcast totaling 10 minutes examining these issues, and how the likes of the New York Philharmonic and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra are taking the bold leap into Digital Classical.

Fire up the future - here.

Musical Scroll and Key

2006-05-08T07:10:00.000+10:00

Anyone who has even a passing interest in Classical Music will be confronted by it's specialist language and denotations. Some associations are quickly connected - allegro sounds fast, andante is a walking pace, a scherzo is something joky. A rather hit and miss way of learning, and as you climb higher on your musical journey, and perhaps adopt an instrument, the deluge of terms can be overwhelming. Madrigals, and oboe d'amores, and saltarellos dance around your head, and while they say words can't kill you, they can certainly cause severe concussion and headaches.

What you need is a good Music Dictionary, and today's pick is the grandly named Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary - but don't get too excited, the only multimedia component is a neutral pronunciation of the terms when chosen. Pleasingly complete, you'll find out the difference between a Church Cadence and a Phrygian Cadence, and how the Hexachord relates to the Modern Scale. Music Theory up to your gills, but this really is a dictionary for Everyman, everything eventually reduces down to simple everyday language.

A musical scroll with key, here.

BBC Proms

2006-05-07T14:28:00.000+10:00

Nicholas Kenyon had a piece earlier in the week in The New Statesman talking about this year's BBC Proms. Much more than the final last night at Royal Albert Hall, it is an 8-week, mid-year festival, featuring both the old and the new. Amongst this year's 70 concerts are Hosokawa's "Circulating Ocean", and a BBC commissioned "Andromeda" by scottish composer James Dillon. Mozart and Shostakovich are heavily programmed, this being 250 and 100 year anniversaries.

Nicholas goes on to write about some of the audience initiatives in the past decade, most notably the Proms in the Park, utilising gigantic screens for live broadcasts. Personally, I would like to attend the "Come and Sing Workshop" on July 29, where you just turn up, take a seat, and sing.

A huge lineup, read more about it here.

Happy Birthday Brahms!

2006-05-07T09:53:00.000+10:00

May the 7th, and it's a big day for Taurus fans out there. May 7 is the birthday of two key mainstays of the classical repertoire - Johannes Brahms and Peter Tchaikovsky. I'll dedicate this post to Brahms, as I consider his contribution the more sizable, as well as the more significant one, the Russian birthday boy will get his dues next year.

Brahms slaved over his works - compositions lived many incarnations before settling on a fixed instrumental group. Sonatas became Symphonies, then were scaled back to Concertos - this errant aiming is one of the features of the man, as well as his music.

The Handel Variations are a good place to start for those who have been intimidated and bored by Brahms in the past. It's a sticky tune, and all the piano thunder and glitz will have you smiling. Then give the First Symphony a roll, it's palatable, and not an exhausting journey.

Here's a link to some Brahms midis, here.

Harmonic Analysis

2006-05-06T13:02:00.000+10:00

People who like something, like to talk about it. Talking to people about something inevitably leads to them talking back, and they might say something you hadn't expected. This leads to you learning something about the thing you like, and then talking about it some more ...

People get passionate, and the details and connections such Passionate People have is one of the wonders of life.

Today's blog pick is the Harmonic Analysis Diary. Musical pieces are taken apart in a very conversational manner, and this is an utter pleasure for anyone with a basic understanding of keys and tonality. Sparsely posted, gems glittering in the night sky. Here.

Naxos May Releases

2006-05-06T08:28:00.000+10:00

Start of the month, and that means Naxos New Releases! A miscellany of unfamiliar, unrecorded, unrepentant works. Musical pieces from across the spectrum, from the most middle of the Middle Ages to the most Modern of the Modern. The haydn symphonies chug along in reverse order - we're up to vol 30 now, and down to Symphony 14. Almost there franz fans! For Baroque lovers, there's a nice platter of works to enjoy - a disc of Vivaldi Choral Music, some more Weiss Lute Sonatas (vol 7), Bach's Kunst der Fuga on harpsichord, and a luscious selection of German Court Music, mostly of chamber size, and showing the remarkable invention, consistency, and balance of this era, totally obscure composers, but utterly enjoyable tracks.

Release of the Month? Hands down, Luciano Berio's 14 Sequences. A series of pieces composed over a 40 year period, each work is for a different solo instrument. It's the full workout, and it ain't pretty. Berio is the key Italian composer of the 20C, and he even sneaks into our millennium - the last Sequence for Cello dates from 2002, a year before his death. This is a 3-disc release, and a true milestone. Absolutely essential.

Be Berioed here.

Fugue Sets

2006-05-05T09:09:00.000+10:00

The pinnacle of technical compositional musical skill is the fugue. For those not in the know, know now that you are a musical humbug. Even worse, if you don't know you don't know the fugue - musical purgatory for you!

Please, go out and buy any copy, any copy of the Well-Tempered and fast-forward through the prelude and fugue pairings until you find some that you like. Make these your friends, and have them on your iPod for 24 hour access. The ones you don't like are due to a lack of comprehension - the complexity and intricacy are baffling your mind, they sound chaotic and unpleasant. You will learn in time musical grasshopper.

For those further advanced, here's a list of Fugue Sets, organised by composer, with such rare delights as Bellak's Jazz Fugues, Busoni's Fugue for 2 Pianos, Grieg's 7 Fugues, and more. To enter the Gates of Fugue Heaven, whistle the c-minor fugue now, then click here.

Hilary and Jackie

2006-05-05T07:36:00.000+10:00

Hilary and Jackie is a film from 1998 tracing the life of English cellist Jacqueline du Pre from childhood until the onset of multiple sclerosis at the age of 28, a disease which destroyed her career and her life. What fire was compacted into these 3 decades of life, true passion, the gift of music, and the reflection back to us from the inner soul. Hilary is the older sister, a promising flautist, but one resistant to the military conservatory training regime. Jackie, by contrast, has a talent that is sun-like, all apparent, bright, fixating, dazzling. She is that one-in-a-generation performer, with the winning gifts of ability and personality. Success.

For lovers of Classical Music, this is a film which presents those childhood joys of learning music and being in a close, understanding family. Those little birthday gifts of new music, nervous public performances, rapid surpassing of a string of qualified teachers, it is the development of musical life which keeps us thralled.

The Elgar and Dvorak concertos feature prominently, and one has to love the bumbling portrayal of Daniel Barenboim, esteemed man. Here's a link to the database profile, here.

Haydn - Flute Concerto

2006-05-04T14:48:00.000+10:00

Joesph Haydn, can be, pardon the pun, a somewhat Surprise Composer. Just when you write him off after listening to another dull rendition of Symphony No 54, or an uninspired Symphony No 72, you say to yourself, man, this guy's dull, doesn't he know more than two triadic chords, or horns that play du-du-du? Then you hear one of his masterly string quartet movements, and you know he earnt his reputation for the best of his music, not the most ordinary.

Today's video pick proclaims itself as Haydn's Flute Concerto in D major. This is rather confusing as - one, there is no flute, two, there is no orchestra.

Work it out for yourself, here.

The Suzuki Method

2006-05-03T17:03:00.000+10:00

Start them young, and learning will be natural and easy. That is the basis of the philosophy of the Suzuki Method, a way of training children to become skillful and joyful musicians. I must say, even though I was never exposed to Suzuki, I am rather partial to the basic tenets of his approach. The key elements are: play musical pieces rather than etudes, play by ear than by page, regular ensemble performances, constant refinement of learnt repertoire, and above all, promoting a love of the music.

Shinichi Suzuki, the man himself, is quite an interesting character. His father owned a violin factory, he went to Germany to do advanced training, where he became a buddy of Albert Einstein, returned to Japan and started a string quartet group, then began his famous path of music teaching and pedagogy. A great life of 99 years.

The Suzuki Institute of Seattle has a nice site, with separate streams for piano, violin, cello, and voice. If only I was three years old again! Click here.

Hottest Women in Classical Music

2006-05-03T07:33:00.000+10:00

Some people, like me, and others un-named out there, just have too much free time. The devil's playground, and the internet is a chaotic maelstrom, idle souls flickering from one google search to another.

And what a find we have today! courtesy of a certain Greg, it's the hottest women in classical music. That's right, the site is called Beauty in Music, and has all your favourite babes ordered by instrument. There are the Cello Sweets, Lady Violas, and of course The Sopranos. I've got the Labeque Sisters over there on the left.

Just one question, if Hildegard von Bingen can make this page, where's Jessica Duchen?

Look for Jessica Duchen here.

Fractal Music - Leaving the Comfort Zone

2006-05-02T20:11:00.000+10:00

There is a deep linkage between mathematics, which is essentially the science of numbers, and music, which is an artform using fixed frequencies as its basic clay. The tonal system that is the basis of all western music from the middle ages to the mid-twentieth century is essentially Pythagorean, that is, all about the ratios of different pitches, and in general, the simpler the ratio, the greater the sense of harmony, or consonance. These ratios are mathematical.

Tones were used for constructing instruments, and for tuning them. The music itself was based on the human voice - singing, natural language patterns, male and female contrasts. There is art driving the science underneath.

Modern music runs into problems when we have the scientist driving the vehicle of sound. Both Scriabin and Webern had their "mystical numbers", certain beloved chords that had a special numerical significance for them, but what did it sound like to you and me? The personal is not the universal.

Which brings me to fractal music, made possible by computer crunching and the midi interface. Based on sequences and rotations of sound patterns, heavily self-referencing, these are musical experiments. Some attempts try to mimic existing genres, others are just wild. Try listening to some of the sound examples on this page here.

Second Bassoon

2006-05-02T08:02:00.000+10:00

Life must be rough when there's only two of you, and you're always number two. It might be ok if you're roughly on a par, and the other guy got the nice chair because he got there first, sort of like a permanent older brother, but when you're number two because you really are a number two, ie you ain't good enough, it must really rankle. And imagine if this situation happens in a public arena, like being in an orchestra, and you're the designated number two. The other guy gets to play all the big solos, he gets the nod from the conductor, waves from the crowd, and you're just sitting there, instrument in hand, looking like a total goose, fuming.

It's enough to make you go write a blog, isn't it? Strange story be told, we have a second bassoonist in a London orchestra who has done this, and the blog is called ... Second Bassoon. Imaginative, hey? Well, he ain't second bassoon for nothing, and I've been reading all about sticky pads, and water in finger holes, and pull throughs, getting your bassoon through airport security, and Rossini wrote a Bassoon Concerto?

Totally useless knowledge for a pianist here.

Mass in B Minor Glory

2006-05-01T15:04:00.000+10:00

Well, the University of Indiana continue to innovate regards making classical resources available to all online. A little tipoff, and I'm listening to this glorious chamber version of Bach's B-Minor Mass. The work has a gigantic structure, and is really a Cathedral of Sound. Perchance you see a hardcopy score, you'll know what I mean. All vocal and instrumental combinations are rotated and cycled, and core ideas are permuted and re-presented at key points in this two-hour Journey to the Infinite.

The performance was preceded by a Christoff Wolf academic lecture on the genesis, history, and structure of the B-Minor Mass. This can be listened to separately, and will please those who enjoyed his books "Bach: The Learned Musician" and "The New Bach Reader", both solid works.

The B-Minor Mass is one of the crowning glories of Classical Music, a spiritual homage, monumental scope. Beauty, perfection, tearful - here.

Marriage of Figaro Birthday

2006-05-01T07:26:00.000+10:00

Well, May the First, here we are, a one third into the year double o six, and what can we celebrate? Seeing as it's a Mozart year, and the boy/man hasn't received a dedicated posting, it's about due. 220 years today, on May 1, 1786 in Vienna was the premiere night of that greatest of opera buffas, le nozze di figaro, or as it's much better known to you and me, The Marriage of Figaro. It's confused plot of paired philandering couples leaves me prostrated in an easy-chair, and I feel like hitting a tab of acid. The plot comes in 4 acts, and seems full of people hiding in cupboards and under chairs, and locking doors and shouting - quite childish, very Mozart. Forgive the little pest, he wrote some good tunes, and the overture lives an independent, immortal life. Have a listen to this oddball Midi arrangement, just click here.

Passive Pleasures

2006-04-30T11:07:00.000+10:00

My good friend Guthry over at The Crunch has done it again. He's got a ripper post on the modern passive society, and how that impacts upon the world of Classical Music. His theme runs that Art is tough, it demands attention and participation, unlike television, it doesn't just happen. There is a deep ocean of meaning beneath the surface of sound that enters our ears - we have to dive through it to taste the true experience and vision.

The whole thing has overtones of Neil Postman's classic work "Amusing Ourselves To Death", celebrating it's 20th anniversary at the end of this year. Is TV the ultimate source of these evils, the Passive Pleasures of Modern Man?

Read Guthry's article here.

Haitink Scores Job

2006-04-30T06:15:00.000+10:00

The classical world isn't the fastest moving one, and sometimes things are persisted with far too long. Tradition is a great stabilising force, but when it meets the creative fire of Innovation, the old ways must depart. And so it is, the CSO, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, esteemed and venerable institution, has a new conductor! Barenboim has been dumped after 15 long years, and we extend a warm welcome to the 77 year old dutch maestro, Bernard Haitink. Welcome!

Read all about it in the local Sun-Times rag, here.

Red Radio Bartok

2006-04-29T15:55:00.000+10:00

Classical Radio stations are out there in their dozens. Most face issues of homogeneity, reliability, and sense of purpose. State-run stations usually offer the best trade-off between on-demand presence and wide program offerings. Community stations can be vibrant, though the experience can really be destroyed by mid-air gaffes and collapses.

My current fav internet station is Radio Bartok, an appropriately named offering from Hungary. It's their national broadcaster, and the whole presentation is very clean. Just ignore the Magyar if you can, and focus on the quality serves of music.

Listen to Radio Bartok here.

Well Tempered Analysis

2006-04-29T03:09:00.000+10:00

Well, it must be at least 48 hours since I've used the term "Well Tempered" in any post, and I'm feeling starting to feel the effects. Whenever I go to type, well, the letters start w, then e, an l, another l, and before you know it, well, there's a "well" on the screen, and I'm trapped into a certain mode of thought, and the possession by Bach begins anew.

Well, as much as I love and have studied this work, it continues to hold mysteries, and new connections inside, between, and thoughout the different pieces continue to pop this mind into awe.

Siglind Bruhn, a good German, the right sort of person for the job, has been equally well consumed by the Passion. Her analytical study of the Well-Tempered dates from 1993, and a version was transcribed for the Web a couple of years ago. It is there for you to excite and be raptured.

Get your mind expanded into funny new shapes by reading here.

115 Yesterday

2006-04-28T17:33:00.000+10:00

A day late, but happy birthday Sergei! That's Sergei Prokofiev of course, and just imagine, if he'd known about the South Sea Diet, or the Greek Olive Binge, or the Liver Cleansing Autopsy, he'd still be with us today. And how modern, and not out of place! His death was 53 years ago, yet try taking his Piano Sonata number 1, opus 1, for a spin - it could have been written yesterday! Look, the guy's harsh, acerbic, sarcastic, a real intellectual composer, but sometimes sparing is good.

Make today a Prokofiev day, and while you're there here's a fine link to PDFs of his piano music, including the all-important 9 sonatas.

Click here.

Danzi - Wind Quintets

2006-04-27T19:20:00.000+10:00

Danzi was a composer in the Mozart/Haydn age. Now, most music composed in the Classical Era was pure formula - put the numbers in, and you got a calculated answer. Even the most able musicians were bound by this straight-jacket. One thing, however, that this era understood better than any other was the use of woodwinds. Whether it was spurred on by the development of the clarinet, the wider acceptability of the horn in non-ceremonial music, or the lure of the flute over the recorder can be debated endlessly by period historians. One thing is certain - the wind quintet composed of 3 upper voices, the flute, oboe, and new clarinet, supported by an interesting base combination of horn and bassoon - gives you a sweet, varied, delightful vehicle to carry your musical thoughts.

The Michael Thomson Ensemble are just outstanding - the three opus 67 Wind Quintets can be enjoyed over and over. One caveat though, the Horn Sonata filler is a little harsh coming on the back of these birds in swinging flight.

Listen to the disc here.

Hunting for English Music

2006-04-27T07:38:00.000+10:00

Norman Lebrecht has a rather fiercesome analysis of English Serious Music in his latest posting of weekly essays. Now, this guy doesn't hide his knives, and if you're a dead composer, you can't really run very far away. So Elgar, Holst, and Vaughan Williams take a huge pounding for producing inconsistent works too inconsistently. And if you're one of the lesser lights, you're just incompetent, and a tune-spinner.

One hit wonders is all that the English have contributed to the world of Classical Music - that is Mr Lebrecht's theme, and who will mount the counterattack?

Truly barbed words here.

Chopin Chops

2006-04-26T19:06:00.000+10:00

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, we are on the doorstep of creative revolution, possibly the most empowering development since the invention of printed media, more than 500 years ago. With the Web as the facilitator, and fast-broadband as the muscle, we have the possibility of individual to individual transmission of thoughts, creations, and insights, bypassing time and space completely. Since the cost of digital reproduction is zero, we shift the supply-demand curve massively to the left, every person gains to the ultimate power to choose.

So, there's no place to hide your inferior columnists, and repetitive sitcoms. The audience has left the building.

Which brings me to the Classical Theme of this post, which is a nice collection if Chopin MP3 files, recorded by aspiring pianists and noble-minded professionals. Free, and simple one-click downloads, you can visit the Piano Society here.

An Equal Music

2006-04-25T20:21:00.000+10:00

This is a novel about a String Quartet group. Now, novels that revolve around the theme of Classical Music are as rare as their film counterparts, so every offering should be prized and given wide exposure. As it is, I read this a few years back following my encounter with the great "A Suitable Boy", Vikram Seth's unqualified masterpiece, one of the key novels of the 1990's. Well, the Quartet theme of this novel is quite apt, just like it's real life manifestation, the feeling is intimate, personal, and shows high contrasts between the group's players.

While Seth isn't a trained musician, he does state in his foreword his long-abiding love of classical, and has some close friends who are bona-fide performers. The portrayal of the modern artist is convincing in the day-to-day details, and will entrance anyone who has had the experience of learning an instrument.

The usual mythology of Classical Music is in abundance - we have lost manuscripts, impending deafness, immortal Beloveds - you know the score.

Verdict? not a Great work, more like a middling opus, good craftsmanship, but not inspired. You can check it out you know where, by clicking here.

Fine Art of Dicing

2006-04-25T18:20:00.000+10:00

Today's Sydney Morning Herald has an opinion piece by one of the directors of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In it, he looks at the increasing trend of radio stations and CD-publishers of serving up musical works as individual movements. So called "Best of" CD's, and "Classic 100", and scraps of works played during the "Drive Hour", an attempt to win over a wider audience by cutting out the "boring" bits?

Greg tackles this populist argument, and as I've said before, I'm all for diversity, but when it becomes a race to the bottom, you know you're in trouble.

Read Greg's article here.

Cello Maniac

2006-04-24T19:07:00.000+10:00

Well, the Web, broadband and near-universal access are unleashing volcano storms of creativity across the planet. No longer governed by the top-down ethos of news-editor, tv-producer, and radio-announcer, taste and choice are returning to the kingdom of the individual - we can choose what and when we eat our media meals.

As first witness for the prosecution, I cite Ethan Winer, digital mixer and performer extraordinaire. If you only do one artistic thing today, please make it this.

Watch the mindblowing Cello Rondo here.

Well-Tempered Online

2006-04-24T07:24:00.000+10:00

Well, the Well Tempered Klavier seems to be in some sort of Cosmic Resonance today, where-ever I turn, all roads lead back to Bach. Now, you wouldn't believe the number of recordings I have of this work, there is indeed a Well Tempered Record Record Collection secret society, and I put myself around number 2 on the Liszt. Before you give up reading this addled post, there really is a point to all this ramble ramble, and that is a very useful link, one I use myself quite often.

The University of Indiana has made some very cautious forays into the realm of scanned sheet music, and some of these are open public, others restricted to on-campus use. It's their gifts to the world, and Bach's Greatest Gift, The Well Tempered, that have me all tongue tied and twisted.

Their extremely simple non-PDF web interface is ultra-fast, and they must have take photostats of the original printing plates, because the images are almost flawless. A handy complement to any hard copy edition you might have.

The Well-Tempered Online is here.

Where do you Stand?

2006-04-23T08:22:00.000+10:00

Audio Activist Guthry over at the Crunch has a top post today about the inherent ambiguity of art, and its flow-on effect into life and politics. Because art, here specifically music, is a uniquely individual experience, there is no "correct" answer - we extract from a sonata or concerto what nourishment we can - one man's Mozart is another man's sleeping pill. Art is a wide spectrum.

Guthry goes on to write about how this Artistic Diversity leads to a sense of tolerance and balance - we come to see the possibility of different viewpoints, and become anxious ourselves to protect this open system. There is still a pursuit of Excellence, but any move towards Uniformity is total anathema.

Go have a swill of it yourself here.

Beethoven's Head

2006-04-22T20:26:00.000+10:00

I've been meaning to get one of these, ever since I saw one at the Con, all those years ago. Now, Buddha is represented at my dwellings - his noble head sits in the middle of my living room - so surely Beethoven is next. I don't know if they do a Bach line, but there's Wolfgang, and Shakespeare ...

Check out these cool heads here.

More Brahms?

2006-04-22T11:26:00.000+10:00

Well, the release of Brahms 4 Handers continues from Naxos, we're up to Volume 15 now. Having been through symphonies, variations, waltzes, quartets, quintets, concertos, and sonatas, we're back to the Symphony again, this time the last 2.

I'm not the biggest Brahms fan on this planet, but the Third Symphony is a cracker. Especially when all the sound is being generated from the one instrument.

Have a listen for yourself here.

How to Practice Piano - Properly

2006-04-21T22:47:00.000+10:00

Now we've all heard cautionary tales of one Robert Schumann, and how we shouldn't hook up mechanical devices to our fingers, or wrists, or elbows, and I mean absolutely Never - so the last thing you want to be doing is taking advice on how to Practice Piano from some Blogger Dude you've found on the net. Am I right? Of course I am, so listen closely - this non-Blogger Dude, one Mr Chang, has knocked up an online document that details all his discoveries re the art of proper practice. I read this through a couple of months back and it made me weep, all those hours and days that bore no fruit, he explains why.

All very scientific, and based on two neglected principles- Hands Separate and Parallel Sets. Thoroughly credible, no mysticism, and compare it to your own experience. Read it here.

Medieval Music

2006-04-21T18:27:00.000+10:00

If, like me, you happen to be an old soul living in a new world, you'll perchance have feelings of resonance with the Past, and its attendant historical certainties, rather than the flux and shim-sham of go-easy MTV. Now, having twisted and abused simple English grammatical structures into long Latin convolutions, you might be wanting to hear a simple lute tune, or the soothing hum of Gregorian speech. Well, there's only silence in the blogosphere, but you can read all about the Music of Monks, and Abbeys, and Kings and Queens, at this delightfully beautiful blog.

To back travel 500 years, just click here.

Searching for MIDI

2006-04-21T10:23:00.000+10:00

MIDI files are an archaic way of coding for sound, a legacy of the 80's, before computers had the storage space or processing power to code Real Sound. Their main use these days is for ring tones, and even there they are losing ground to Sampled Tones. But hey, I still like them, and that's why I'm writing here.

Scouring the Web, if you're after some specific MIDI file for say a Brahms sonata, or a Chopin waltz, you won't have any problems finding it, and downloading it. It's only when you want to build a collection that it becomes tedious - jumping from site to site, running headlong into download restrictions - you're going to have to pay some mulah sometime.

There's a couple of sites that aggregate huge numbers of MIDI files, and organise them into sets for easy ZIP downloads. I personally like "Kunst der Fuge" because of its humble homage, but Classical Musical Archives is the grand-daddy of these sites, and have been round since the very earliest days.

For MIDI freaks who want to indulge, click here.

Organ Player

2006-04-21T02:30:00.000+10:00

Now, the following videos feature a certain person playing a home organ, not at all like the monstrosity pictured on the left. I've always been a little cautious, timid regards this King of Instruments, pumping out deafening 10 finger chords that get louder and louder, not at all natural I say!

This certain person featured in this post really likes their fashion, and their wigs. You have been forewarned. Try starting with any of the Bach pieces. the Kunst is represented by 2 variations, and Beethoven on an Organ?

Click here.

The Art of the Piano

2006-04-20T17:44:00.000+10:00

by David Dubal, into its third Edition. What can I say? I have a much mangled 2nd edition of this work, and it has been a trusty friend over the years. I've just had a chance to spend the afternoon with this update, and I can't say there's been a massive reworking. It's more like a version 2.1, a ten year refinement, adding a couple of the star pianists that have emerged, keeping it current. Speaking of stars, Lang Lang doesn't get much of a report card, Mr Dubal is rather downbeat on the guy, and especially ripping into the "uninformed" audiences that fill Lang Lang's shows.

Still the work is absolutely comprehensive - the first half covers the pianists, all those worthy of a mention going back to finger-running Mozart of the 1760's, through the lush Romantic era of the Thalbergs and the Tausigs, and through the Golden Age of Rack, down to the Modern boring, era of today. These biographical entries are alphabetically ordered, and this is a reference work.

Second half is the Composers section, and is structured the same way as the front half. The piano works are given individually treatment, so for example, under Bach, you get short descriptions of each of the 6 English Suites, and one improvement in this edition is the Well-Tempered gets a through breakdown, each Prelude and Fugue scoring at least a paragraph.

The writing is easy and spritely, not a treatise, but a basket of endless treats.

The Violinist

2006-04-20T05:57:00.000+10:00

One of the great under-rated pleasures in life is peripatetic learning. That is, even before the Web, just walking around, unstructured learning, driven by whim and puffs of wind, doing as you please. Like being dropped in alone in a totally foreign city, resorting to pointing and flashes of cash to get you by. Certainly as the World becomes more and more bound, the allure of travel will become less and less of a siren call.

Fortunately, the Realm of the Intellect, and its Fairy Sister, Imagination, know no limits, and so books and stories are a Permanent Pleasure. The Joy of Discovery, just like this website - The Violinist. I can't believe I haven't seen this before. The quality posts of this Professional Violinist go back three years, and cover the very human aspects of performing, teaching, and the Suzuki Method. Just jump into the archives at any month - well done Laurie!

Leap into the Violinist.com here.

Mad Monk

2006-04-20T02:24:00.000+10:00

Well, the Mad Monk of "A Monk's Musical Musings" has a rather soul wrenching story of his battle with counterpoint and the quest for perfect proportions. Women aside, he seems to have discovered the "Perfect Fugue", something which I had thought Bach had written - the C Minor from the Well-Tempered, and analyses his work with great joy.

Yet the quest for Ultimate Beauty ends up removing more and more Imperfect Parts, until one is left with - well, a Single Perfect Note. Not satisfactory indeed!

You can read about the Mad Monk by clicking here.

Home of Classical Music

2006-04-19T22:55:00.000+10:00

Well, the very first post of A Beautiful Theme, and I guess a Mission Statement is in order - what can I possibly add that 30+ million blogs haven't already done so? The fact is, Classical Music is not that well covered on the Web, either in blog form or not. I think us sensitive souls have retreated from a warlike world into private rooms of self-meditation - and with endless re-releases of great past performances, we certainly need time to enjoy. But this cutting off leaves us as lesser human beings. Hence this blog, A Beautiful Theme, dedicated to all Things Classical, and with an aim to spread the Passion.