New solo cello library

[Shooshie]

Now it lives in my daily playing lists

It and its performers are honored by your appreciation.

Shoosh

[mikehalloran]

But Bach's music just invites all comers. He all but says so on the covers. However, in the case of the cello suites, we can't be so sure that it wasn't for viol da gamba...

With the ease that these can be played on guitar, I always assumed that the bass gamba was the original instrument. Many years ago, I had the use of a gamba and played #1 and 2 on it--much easier than the cello.

Not nearly as expressive, though--part of it was the quality of the instrument owned by UC Davis but most of it was the frets. With bass, cello, guitar and lute under my belt, gamba was quite easy for me. (Hmmmm... I wonder if my children even know that Dad has a lute in the basement...)

[jloeb]

Back in the 90's, there was this French guy who made some nice and powerful tracks, but they were original works by him... What was his name? Jarret? Jarré? Something like that (I can't remember his name at the moment). I really liked his music and it did move me deeply.

could it be? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Michel_Jarre

Yes! That's him. Thank you for refreshing my memory

This exchange was actually hilarious to me. I was shocked, shocked! that anyone couldn't instantly remember who Jean Michel Jarre was. It's like forgetting who Beethoven is.

Guess I've revealed my musical puberty as located firmly in the late 80's/early 90's.

[Shooshie]

Back in the 90's, there was this French guy who made some nice and powerful tracks, but they were original works by him... What was his name? Jarret? Jarré? Something like that (I can't remember his name at the moment). I really liked his music and it did move me deeply.

could it be? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Michel_Jarre

This exchange was actually hilarious to me. I was shocked, shocked! that anyone couldn't instantly remember who Jean Michel Jarre was. It's like forgetting who Beethoven is.

Guess I've revealed my musical puberty as located firmly in the late 80's/early 90's.

That dates me, for sure! I grew up listening to his father, Maurice, who wrote the music for such films as Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago. He pioneered "electronic music" using the Ondé Martinot and perhaps some other precursors to the analog synth. By the 1980s, he was using synthesizers. I'd say it was Maurice more than Jean Michel who popularized electronic instruments in the minds of the public. If not for his dad, Jean Michel would have had a tough road ahead of him.

[cuttime]

Since we're incredibly off topic, I'd like to add this score from one of my favorite movies with a Jarre soundtrack, featuring a beautiful rendition of "Minstrel Boy" with Sean Connery's bald head sitting on a table:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgaCYY_Q_vk

[williemyers]

Since we're incredibly off topic,...

to paraphrase Captain Renault, "I'm shocked! Shocked to find that a Motunation thread has gone off topic!"

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Jarre scored Casablanca?

[jim2b]

I think Max Steiner scored Casablanca.

Jim

[mhschmieder]

It's amazing to think that the cello suites weren't discovered until the late 1800's, considering that they are now one of Bach's best-loved works.

I heard the story on classical radio the other day but don't remember the details and haven't time to look them up as I'm heading to an all-day gig shortly. I aim to do so later as I too am curious whether they were originally written for the viol family.

From Wiki, for those of us with insufficient Italian background:

"All members of the viol family are played upright between the legs like a modern cello, hence the Italian name viola da gamba (lit. viol of the leg). This distinguishes the viol from the modern violin family, the viola da braccio (lit. viol of the arm)."

Many of Bach's "lute" works were actually for the Lute-Harpsichord, which was only recently rediscovered. They were marked as such, but as no examples of the instrument existed much beyond Bach's time, people assumed for a long time that he meant "For Lute OR Harpsichord".

Someone in Germany painstakingly rebuilt what they think a Lute-Harpsichord of Bach's time would have looked and sounded like. It has a very interesting character that is unique.

Of course, the truth of the matter is that Bach's music works on any instrument, old or new -- although I've yet to hear any of it on kazoo.

[cuttime]

Of course, the truth of the matter is that Bach's music works on any instrument, old or new -- although I've yet to hear any of it on kazoo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OET3R-RwlOU

[Shooshie]

Of course, the truth of the matter is that Bach's music works on any instrument, old or new -- although I've yet to hear any of it on kazoo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OET3R-RwlOU

I think even I draw the line somewhere this side of Bach on mirlitons.


Interesting, however, that some of the best recordings of Bach nowadays are on instruments that didn't exist (or weren't popular) when Bach wrote the music. Piano, for example, whose present form did not occur until the 1880s (developed primarily in New York), and whose earlier forms differed dramatically from what we know. Cello is another example. Of course it existed, but it wasn't the standard baritone string instrument in Bach's time. And one of the most popular instruments of that time, for which Bach probably intended much of his keyboard music, was the Clavichord, for which there is no modern analog. Its dynamics were narrow, but it could do vibrato!

The lute-harpsichord was a harpsichord with gut strings, mounted in a large bowl-shaped body that resembled the resonator body of the lute. I don't know much about them other than that.

Shoosh

[FMiguelez]

This exchange was actually hilarious to me. I was shocked, shocked! that anyone couldn't instantly remember who Jean Michel Jarre was. It's like forgetting who Beethoven is.

Guess I've revealed my musical puberty as located firmly in the late 80's/early 90's.

Yes. I almost kicked myself when I saw williemyers' link for not remembering.

But I could never ever forget Beethoven's (or any other masters' ) name! It's embedded in me. Perhaps my forgetfulness reflected my preferences or the place in importance and admiration they occupy in my heart...

What was that Hungarian guy's name? Bark-something?

Piano, for example, whose present form did not occur until the 1880s (developed primarily in New York), and whose earlier forms differed dramatically from what we know.

When I was a kid, I was thrilled to have bought an LP with Beethoven's sonatas played by Jörg Demus on one of Beethoven's own ORIGINAL pianos.
Man, it was disappointing... I remember it didn't sound very good at all. It was dull-sounding, not very dynamic and quite opaque. Demus' performance was fine, but it really didn't shine. But that's how THE master heard and conceived his masterworks. I must have that LP somewhere lying around. I'll have to go find it and digitise it now.

Also, authentic Beethoven orchestras are not that spectacular when compared to today's modern ones... They were much smaller, the horns and trumpets were limited (for composers and performers) and only sounded good in the hands of experts (and not always), the string sections smaller, etc.

The authentic performances I've enjoyed the most are with the allegedly "authentic" Bach orchestras. I love it when all the strings play standing up!
But if I recall correctly, Bach didn't bother to name his intended instrumentation in lots of his pieces, so who knows?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

With literally millions of competent composers in the world today, forgetting any name is forgivable. A lot of "civilians" couldn't name one piece by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, or Humperdinck, all of who were way more popular and famous in their day than Jarre, relatively speaking. Well, maybe Bach was a bit more known as a local church musician for a while. Can you name one work by John Adams aside from the Declaration of Independence? Oh wait, that was Jefferson. What else did he score? He was, after all, a violinist.

[cuttime]

Can you name one work by John Adams aside from the Declaration of Independence?

Oh, "Nixon in China", "Death of Klinghoffer", "Doctor Atomic", the list goes on.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Wouldn't it be hysterical if he wrote an opera called The Declaration of Independence?