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bartist |
Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:26 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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RIP John Geils. My blood runs cold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztBT2ueaz-k
Some of their stuff I liked until it got overplayed on the ray-dee-oh. Like "Love Stinks." |
_________________ He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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Syd |
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 11:32 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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My boss allows us to listen to music (with earphones) while working, unless we're answering calls. I discovered the perfect music for that is P.D.Q. Bach, which somehow led me to bassoon concertos (via. a woman who did a concerto for piano and bassoon by playing both at the same time--you have to see it), then to Mozart's pupil Hummel and more Rossini, both of whom composed bassoon concertos which are better than Mozart's, and Ferdinand Ries, who is to Beethoven what Hummel is to Mozart. Both were fine composers who are overshadowed by their masters.
Now doing Schumann and Schubert so I can learn to tell them apart. Both did symphonies (though Schubert tended to leave his unfinished, which is understandable when you die at the age of 31), Schumann did wonderful piano pieces (Schubert did some also), Schumann was more romantic but Schubert did the lovely "Serenade," which really cries out to be done by a mariachi band. I'm not the only one who gets confused: East Germany once did a postage stamp honoring Schumann, putting a piece of music by Schubert on the stamp.
I prefer Schumann of the two, partly because I love wonderful piano pieces. |
_________________ I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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Syd |
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 11:41 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Oh, and though both have had movies made about them, it's been a while, and you could make a very good movie about either of them.
There have been debates on how Schubert died, but since he composed 1500 pieces and died at the age of 31, my money is on exhaustion. I would have him encounter the Devil on the crossroads outside of Vienna, win the musical duel and doom himself with his victory. |
_________________ I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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Syd |
Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:09 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I recently realized that I had heard only one (you know which one) ) of Beethoven's piano sonatas, so I'm listening to the other thirty one, which is a really pleasant thing to do. "Moonlight" (#14) is the most famous, but #16 is an incredible amount of fun (a phrase you don't usually associate with famous), but I like #15 (Pastoral) much better than the symphony of the same name and #17 and 18 are also great. (Guess which one is next?)
Oops, I'd heard #29, too.
Beethoven has so many famous works that you don't always realize that many of his lesser-known works are just as good. For example, his 3rd piano concerto is as good as all but a couple of his symphonies, and Beethoven was the greatest of all composers of symphonies. (Despite my not caring for #6.) |
_________________ I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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Syd |
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 10:01 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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My birthday present to myself was a complete collection of Beethoven piano sonatas by H J Lim. I've been listening to them by Richard Goode (who may be the best interpreter), but I've been listening to Lim for years, and was frustrated because the idiot who was putting her on Youtube separated the sections of each sonata without connecting them, so I would be listening to the first movement of say, Sonata 12, then suddenly switch to Rachmaninoff rather than the second movement of Sonata 12.
I note that sonata 12 is "Funeral March" (though it's rather chipper for a funeral march), 14 is the Moonlight Sonata, 15 is the Pastoral Sonata (much better than the Pastoral Symphony in my opinion). 17 is The Tempest and 18 is The Hunt (for no discernible reason). And one of my favorites, #16 apparently has no nickname at all. I suggest we call it the Nameless Sonata. (Alternatives would be the Satiric Sonata or the Humoresque). |
_________________ I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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bartist |
Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 4:30 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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bartist wrote: Gary, funny about "Pathetique" - and Beethoven has a Pathetique sonata, which is one of his best.
..... - posted in Jan. 2014.
I may be biased towards the Pathetique because I can play part of it on the piano (well, all of it, if you count playing at 1/3 the actual tempo as "playing"). I also like the Appassionata, which is along with the Pathetque, the one that gets most airplay on classical stations. Numbers 8 and 23, respectively. I hear The Waldstein sonata sometimes, too - don't recall the number. I learned 14 (Moonlight) back when I was taking lessons, but the presto movement was beyond me then, and now. I like the Pastoral and the Tempest, too. You make me want to really go and listen to all the rest, including the one called "Bruce," (#16). |
_________________ He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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Syd |
Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:52 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I really like Pathetique. Waldstein is #21. #19 and 20, which apparently are nameless are rather short and apparently easy to play. At the other extreme is #29 (the Hammerklavier) which is considered to be very difficult. |
_________________ I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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Syd |
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 5:51 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I note that H. J. Lim's Complete Piano Sonatas doesn't contain #19 or 20. These are short sonatas that Beethoven didn't want published but his brother did it anyway. They're also out of place in the numbering since he wrote them quite a while before they're published. They're considered easy sonatas compared with the rest, so maybe she decided to ignore them. Too bad, because I like #19.
Beethoven also composed three sonatas in his early teens, but nobody counts them.
Edit: I was disappointed in the H J Lim recordings, but I may owe her an apology. I was playing them in the DVD player on my TV set, which doesn't have speakers. I have a good set of speakers on my computer, and she sounds a lot better. She doesn't quite pull off the Hammerklavier, which hardly anyone else can either (Andras Schiff, who did a commentary on it, is an apparently an exception, but I haven't heard him do the whole thing). Richard Goode, whose interpretations of Beethoven are a particular favorite, still faltered on that one. |
_________________ I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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Syd |
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:39 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I've got a pet peeve and I think it's called echo. Listen to any of Hayley Westenra's songs, or really any of the Celtic Women's songs, and it sounds like they're buried in an echo chamber, which is ridiculous because Hayley and Maev have two of the greatest voices I've ever heard. It's not recent: it was done with Judy Collins in the 60s and she didn't benefit from it either.
This is a minor thing, except H J Lim did a complete collection of Beethoven sonatas (except, apparently, #19 and #20) with them buried under this special effect. She's one of the greatest pianists of all time, so why not let us hear her? |
_________________ I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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bartist |
Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 12:18 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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It works sometimes for medieval music, where it's trying to create the effect of natural reverb in a cathedral. But, yeah, elsewhere it can be annoying and threaten to swallow the piano. Or vocalist. |
_________________ He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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bartist |
Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 8:35 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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https://youtu.be/ngas6KfP3s0
RIP damned good blues, ragtime, jazz musician, Leon Redbone.
This guy was the real deal. |
_________________ He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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bartist |
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2020 8:20 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6954
Location: Black Hills
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SXSW cancelled! and a shout-out to our Texas members, if any still peek in here - Melody, Earl, Joe, and that old hippie gentleman. |
_________________ He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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Syd |
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:56 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12902
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I'm going to an ISDC in Dallas in May, and a convention in Norman in June. I wonder now if they'll get cancelled. First case of coronavirus in Oklahoma diagnosed just a day or two, but 90 miles away.
OU is taking steps so people can work at home if need be. |
_________________ I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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