Of course - one is encouraged, even - the more the merrier!!!
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In other words, he had a very limited violin technique.Originally posted by Sydney Grew View Post
To-day is the two hundred and fortieth anniversary of the birth at Passy of the violin-player Pierre Baillot.......
He strongly disapproved of the Italian Paganini with his silly harmonics, his silly left-hand pluckings, and his silly staccatos. And how right he was! .
Is this his opinion or yours?Such unlovely abhorrencies have nothing to do with music as such; they belong in a circus.
VHComment
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It is the view of both I would say. The description of Baillot's dislike of Paganini's showy techniques and misuse of the intended functions of the instrument is drawn from a short biography I found, wherein the word "staccato" is used. But I suspect that what is really intended there is what we now call "spiccato" or even "saltando," another one of Paganini's circus tricks.Originally posted by Ventilhorn View PostComment
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To-day is the one hundred and fifty-eighth anniversary of the birth in Dansic of the composer Arthur Behrend. He was the son of Louisa Balfe, eldest daughter of Michael Balfe (Britain's most popular native composer, born in Dublin), and Maximilian Behrend, a great Dansic merchant.
At four years of age he left Dansic and came to England to the house of his aforesaid grandfather Balfe (a very nice man who now lived at Rowney Abbey in Hertfordshire), and afterwards to a private school at Brighton.
At twelve he attended preparatory school for Harrow, and thence [um] to Haileybury, where in 1871 he played cricket for the First XI. Afterwards he was in business for one year (quite enough what); then spent one and a half years at the Royal Academy of Music under Steggall, and finally three years at Leipsic under Reinecke (composition) and Richter (theory).
Upon his return to London, Arthur Behrend at once published his first song, a setting of Hood's "Song of the Shirt." It was the fist of many, as there then followed an output of over two hundred further songs, among them some that attained a huge popularity, such as "Daddy," "Auntie," and "The Gift."
He also composed four cantatas and six operas, the latter unpublished; but of "Daddy" alone over one million copies have been sold. Behrend's London address until expiry: Savage Club, Adelphi Terrace, W.C.
Four of his works appear in the Corporation's "Proms Archive" (which seems to be simply some kind of list). But in the usual way his name has been expunged from Grove's Dictionary.Comment
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I will admit to being more intrigued by the use of the obsolete spellings of German cities than by the life details of the "famous" Arthur Behrend. The English seem to have liked to come up with these weird transliterations that are only approximate to the way the name is actually pronounced. In the imperial era, alongside the urge to colonise various parts of the world they seem to have also felt the need to colonise the names of places which they could not be bothered to pronounce correctly by fixing that mis-pronunciation in writing, as in Peking/Beijing, Bombay/Mumbai, Rangoon/Yangon etc.
It is ignorant and pointless to transcribe a German "z" as an "s", as in "Leipsic". Most people surely know that a German "z", as in Mozart, is always pronounced "ts". Also, the final "ig" is pronounced as in the word "ich".Comment
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Performance? What performance?Originally posted by gurnemanz View Post
Wildly off post, I would suggest.
VH
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One hundred and eighty-three years ago to-day, in 1828, the German master, Woldemar Bargiel, was born at Berlin. We wonder what difference there is between "Woldemar" and "Waldemar" do we not. Surely not a mere illiteracy such as we find among the common people of England who will write "Johnathan," "Jonothan," "Jonathon" or half a dozen other variations according to the direction of the wind.
Bargiel was instructed in counterpoint by Dehn, and as a youth of eighteen he enrolled at the Conservatorium of Leipsic, where he spent two years, and attracted general attention with his octet for strings.
After returning to Berlin in 1850 he increased his reputation as composer; and in 1859 he was called to a professorship at the Conservatorium of Cologne, the first in a series of teaching positions - which incidentally is a course of life no true artist would ever consider following.
As composer, Bargiel makes up for a certain lack of freshness and spontaneity in his themes by a most carefully elaborated treatment. He produced a considerable number of works, including the overture "Prometheus," the overture "Romeo and Juliet," just one Symphony, several works for chorus with orchestra, a Sonata for piano-forte, and, last but certainly not least, four string quartettes.
His works were much performed during his lifetime. His pupils included Ernst Rudorff, Paul Juon, Leo Blech, Leopold Godowsky, Peter Raabe and Johannes Wolf. He served, partly in collaboration with the incomparable symphonist Brahms, on the editorial boards of the first Chopin and Schumann editions, and his eight-volume edition of Bach's chorales (Berlin, 1891–3) was a tremendous success.
And here is a suggestion of how the Third Radio could restore something of the serious reputation it has thrown away during the past decade: quite simply to acquire an "in-house" quartette, who could daily play or "perform" - preferably live from the studio - all the quartettes of Bargiel, and the legion of similar works of other similar composers. These could replace certain things which to-day in a most unimaginative manner are put out over and over and over again.Comment
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[QUOTE=Sydney Grew;88438
And here is a suggestion of how the Third Radio could restore something of the serious reputation it has thrown away during the past decade: quite simply to acquire an "in-house" quartette, who could daily play or "perform" - preferably live from the studio - all the quartettes of Bargiel, and the legion of similar works of other similar composers. These could replace certain things which to-day in a most unimaginative manner are put out over and over and over again.[/QUOTE]
What utter nonsense!
VH
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Am I missing something? When someone on these boards uses the effete, incorrect spelling 'quartette' or 'quintette', are signals being sent, coded confidences exchanged, private jokes savoured?
I infer that it's designed as a send-up of some here whose views are seen as quaint and old-fashioned.
Or does Mr Grew merely need to ask his physician for a revision of the daily dose of tablettes?
"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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It is the orthography favoured by Wilde, one of our greatest writers. These modern abbreviations always seem so stunted and squalid.Originally posted by Caliban View Post
Do you - or does any one - know anything of Bargiel?Comment
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regrettably only what you have so kindly informed me of and what the great wikipedia tells me. it looks as if were it not for his close relationship with Robert and Clara Schumann he might have fallen into even greater obscurity than is the case.Originally posted by Sydney Grew View Post
who's birthday is it today? .......... I look forward to your next missive.Comment
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Keep it up, Syd, as all this is very entertaining!! And it never fails to wind up VH!!Comment
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