How to use the music forum
Posted by: mikeeschman on 30 March 2009
some posts i have read on the forums have made me feel uncomfortable. some have suggested that the music forum has become too technical, and that stops them from posting. i don't understand that.
i think everyone has different reasons for posting to this forum. i also think every one of those reasons is valid. it's all interesting to read.
isn't it possible for different types and kinds of posts to co-exist on the forum? isn't that what the forum is for? isn't that the best way for the forum to exist?
i read a comment that suggested you needed to be able to read a score to post. in the past two years, i have seen exactly two posts that directly referenced a score : one by george to show the fate theme from beethoven's fifth symphony, and one by fred simon to demonstrate his use of a chord progression from a beethoven piano sonata in his own music. two posts. that's it.
for myself, i come here because i love my naim gear, i love music and i love to write, especially about music. i realize it is just my opinions, and i don't give them any more credit than that. but i will get a coffee and work out a post for an hour, for the sheer joy of writing about a musical idea, or a recording, that has struck my fancy.
if i thought i was impeding someone else in enjoying the forum, it would ruin everything for me. but i would be perplexed, because i just don't see how what i write places any stricture on what anyone else might want to say.
and i enjoy very much reading what others have to say.
i love posting and reading here, and hope to remain a member of this community for some time to come.
and if anyone were to actually question me about anything musical, that would be a very good day indeed :-)
i think everyone has different reasons for posting to this forum. i also think every one of those reasons is valid. it's all interesting to read.
isn't it possible for different types and kinds of posts to co-exist on the forum? isn't that what the forum is for? isn't that the best way for the forum to exist?
i read a comment that suggested you needed to be able to read a score to post. in the past two years, i have seen exactly two posts that directly referenced a score : one by george to show the fate theme from beethoven's fifth symphony, and one by fred simon to demonstrate his use of a chord progression from a beethoven piano sonata in his own music. two posts. that's it.
for myself, i come here because i love my naim gear, i love music and i love to write, especially about music. i realize it is just my opinions, and i don't give them any more credit than that. but i will get a coffee and work out a post for an hour, for the sheer joy of writing about a musical idea, or a recording, that has struck my fancy.
if i thought i was impeding someone else in enjoying the forum, it would ruin everything for me. but i would be perplexed, because i just don't see how what i write places any stricture on what anyone else might want to say.
and i enjoy very much reading what others have to say.
i love posting and reading here, and hope to remain a member of this community for some time to come.
and if anyone were to actually question me about anything musical, that would be a very good day indeed :-)
I enjoy reading your posts, Mike, just as I enjoy reading George's posts - I like lots of different kinds of music: it could be classical, folk, jazz, rock, country, electronic or music hall or ... some other genre. Technically, I know very little about music - all I can really say is that a record sounds or does not sound good to me. I've loved music since I first heard Shirley Collins sing many, many, many years ago - so learning more about it is always welcome.
What is the earliest piece of music in your collection and could you offer any recommendations in this period? I have a few records that contain music by William Byrd, John Dowland and Thomas Tallis, but are there any gems of this period I should explore? IIRC you recommended David Munrow's Instruments of the Middle Age and Renaissance which is a remarkable collection and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
David Munrow arranged Shirley's Anthems in Eden, which was a landmark elpee for me. Very sadly David Munrow hanged himself at the age of 35 in 1976 after the deaths of his father and father-in-law and great talent was lost.
ATB Rotf
What is the earliest piece of music in your collection and could you offer any recommendations in this period? I have a few records that contain music by William Byrd, John Dowland and Thomas Tallis, but are there any gems of this period I should explore? IIRC you recommended David Munrow's Instruments of the Middle Age and Renaissance which is a remarkable collection and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
David Munrow arranged Shirley's Anthems in Eden, which was a landmark elpee for me. Very sadly David Munrow hanged himself at the age of 35 in 1976 after the deaths of his father and father-in-law and great talent was lost.
ATB Rotf
ROTF, I'd echo Joaquin's suggestion to check out the recordings of Jordi Savall. I'd especially recommend this one, although the music is of a slightly later period than you first mentioned:
Tous Les Matins du Monde
It's essentially an expanded collection of the music in the film of the same name (I recommend it as well), featuring solos or duets for viola da gamba composed by Marin Marais, Sainte-Colombe, and Lully. This is the music of the French Baroque, and it's quite different than the much more well known music of the German and Italian Baroque. Incredibly beautiful and soulful.
Savall also has several albums of earlier music which I haven't heard but wouldn't hesitate to get. One other Savall recommendation I can make, though, is this wonderful album:
Diáspora Sefardí
It features vocal and instrumental music of the Sephardic Jews from the 16th and 17th centuries.
• • •
I'd also give my strongest recommendation to just about anything from the Hilliard Ensemble on the ECM label. They focus primarily on early vocal music, but also delve into contemporary as well (Arvo Pärt, etc.).
This album of music by 16th century Flemish composer Orlando di Lasso (also spelled as Lassus) is especially luminous:
Lassus
And for a wonderfully different take, I can't recommend this album highly enough:
Officium
The Hilliard ensemble sings music of the 15th, 14th, and 12th centuries, even some earlier plainchant, and the genius master Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek improvises with the written pieces, weaving in and around with sublime results. There's absolutely nothing else like it, that I've heard, at least. Except maybe their sequel, Mnemosyne.
All best,
Fred
Great call on the Hilliard Ensemble Fred...a masterpiece.
ECM are a favourite label of mine, extremely consistent and beautifully presented (which is all part of the deal). I know it's a record most will have, but I still listen to this over and over. More than anything else I know, it's the sound of somebody having fun playing an instrument...
ECM are a favourite label of mine, extremely consistent and beautifully presented (which is all part of the deal). I know it's a record most will have, but I still listen to this over and over. More than anything else I know, it's the sound of somebody having fun playing an instrument...
From Mike's Hifi Room buddy that feels intimidated in classical threads because he can't read a score:
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Georg Muffat
Der Türken Anmarsch
John Holloway violin
Aloysia Assenbaum organ
Lars Ulrik Mortensen harpsichord
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber:
Sonata "Victori der Christen"
A minor
Sonata I (A major)
Sonata II (D dorian)
Sonata V (E minor)
Sonata VIII (A major)
from Sonatae Violino solo 1681
Georg Muffat:
Sonata D major
Recorded July 2002
ECM New Series 1837
Difficult for me to put into words fellas especially knowing so little about the genre. The music and performance on this disk is electrifying and simply takes my breath away with every play. This is one disk that I just can't listen to in bits--it transcends any mood I might be in at the moment and simply nails me to my chair until the disk is finished. It is truly one of my favorite discoveries of the last few years and gets my highest recommendation.
regards,
dave
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Georg Muffat
Der Türken Anmarsch
John Holloway violin
Aloysia Assenbaum organ
Lars Ulrik Mortensen harpsichord
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber:
Sonata "Victori der Christen"
A minor
Sonata I (A major)
Sonata II (D dorian)
Sonata V (E minor)
Sonata VIII (A major)
from Sonatae Violino solo 1681
Georg Muffat:
Sonata D major
Recorded July 2002
ECM New Series 1837
Difficult for me to put into words fellas especially knowing so little about the genre. The music and performance on this disk is electrifying and simply takes my breath away with every play. This is one disk that I just can't listen to in bits--it transcends any mood I might be in at the moment and simply nails me to my chair until the disk is finished. It is truly one of my favorite discoveries of the last few years and gets my highest recommendation.
regards,
dave
Speaking of Jarrett, my personal favorite:
"The Melody At Night, With You"
Recorded 1998
ECM 1675
"The Melody At Night, With You"
Recorded 1998
ECM 1675
quote:Originally posted by dave simpson:
Speaking of Jarrett, my personal favorite:
"The Melody At Night, With You"
Recorded 1998
ECM 1675
One of my favorites, too, and singular among all of Jarrett's albums.
For those who may not know the story behind it, at some point Jarrett was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and had to curtail all musical activity for some years. When he recovered, he recorded this album at home not with the intention of releasing it, but as a present for his wife.
His playing on it has such beauty, clarity, simplicity (even in its complexity), and a maturity that comes only from a musician with nothing to prove. The only other solo performance of his which features a program of standard songs that I'm aware of is the earlier Solo Tribute DVD.
Best,
Fred