tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post6154939374169121556..comments2024-03-23T11:40:13.092-05:00Comments on Musical Assumptions: So much information, so little guidance Elaine Finehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-68880915708591010152014-09-07T09:12:19.863-05:002014-09-07T09:12:19.863-05:00Well...it looks like we may need to form a Ditters...Well...it looks like we may need to form a Ditters von Dittersdorf Society.<br /><br />I played the viola-bass concerto a generation ago with a buddy. I still have fond memories of the piece. Completely charming; and what better combination is there than bass and viola?<br /><br />And look here:<br /><br />http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/d/d8/IMSLP165532-PMLP295395-dittersdorf_duetto_va-vc_partitur.pdf<br /><br />I wasn't aware of these...perfect repertoire for my high school-aged viola students. I can hack away at the bass-cello part; a nice new chunk of repertoire for student and teacher alike.<br /><br />The advantage of lots of "2nd tier" music is that it is useful as well as charming. This sometimes can't be said about first-rate stuff. That sort of high art is so busy being a masterpiece that sometimes it presents some dangers; it carries around lots of emotional baggage that sometimes isn't constructive. As a kid, I always felt that if I messed up Mozart or Brahms, I was committing some sort of moral-artistic crime.<br /><br />Mangling up Dittersdorf seems more of a faux-pas than a capital crime. <br /><br />As a matter of fact, I have the feeling that Mr. Ditters would probably be happy that to know that his delightful craft is being rescued from complete obscurity and being placed on the music stand...no matter how it is played.<br /><br />Respectfully submitted,<br /><br />Jonathan <br /><br />Corresponding Secretary (self-elected) <br /><br />International Ditters von Dittersdorf Societygushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09387821546790957206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-86991391444543349682014-09-06T21:47:04.785-05:002014-09-06T21:47:04.785-05:00. . . and your Dittersdorf faux pas is amusing. I.... . . and your Dittersdorf faux pas is amusing. I used to make fun of his name all the time. My father used to play a concerto for viola and bass by Dittersdorf, and we used to call my younger brother Richard "Ditter" as a result of our fun with the name. Richard's response, "Don't call me Ditter." I was very impressed when I actually listened to his music. There are some fantastic Dittersdorf symphonies based on scenes from Ovid's Metamorphosis.Elaine Finehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-46951529740080419502014-09-06T21:43:06.107-05:002014-09-06T21:43:06.107-05:00I had Boccherini quintets on my mind when I made t...I had Boccherini quintets on my mind when I made this post, Gus! And I think that Spohr was a terrific quartet composer. Elaine Finehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-76638620609040472922014-09-06T16:53:54.298-05:002014-09-06T16:53:54.298-05:00Agreed. Among those who are not "top-tier&q...Agreed. Among those who are not "top-tier" are composers like (off the top of my head) Boismortier, Corette, and Boccherini. There are thousands more...those three are just a start as I'm standing on one foot...<br /><br />Mention of Boccherini brings to mind this: last week I played string quintets with a group that has been together for 35 years. Needless to say, these wonderful people are not in their first flush of youth. For them, the only string quintets to play are the Mozart quintets. If I had suggested that we venture into some Boccherini territory, I suspect that the suggestion would not have been greeted with not much enthusiasm. <br /><br />To string players of their generation, (I'm not quite there yet) when you play chamber music, you only play the "top tier" composers. Unfortunately, in this situation, I do believe that my friends were not making a sound decision. The G minor a C major Mozart viola quintets are wonderful...but many of the others are not as impressive. I would go so far as to say that there are Boccherini quintets that are more diverting than some of the lesser Mozarts. <br /><br />But I was the junior member of the ensemble, and a guest as well.<br /><br />So I kept my trap shut.gushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09387821546790957206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-72560217492425648222014-09-06T15:53:07.791-05:002014-09-06T15:53:07.791-05:00There's a lot of excellent music out there not...There's a lot of excellent music out there not written by the absolute top tier of composers. That music needs and deserves to be heard, for all sorts of reasons: it's good stuff, and it gives us context for the greatest composers.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-1744951185550780332014-09-06T15:35:17.323-05:002014-09-06T15:35:17.323-05:00Thank you for bringing up the fascinating issue of...Thank you for bringing up the fascinating issue of "good" verses" "great" music. For many years I have wrestled with how to incorporate "second tier" (for lack of a better term) music into my musical life. In truth, I have always had more of an affection for it than many of my friends. I was always the guy at string quartet get-togethers who wanted to tryout Spohr Quartets. Such a request was usually met with eye-rolling; "there he goes again" I imagined they were thinking..."off on one of his mediocre composer jags"...<br /><br />What my friends didn't realize is that my motivation was really an attempt to atone for something from my past that haunts me to this very day.<br /><br />I describe this sad incident in my culinary-musical blog:<br /><br />https://jonathanbrodie.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/xee-yoo-8614-n-107th-street/<br /><br />Please don't think I post this link out of bravado. I share it only because it seems to be compliment the ideas brought up in your post. <br /><br />Plus, it lets the readers of this blog know where to go if they ever find themselves in Milwaukee hungry for good Chinese "takeout"...gushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09387821546790957206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-40028164023961876772014-09-04T14:07:52.852-05:002014-09-04T14:07:52.852-05:00. . . and even more so, the key is competent peopl.... . . and even more so, the key is competent people not getting discouraged from participating in the musical blogosphere.Elaine Finehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-55804688547854853082014-09-04T13:15:00.872-05:002014-09-04T13:15:00.872-05:00But looking back, it's so easy to see how much...But looking back, it's so easy to see how much the "trusted musical 'gatekeepers'" missed, because there's just so much music you can hear, and because so many good or great composers just aren't or weren't programmed. <br /><br />Someone I trust writing on a blog is just as dependable as - actually, often more dependable than -people writing in newspapers. The key really is trust.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.com