amazing - the ambience, your piano playing and the guard? rushing in, but, thanks heaven, without further disturbing. Thank you for posting this jewel.
The original song was written in 1837 composed by Frederick Crouch with lyrics by Marion Crawford.; "Mavourneen" is a term of endearment derived from the Irish meaning of "my beloved". It was a popular song during the American Civil war.
LYRICS
Kathleen, mavourneen, the grey dawn is breaking,
The horn of the hunter is heard on the hill.
The lark from her light wing the bright dew is shaking,
Kathleen, mavourneen, what! Slumbering still?
Oh, hast thou forgotten how soon we must sever?
Oh, hast thou forgotten this day we must part?
It may be for years, and it may be forever,
Then why art thou silent, thou voice of my heart?
It may be for years and it may be forever,
Then why art thou silent, Kathleen, mavourneen?
Kathleen, mavourneen, awake from thy slumbers,
The blue mountains glow in the sun's golden light.
Ah! Where is the spell that once hung on thy numbers,
Arise in thy beauty, thou star of my night!
Mavourneen, mavourneen, my sad tears are falling,
To think that from Erin and thee I must part!
It may be for years, and it may be forever,
Then why art thou silent, thou voice of my heart?
It may be for years and it may be forever,
Then why art thou silent, Kathleen, mavourneen?
One Comment I would like to quote here also:
"Thankfully, the old museum mentality of "original condition above all else" is slowly moving aside in favour of true preservation and restoration."
Of David Thomas Roberts' best-known piece, the composer wrote the following for his recording from "American Landscapes" :
"Roberto Clemente" (1979). Roberto Clemente, the legendary right fielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico in 1934 and died on New Year's Eve, 1972 off the coast of his native island in a plane that never reached the Nicaraguan earthquake victims to whom it was carrying supplies. Although familiar with Clemente during his career, I was no more mindful of him than of some other outstanding ballplayers. It was the film about him shown during the 1979 World Series that transformed my image of Clemente into a myth to be recalled with affection. Incisively moved by this poetic series of glimpses of his career and the circumstances of his death, I had decided by the film's end that there must be a ragtime composition for Clemente, a piece evocative of the man as I had viewed him via the documentary.
I have referred to Roberto Clemente as a "folk elegy" and a "country funeral." Marked "warmly and solemnly," it is a rag forthrightly typifying the plaintiveness -- the gentle anguish, even -- that I have always associated with the lyrical medium of ragtime.
With unexpressable joy and satisfaction some minutes ago I received the second part of Sonata op 111 of Ludwig van Beethoven uploaded in the USA by David Hertzberg from classicvinyl.biz. after some months of waiting and hoping due to youtube restrictions to post posts over 15 minutes on ordinary accounts.
Today I asked him once more how to find a solution to post it and he reacted kindly and - immediately.
So here is complete op. 111 by Jörg Demus 1970 at Bonn on Beethovens Graf grand.
As op. 111 is my favorite Beethoven Sonata I would like to introduce a separate post on it here, though you find the same piece in the article about Beethovens pianos also ...
I would like to thank David to share this super-rare treasure, quoting here his included text:
In this rare 1970 live recording, made in Bonn to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, Austrian pianist Jorg Demus performs on Beethoven's Graf piano the first movement of Sonata no. 32, Op. 111 in C minor. I created this video from the double LP shown above, issued in 1983 by the Musical Heritage Society. Extensive notes, penned by Demus, about the Graf are included in this video.
Alfred Brendel schreibt, die Sonate 111 wirke in doppelter Weise: „Als abschließendes Bekenntnis seiner Sonaten und als ein Präludium des Verstummens."
Alfred Brendel writes, the Sonata 111 workes in double way: "As a final confession of his sonatas and as a prelude of falling silent."
we all know ragtime as some somewhat "mechanic" music, often performed from rolls on bar pianos out of tune ...
Regardless whether the following examples of ragtimes are perfect regarding "original speed" I post some astonishing examples how ragtime can be heared as well ...
immagine a ragtime like this played on historic pianos this way - not hammered through without feeling.
Did you ever notice the quality as a ballade in a ragtime?
I by the way do not that care whether the scores indications regarding speed are respected perfectly as long as the music "feels good" ....
Same feeling I expressed when I wrote some words regarding "rubato" ...
Did Joplin desire to express "strenuous" as a mechanically continuous flow of action with little modulation or did he desire to express something beside the pure score what I'd like to hope? Was this title written 1902 influenced by a speach of president Roosevelt from 1899? And what might be the real conclusion? It is a pity we do not have records left apart of some piano-player rolls, but better than nothing. So let's have pleasant moments with Joplin anyway.
And now back to the same person again, same piano, seeming less thoughtfull, played faster ...
43 Meyrick1 commented: Bravo!
You have a unique style and you play like a true musician. I love your slight changes of pace. I think if ragtime is played to strict time, it might as well be played on a pianola.
I'd like to finish here with the quotation of a pianistic earthquake: Bach Played Lewd by Brett Youen
Apart of the fact I like most his Solace really a remarcable piece that combines classic with modern times ... Brett Youen contact
please note the sublime rubato and the tender embellishments.
There are so few recordings left with Joohn Arpin, but I am grateful to know at least these.
by the way; do you, or anybody else, know about films or maybe recordings about Edith Picht Axenfeld regarding her piano-playing?
I had the great pleasure to listen to her personally in 1988 at Münster (D) where she gave a beneficial-concert for a polish-german students-exchange-organisation.
She played Chopin, Schönberg and Mozart (Adagio h-moll KV 540) on the Bösendorfer Grand.
I will never forget her sitting at the Bösendorfer shaken slightly probably by Parkinson but when she touched the keys or some pedal no shaking was visible any longer. I guess regretfully this event remained undocumented.
Best regards
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Some posts regarding Edith Picht-Axenfeld on youtube:
When enjoying actual ragtime, you will discover Tom Brier some day.
First here is the rapidly growing personal playlist regarding Tom Brier
(click on the blue text)
"Tom Brier was born in October, 1971 in Oakdale, California, a farming community in the Great Central Valley south of Sacramento. When he was four, his parents bought an old Schubert mechanical player piano, and soon he was picking out tunes he heard on the piano rolls. Aware that their son had talent, his parents enrolled him with a local piano teacher when he was five, and in a short time he was composing and notating his own music.. He composed over two dozen rags by the age of eleven.In 1985 he came to the attention of Larry Applegate, then the president of the Sacramento Ragtime Society. Tom was invited to play at a meeting and immediately blew everyone away with his aggressive and articulate renderings of the ragtime classics. But what amazed everyone was his depth of understanding of the early ragtime styles. His own compositions already embodied many of the subtleties of ragtime, yet were remarkably original - and all this when he was only fourteen years old. Unbelievably, he has only gotten better since then. His mastery of the ragtime idiom has matured over a few short years. Now his signature rapid-fire left hand runs have been tempered by a new attention to the inner harmonies and voicings of ragtime. This sensitivity is seen in his own compositions which number well over 100. He has released two CDs: Rising Star in 1994 and Generic in 1997. He began appearing as a featured performer at the West Coast Ragtime Festival and other ragtime festivals right out of high school. Tom works as a programmer/analyst. When not tapping the computer keyboard at work, he''s at home pounding on the piano keyboard, working up a new rag, transcribing handwritten scores or piano rolls, or busily engaged in a variety of music recording projects." Text on Tom Brier from "Jazz by Mail"
Ernst Gröschel (*9. December 1918, Nürnberg, Germany, + 5. May 2000, Zams /Tyrol, Austria) was a german pianist and teacher.
He studied at Emil von Sauer, a pupil of Franz Liszt in Vienna and played the piano in the tradition of Liszt all his life.
Gröschel was the first pianist in Germany toplay Mozart and Beethoven completely on contemporary instruments.
Recently a youtube-account was initiated to maintain the commemoration to this extraordinary person by some of his pupils.
Ernst Gröschel was a genius and very well known pianist in Germany and a pupil from Emil von Sauer. His clear and direct touch of keys builds a sound of rich virtuosity. The piano he is playing is the Erard grand from Family Schlesinger. when they emigrated back to germany they took their parisien piano with them to Nürnberg. Today this piano is not allowed to be played.
Die Ecosaissen hat Frédéric Chopin mit 16 Jahren komponiert. Ernst Gröschel spielte sie in Frankreich meisterlich ein. (Played in France by Ernst Gröschel)
Chopin Opus 10 No 1 - Ernst Gröschel
Ernst Gröschel spielt nicht nur das originale Tempo, sondern auch noch jeden einzelnen Anschlag mit Klang!
Im Bild sind seine handgeschriebenen Fingersätze in meinem Buch.
Martin Dalheimer
Inn case you like to learn furtherly about Ernst Gröschel the best will be to contact Martin Dalheimer.
The discussion in some internet-places about rubato or not - surprises me.
The rubato since the beginning of the 1900... was almost abandoned and not many pianists can do rubato - may I call it the "real rubato"? - any more, or even if they can, only few do.
But what is the composers left to us?
I would love it to have a youtube - video with Franz Schubert playing his Sonata D 960 - do I ask to much? Ok, I were happy to have at least a noisy, crackling shellac-disc with Schubert playing whatever minuscle piece of him himself.
The composers left us the scores - but probably often they left us nothing and only very lucky situations lead to the fortunate situation pieces like the Kupelwieser-Waltz of Schubert (Richard Strauss) survive. Richard Strauss added some personal ornaments by the way. Shoud we blame him?
Music was and nontheless todays technical equipment still is a temporarily performance, like each creature is born, exists a limited period of time and finally dies, lucky those who can be present.
Photography, all the conserved music and finally fhe film accessible today for everybody give us the possibility to keep some information, to keep in fact much more information than the composers left us by leaving us the scores.
The score illustrates the idea of the composer as precisely as possible. Who had the luck to have been present during an original piano-evening by Schubert could immagine better how to play the score ...
To play the score as precisely as possible is a valuable try. To play the score following historic research, but also permitting personal feeling may give the music the vitality it might have had when performed following the composers idea. But those who knew the composers personally are dead since long.
Still nowadays Classic Music is performed in public, mastered, discussed, compared.
I feel so very lucky nowadays I can get also music played by less known pianists and I wonder very much why they are less known. At least I notice genuine vitality, creativity, personality and expression, while there is still the desire to research composers will. I do not care whether a performance coincides perfectly with the score as long as the music "feels good".
When I listen to Johann Sebastian Bachs Music I do not really feel much need for rubato, regarding Chopin we all know he was a magic pianist using rubato quite often.
I hope I won't be misunderstood when I post following here some impressions of pieces - regardless whether they have rubato or not.
Oft sind deutsche youtube-Nutzer in Deutschland verwundert, weil ein ganz privates Video von zum Beispiel der Gema blockiert wurde, zum Beispiel ein Video, wo ein ganz privater Pianist auf einem ganz privaten Klavier Haydn spielt.
Sie sollten einen jungen niederländischen Pianisten hören. Wenn Sie das Video sehen können, haben Sie keinen Bedarf, hier weiterzulesen. Sie sehen und hören nichts, auch keine Kommentare? Das folgende Video wäre es gewesen: Was ist daran im Sinne der Gema bitte verboten? Aber auch eingebettet läuft dieses Video wohl immer noch nicht.
Leider ist es meistens frustran, die ausländischen Pianisten zu bewegen, gegen die Sperre vorzugehen. Es ist ja nur die Situation in Deutschland - so what?
Wir müssen dieses Problem also selbst lösen, möglichst national, notfalls individuell.
Bitte kopieren Sie probehalber die folgende Linkadresse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDdTDHFkQUc (markieren und mit rechter Maustaste kopieren) und klicken Sie dann auf den folgenden Link: http://hidemyass.com/youtube-proxy/ dort fügen Sie die kopierte Linkadresse ein - leider gibt es gelegentlich ein Problem. Vor allem können Sie sich nicht anmelden und Kommentare posten.
Dann wird man vielleicht ein wenig komplizierter vorgehen müssen:
schreiben diese ab und dann navigieren Sie unter Firefox: "Extras", "Einstellungen", "Netzwerk - Einstellungen", "Manuelle Proxy-Einstellungen" (den Punkt davor anklicken und die unter hidemyass ausgewähhlte IP-Nummer und den Port einstellen).
Vergessen Sie nach erfolgreicher Internetsitzung nicht, alles wieder auf "Proxy-Einstellungsn des Systems verwenden" zurückzustellen, weil die Verbindung bei verborgener IP langsamer werden könnte.
Folgend finden Sie die Beschreibung ausführlicher
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Eine individuelle Lösung findet sich im Internet als Beschreibung, hier einige Links, die behilflich sein.
Sometimes german youtube-users simply can't understand why some videos are blocked for example on request of the GEMA, for example a video a private pianist plays Haydn on a private piano absolutely privately.
Haydn is dead over 70 years.
A solution to solve this problem we find in the internet, above some probably helpful links ------------
I found the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-qFLX26-O8
Sehr geehrte Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (GEMA),
Wir sind Anonymous. Wir beobachten mit Sorge eure überhöhten Forderungen bezüglich urheberrechtlich geschützem Material auf Youtube und anderen Plattformen dieser Art.
Das Resultat ist vielen YouTube-Nutzern hierzulande sicherlich bekannt. Beim Klick auf ein entsprechendes Musikvideo ist nur die Meldung „Leider ist dieses Video [...] in Deutschland nicht verfügbar, da die GEMA die Verlagsrechte hieran nicht eingeräumt hat." zu lesen.
Anonymous empfindet dieses Vorgehen als eine Einschränkung des freien Informations flusses.
Sie weigern sich offenbar massiv dem Google-Unternehmen die nötigen Rechte einzuräumen, um bestimmte Musik- und Filmtitel in Deutschland zeigen zu dürfen.
Ihren überzogenen Forderungen kann und wird das Unternehmen Google nicht zustimmen können, da es nicht die benötigten Werbeeinnahmen generieren kann.
Wir haben keine Probleme damit, dass sie versuchen den Plattenfirmen und Künstlern einen Gewinn zu verschaffen. Dabei stehen sie sich aber selbst im Weg und dadurch auch den Künstlern.
Musiker brauchen YouTube Videos, das wissen mittlerweise sogar schon die Plattenfirmen.
Denn dies ist eine kostenlose Promotion auf die kein Musiker freiwillig verzichten möchte.
Wenn sich dieses Verhalten nich ändert, sehen wir uns gezwungen, weitere Maßnahmen einzuleiten.
Auch werden wir schon jetzt gewisse Tools verbreiten, mit denen wir es ermöglichen , dass auch gesperrte Video's von den Nutzern angesehen werden können.
Der Link dazu befindet sich in der Beschreibung des Videos.
Dadurch möchten wir erreichen, dass mit Google eine schnelle Einigung stattfindet.
We are Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
Expect us!
One day I visited a big and very beautiful collection and exhibition of historic music-instruments accessible for public and spent a whole day there.
It was during a symposium and probably because of this departments like storage-rooms with unrestored pianos and the non public part of the collection were unlocked.
I felt like a spy.
It is a point of honour I did not touch any instrument but maximum opening a closed cover above the keys to see the makers name, enjoying only by eye and without leaving any finger-print anywhere.
The whole day long I did not notice a single acoustic tone produced by at least a single string of the exhibited pianos. The visitors had only opportunity or permission to listen to the sound of some selected fortepiani by computer and speakers.
Late in the afternoon, as there is also a beautiful chamber to perform concerts, I finally took advantage to hit some keys of the modern grand standing there, and within less than half a minute the prelude of Bach in C was interrupted by the guards.
The question why not giving the public at least one piano to try, probably a historic one - to give at least children the feeling for the piano not as an electronic sound but as an acoustic instrument - is still in consideration fruitless since two years.
Eines Tages besuchte ich eine öffentliche, große und sehr schöne Sammlungsausstellung historischer Musikinstrumente und verbrachte dort einen ganzen Tag.
Es war zur Zeit eines Symposiums und vielleicht deshalb waren Räumlichkeiten wie die Asservatenkammern mit unrestaurierten Klavieren und der nicht öffentliche Teil der Sammlung unverschlossen; ich fühlte mich wie ein Spion. Ehrensache, dass ich nichts berührte, mit Ausnahme des Öffnens von Tastendeckeln, um den Herstellernamen zu sehen. Ich genoß mit den Augen, ohne irgendwo etwa Fingerabdrücke zu hinterlassen.
Über den ganzen Tag nahm ich nicht einen akustisch erzeugten Ton auch nur eines der ausgestellten Instrumente wahr. Die Besucher hatten Gelegenheit oder Erlaubnis, den Klang ausgewählter Instrumente über einen Computer und Lautsprecher zu hören.
Spät am Nachmittag, es gibt dort auch einen schönen Konzertsaal, nahm ich mir endlich ein Herz und schlug einige Töne auf dem dort stehenden Flügel moderner Herstellung an und innerhalb weniger als einer halben Minute unterbrachen die Angestellten das Präludium in C-dur von Bach.
Die Frage, ob man nicht wenigstens ein, möglichst historisches Instrument dem Publikum zum Probieren anbieten könnte, damit vor allem die Kinder das Klavier als akustisches Instrument anstelle des elektronischen Klangs wahrnehmen könnten, ist seit bisher zwei Jahren in bisher ergebnisloser Erörterung.
I wonder how I can I explain what I think about the intended purpose of historic instruments. I'll give it a try indirectly.
About 1985 I met first an Alfa-Romeo historic race-driver, Terry Cohn from England, at the Nürburgring, coming from England with an Ex-Nuvolari Alfa Grand Prix car from the ferry on wheels, not on trailer, but with a foldable caravan behind. He had constructed a towing device and every year he pulled the caravan to the Nürburgring living in the caravan and racing his valuable, visibly used but well maintained Alfa.
When I asked him many years later during the Techno Classica at Essen whether he were not sorry for the consume of such valuable car he pointed out that until the 70ies of the last century most race drivers had to go to the races with their racing cars as the ordinary race-driver could not afford a further car and he loved to do so also. And, so he finished his reply:
"That they were built for."
Two years after speaking this sentence Terry Cohn did not continue to come to the Nürburgring because he died.
His sentence and the friendly scene in the paddock will be unforgotten.
Wie kann ich meine Gedanken zum Zweck historischer Instrumente erklären? Ich versuche es einmal indirekt:
Etwa 1985 traf ich am Nürburgring den englischen Rennfahrer Terry Cohn, der aus England mit einem Alfa Grand Prix Rennwagen, den einst Nuvolari zum Sieg steuerte, auf eigener Achse mit einem Faltwohnwagen anreiste. Er hatte die Anhängezugvorrichtung selbst konstruiert und zog jedes Jahr zum Nürburgring, um dort seinen wertvollen, zwar sichtbar benutzten, aber gut gewarteten Alfa rennmäßig zu bewegen, wobei er im Wohnwagen im Fahrerlager wohnte.
Viele Jahre nach dem Kennenlernen, auf der Techno Classica in Essen fragte ich ihn, ob es ihm nicht leid täte, solch ein wertvolles Fahrzeug zu verschleißen . Terry Cohn erklärte mir jedoch, dass bis in die 70er Jahre hinein die Privatfahrer zu den Rennen fast stets auf eigener Achse anreisten, weil sie sich kein weiteres Fahrzeug leisten konnten; er liebe es ihnen gleich zu tun und, so beendete er seine Antwort:
"That they were built for."
(Dafür sind sie gebaut worden.)
Zwei Jahre, nachdem Terry Cohn diesen Satz sprach, kam er nicht mehr zum Nürburgring, denn er war verstorben.
Sein Satz und der erfreuliche Anblick im Fahrerlager werden mir unvergesslich bleiben.
Very nice playing!