 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-08-09 15:58
On BBC2 at 7pm.
Pieces include 'Ebony Concerto' and 'Prelude, Fugue and Riffs' - with Michael Collins to boot!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2008/whatson/0908.shtml#prom31
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2008/whatson/0908.shtml#prom31
(I can't make this link clickable)
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2008-08-09 16:32)
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2008-08-09 16:17
And I believe it is available as audio on demand for one week following.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-08-10 09:53
Michael Collins kept his composure as Charles Hazelwood went backstage to get his music for him!
Excellent performance of both 'Ebony Concerto' (just after 30 mins) and 'Prelude, Fugue and Riffs' (just after 42 mins): http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/episode/b00cwxkz
This is also the first time I've heard 'An American in Paris' where the strings actually play swing quavers! (just after 46mins): http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/episode/b00cwylv (swinging strings after 00:59:45!)
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2008-08-10 11:02)
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Author: mrn
Date: 2008-08-10 19:25
Chris P wrote:
> This is also the first time I've heard 'An American in Paris'
> where the strings actually play swing quavers! (just after
> 46mins):
Just kind of an amusing observation about American vs. British English. I realize that by writing "swing quavers," you mean what I, as an American, would call "swing eighth-notes." (Although I've never understood why 8th notes are quavers and 16th notes are semiquavers--if in common time, crotchets get the beat, wouldn't it make more sense if 8th notes were called semi-crotchets?)
Anyway, the amusing part is that there is another American usage of the word "quaver" that appears in jazz, which refers to a tremolo-like vibrato effect. I used to be in a jazz vocal group where we'd sing without vibrato except for an occasional "quaver."
So, even though I know what you mean, "swing quavers" still sounds really funny to my ears. As Shaw so aptly put it, "England and America are two countries separated by a common language."
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-08-10 21:14
The note names come from these (1/4 note values in brackets and US terms):
Lunga - long (16 - double double whole note?)
Breve - short (8 - double whole note)
Semibreve - half as short (4 - whole note)
Minim - small? (2 - half note)
Crotchet - hook-shaped (1 - quarter note)
Quaver - quiver (1/2 - 8th note)
Semiquaver (1/4 - 16th note)
Demisemiquaver (1/8 - 32nd note)
Hemidemisemiquaver (1/16 - 64th note)
And 'straight 8ths' or 'straight 8s' would be 'straight quavers' to us.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-08-11 00:18
If you think the British names are confusing....
a crotchet is a quarter-note
try the French ones:
une croche is a quaver (eighth note)
une double croche is a semiquaver (sixteenth note)
.... so une double croche is half une croche (or a quarter of a crochet).
In fact there is a logic to the French names - croche means "hook", so une croche is a note written with one hook, une double croche is a note written with two hooks, and so on. But then the French foul it up again by using different names for the rests....
a rest corresponding to a quaver is un demi-soupir
Oh, I give up.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2008-08-11 02:12
Chris P wrote:
> Quaver - quiver (1/2 - 8th note)
Like Robin Hood's quiver of arrows?
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Author: Mike Clarinet
Date: 2008-08-11 07:54
I saw the concert on the TV on Saturday - what fun. I wondered about Hazelwood conducting and presenting, but it seemed to go OK. The percussion section in American in Paris were misbehaving as nearly as badly as my community band percussion section did during a recent Last Night of the Proms charity concert we did. My wife (our bass clarinet player) was highly amused by the Bass Clarinettist's ears!
Re. swing rhythms: The BBC concert orchestra has a very long tradition of playing 'light' music, much of which has a swing flavour, so wouldn't be strange to them. British light music is contemporary with Big Band & swing era - 1930's to 1950's - ish. The presenters made something of this as the 'Dad's disco dancing at a family wedding' - clumsy when an orchestra tries to play in a swing style & doesn't 'get' it. Not a problem for this orchestra.
Breve - inhaling & exhaling
Semibreve - inhaling or exhaling
minim - 60 in an hour
crotchet - a kind of knitting
quaver - to shake
semiquaver - to shake a bit
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-08-11 09:09
Shame they didn't get alto players in for this concert that weren't as 'stiff' and as the ones they had. The 1st tenor really put his back into it (esp. 2nd mvmt of 'Ebony'), though it would have been nice if the whole sax section followed his example.
One of the big US orchestras recording of 'American...' has sax players that wouldn't sound out of place in Count Basie's band (effortless in the way they played it, not sounding forced at all), yet the strings still play it straight.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: MalcolmH
Date: 2008-08-11 11:30
I recognised Rob Bucland as one of the altos during the Ebony and Riffs pieces. He's Sax Profesor at the RNCM, He aslo plays with Sax Assault and the Apollo Sax Qaurtet. I wouldnt describe his playing as stiff. I too liked the Tenor, anyone recognise him?
The highlight of this concert for me was Gwilym Simcock, the pianist. Absolutely wonderfull playing. I first saw him acompanying Bob Mintzer a couple of years ago at the RNCM Saxophone Day where Bob was guesting. He was sensational. He stepped in with little to no rehearsing and was the star of the day. If you get a chance go see him.
What's with the sideways embouchure of one of the orchestras clarinetists.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-08-11 13:00
I thought the chap playing 2nd alto (in 'Ebony' and 'Prelude...') was the better player of the two altos, though he wasn't needed in 'American...'.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: MalcolmH
Date: 2008-08-11 14:27
Yes, the 2nd alto player would have been Rob Buckland (excuse spelling on first post).
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