Don’t forget Beethoven's King Stephen Overture. We played a band transcription of it my freshman year in college - one read-through, not a public performance. After we finished, the conductor said "See, even Beethoven wrote bad music!"
Best,
Gary
____________________________
Gary Galo
Audio Engineer Emeritus
The Crane School of Music
SUNY at Potsdam, NY 13676
"Great art presupposes the alert mind of the educated listener."
Arnold Schoenberg
"A true artist doesn't want to be admired, he wants to be believed."
Igor Markevitch
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Haley
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2018 2:06 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] What was the first recording of a Beethoven work?
And this is Birgit Nilsson' s centennial year. I hope you will repeat that
program at ARSC-N.Y., Dennis. In case I don't make it to "Charm City."
Alex, I will raise a mild objection about less-than-top-drawer Beethoven.
For me, of all the "great composers," Beethoven's output is more
consistently comprised of masterpieces than almost anyone else. It is hard
to find a piece that isn't one, although Wellington's Victory may qualify.
Even Mozart wrote acres of well-crafted wallpaper music. Not Beethoven.
Best, John
On Apr 28, 2018 12:43 PM, "Gene Baron" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Two wonderful singers - I certainly hope to get to it. Thanks.
>
> Gene
>
> On Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 11:04 AM, Dennis Rooney <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > Dear Alex,
> >
> > Classical music is indeed sparsely represented on this year's conference
> > program, but I will do a centennial tribute to sopranos Astrid Várnay and
> > Birgit Nilsson that I hope you will be able to attend.
> >
> > Ciao,
> >
> > DDR
> >
> > On Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 7:09 PM, Alex McGehee <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > A very interesting thread. Would be nice if such material, sources, and
> > > demonstrations made it to an ARSC conference. I noticed only Bluegrass,
> > > Disco, Rap, and the discovery that Baltimore is referred to as “Charm
> > City”
> > > in a quick scan of the program for our annual event. Despite many years
> > > spent in the DC area, Baltimore’s nickname was a discovery. Sort of an
> > > oxymoron from my experiences outside the tourist areas.
> > >
> > > “Wellington’s Victory” is a great reminder of the old Mercury recording
> > > with Antal Dorati and the LSO. I bought it for the “1812” on the other
> > > side. The one with the “authentic” cannons and bells. Being something
> of
> > a
> > > Tchaikovsky nut in my youth, the recording allowed me a first
> experience
> > of
> > > a thoroughly mediocre work by Beethoven. Of course there are others and
> > had
> > > I not already placed all the “great composers” on such an exalted
> altar,
> > I
> > > would have realized that LvB had subpar days just like everyone else.
> > >
> > > Haydn’s pieces for Flötenuhr—the word is best translated as mechanical
> > > organ—are a minor, but interesting group in the larger body of his
> work.
> > > The still on-going, first complete edition of Haydn’s work considers 17
> > of
> > > these pieces to be genuine. Fifteen others, included in the relevant
> JHW
> > > volume, are published in an appendix, but cannot be sourced to Haydn.
> The
> > > editorial work which resulted in these divisions was done by Sonja
> > Gerlach
> > > and George Hill in the early 1980s. Gerlach is near irreproachable in
> her
> > > scholarly work on Haydn.
> > >
> > > The princes Esterházy—particularly Nicholas II—were huge fans of
> > > mechanical organs, and they most certainly featured their “personal”
> > > composer’s works. A few of these devices have survived and they have
> > > revealed some significant information to researchers regarding other
> > Haydn
> > > works, which we would not have known except for these wound up
> > mechanicals.
> > > Given their cost, they must have been the audiophile status equipment
> of
> > > their day. Haydn was intimately involved in the transcription of his
> > music
> > > for them. He worked together with a very talented builder— Catholic
> > priest,
> > > Father Primitivus Niemecz, also on the Esterházy payroll. Haydn’s
> > autograph
> > > manuscript for the music in one of these organs requires 32 tones over
> a
> > > three octave range. Unfortunately, because mainsprings wear out and get
> > > replaced, we cannot rely on the devices for unquestioned authority in
> > > matters of tempo. Given the pre-metronome times, that would have been
> > good
> > > information to have.
> > >
> > > If your eyes have not completely glazed over by this point, I would
> > > strongly recommend tracking down Arthur Ord-Hume’s, Joseph Haydn and
> the
> > > Mechanical Organ. The text is in English and the book features
> absolutely
> > > terrific photographs of three of the clocks—still in playable
> condition,
> > > inside and out diagrams of how they were constructed, and facsimiles
> of a
> > > few surviving Haydn manuscripts for the works. I checked Abebooks.com <
> > > http://abebooks.com/> (like half the bookselling world, now owned by
> > > Amazon) and found it still available for under $20.
> > >
> > > Incidentally, the first known public hearing of any of Haydn’s
> Flötenuhr
> > > music took place on June 14, 1926 as part of a Vienna radio broadcast.
> > >
> > > Salud,
> > > Alex McGehee
> > >
> > > > On Apr 25, 2018, at 7:40 PM, Paul Jackson <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > The Stanford Piano Roll project may be able to help with this.
> > > > http://library.stanford.edu/blogs/stanford-libraries-blog/
> > > 2015/11/piano-roll-scanner-project-prsp
> > > >
> > > > *Trescott Research - Paul T. Jackson *
> > > >
> > > > 2503 Natalie Lane, Steilacoom, WA 98388
> > > >
> > > > http://www.trescottresearch.com <http://www.trescottresearch.com/>
> > > >
> > > > Support Authors:
> > > >
> > > > http://www.plateauareawriters.org <http://www.
> plateauareawriters.org/>
> > > >
> > > > Support Musicians
> > > >
> > > > http://www.gatewayconcertband.org <http://www.
> gatewayconcertband.org/>
> > > >
> > > > On 4/25/2018 2:13 PM, Frank Forman wrote:
> > > >> Does anyone have a piano roll listing? Schnabel punched 051n2 (Rondo
> > in
> > > G)
> > > >> on Ampico 60613, in 1922, making it the first, since Kempff's disc
> > > recording, P.66040 mx1721as, 1722� as, came in 1924.
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > 1006 Langer Way
> > Delray Beach, FL 33483
> > 561.265.2976
> >
>
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