So, yesterday I had a conversation with a conductor having just finished rehearsing Beethoven’s 3^rd piano concerto in which we tried in vain to think of a piece that Ludwig wrote in either e-flat major or c minor that wasn’t great. We could not think of one. That got me thinking, are there any works by any composer with three flats in the key signature that are not masterpieces?

Beethoven’s innate talent for c minor is well known as his fifth symphony, forth string quartet, third piano concerto, op. 9 #3 string trio, and many others can attest. But on closer inspection his e-flat works also stand out; see the Eroica Symphony, “Harp” quartet, op. 127 quartet, “Emperor” piano concerto, and Septet.

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With the Thanksgiving holiday having just past and the Christmas and New Year holidays on the way, I thought I would take a moment to list a few of the things that I am thankful for, as well as a few resolutions that I will attempt to fulfill in the coming year (or however long it takes).

In no particular order, I am thankful for:

• Thomastik Vision Solo strings

• Sibelius music notation software (Finale eats it, in my humble opinion) (more…)

Hi there.

I’ve got a few things in the works that I would like to tell you about.  One is a new composition project that I’ve started, and the other is a new feature of this site that is in the works.

I mentioned the other day that I’ve started an arrangement of the Kruetzer Sonata for full orchestra, and that will still be finished, but a new project has pulled my interest into second gear.  I am working on some jazz pieces for violin and other sundry instruments.  I’ve finished one tune already (ironically not featuring violin at all), and I have 3 others written that are pending notation and editing.  I plan on writing an “album” of about 10-12 songs and then putting together a CD for anyone who might be interested.  More to follow.

Additionally, I am adding a shopping feature to this site which will allow my intrepid readers to purchase T-shirts, coffee mugs, sheet music, and many other items related to this site as well as the violin in general.  This is totally in the infant stages right now, but I’ve already started working with the code as well as sourcing the product.

Thank you for visiting and keeping the violin “Sempre.”

I have finally finished the orchestration of the Ysaye Ballade that I’ve been working on for seemingly years and years. Actually it’s only been 4-5 months, but I’m not done quite yet.  I’ve posted the work here, but I am still editing the score for articulation and a few wrong notes here and there.  I hope to have the full score, all the parts, and 99% correct notation by the end of the year for a possible performance in the Spring of 2010.   We’ll see.

Thanks for looking!

HD

How does one spot a famous conductor? The hair.

Look around at the great orchestral conductors throughout the years and you will notice that each has what I call “special” hair. I have categorized this special hair into three groups.

The first would be the “perfect” conductor hair.

There have been many over the years, but this group is headlined by the late Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan. Perfect conductor hair (or PCH) is generally long and wavy and although it inevitably turns gray, it remains perfect throughout the maestro’s lifetime. The best part of PCH is the look at the end of a performance. Usually these frocks explode into sweat mangled messes by the end of a symphony. Just look at any youtube video and you can see what I mean. (more…)

Is there one piece (or several) that you have played so many times that, no matter how beautiful or well written it is, you simply can’t appreciate it as good music any longer? Any professional musician will perform certain works several times in his career, some works over and over, but in many cases he still enjoys playing them. If he didn’t, it would be time to hang it up and get a “real” job. There are however, a few works that some musicians simply find excruciating. It is a struggle to even get from the beginning to the end. I’ll give you a few of mine below. (more…)