I am currently deep in dissertation mode, and therefore my blog has been neglected. However, I do have a sneak peak of what I have discovered so far.
Previously it was thought that the dulcian wasn't in France until 1630's. I can prove (well, maybe not prove, but give evidence towards) that the dulcian was in France much earlier then this.
The bassoon was developed before 1680 in France, and I can actually prove it. I can't give you the exact date, but I don't think that will ever be possible.
As far a other news, I will be doing a few concerts with the Milwaukee baroque ensemble, Ensemble Musical Offering, next year. Details to come later. I will also be teaching beginning recorder at Madison Early Music Festival this summer, as well as a beginning recorder class through the Department of Continuing Studies. Yea work!
OK, back to the dissertation.
What Early Musicians Say
I thought I would take a break from my dissertation writing and jump onto this meme.
Sh*t Early Musicians Say (of course not a complete list):
1. That performance style is too modern.
2. That tempo is too slow.
3. Big beats! Big beats!
4. That tempo is too slow.
5. I like your ornaments.
6. Too much vibrato!
7. Equal temperament was the downfall of music.
8. What is on your "to get" instrument list?
9. I have to sell some instruments to pay rent.
10. That articulation isn't historically accurate.
11. What evidence do you have to support that phrase?
12. I made this instrument.
13. In the next two months, I am home for 2.5 days.
14. Your fifth is too wide.
15. Minor 6th are the composer's way of grabbing your attention.
16. "Uh, hold on a minute, let me count....." When asked how many instruments you own.
17. It's all about rhetoric.
18. What edition is this? Where did the editor get these slurs?
19. What, four flats?? I don't think you want to hear four flats.
20. Handel was a thief.
Any more??
Sh*t Early Musicians Say (of course not a complete list):
1. That performance style is too modern.
2. That tempo is too slow.
3. Big beats! Big beats!
4. That tempo is too slow.
5. I like your ornaments.
6. Too much vibrato!
7. Equal temperament was the downfall of music.
8. What is on your "to get" instrument list?
9. I have to sell some instruments to pay rent.
10. That articulation isn't historically accurate.
11. What evidence do you have to support that phrase?
12. I made this instrument.
13. In the next two months, I am home for 2.5 days.
14. Your fifth is too wide.
15. Minor 6th are the composer's way of grabbing your attention.
16. "Uh, hold on a minute, let me count....." When asked how many instruments you own.
17. It's all about rhetoric.
18. What edition is this? Where did the editor get these slurs?
19. What, four flats?? I don't think you want to hear four flats.
20. Handel was a thief.
Any more??
Up In the Air (not the movie, although I did enjoy the movie)
Happy New Year Everyone! 2012 I believe will be interesting, at least for me I hope...In a good way...
Soon, I can feel it, I might have an inkling of an idea of where I will be and what I will be doing next year. I have several options that I am working on right now, and let me tell you, there is nothing quite like writing your dissertation, trying to create performing opportunities for your duo in several different cities, applying for jobs, trying to find more students, more work, more money so that I can live. No wonder I have had three colds in the span of four weeks. I am in no way, shape or form complaining, I just realized how tired all this can make someone. Constantly trying to find opportunities under every rock. By May I should have a better idea about next year, but that is May! So far away.
Dissertation Chapter 1 will be edited hopefully by the end of next week. Chapter 2 is currently in pieces, but I finally have an idea on how to write the damn thing. Chapter 3 and 4 are in research mode. I have until March 15 for the first draft. I can do it!
It is a rather challenging task, to write an academic document that is easy to read. I guess that is why enjoyable academic documents are such a rarity. I find that it is imperative to keep half of your mind detached from your subject, in order to be clear, and not get lost in your own thoughts. This doesn't happen in the majority of the documents I have read for my dissertation, and it just becomes hard to follow if you don't already know what they author knows. I guess that is academia for you. Loosing the forest for the trees since the beginning of time. It is what people with short attention spans are on the earth for, to tell the rest of the world when they are boring. Voltaire does say that "History should be written as Philosophy," which is my own creed in regards to writing about history.
Now for something completely different, yet related, follow the link here to hear some baroque bassoon and harpsichord from Kirstin and me. I added some reverb, so it sounds a bit better now. The recordings are under Telemann and Boismortier.
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| My dissertation station |
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| Some of my books |
Dissertation Chapter 1 will be edited hopefully by the end of next week. Chapter 2 is currently in pieces, but I finally have an idea on how to write the damn thing. Chapter 3 and 4 are in research mode. I have until March 15 for the first draft. I can do it!
It is a rather challenging task, to write an academic document that is easy to read. I guess that is why enjoyable academic documents are such a rarity. I find that it is imperative to keep half of your mind detached from your subject, in order to be clear, and not get lost in your own thoughts. This doesn't happen in the majority of the documents I have read for my dissertation, and it just becomes hard to follow if you don't already know what they author knows. I guess that is academia for you. Loosing the forest for the trees since the beginning of time. It is what people with short attention spans are on the earth for, to tell the rest of the world when they are boring. Voltaire does say that "History should be written as Philosophy," which is my own creed in regards to writing about history.
Now for something completely different, yet related, follow the link here to hear some baroque bassoon and harpsichord from Kirstin and me. I added some reverb, so it sounds a bit better now. The recordings are under Telemann and Boismortier.
Baroque Bassoon 101
Over the last few months I have had many people ask me, "What is the
difference between the baroque and modern bassoon?" Another question
people ask, "Why play on baroque instruments? Why go backwards in the
evolution?" I thought I would address these questions on my blog, and
then whenever I am asked these questions again, I can just save so much
time by referring them to my blog. (In all seriousness I actually do
enjoy being asked and answering these questions) For those who do not
have access to me in analog life, here we go.
Baroque Bassoon V.S. modern, round 1. The Sound:
I call my instruments Yin and Yang. The baroque bassoon is yin and the modern yang. The sound and temperament of the baroque bassoon is softer, more intimate, very subtle and I believe sometimes more beautiful then the modern bassoon. When played correctly, you can find this otherworldly sound from the baroque bassoon. (I should mention here that the dulcian's sound is even older, like the sound of an Ent whispering in the forest. It is a very haunting sound) This difference in sound occurs because of the difference in bore and reed size. The baroque bassoon's bore is considerably wider then then modern bassoon. The narrowing of the bore occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries because of the necessity to project over the orchestra and into ever expanding halls. The larger the hall, the narrower the wind instruments needed to be. The disadvantage to a larger bore is in the difficulty of projecting over vast space, and the difficulty of playing high notes. The advantage is the amazing sound.
Round 2. Keywork:
One
of the more obvious difference between the baroque and modern bassoon
lies in the keywork. The modern bassoon has many more keys then the
baroque, which only has 5 at a max. The keys were added basically to
create a more accurate chromatic instrument. The baroque bassoon is
fully chromatic, but tuning is more of a challenge. Playing a low C#
on a modern bassoon is much easier then playing a C# on a baroque
bassoon. There is a lot of sacrificial offerings that occur to get a
low C# on the baroque in tune. The addition of keys also eliminated
almost all cross fingerings (except Eb) which can be irritating, but I
honestly find that it doesn't cause too much of a problem. The modern
bassoon allows for a much smoother sound across all chromatic notes,
which is not possible on baroque. However, during the baroque, one
didn't need to play a lot of chromatic scales, it was just not part of
the musical language of the time.
Round 3. Reed and Bocal:
Yes, the reed and bocal are different on the baroque and modern. The baroque bassoon reed is very similar to the modern bassoon reed, except a bit bigger. How much bigger depends on the person's, uh, preferences. I do not use a massive reed, but I know some people who do. I find that a reed that is too big becomes unsteady and difficult to handle. (yes, the 12 year old in me is giggling at the moment) The bocal is much simpler, and to you bassoonist out there, there isn't a whisper key, just a pinhole in the bocal.
I have been also asked, "Which one is your
favorite?" My honest answer to this is that I don't have a favorite. I
really do see them as two instruments that can do their own thing very
well. If I had to put one away forever, it would be a very sad thing
for me. I love the modern bassoon for its direct sound, the ability to
play in the upper tenor register, and the repertoire written for the
instrument. I love the baroque bassoon for the soft delicate internal
sound, the ability to play music for the actual instrument it was
written for, and the world of historical performance that it has opened
up for me. Playing baroque bassoon informs my modern bassoon playing,
and visa versa.
As far as playing on an instrument that is "evolutionary inferior" I really don't see it that way. By taking the baroque bassoon, making the bore and reed smaller, sure we can project better and play chromatics accurately. This is an absolute requirement for contemporary music performance. I am not saying that in any way shape or form this is bad. There are things that the modern bassoon can do that the baroque bassoon cannot, but there are things that the baroque bassoon can do that the modern bassoon cannot. It didn't evolve, it simply changed to suit what the music needed. At the heart of historical performance, is this wanting to find the sound and style that the music suggests. We are bringing back the instruments that are best suited to the taste, style, and sensibilities of the musicians of the past.
 | |
| Baroque and Modern Bassoons hanging out in the Museum |
Baroque Bassoon V.S. modern, round 1. The Sound:
I call my instruments Yin and Yang. The baroque bassoon is yin and the modern yang. The sound and temperament of the baroque bassoon is softer, more intimate, very subtle and I believe sometimes more beautiful then the modern bassoon. When played correctly, you can find this otherworldly sound from the baroque bassoon. (I should mention here that the dulcian's sound is even older, like the sound of an Ent whispering in the forest. It is a very haunting sound) This difference in sound occurs because of the difference in bore and reed size. The baroque bassoon's bore is considerably wider then then modern bassoon. The narrowing of the bore occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries because of the necessity to project over the orchestra and into ever expanding halls. The larger the hall, the narrower the wind instruments needed to be. The disadvantage to a larger bore is in the difficulty of projecting over vast space, and the difficulty of playing high notes. The advantage is the amazing sound.
Round 2. Keywork:
One
of the more obvious difference between the baroque and modern bassoon
lies in the keywork. The modern bassoon has many more keys then the
baroque, which only has 5 at a max. The keys were added basically to
create a more accurate chromatic instrument. The baroque bassoon is
fully chromatic, but tuning is more of a challenge. Playing a low C#
on a modern bassoon is much easier then playing a C# on a baroque
bassoon. There is a lot of sacrificial offerings that occur to get a
low C# on the baroque in tune. The addition of keys also eliminated
almost all cross fingerings (except Eb) which can be irritating, but I
honestly find that it doesn't cause too much of a problem. The modern
bassoon allows for a much smoother sound across all chromatic notes,
which is not possible on baroque. However, during the baroque, one
didn't need to play a lot of chromatic scales, it was just not part of
the musical language of the time. Round 3. Reed and Bocal:
Yes, the reed and bocal are different on the baroque and modern. The baroque bassoon reed is very similar to the modern bassoon reed, except a bit bigger. How much bigger depends on the person's, uh, preferences. I do not use a massive reed, but I know some people who do. I find that a reed that is too big becomes unsteady and difficult to handle. (yes, the 12 year old in me is giggling at the moment) The bocal is much simpler, and to you bassoonist out there, there isn't a whisper key, just a pinhole in the bocal.
 |
| Modern, Dulcian, Baroque, and Classical |
As far as playing on an instrument that is "evolutionary inferior" I really don't see it that way. By taking the baroque bassoon, making the bore and reed smaller, sure we can project better and play chromatics accurately. This is an absolute requirement for contemporary music performance. I am not saying that in any way shape or form this is bad. There are things that the modern bassoon can do that the baroque bassoon cannot, but there are things that the baroque bassoon can do that the modern bassoon cannot. It didn't evolve, it simply changed to suit what the music needed. At the heart of historical performance, is this wanting to find the sound and style that the music suggests. We are bringing back the instruments that are best suited to the taste, style, and sensibilities of the musicians of the past.
Duo Ricercata Chazen Gig
I just came back from the Twin Cities, where i played some Brandenburg with Lyra Baroque. Lots of fun, I met up with friends and was introduced to lots of interesting people. On top of that, Brandenburgs are just a joy to play.
Here is a link to Duo Ricercata's audio webpage. I put up part of our "Live at the Chazen" gig that we did in September. The recording is really dry, and so I decided to only put up the modern bassoon half, the baroque half doesn't sound as convincing.
A little bit about the pieces I posted:
HyeKyungLee, Dreaming in Colours. I really like this piece. We just played the second and third movement because of time constraints. The second movement reminds me of an alternative reality, where everything seems serene but a little "off". Anyone ever see the movie Return to Oz, this movement reminds me of it.
Olav Berg, Sonatine: This piece is damn hard. I can almost play it. I really like it even with all the difficulties, and it is worth a listen.
Previn, Sonata: This is just fun. I felt that this recording of the piece is a good representation of our lyrical playing. Even with the dry sound, we both managed to make it sound pretty lush.
Here is a link to Duo Ricercata's audio webpage. I put up part of our "Live at the Chazen" gig that we did in September. The recording is really dry, and so I decided to only put up the modern bassoon half, the baroque half doesn't sound as convincing.
A little bit about the pieces I posted:
HyeKyungLee, Dreaming in Colours. I really like this piece. We just played the second and third movement because of time constraints. The second movement reminds me of an alternative reality, where everything seems serene but a little "off". Anyone ever see the movie Return to Oz, this movement reminds me of it.
Olav Berg, Sonatine: This piece is damn hard. I can almost play it. I really like it even with all the difficulties, and it is worth a listen.
Previn, Sonata: This is just fun. I felt that this recording of the piece is a good representation of our lyrical playing. Even with the dry sound, we both managed to make it sound pretty lush.
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