From: Douglas Tate <dougt_playwell@cableol.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 22:31:20 +0000
Subject: Major works for Classical Harmonica
Many people still scoff at the thought of the harmonica playing 'classical'
music with orchestra.
However... a number of people have had serious works written for them.
I have compiled a list of the ones I know about, have got, played or have
had written for me.
I would be interested to learn of any other works from anyone .... Robert
Bonfiglio ????
Here is the list of about 60 works I have gathered. I KNOW there are
more.
Mine are all near the end.... I'm so much younger than anyone else :)
Douglas Tate
####################
1940 Chiimark Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra Edward Robinson
for John Sebastian
1940 Caribbean Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Jean Berger
for Larry Adler Mills Music Inc , USA
1941 Gay Head Dance for Harmonica and Orchestra Edward Robinson
for John Sebastian
1942 Suite Anglais for Harmonica and Orchestra Darius Milhaud
for Larry Adler Boosey& Hawkes, New York, USA
1943 Street Corner Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra George Kleinsinger
for John Sebastian Chappel/Theadore Presser, PA, USA
1947 Fantasy for Harmonica and Orchestra Walter Anderson
for John Sebastian
1948 Concertino for Harmonica and Orchestra Norman Dello Joio
for John Sebastian AMP. New York. USA
1948 Concertino for Harmonica and Piano Hugo Hermann
for Oscar Dheinbolt Hohner Ag, Trossingen, Germany
1951 Concerto Scherzoso for Harmonica and Orchestra Graham Whettam
for Larry Adler De Wolfe, London, UK
1951 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Michael Spivakovsky
for Tommy Reilly Bosworth & Co, London, UK
1952 Romance for Harmonica and Strings Ralph Vaughan Williams
for Larry Adler Oxford University Press, London, UK
1953 Fantasy for Harmonica and Orchestra Graham Whettam
for Tommy Reilly Bosworth & Co, London, UK
1953 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Alexander Tcherepnin
for John Sebastian AMP, New York, USA
1953 Little Fugitive Suitefor Harmonica and Orchestra Eddy Lawrence Manson
for Eddy Manson
1953 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Arthur Benjamin
for Larry Adler Boosey and Hawkes, London, UK
1953 Concerto for Harmonica and Strings Alan Hovaness
for John Sebastian C F Peters, New York, USA
1954 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Malcolm Arnold
for Larry Adler
1955 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Heitor Villa Lobos
for John Sebastian AMP, New York,USA
1956 Roumanian fantasy for Harmonica and Orchestra Francis Chagrin
for Larry Adler Mills Music, London, UK
1956 Greek Folk Dances for Harmonica and Strings Alan Hovaness
for John Sebastian C F Peters, New York, USA
1956 Skin Diver suite for Harmonica and Orchestra Leo Diamond
for Leo Diamond
1957 Divertimento for Harmonica and String Quartet Gordon Jacob
for Larry Adler Joseph Williams, London, UK
1957 Five Pieces for Harmonica and Orchestra (or piano) Gordon Jacob
for Tommy Reilly Joseph Williams, London, UK
1957 Intermezzo Giocoso for Harmonica and Piano Rudolf Wurthner
for Rolf Glass Hohner AG, Trossingen, Germany
1958 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Serge Lancen
for Larry Adler Hienrichsen
1960 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Frank Lewin
for John Sebastian Demeter Music Inc, Princeton NJ, USA
1961 Concerto for harmonica and orchestra Karl Heinz Koper
for Tommy Reilly
1961 Concerto for harmonica and Orchestra Henry Cowell
for John Sebastian C F Peters, New York, USA
1961 Concerto Sonata for Harmonica and Piano John Antill
1961 Second Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Graham Whettam
For Tommy Reilly
1963 Improvisation #9: Harmonica, Strings and Percussion Luciano Chailly
for John Sebastian Edizioni Musicali, Roma, Italy
Concerto for Harmonica and Strings Alan Ridout
Concerto for Harmonica and Strings Naresh Sohal
For Larry Adler
1967 Concertino for Harmonica and Orchestra A J Potter
For John Murray Ferguson
1970 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Henri Sauguet
Claude Garden Ed Francais de Music, Paris, France
1972 Bachiana Americana Eddy Manson
for Eddy Manson Margery MusicI NC., Los Angeles, USA
1972 Quintet for Harmonica and Orchestra James Moody
for Tommy Reilly
1974 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Roberts Russell Bennett
for Cham-Ber Huang
1977 Nigun & Paraphrase on "Kol Nidrei": Harmonica & String Quartet Eddy
Manson
for Eddy Manson Margery Music INC., Los Angeles, USA
1978 "Analogues" for Harmonica and String Quartet Eddy Manson
for Eddy Manson Margery Music INC., Los Angeles, USA
1978 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Richard Hayman
for Richard Hayman Yorkville Music Co, New York, USA
Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Vilem Tausky
For Tommy Reilly Anglo Continental Music, London, UK
Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Robert Farnon
For Tommy Reilly
Prelude and Dance for Harmonica and Orchestra Robert Farnon
For Tommy Reilly
1961 Ballad & Tarantella for Harmonica and Concert Orchestra Fried Walter
For Tommy Reilly
The Adventures of Cpl Smith Harmonica and Concert Orchestra Fried Walter
For Tommy Reilly
Spanish Fantasy for Harmonica and Orchestra James Moody
For Tommy Reilly
Irish Fallen Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra James Moody
For Tommy Reilly
Dance Suite Francais for Harmonica and Harp James Moody
For Tommy Reilly
Little Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra (or piano) James Moody
For Tommy Reilly
Fantasie Concertante for Harmonica and Orchestra Joseph Kosma
For Tommy Reilly
Apparitions for Tenor, Harmonica, Piano and String Quartet Phyllis Tate
For Douglas Tate
1970 Sonata for Harmonica and Piano Arnold Cooke
For Douglas Tate
Sonata Pastorale for Harmonica and Harpsichord Phyllis Tate
For Douglas Tate
Sonata for Harmonica and Piano Peter Jenkyns
For Douglas Tate
Romance for Harmonica and Piano Peter Jenkyns
For Douglas Tate
Quasi Harmonica and Guitar Patrick Harvey
For Douglas Tate
Sonata for Harmonica and Piano Madelaine Dring
For Douglas Tate
Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Alan Stripp
For Douglas Tate
Cantata (Princess Hubert) for Baritone, Harmonica and Piano John Ireland
For Douglas Tate
From: Douglas Tate <dougt_playwell@cableol.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 09:18:11 +0000
Subject: WHO PLAYS CONCERTOS?? was Major works for Classical Harmonica
Hi Mike
At 19:38 22/02/99 EST, Diachrome@aol.com wrote:
>I was wondering today doug why you "class" cats don't talk the tunes like
the
>blues and jazz players do, and analyze the material you play. I glad to see
>you coming forward.
Number of reasons I suspect. The number of classical players who play the
concertos is about as low as the number of cockroaches with serious gout in
their number three foot.
In fact let me ask the question ...
How many of you on list play any of the harmonica concertos????
How many of you play the more serious Sonatas, Suites etc written for
harmonica???
It would be interesting to see.
I believe that one of the reasons it is not discussed is because the
players at this level tend to be professionals, busy and maybe not on list.
It is a shame.
There is also another factor... Many of these more serious works are not
generally available.
For example ... I have been trying to trace who owns the copyright on two
of the well known 'concerto' class pieces of music by trying to trace
publishers for the last three months. As a member of the Musicians
Union in the UK I would have expected at least an acknowledgement from
them... Nothing... So I tried the Composers Guild..... No
acknowledgement... so I tried.... etc etc it is quite
disheartening.
The problem is that it is illegal to photocpy and distribute this stuff...
and in any case there are hundreds of pages knocking around.
There is another problem ... some of the works are pure rubbish!!!!
Another is that some of the music is dated..
Another problem is that concert organisers latch on to certain works and
are not interested in hearing 'less well known' pieces... and with hundreds
of hours of dedication to achieve a musicianly performance level there is
poor incentive to play the lesser known.
Many of the concertos I have played no more than once in earnest for money
and on a strictly cash for hours worked they work out at about 3 cents an
hour. Robert bonfiglio is well known on the concert circuit in the States
for the Villa lobos Concerto.... but I bet he has problems playing almost
anything else besides that and the Vaughan Williams Romance with Orchestra
in the States. Concert organisers are very conservative in general...
Composers who wrote for me usually delicately asked how many broadcasts i
would get bbefore they even started. some were commissioned for me by
our BBC Radio 3 in the days when they were not so strapped for cash. Some
tho' were composers who just had the burning desire to write for the sound
produced by the harmonica... Luckily they heard me and attached me to the
pieces.
i have a guy who is trying to get me to collaborate in writing a new
concerto literally starting this week!!! But I keep telling him that it
is unlikely that he will get a broadcast performance ... local performance
maybe. Also... he shoots himself in the knee by wanting a BIG orchestra...
more likely to get performance with a small/string orch or with string
quartett. etc etc etc.
One more factor :)) I wonder how many of you 'Blooos' guys would murmur
under your breaths "Ye Gods... not ANOTHER 14 page analysis of bar 78 of
the Tcherapnin Concerto slow movement ..... what is this Concerto-L??
Mike ... thanks for the interest.... the Tate is willing..... who wants
to start!!!!
hmmmm another factor has cropped up.... The 'Golden Age' for concertos
was 50s & 60s . At the moment there is not a lot of deep serious music
being played on harmonica... I am not talking 'show classics' ie a
classical piece shoved in an otherwise rabble rousing performance by the
player announcing " now seriously folks ..... " And if that sounds
denigratory it is not supposed to be ...
The diaatonic scene is growing by leaps and bounds.... I sincerely hope
that the same thing happens with harp as happened with guitar. The vast
number of people in the fifties playing rock and pop guitars spawned an
interest in, and growth of the number of people playing classical
guitar.... hence better instruments were demanded... quality of playing
rose etc.
Maybe with the way the diatonic revolution is growing with the Levy ...
Filisko type of combination mirroring the Segovia - Ramirez , or Bream -
Rubio will lead to a Renaissance in Classical playing :)))
douglas t
> I try to buy "good" classical harp (and non harp) cd's whenever i can
find
>them. especially tommy reilly. It would be nice to read once in a while
>classical players opinions on certain recordings so the rest of us that may
>not play it ,but can appreciate it can get some insight.
>
>if your bored blue bellow bach:))
>
>mike e
From: "Michael Polesky MPA" <NewCalif@pacbell.net>
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 13:27:21 -0800
Subject: Re: WHO PLAYS CONCERTOS?? was Major works for Classical Harmonica
Tinus says:
>I would like to play classical music
>but don't know where to start.
>All the pieces I have seen where
>terrifyingly difficult.
Ahh, yes. This jogs my memory. I received a "classical
training" in my instruments growing up - including harmonica, but
I didn't really get interested in classical music until I started
listening to it. Then, I picked pieces I wanted to play because
they were BEAUTIFUL and not because they were "possible" ;-). I
quickly discovered that not everything was sutiable for
performance on harmonica, but I realized that the attempt was a
good learning process and I developed stratagies for adapting or
reproducing traditional classical sounds from a wide range of
instruments on to the harp. I never let the fact that these
things were difficult stop me from playing them for myself.
Picking things to play in public or just with other people was
tougher and I tended to stick with short excerpts from favorite
pieces of music that were sutiable for harmonica rather than
search long hours for whole pieces. I think it is interesting to
note from Doug's comments how little music is readily available
for the harp in the classical realm. This makes the process of
adpatation far more necessary and an excellent way to "start"
learning classical harmonica for someone who is already familiar
with classical music. Just because it can't be played at speed
for performance purposes or with others doesn't mean it can't be
rewarding to "fulfill the fantasy" of playing these things as
exercise anyway. Go ahead nad "have fun" and then figure out
what you can adpat for performance. As funny as it may sound,
there are probably fewer rules, guidelines or helpful
publications for playing classical harmonica than nearly any
other style. You do kind of have to forge your own path in that
area until you can find and get a hold of the repertoire
necessary to actually play with others. hope that helps,
Michael
From: bon@i-2000.com (Robert Bonfiglio)
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 23:42:20 -0700
Subject: Concerto work
Doug Tate wrote:
Many of the concertos I have played no more than once in earnest for money
and on a strictly cash for hours worked they work out at about 3 cents an
hour. Robert bonfiglio is well known on the concert circuit in the States
for the Villa lobos Concerto.... but I bet he has problems playing almost
anything else besides that and the Vaughan Williams Romance with Orchestra
in the States. Concert organisers are very conservative in general...
Dear List,
I just returned from playing with the National Symphony in Bogota, Columbia
and before that the Mexico City Philharmonic. I saw the list of major
works for harmonica that Doug Tate put up and it is basically the same as
the one I gave my student, Mark Weber, to have copied at the 1989
Championships that I judged in Trossingen. I know most of the works on
that list and have read through them.
Of the major works, the ones I play the most are:
Villa-Lobos Harmonica Concerto
Henry Cowell Harmonica Concerto
Vaughan Williams Romance for Harmonica, Strings and Piano
Alexander Tcherepnin Harmonica Concerto
Malcolm Arnold Harmonica Concerto
Darius Milhaud Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra
Gordon Jacob Five Pieces for Harmonica and String Orchestra
Alan Hovhaness Harmonica Concerto
Alan Hovhaness Greek Folk Dances for Harmonica and Strings
Arthur Benjamin Harmonica Concerto
I have also done the Vilem Tausky Harmonica Concerto for the American
Ballet Theater but only during an 8 day run. I have just been asked by
Fabio Luisi, who conducts the Suisse Romande Orchestra, to play the
Villa-Lobos Harmonica Concerto with the Leipzig MDR Sinfonieorchester. I
will be playing concerti in Toulouse, with the Luxembourg Philharmonic at
the Saar Festival, with the Northwest German Orchestra, the Grand Rapids
Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, the Boston Pro Arte Orchestra, the
Bochumer Sinfoniker in Germany, the Interlochen Festival Orchestra, the
Buffalo Philharmonic, etc.
I am talking with Lowell Liebermann who just wrote for Galway, and is
composer in residence at the Dallas Symphony, about a new Concerto. I have
also spoken to John Corigliano and Bill Balcolm, both Pulitzer Prize
winners about writing for me. The reason I mostly play the Villa-Lobos
Harmonica
Concerto is that that is the Concerto I recorded on RCA with Gerard Schwarz
and the New York Chamber Symphony. It takes me about two years to add a
new Harmonica Concerto to my repertoire, i.e., a lot of work.
I love playing serious music on the harmonica; the audience hangs on every
note, I don't have to tell jokes or sing or dance. There is no smoke and
most everyone is sober. The orchestra members nearly always buy my CD's
and the best compliments come from these trained musicians and the
conductors, but I love harmonica players who come and say hello after the
concert.
Serious classical harmonica playing is quite alive and well. Orchestras
NEVER ask for transcriptions, only for pieces written for the instrument.
I am now able to command a fee of $5,000-$8,000 for a single concerto,
about $10,000 for a double and up to $15,000 for a triple. I do play Pops
concerts (the Elvis Medley is a big hit) where I do more blues harp work
and I always bring out the diatonic for encores at every concert.
What would I like to see on the list: As much concentration on reed
material and construction as there is on instrument design and material.
So often we have great instruments with crappy reeds.
Harmonically yours,
BONFIGLIO
http://www.robertbonfiglio.com
From: Douglas Tate <dougt_playwell@cableol.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 10:34:44 +0000
Subject: Re: WHO PLAYS CONCERTOS?? was Major works for Classical Harmonica
At 13:27 23/02/99 -0800, Michael Polesky MPA wrote:
Michael writes about his introduction into classical music on the harmonica...
What he says rings so many bells for me.... the only difference was that I
was self taught.
Although i cannot think of a better way of putting it than Michael there
are a couple of things i would like to add.... and he has already covered
some of it already!!!
>Then, I picked pieces I wanted to play because
>they were BEAUTIFUL and not because they were "possible" ;-).
I believe that if you approach music like this it is hard to go wrong..
Successful achievement in music is due to three factors.... love of the
ebb and flow of your styles music, love of the sound that you can get
out of your instrument, and an insatiable curiosity.
I
>quickly discovered that not everything was sutiable for
>performance on harmonica, but I realized that the attempt was a
>good learning process and I developed stratagies for adapting or
>reproducing traditional classical sounds from a wide range of
>instruments on to the harp. I never let the fact that these
>things were difficult stop me from playing them for myself.
:) There is a saying in the British Army , which I am sure translates
to many other activities. "Every Private soldier carries a Field Marshall's
Baton in his backpack"
One of the highest selling albums of violin sheet music is the set pf
Paganini Studies..... fiendishly difficult, capable of only being played
successfully by a handful of players... but many buy them and struggle,
and work ... because 'one day.......' I have pieces I have been working
on for years (more than I care to think of..) i will never play them in
public.... but they are getting there ... and in the process giving me,, at
any rate, great pleasure. it is wonderful to wander through the Violin
Concertos of Brahms, Beethove, Mendelsohhn, Tchaikovsky etc and feel the
sweep of the wonderful imagination of these people. The fact that it
takes an hour and a half to reach the end and that many a phrase ends in a
muttered curse doesn't alter the internal musical experience.
>Picking things to play in public or just with other people was
>tougher and I tended to stick with short excerpts from favorite
>pieces of music that were sutiable for harmonica rather than
>search long hours for whole pieces.
The well worn road!!!! see you all there !
I think it is interesting to
>note from Doug's comments how little music is readily available
>for the harp in the classical realm.
There have been many, many pieces written for harmonica in fact. Hohner
has published quite a bit.. But there is so much very poor music written
that it is a frustrating business trying to find Michael's 'beauty' in them.
NOT that this isn't the case for other instruments!!! In any field of
endeavour there are only a few genius level people. Occasionally tho you
find a gem and it all becomes worthwhile.
Another big prob is that most of the music has been written for the front
line players and is therfore to show off their skills.... there are few
pieces written BECAUSE the sound of the instrument is needed to achieve
the effect a composer wants and almost anyone with a modicum of skill can
play it. I was involved in one piece where that was just the case. The
composer heard me play ... she had been working on a Ghost song cycle for
nearly a year and couldn't get the sounds she wanted (instrumental
combination sounds) the harmonica provided them... it wasn't a vehicle for
a rabid soloist (me :) it was a work of integration... wonderful
(actually it turned out durn difficult in places because she forgt to ask
me what the instrument could do !)
This makes the process of
>adpatation far more necessary and an excellent way to "start"
>learning classical harmonica for someone who is already familiar
>with classical music.
So true
As funny as it may sound,
>there are probably fewer rules, guidelines or helpful
>publications for playing classical harmonica than nearly any
>other style. You do kind of have to forge your own path in that
>area until you can find and get a hold of the repertoire
>necessary to actually play with others.
Harp-L has been a torch in the diatonic world I believe... The knowledge
and breadth of experience featured here can only have been an inspiration
and a guide to many who are starting the route ... certainly in the four
years (!) i have been L watching there have been rapid advances in all
sorts of directions.
What would be a help .. like that , for the person who wants to start
classical...????
Agin ... thanks michael... that was an inspiring contribution.
Douglas t
From: karlsson@wrc.xerox.com
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 11:38:29 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Re: WHO PLAYS CONCERTOS?? was Major works for Classical
On Wed Feb 24 04:36:59 1999 CST, Douglas Tate wrote:
>What would be a help .. like that , for the person who wants to start
>classical...????
Over time there's been several helpful posts regarding Chromatic Harmonica
technique from the classical players on the list (Bonfiglio, Hamper, Tate,
and others). The main problem is the low frequency of these messages
so that over a month's time, there's relatively few messages regarding
non-blues harmonica playing.
You've posted a list of classical pieces,
with a difficulty measurement, and other comments. This post is available
in the archives at
http://www.garply.com/harp-l/archives/1995/9505/0729.html
What would be helpful, I think, would be a suggestion as to which piece
(or pieces) to start with. Something relatively easy, with sheet music
and recordings readily available to serve as guide (I have a good recording
of 'Georgie Girl', but perhaps that's not classical.. :). If that could lead to
an online study group, that would be even better!
Other things that would be fun to see is more sharing of information about
problematic aspects of pieces you're working on now - ie. "I'm having problems
getting through the beginning of this movement, this is how I'm approaching it,
does anybody have any tips on how to accomplish it?"
Also - classical pieces on the next Harp-l CD/tape!
I'm sure there is lot's of things that could help - what do you tell the student
who shows up at your door and wants to start out?
_jonas
From: Debbie Hamper Temple <theharper@lightstream.net>
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 13:58:28 -0500
Subject: Classical Harmonica (was Re: WHO PLAYS CONCERTOS?? )
Hi Group,
Michael P. wrote:
> I quickly discovered that not everything was sutiable for
>performance on harmonica, but I realized that the attempt was a
>good learning process and I developed stratagies for adapting or
>reproducing traditional classical sounds from a wide range of
>instruments on to the harp. I never let the fact that these
>things were difficult stop me from playing them for myself.
I can identify with this. My first love is classical music and I ~do~
arrange for it. The trouble is two-fold: 1. I have to go with what
accompaniment is available to me and my partner/husband is primarily a
chord harp player. 2. There isn't a big audience demanding such things.
I am ~not~ a fan of the PDQ Bach-style of watered down classics and I can't
stand what I'd call 'contrived classics'. Whenever I arrange for a piece, I
will always try to work from the original composer's work and try very hard
to convey the line and feeling I believe that he intended. This can be a
challenge.
Some successes have been:
1. The Allegretto movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony. This took over 6
months to work up and perfect. It took me another 6 months to properly play
what I arranged! Beethoven wrote it in such a way that the orchestra
basically moves together, creating chords ---this was perfect for chord
harp. My line on lead, combines the many voices who trade off the main
melodic movement. We did an exerpt of this piece in the workshop on
arranging that I presented at BHF last year; although only now can I claim
to be able to play it the way I intended it to be played.
2. Ases Tod from the Pier Gynt Suite by Grieg. Although this was for
orchestra, there are basically two lines that emerge as predominant. On
this, my partner plays chromatic as do I. It has a high degree of
chromaticism in it, but works very well for two harps. The biggest
challenge here is to keep together while playing ~very~ slowly.
3. The Pavane pour une infante defunte by Ravel. This has been done by
several professional classical harmonicists. In my version, the chord harp
does very well in replacing the orchestra and the main melody on chromatic
harp is rather easy.
4. The Prelude in C#m by Rachmaninoff. I know that the Harmonica Rascals
and other harmonica groups did their own version of this (usually in Cm).
In any harp recording I've run across, the difficult chordal movement is
not handled by harp. Grant it, I have retained the original key of C#m and
Rachmaninoff wrote this in block chords for piano. It is a challenge for a
chord player, but it sounds good on chord harp. My notes on lead try to
bring out the feel of the melody as well as add notes to layer over the
chord harp to make it into, or as close as possible, to the chords
Rachmaninoff intended. We are not quite ready for performance yet, but
we're working on it and it is progressing very nicely.
Some works in process:
1. Adagio for Strings by Barber. So far my arrangement is for two
chromatics and also chord harp. It does work very well; however, two people
trying to fill in 3 harp parts doesn't. :-)
2. Allregretto movement of Brahm's 3rd Symphony. Another one that is
technically finished; however, I'm not quite satisfied with it yet. I'm
still in process of trying to capture what my mind hears.
3. Comedian's Gallop by Kabalevsky. This was done very nicely by the
Harmonica Rascals (or was it the Harmonicats?). My version is closer to the
original classical piece and as before, is for harps only (no other
instrumental accompaniment). This is technically demanding. I haven't
finished with it yet, but heck, I can't play what I've already arranged for
it yet either. (I never let that stop me! ;)
4. The Sicilienne by Faure. My version is for two chromatics. My partner
grumbles at me for this one! It starts off in Gm, modulates to Cm then back
to Gm, add to that a high degree of extra chromaticsm and it isn't easy for
him. I suppose it's not really fair that I had been working on a solo
version of this for many months before he and I got together. I also have
written a line for chord harp here which sounds very nice; however, without
dubbling overlays, I've never heard all three of my parts at once!
There are ~many~ other pieces; however, when you find yourself playing gigs
for people who enjoy polkas or old standards like "You Are My Sunshine" or
"Let Me Call You Sweetheart" there is just no demand for the classics! It's
very frustrating really. I keep working on the classics to keep myself
challenged and hoping that someday we will find the audience that wants to
hear it!
We do sneak one in once in a while and have gotten some good
reviews...however, I still highly doubt a whole program of this would be so
well received in this neck of the woods.
As for playing concertos, all I can say is....in my dreams!:-)
Best Wishes,
Debbie (theharper) Temple
P.S. I do wish to thank Douglas for posting the list of harmonica
concertos. I was only aware of a small portion of these, which I have also
gone through great pains to acquire. I'd be interested to know if there are
others out there that did not appear on his list. Heck, I guess it really
IS in my dreams...someday. :-)
From: bon@i-2000.com (Robert Bonfiglio)
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 19:17:17 -0700
Subject: Classical Harmonica
What would be helpful, I think, would be a suggestion as to which piece
(or pieces) to start with. Something relatively easy, with sheet music
and recordings readily available to serve as guide (I have a good recording
of 'Georgie Girl', but perhaps that's not classical.. :). If that could
lead to
an online study group, that would be even better!
Dear List,
I would suggest that you learn your scales and arpeggios on chromatic and
as you do play little pieces in those keys. Start with Mary Had a Little
Lamb, Ode To Joy, etc. Move on to pieces for beginner flute or violin
available everywhere. Get "Bona" in any music store and start working on
rhythm - soon I will have this available on tape. Next you go to little
Telemann duets, Anderson etudes, and bigger pieces. Eventully a lesson
should consist of rhythm training, one etude, then a duet, then a piece.
Good pieces in beginner flute and violin books leading to Bach Flute
Sonatas, and Heifitz transcriptions of almost everything.
Now you need to find a harmonica teacher to go over harmonica technique.
When you get good enough, you should seek out one of the harmonica masters
for lessons. Eventually you need to go to a Music Conservatory and study
sight singing, dictation, keyboard harmony, theory and rhythm. Since no
harmonica major is available, it is necessary to major in composition,
theory or conducting.
This process should be started at the latest as a teenager; if started
later, then it it is possible to become a good amateur.
Harmonically yours,
BONFIGLIO
http:www.robertbonfiglio.com
From: bon@i-2000.com (Robert Bonfiglio)
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 19:17:20 -0700
Subject: Obtaining Harmonica Concerti
Hello Robert Bonfiglio,
thanks very much for that contribution to the list. I am personally interested
in the works you mentioned:
> Villa-Lobos Harmonica Concerto
> Henry Cowell Harmonica Concerto
> Vaughan Williams Romance for Harmonica, Strings and Piano
> Alexander Tcherepnin Harmonica Concerto
> Malcolm Arnold Harmonica Concerto
> Darius Milhaud Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra
> Gordon Jacob Five Pieces for Harmonica and String Orchestra
> Alan Hovhaness Harmonica Concerto
> Alan Hovhaness Greek Folk Dances for Harmonica and Strings
> Arthur Benjamin Harmonica Concerto
I would like to read and study them. Can you tell me where to get the scores?
Thanks for helping.
Harmonically
Dr. Bernhard Geue
Dear Dr. Geue,
All of these Concerti scores can be obtained for perusal from the
publishers. The problem is that they may want to know the orchestra you
plan to play with before they will send the perusal score. It is my
suggestion that you copy the score and make your own harmonica part after
you know the piece as changes are inevitable. Go to your local music store
or on line for the publishers info.
Harmonically yours,
BONFIGLIO
http:www.robertbonfiglio.com
1942 Suite Anglais for Harmonica and Orchestra Darius Milhaud
for Larry Adler Boosey& Hawkes, New York, USA
1948 Concertino for Harmonica and Orchestra Norman Dello Joio
for John Sebastian AMP. New York. USA
1952 Romance for Harmonica and Strings Ralph Vaughan Williams
for Larry Adler Oxford University Press, London, UK
1953 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Alexander Tcherepnin
for John Sebastian AMP, New York, USA
1953 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Arthur Benjamin
for Larry Adler Boosey and Hawkes, London, UK
1953 Concerto for Harmonica and Strings Alan Hovaness
for John Sebastian C F Peters, New York, USA
1954 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Malcolm Arnold
for Larry Adler
1955 Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra Heitor Villa Lobos
for John Sebastian AMP, New York,USA
1957 Divertimento for Harmonica and String Quartet Gordon Jacob
for Larry Adler Stainer and Bell, London, UK (This is a nice
chamber piece I've played about 100 times)
1957 Five Pieces for Harmonica and Orchestra (or piano) Gordon Jacob
for Tommy Reilly Stainer and Bell, London, UK
1961 Concerto for harmonica and Orchestra Henry Cowell
for John Sebastian C F Peters, New York, USA (I did the World
Premiere of this work)
From: Douglas Tate <dougt_playwell@cableol.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 17:30:55 +0000
Subject: Re: Obtaining Harmonica Concerti
Thanks Robert for adding some publishers to the list of 'concerto '
pieces of music.
Sometimes it is difficult to get hold of this info.... names change,
businesses get sold etc.
The Malcolm Arnold Concerto ( a delight to play with lots of percussion and
brass...but well enough written that you can play with them unamplified in
reasonable halls.) was published by Paterson's Publications Ltd, Wigmore
>1957 Divertimento for Harmonica and String Quartet Gordon Jacob
> for Larry Adler Stainer and Bell, London, UK (This is a nice
>chamber piece I've played about 100 times)
>
I can't compete with that number! at most I've done it about 35 ish
times...... but they do mount up! as i mentioned in another post today I
have done over 2,500 schools visits /demo/lectures for harmonica .....
damned if I know where the money has gone :) there was a period a while
back where i did just under a hundred Harmonica and piano recitals, 90
minute affairs in one year ... the scene is now different. in the UK
>1957 Five Pieces for Harmonica and Orchestra (or piano) Gordon Jacob
> for Tommy Reilly Stainer and Bell, London, UK
Thank you for that one... been trying to find it again for a few years.
Jim Hughes and I premiered this work by accident.... We got the green
pulls (composer's original alteration sheets ) from the publishers who
asked us if we would play them in Oxford, England at a big music
conference. They were really written for Tommy Reilly and although he had
read through them he hadn't played them in public. James and I were given
two days to get to grips and divide them as we wished. Jim chose the
'easy' slow movements and left the fast stuf to me. In the end I think I
got the better bargain! the slow ones were not easy to play effectively.
what Tommy thought... or if he even knew I haven't a clue.
BTW... ALL of James Moody's works ... and there are a lot of them, some of
them major are available from
Jim Hughes
59 Bronte Farm Road
Shirley
SOLIHULL
West Midlands
B90 3DF
United Kingdom
His music goes from medium difficult to very!
Works to look out for ..
Quintette for Harmonica and String Quartette
Little Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra
Both delightful ... the quartette is difficult.
>1961 Concerto for harmonica and Orchestra Henry Cowell
> for John Sebastian C F Peters, New York, USA (I did the World
>Premiere of this work)
Didn't know that ... well done...... Did Sebastian not like the work cos i
am sure you can only have been about 3 in 1961.... !!!! When did you do it??
Douglas t
From: Douglas Tate <dougt_playwell@cableol.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 23:38:23 +0000
Subject: Re: robert is no amateur
At 16:36 25/02/99 -0500, Alec Drachman wrote
>The challenge is still on. Can anyone name a well-known classical
>professional that started music lessons after high school?
>
>Alec
Depends what you mean by well known
Depends what you mean by professional
As for me... I started my first musical instrument ... chromatic ... a few
weeks before leaving school. had my first, second and only music lessons
from Tommy Reilly when about 25 I suppose. I was busy being an engineer
and teacher most of the time ... and playing with the orchs and doing
recitals and film and tv music in my spare time and teaching music/
harmony etc to Uni level in the rest of my spare time. I believe I have
reached a fair standard just as many of the full time professionals have
without formal lessons.
BUT.... in order to do that I did what they did and put in the hours doing
all the things Robert talks about.... all the tools of the trade.. scales,
arpeggios, bit practice of difficult stuff... listening to great
performances on other instruments.. talking music to anyone willing to
discuss it, taking the advice of people I played with (except for the one
who told me to shut up that goddam awful row), teaching myself the
structure of music and music history.
You DON'T get to any standard unless you work hard. For at least five
years, whilst I was learning engineering I played at LEAST four hours a
day... and mainly six ... and at weekends I did between 8 and 10 hours
playing frequently. It was actually TOO much... but it all counts. After
that for the next 10 years i suppose I played about 4 hours a day.
Anything worth achieving is worth working for. Specially when it doesn't
seem like work because you enjoy it so. The other cardinal rule, I think,
is not to become blinkered by what you are doing.... take a step back
occasionally and have a laugh at yourself and see if your perspective on
your music has to do with making music / earning money / selfpromotion .
Each of these has it's place if you are going to advance as a professional
... if you don't tell people you are good they won't know!!!!! Not many
agents beat a path to your door gagging to find a new harmonica whizz kid!
But there is always the danger of a disease which a lovely age
challenged pro said to me about another Pro harp player... " the trouble is
that he reads his own publicity"
So... if Icount as a sort of Pro... then I started late
However... the REAL trick ... which is quite difficult in hindsight ... is
to start young, young, young.
douglas t
From: Debbie Hamper Temple <theharper@lightstream.net>
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 11:12:51 -0500
Subject: Reading Music (was Re: WHO PLAYS CONCERTOS??)
Hi Group,
Douglas wrote:
>An aside.... Easy peasy notes don't mean the music is easy to bring off.
>Some of the most difficult music to communicate to your audience is slow
>and with few notes...
This is SO very true! One thing that tends to separate beginners from
seasoned musicians is that beginners feel that because classical music has
a tendency to be more difficult, if they play it REAL FAST, that it will
prove they are a good musician. This is complete hogwash! What it really
does is prove that the beginner is just that....a beginner!
>There is no way that you can get away playing classical music without
>learning to read music.... and, as Robert says, if you are going to
>advance you have to know your way around the harmonica and the way to >do
that is to learn your scales.
I'm in complete agreement here. Mozart was known to have an absolutely
incredible ear which at a very young age, he could listen to a performance
of a symphony, go home and notate every part of every instrument of every
movement of that symphony and do it ~correctly~! But Mozart is not the norm
by any means! And even at that, he could read and write music.
Classical music cannot be done by ear, IMHO. Now I don't mean that you
couldn't pick out a melody by ear; but to do things the way they were
intended, a classical musician must know how to read and also how to
interpret it in their own fashion with feeling.
>Debbie took me to task some time ago for saying that you could learn to
>read music in under an hour... she correctly pointed out that anyone who
>then didn't would feel dreadful. I agree... and as a bald statement it
>could have proven counter productive for some. Nevertheless, I have found
>that the majority of real people of all ages can learn to read simple tunes
>in a few minutes if guided.
I do agree that with guided instruction, it can indeed be done quickly and
painlessly. Kids learn a lot easier than adults, especially when you've
wetted their interest and they ~want~ to learn.
Adult, especially older ones, resist this, usually because of incomplete or
short-circuited training they received in younger years.
Some problems I've run across are:
1. A person I know who 'can't'...strike that word...'won't' read below
middle C. It was a complete revelation to this person when I explained that
all the Grand Staff is, is repitition of A through G, with some accidentals
thrown in. For some reason, this person never realized they could think
backwards from C (B, A, G, F, E, etc.)
2. All sorts of confusion regarding when key signature accidentals are
applied or not applied...and when accidentals appear within measures, how
far they apply.
3. A mistaken belief that there are no flats on a chromatic harp, only
sharps (Thank you, Hohner, for all those years of posting sharps only in
your layouts!), completely oblivious to what "enharmonics" are in an Equal
Temperament system.
4. A different person who believes it's easier to re-write every piece so
that only sharped notes occur. (I want to scream when I see a key signature
in Eb but find A, D, and G sharped!) (Again, thank you Hohner!).
5. People who don't see the need to learn to read flats.
6. People who ask me why I won't put ~everything~ in the key of C,
including pieces in minor keys!
7. Why I keep insisting that a piece in Am is not in C major.
8. A bass player who won't read bass cleff but instead takes the root of
every chord listed for the chord player as the note they play, insisting
that this is an interesting bass line! (Argh!)
9. A mistaken belief that you can strip out all dotted rhythms and triplets
and still play the piece as it was intended to be played.
I could go on here, but I think I made my point. (My appologies for any of
the list lurkers who are located in my area and who may know me
personally. Would it help here to say that any resemblence to anyone living
or dead is purely coincidental? :-)
>I am doing a seminar on this at BHF in a few
>weeks time. I challenge anyone who is there NOT to learn to read music
>from scratch in under an hour :)
I urge anyone who wants to learn, or to get better at reading, no matter
what kind of music you play, attend Douglas' seminar!
>The most difficult thing about learning to read music is to get over the
>fear of learning to read music !!!
I couldn't have said this better! If you believe that it is too difficult
to learn, then you have instantly created a barrier in yourself, even
before you tried! Keep an open mind. Truly, it's not that difficult!
Best Wishes,
Debbie (theharper) Temple
From: bon@i-2000.com (Robert Bonfiglio)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 13:51:19 -0700
Subject: Re: How to read music (Was Re: WHO PLAYS CONCERTOS??
Dear List,
Sight-reading is a combination of everything. One should first learn to
clap and sing quarter notes on the word la. The 8th's, 16th's and
triplets. Rhythm training is the key to sight-reading; if you can read
rhythms, you are never lost. "Robert Starr" has a good rhythm book which
envolves clapping and singing.
Next, music is made of scales and arpeggios; knowing them helps identify
patterns - hills and valleys of notes. If you start a scale on this note
and it is in 8th notes, it must end on this other note, so you stop reading
all the notes, except the start of the scale. Sometimes harmonica patterns
will jump out at you, i.e., blow-draw button, down one hole to, blow draw
button,down one hole to, blow draw button.
Next, harmony helps identify chords and you will know the notes in them
without playing. Dictation helps you hear notes in your head.
Sight-singing and solfeggio help with the general reading without using the
harmonica.
Finally you need to practice sight-reading about an hour a day. First
pieces that are solid quarter notes, or simple tunes. There are tons of
little exercise books for beginners; read them all in both treble and bass
clefs. Read everything you can get your hands on.
Metronomes are good to keep even rhythm and for scales; and for clapping
and singing. I use them for "BONA" rhythm training, sight-singing and to
hear how a piece should sound in exact time. In the end for performance,
the metronome is put away; this way you know what "in time" is so you can
play out of time better for expression.
WHEN SIGHT-READING, DON'T STOP! Even if you make mistakes, keep plowing
ahead as if the band were playing on.
If you follow this advise, you are on your way. The key is that
sight-reading is fun. It enables you to play pieces you've never heard
immediately and therefore you can cover tons of material quickly.
Harmonically yours,
BONFIGLIO
Robert Starr - Rhythmical Training for Musicians
Bona - Rhythmal Articulation
From: "Lau Chun Bong" <cblau@netvigator.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 23:03:30 +0800
Subject: Nourishing classical harmonica
Hi list,
This is my first post, although I have been subscribing to the list for some
time. I am a member of the King's Harmonica Quintet
http://home.netvigator.com/~cblau/khq/ ) from Hong Kong. The recent
classical harmonica discussion is the most interesting one I have seen on
the list, and the warm response is the most satisfying, somewhat out of my
expectation...
Douglas Tate writes about his experience in promoting harmonica in schools.
This stirs my mind, and recalls my experience (and also of my other
harmonica comrades here) in picking up this instrument (20 years ago) and
playing it in a way, which I later find out, is so much different from the
rest of the world. I hope to share it with the list.
When I entered the high school, the harmonica was an attractive option if
you have some interest in music. It cost you only about a buck to buy a
China-made tremolo harmonica and you can learn to play with some fifty
schoolmates in a 3-month course, taught by senior. After the course, you
could play some simple light classical tunes (believe it or not, I played
Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile then, just the 8 bars or so in the middle
section, just to practise triplet:).
The more potential pupils then joined the harmonica band which was as big as
40 members playing in 4 major sections (just like the 1st, 2nd violin, viola
and cello of an orchestra), with a small wind section playing the melodica
and pipe harmonica. The challenge each year is for the harmonica band to
compete in the inter-school music festival. The festival has all categories
that you can imagine, and there are about 10 categories for harmonica -
band, ensemble, duo and solos of various grades. One typically joins 3 or 4
categories - band, ensemble, duo and solo. So everybody has a clear goal
every year and has to equip oneself accordingly. The learning process was
basically mentoring and self-taught. Every senior member and ex-member in
the harmonica band can be the mentor.
The music we played was essentially classical. Music written for harmonica
was unheard of (except perhaps Gordon Jacob's Five Pieces). Thus, we had
always played transcriptions, especially for the ensemble and band playing.
The transcriptions were done by the more enthusiastic and talented members.
The ultimate goal of transcription has always been to achieve the same
orchestral effects of the original composition with a harmonica band. It
has come close a couple of times in the past 20 to 30 years, whenever there
was a boom in harmonica learning, generating a bunch of good harmonica
players.
It has never been easy to maintain a big harmonica orchestra as strong
leadership and musicianship is required. Alternatively, we, the King's
Harmonica Quintet, over the past 10 years, have developed harmonica ensemble
playing which, through peer support, effectively sustains one's interest in
playing harmonica and develops one's skills and musicianship.
I would be delighted to learn about the experience of classical harmonica
development in other regions of the world.
Regards,
Lau Chun Bong
King's Harmonica Quintet
http://home.netvigator.com/~cblau/khq/
From: bon@i-2000.com (Robert Bonfiglio)
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 20:24:42 -0700
Subject: Starting young and amateurs
Dear List,
I thoguht I would print that Segovia page that John Sawyer suggested:
Andr=E8s Segovia was the seminal force in the development of the guitar as a
concert instrument in the twentieth century. He
made his public debut in Granada in 1909, at the age of sixteen, and
established his reputation in his native country with
appearances in Madrid, Barcelona, and other leading centers of Spanish
music during the next several years. His tour of South
Americain 1919 created a sensation, as did his debuts in Paris (1924),
Moscow (1926), and New York (1928). Segovia's aims for
the guitar, however, extended far beyond merely establishing a career for
himself as a virtuoso. "From my youthful years," he
wrote, "I dreamed of raising the guitar from the sad artistic level in
which it lay.
Since then, I have dedicated my life to four essential tasks.Thefirst: to
separate the guitar from mindless folklore-type entertainment. My second
purpose: to make the beauty
of the guitar known to the public of the entire world. The third task: that
of influencing the authorities at conservatories,
academies, and universities to include the guitar in their instruction
programs on the same basis as the violin, cello, piano, etc.
And my fourth item of labor: to endow it with a repertory of high quality,
made up of works possessing intrinsic musical value,
from the pens of composers accustomed to writing for orchestra, piano,
violin, etc. The first symphonic composer to heed my
request, offering to collaborate with me, was Federico More=F1o Torroba."
So, if he made his debut at 16, he was already good by then. The
harmonica, fortunately, has a lot more room for later development because
no finger motion is envolved except the right index which is already the
strongest.
I think it is possible to start late in life and acheive success; the
hardest part is not learning to play the instrument - it is committing your
whole life to it. Unless you have independent wealth, to stick around when
there is no work and practice all day is not easy. The committment is
easier when you are young and with your parents - that's all I meant. Most
people are not willing to do all the work to becaome a classical harmonica
player and then end up with no playing opportunities.
As for amateurs and mindless folklore-type entertainment, I am not like
Segovia - I love the harmonica in any style and I like harmonica players of
all levels.
I do want (like Segovia) to raise the artistic level of the harmonica.
Harmonically yours,
BONFIGLIO