When did they change from gut saws? On Jan 10, 2012, at 1:49 PM, EUGENE BRAIG IV wrote:
> Alright, traveling more and more remotely to the original discussion, but > Crumb is wacky. I think it's interesting that "Ancient Voices..." makes such > frequent appearances in music appreciation and history courses in North > America just because it is so wacky. I don't know if other "sonorists" serve > as more frequent examples off the continent. I've actually performed > "Ancient Voices..." several times. It calls for a pianist to play toy piano, > boy soprano singing softly off stage or singing directly into the frame of a > piano, all performers periodically shouting, etc. > > In addition to mandolin (with one string of each course detuned 1/4 step and > sometimes played "bottleneck" style with a slide), the mandolinist is called > upon to play the musical saw with a cello bow. One mandolinist friend > complained about cutting himself in prepping for a performance. Another > mandolinist friend retorted "I have a bit of advice. Play the side without > the teeth!" Personally, I don't believe I ever got close to the pitches > notated for saw. The best I could do is generally follow the "melody" up or > down. Bowed saw isn't much like any lutey kin. > > Eugene > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Christopher Wilke <[email protected]> > Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 3:43 pm > Subject: [LUTE] Re: tuning fork at 433Hz? > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>, EUGENE BRAIG IV > <[email protected]> > >> Eugene, >> >> --- On Tue, 1/10/12, EUGENE BRAIG IV <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> In the song cycle "Ancient >>> Voices of Children", George Crumb asks >>> the mandolin be played with a >>> metal paper clip in stead of a plectrum >>> of more typical material: >>> plastics, tortoiseshell, etc. His >>> intent was to generate as sharply >>> metallic a sound as possible. >> >> Getting off topic here, but it's fun anyway. Crumb is a very >> interesting composer with an obsession for timbre and special >> effects. In "Songs, Drones and Refrains of Death," he >> calls outrageous techniques, like calling for the percussionist >> to beat on the strings of both the electric guitar and the >> acoustic bass with soft mallets. At various points, all of >> the instrumentalists have to whisper, speak, sing, hum and >> shout. The electric guitarist also has to double on jaw >> harp. At one point, the singer, using a megaphone, must >> vocalize into a piano while the pianist depresses the pedal, >> creating sympathetic resonance. The pianist also doubles >> on amplified harpsichord. I performed this piece a few >> times. Quite a lot of fun. >> >> There is a whole school of mostly Eastern European composers >> active after WWII that make much use of similar effects. >> The label that has been applied to them is "sonorist". >> Zbigniew Granat, my colleague at Nazareth College where I teach, >> is an expert in the study of these composers. >> >> Chris >> >> >> Christopher Wilke D.M.A. >> Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer >> www.christopherwilke.com >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
