To listen to a piece of music played strictly by the dots,
listen to something played either as a midi file or on one of those street
organs where everything is accurate because they use pages with holes cut in
them. They play the same (accurate) music time after time.
There's a rather nice mechanical music museum in Cornwall (Paul Corin) and
there they have some mechanical pianos capable of playing the most
complicated things. Someone had the idea of not only making the correct
notes but invented a way of transferring the "touch" of the pianist to the
mechanical sheets.
Paderewski used it to record a performance and the difference between it and
a standard roll of the same music is truly astounding (it's actually called
a Paderewski playing piano).
That, to me, showed the difference between the written note and the touch of
master.
The nuances were totally missing from the plain player-piano.
I think that holds good for most music.
You need dots + "something" to make music (and maybe the dots are really
just a guide).
Poetry is far better spoken aloud than read, isn't it?
Same words.
Colin Hill
----- Original Message -----
From: "Anthony Robb" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; "Dave S" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 9:52 PM
Subject: [NSP] Re: Style/dots
Hello Dave
Whilst that was being penned there was a thriving and continuous aural
tradition in various parts of Northumberland especially in the north. I
only began to appreciate it when I moved there myself at the end of
1976. None of the best players could read dots and they could trace
their music heritage back through the generations. It is true they all
wished they could read and so expand their repertoire more quickly but
they couldn't and that may well be why their music was so distinctive.
Cheers
Anthony
--- On Wed, 27/5/09, Dave S <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Dave S <[email protected]>
Subject: [NSP] Re: Style/dots
To: "Anthony Robb" <[email protected]>, [email protected]
Date: Wednesday, 27 May, 2009, 9:23 PM
Hi Anthony, let me quote a passage showing that perhaps todays
tradition started from the dots ---- and yes I agree "Keep your ears
open"
ciao
Dave
A LETTER TO
HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND ON THE
ANCIENT NORTHUMBRIAN MUSIC,
ITS COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION.
BY THOMAS DOUBLEDAY.
*' Nor rough nor barren are the windings ways
Of hoar Antiquity, but strewn with flow'rs."
Thomas Warton.
LONDON :
NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE : ANDREW REID, 40, PILGRIM-STREET.
1862.
Such are the relative positions of the old, natural, and the
modem, mathematical music. It seems clear that this posi-
tion can never be altered. To expect a simple expressive
melody to be appreciated, or even listened to, amidst the
harmonious din of contending orchestras and oratorios, that
count performers by himdreds, would be to expect a miracle.
The Ancient Music, then, must remain in those "harbours of
refuge" amongst the mountains of Northumberland, Scotland,
Ireland, Beam, Corsica, Sicily, the Tyrol, Calabria, and
Spain, to which it has been driven ; until amidst the muta-
tions of society it may, probably, at length, finally disappear
and be lost to the world, unless noted down, collected, and
put on record.
Such a fate I have long anticipated for the Ancient Music
of Northumberland, which, being less in volume, much sim-
pler, and only an offshoot of the music of Caledonia, may be
expected soonest to perish. When, therefore, I learned, as
I did some months since, that this subject had attracted the
attention of the learned Society of Antiquaries of the town
of Newcastle and its vicinity, my gratification was as great
and sincere as it was unexpected. I had, in years gone past,
sometimes dreamed of venturing upon the undertaking of
collecting it single-handed. It was but a dream. A brief con-
sideration was amply enough to convince me that to atchieve
success in such a quest an expenditure of time and money
must be involved far beyond that which any individual in a
private station could, for such an object, be expected to incur.
When, therefore, I became acquainted with the fact that
the Society ol Antiquaries had taken the first step, by the
appointment of a sub-committee, for the purpose of taking
such measures for the collection and preservation of those
interesting musical rehcs as might seem to be most efficient,
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