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Thorium - funny you should bring this up - another poster of Baroque music here in the April Piano Bar & I just finished a lengthy, cordial and informative discussion via PMs concerning my tempo on the Krieger Minuet specifically, and the tempi of minuets in general. His version (shared in a PM) is faster than mine, but not as fast as yours. The tempo indication is Moderato in my source ("Essentail Keyboard Repertoire"). On the CD that accompanies this book the pianist plays it at a tempo somewhere between his version and mine. I recorded my version at 3 different tempi and submitted the slowest because I liked the way it sounded (bringing out the slightly dark & brooding textures of the music). Also, historically I believe the minuet, as danced, was a slow and stately dance and the music that accompanied it would have been similar. But, also as a strictly instrumental piece I believe that the typical tempo of the minuet varied quite a bit over time and from place to place. On the CD that I mentioned above are 16 minuets with a wide range of tempi probably bearing this out.



If the "Minuet in G" is the very famous and frequently played one I am thinking of then please note that for the longest time it was erroneously atributed to J.S.Bach, but now a gentleman by the name of Christian Petzold is generally given credit for it's composition. Petzold also contributed other pieces to the famous "Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach".



I fully agree.

Regards, JF

Bluekeys - I really like your tempo and chord choices. Very nice. I think you are quite apt.

I thought the jury was still out on that? I'd certainly be happy to attribute it to Mr. Petzold. =)


Yeah, mine turned out to be Allegro, around 140 bpm. I usually play it a little more slowly. I think I my tempo goes up with recording nerves! (I have insane stage fright.) Do you play the Petzold/Bach G-major one? Would be fun to compare interpretations.

Peyton - I like this video, and the piano playing I think it's cool that everyone's kind of taken up the visuals - didn't Lisztener start that with the slide shows? Now if we can just get someone to accompany old silent movies I'd love to do that, but am not quite at par for that course yet.

bluekeys - great rendition. Nice tempo, nice syncopations, great confident touch.

epf - I love harpsichord, and that was a fine piece.

Thorium - very charming, and nice ornaments. Nice balance between the hands.

Cathy

I'm really enjoying all the great submissions this month, especially those cool videos! Bill, I loved your playing/singing and the nostalgic look to your video with "On the Sunny Side of the Street". That's a great old song.


I still don't have a clue how to do videos myself yet, so here's just another MP3:

Send in the Clowns
http://www.box.net/shared/nx1dbpvi57

Yes - I worked on that a couple of months ago and had it down fairly well - since then I did the Krieger and am just about to finish up a neat little Minuet in G minor by our boy, good old Christian Petzold (also from the "Notebook").

If I get a chance (I'm currently working on 3 other pieces) I'll spend some time reviewing it and then record and upload it here. But, no promises

Regards, JF

Cheers and kudos to everyone who has already -- and it's only the 4th! -- helped to create such an entertaining piano bar. It's interesting and enjoyable to hear/see such a mix of works.

Some old/new stuff for me : I have just bought a real piano, a sauter 108 : I love my roland hp201, but playing on a real piano is so different...

So to celebrate this and my first year of piano playing (I started in april 2008), I recorded some of the pieces I learned (with a few mistakes... ;-) ).

Prokofiev : The moon strolls in the meadow

(already recorded on the roland hp 201)
Chopin : Raindrop prelude

Laputa :

Nausica : Legend of Wind

Lovely work, yoyofr! I love the Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki films too, and they're full of little musical gems. I remember adoring the credits theme in Spirited Away (Itsumo Nando?) If my singing voice were better, I'd play and sing that one all day.

Good luck on the Tiersen stuff. I used to play "Comptine d'un autre ete - L'apres midi" on my nylon, and will definitely learn the original piano version.

Thor

Re comments:

Bill, Peyton, Knotty, Angelo, Jotur, Dennis, Bluekeys - thanks for listening and for the comments.

Peyton, I am playing from a lead sheet (melody notes plus chord symbols) only. And, uh, ... the truth is, she won't do dishes, even in my imagination!

Angelo, I have been taking lessons (once every other week) for almost three years now. Also had a year of lessons on the Hammond organ in the 1970s, and basic piano lessons as a kid in the 1940s. I now have the built-in excuse of being "too old" to learn anything I darn well don't feel like learning! (But, if I feel like learning it - well, then, "You're never too old"!)

Jotur, apparently her musical intelligence vastly exceeds her verbal intelligence. She can actually improvise a respectable melody over any set of chord changes, but do you think I can get her to say dooby dooby doo? Never! Maybe it's a union thing, I dunno.

Re new recordings:

HIMS - nice improv. Sounds bluesey but also Phillip Glass-ish.

Bluekeys - I try to stay out of the personal lives of my band members. (But between you and me, I have long suspected there's some hanky panky going on between Viv and my drummer. One senses these things.)

Bluekeys, very enjoyable, played smoothly, and with feeling!

Thorium, that's excellent for someone who just started! Well done.

Peyton, a beautiful melody and arrangement, executed perfectly, and so nicely integrated with the video! Makes a great commercial for Maine tourism!

Elssa, beautiful, moving. As usual, you have created an excellent introduction and ending! I learn a lot listening to you.

Yoyofr - great recordings! If you have only been playing for a year, you must practice 24/7, or have the world's greatest teacher. I especially enjoyed the Chopin.

Ed

No nasty hesitation was noticed by me,. Anything taht you may have seen as a nasty hesitation was evidently so minimal that it slipped by me unnoticed. Very enjoayble!

Nice performance, Thorium!

Yes, you do have a much better sound quality on that video. Nice video of the waterfowl, too! That's a very peaceful composition and fits your description well.

You had to ruin that beautiful piano playing with those nasty syn-strings, didn't you? You know I'm kidding you, of course. Your arrangement on this is very possibly the best of your recorded work so far. I was drawn into this lovely melody by your playing. Truly wonderful!

Elssa, that was beautifully done! Nice quality on the recording too. It must have been fun going back in with the strings?

Thorium... you only started a few weeks ago? You have it down!

yoyfr- It's hard to believe you have only been playing one year! That Raindrop prelude was very well done! I'd put even more forte into the storm part... go for it!

yoyofr,
Very nice recordings. I cannot believe you have only been playing a year. Congratulations on your great progress. You are obviously a musical genius (at least when compared to me). I love the Prokofiev piece. Of course Chopin's Raindrop Prelude is a favorite of just about everyone, and you did a grand job on it. Laputa is new to me, but it is quite beautiful. You did a fine job on it. Nausica: Legend of Wind is also new to me. It is an interesting piece and very well played. Thanks for sharing these. By the way, your new piano is gorgeous in both appearance and sound. I particularly like the way its treble sparkles.

"It must have been fun going back in with the strings?"

Thanks so much, folks. I suppose I'm addicted to the strings and various other added sounds from my organ-playing days. I used to belong to several local electric/pipe organ clubs/groups. We would meet at different houses and other venues and go to concerts, such as at the Thomaston Opera House in CT. On occasion, the organ would be the background for wonderful silent movies, such as Laurel and Hardy. I can't tell you how much fun those days were. The strings are just a (bad?) habit with me, I guess. I do try not to overdo them, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLA8DCqgVMs

Thanks for your kind feedback everyone
My teacher is probably not the best in the world, but I think he's not the worst either
He always focus on feeling the music before playing it, to know where you are
going and to stay calm, relaxed. I think I only start to understand this (after a year )...

Thorium, that's impressive, please keep posting your progress.
Elssa, that's very nice too! How do you proceed to add strings ?