and his daughter, Gretchen Van Hoesen
of Alec Wilder's Phyllis McGinley Song Cycle. Listen here:
Here are the poems he set:
Showing posts with label Bassoon Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bassoon Music. Show all posts
Monday, October 2, 2017
Phyllis McGinley Song Cycle
and his daughter, Gretchen Van Hoesen
of Alec Wilder's Phyllis McGinley Song Cycle. Listen here:
Here are the poems he set:
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Malambo, Nostalgica and Wilder videos
I've just uploaded some videos to YouTube.
Malambo, Op.115 by Miguel del Aguila. This is my live performance from May of this year with the MOSA quartet.
Nostalgica for Bassoon and String Quartet, also from May performance. Miguel revised this piece for our performance.
And, continuing my homage to my former teacher, K. David Van Hoesen, here is his recording of Alec Wilder's Sonata #3 for Bassoon and Piano with Bill Dobbins.
Nostalgica for Bassoon and String Quartet, also from May performance. Miguel revised this piece for our performance.
And, continuing my homage to my former teacher, K. David Van Hoesen, here is his recording of Alec Wilder's Sonata #3 for Bassoon and Piano with Bill Dobbins.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Bozza Recit, Sicilienne et Rondo
Recit, Sicilienne et Rondo by Eugene Bozza is one of the best Paris Conservatory pieces out there. I have just posted my live performance at the University of Arkansas from this past April on YouTube .
Anyone performing this piece will notice that the edition contains several obvious errors. I'll list them below.
BASSOON PART
PIANO PART
There are errors in the piano part as well.
This is not an omission or error, but simply a way of making the opening more dramatic. This is what Van Hoesen added to the piano part. Try it! It sounds really great!
Anyone performing this piece will notice that the edition contains several obvious errors. I'll list them below.
BASSOON PART
- In the first line above, the second turn should end in an E eighth note, not a C.
- At the Lent indication, the 32nds should be in BASS CLEF, not tenor. This is from K. David Van Hoesen who told me that in an earlier edition, the clef change happened only at the beginning of the next line. The Bb (instead of F) start to the Lent makes more sense harmonically, since it fits with the quasi diminished 7th arpeggios just before it. An F would not fit. Also, the F gives an implied V-I cadence in a place where there is no functional harmony.
- Anyone playing through this page with a pianist will quickly discover that the measures rest tally at #5 is long by a measure. Also the rests in the fourth bar of #5 give that bar too much value.
- A slur and tie are missing from the second measure before #10. Compare to 5 before #10.
PIANO PART
There are errors in the piano part as well.
In the above, the 3/4 bars with the septuplets in them need a quarter rest, not an eighth. Perhaps the original had the old-fashioned French quarter rests that look like reversed eighth rests?
In the above, the rolled chords in the first two measures should be half notes, not quarters.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Sestak 5 Inventions
This live performance is part of a recital I gave at the University of Arkansas on April 12th of this year.
I will be uploading other performances in the coming weeks, so subscribe to my channel for notifications. You may also subscribe to this blog to get notifications of postings.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Malambo at IDRS
Last Tuesday I performed Miguel del Aguila's Malambo with orchestra at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Appleton, Wisconsin. The concert was on the Lawrence University Campus in Memorial Chapel.
Previously this spring I had performed the two other versions of this piece for bassoon and piano at the University of Arkansas and with string quartet here in Cleveland on the Arts Renaissance Cleveland concert series. Now I've performed all three versions!
The version for bassoon and string orchestra adds the bass section, of course. There is a wonderful soli for them accompanying the bassoon at the beginning!
Here we are with Scott Pool, the bassoonist who organized the commission. Scott performed the bassoon and piano version of the piece the next day at the Conference.
Anyone considering performing this piece is welcome to contact me with any questions that arise about it. I would be happy to help with further performances!
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Tchaikovsky 6th -- helpful fingerings
The first bassoon part to Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony presents many challenges for the bassoonist. Much of it lies in the extreme soft playing demanded from the score.
We played this piece this summer at the Blossom Music Center, so the measures I took to make the soft playing as comfortable as possible are fresh in my mind.
The challenges start right at the beginning with the famous solo. Along with the Rite of Spring, this is one of just a few solos for the bassoon that open a major piece of standard repertoire. Like the Rite, it is in a difficult register for solo bassoon writing.
There are many solutions to helping the first E start softly, securely and down to pitch. Below is the fingering I use -- notice that the register lock is on (see the strike through on the whisper key) to allow for safe passage to the F# in the solo.
Try with the low Bb key completely closed or just part way down for a dampening effect that also can lower the pitch of the E. Adding the extra key will make the attack more resistant, so you can use a little more energy when starting.
On my bassoon I have a lever that partially closes the low B when the low Bb is depressed. You can make one of these for yourself by cutting a small strip from the backing of a notepad (like cardboard only thinner) and placing the strip in the linkage between the top end of the low B key and the arm from the B pad cup that overlaps it. This will close the B pad partially. Try different thicknesses. A match will also work.
Just remember to take it out when finished! Also, be sure to lock the whisper key when playing this solo, so it won't pop open the bocal vent!
At the top of the second page of movement one and at the end of movement two there are some soft low A's to play. If you need to cover your sound, try either of these fingerings:
Just before the end of the exposition in the first movement comes another famous stretch of soft playing.
In the first line, hold down the low D key and low Eb key for really soft, secure D - F and D - F# slurs.
Now for the famous "pppppp" passage! Ideally this should be played by the bass clarinet. It sounds better following the clarinet solo before it. However, if the conductor insists you play it, here is a set of fingerings shown me by Willard Elliot which work well.
Low Bb and Low D key are added to 3 of the 4 notes. The low F# may balk with this fingering combination, so I use the usual muffled F# fingering for that note, going back to the Low Bb/Low D combination for the Low D. Note, once again, the whisper key lock is on for safety!
If that's not soft enough, you can play with a mute in the bell.
In the 4th movement, both bassoons end a long passage together on a low C#.
This fingering may help, but be sure it doesn't make the C# too flat in pitch.
We played this piece this summer at the Blossom Music Center, so the measures I took to make the soft playing as comfortable as possible are fresh in my mind.
The challenges start right at the beginning with the famous solo. Along with the Rite of Spring, this is one of just a few solos for the bassoon that open a major piece of standard repertoire. Like the Rite, it is in a difficult register for solo bassoon writing.
There are many solutions to helping the first E start softly, securely and down to pitch. Below is the fingering I use -- notice that the register lock is on (see the strike through on the whisper key) to allow for safe passage to the F# in the solo.
On my bassoon I have a lever that partially closes the low B when the low Bb is depressed. You can make one of these for yourself by cutting a small strip from the backing of a notepad (like cardboard only thinner) and placing the strip in the linkage between the top end of the low B key and the arm from the B pad cup that overlaps it. This will close the B pad partially. Try different thicknesses. A match will also work.
Just remember to take it out when finished! Also, be sure to lock the whisper key when playing this solo, so it won't pop open the bocal vent!
At the top of the second page of movement one and at the end of movement two there are some soft low A's to play. If you need to cover your sound, try either of these fingerings:
Low Bb and Low D key are added to 3 of the 4 notes. The low F# may balk with this fingering combination, so I use the usual muffled F# fingering for that note, going back to the Low Bb/Low D combination for the Low D. Note, once again, the whisper key lock is on for safety!
If that's not soft enough, you can play with a mute in the bell.
This fingering may help, but be sure it doesn't make the C# too flat in pitch.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Rapsodie Espagnole -- the cadenza
We performed Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole last month at the Blossom Music Center.
I'd like to devote this post to the cadenza for two bassoons in the first movement.
The movement title is Prélude à la nuit or Prelude to the Night. The movement is full of impressionistic effects for the orchestra that hint at night sounds in Spanish town. Perhaps the two bassoons are mysterious gusts of wind blowing dust down a deserted street in the early hours of the morning.
Aside from the virtuoso writing and the use of non-traditional harmonies, it is notable that there is no meter throughout this cadenza.
Sometimes this passage is played in a steady tempo. I think this decision constitutes a major missed opportunity to add to the impressionistic character of this section. The lack of meter should indicate to the performers that some freedom is intended with the pulse. It's a shame to hear this duet played like an etude! It makes me wonder if the two players communicate so poorly that they found it necessary to play it steadily so as to keep their place!
Regarding pulse, I think it's important to utilize what's on the page when deciding how to make the notes play out over time.
Notice where there are fermatas and where there are none.
Three quarter notes, but only two fermatas, so don't sit on the first quarter note B too long!
Begin an accelerando after the second hold when the sextuplets start up again. It's best to reach a steady pulse at the height of the crescendo (second bassoon has a difficult part starting here). Decrease speed as you diminuendo.
The measure before Number 9 is often played steadily, too. There is still no meter to hem you in and the indication is Très ralentir, so it's hard to understand why the sextuplet 8th notes should be steady as a rock!
As you approach the hold a broadening of the pulse goes naturally with the crescendo.
What to Expect from the Conductor
This is a very touchy passage for both players and a good conductor will mostly stay out of the way, helping only when necessary -- at the beginning and the end.
If you want it to stay that way, it's extremely important that the two players run through the passage separately as many times as necessary so it goes off predictably well in the first run-through. If trouble happens, conductors have a hard time resisting the urge to "help". You may then have to play it in a way that is quite foreign to your understanding and more difficult than necessary.
Ideally, the conductor should give a cue for starting the first note and then help with getting out of the fermata at the end just before Number 9 and that's it!
How to Lead
If you are playing first bassoon on this, you will need to sharpen your skill in leading. Below, I've marked in red where cues should be given.
Hold still for the long, held notes. Cues 3-5 could be given as steady beat in a moderate tempo. In this way, the 32nd note flourish will sound faster than the 16th note sextuplets at the beginning.
To help the accelerando start slowly, I recommend cuing the E# in the first set, then just cuing the first of each group. The Très ralentir bar can be cued in differnt ways, but the method outlined above works as well as any other one.
The very end may be taken care of by the conductor. If so, you will see one of two possible ways to end this.
1. A cue for the last quarter beat before Number 9 and a downbeat at 9.
2. A cue for the last quarter and one for the last note before 9 and then a downbeat.
How to give cues
Try to give cues using as little body language as necessary. It sends a bad signal to your second bassoonist if you are swinging your bassoon on the beats like a baseball bat! Sensitive players can pick up on small motions using peripheral vision. Just a slight motion is necessary. Be careful to be still when not cuing to avoid confusion!
Use in an audition
This excerpt is commonly used in the final round of a second bassoon audition. It often involves the candidates playing it with the Principal Bassoonist. If you find yourself in this situation, remember that it's very unlikely that any of the candidates will play this perfectly together with the Principal the first time through.
The real test comes in the second try, when you can show how much you picked up on during the first run-through. It is fine to ask a question or two, if necessary before playing it again, but don't get involved in any intellectual discussions at this point!
A fingering
If you have trouble with the slur from the high C# to G# at the first hold, try this fingering for the G#.
I'd like to devote this post to the cadenza for two bassoons in the first movement.
Aside from the virtuoso writing and the use of non-traditional harmonies, it is notable that there is no meter throughout this cadenza.
Sometimes this passage is played in a steady tempo. I think this decision constitutes a major missed opportunity to add to the impressionistic character of this section. The lack of meter should indicate to the performers that some freedom is intended with the pulse. It's a shame to hear this duet played like an etude! It makes me wonder if the two players communicate so poorly that they found it necessary to play it steadily so as to keep their place!
Regarding pulse, I think it's important to utilize what's on the page when deciding how to make the notes play out over time.
Notice where there are fermatas and where there are none.
Begin an accelerando after the second hold when the sextuplets start up again. It's best to reach a steady pulse at the height of the crescendo (second bassoon has a difficult part starting here). Decrease speed as you diminuendo.
As you approach the hold a broadening of the pulse goes naturally with the crescendo.
What to Expect from the Conductor
This is a very touchy passage for both players and a good conductor will mostly stay out of the way, helping only when necessary -- at the beginning and the end.
If you want it to stay that way, it's extremely important that the two players run through the passage separately as many times as necessary so it goes off predictably well in the first run-through. If trouble happens, conductors have a hard time resisting the urge to "help". You may then have to play it in a way that is quite foreign to your understanding and more difficult than necessary.
Ideally, the conductor should give a cue for starting the first note and then help with getting out of the fermata at the end just before Number 9 and that's it!
How to Lead
If you are playing first bassoon on this, you will need to sharpen your skill in leading. Below, I've marked in red where cues should be given.
Hold still for the long, held notes. Cues 3-5 could be given as steady beat in a moderate tempo. In this way, the 32nd note flourish will sound faster than the 16th note sextuplets at the beginning.
To help the accelerando start slowly, I recommend cuing the E# in the first set, then just cuing the first of each group. The Très ralentir bar can be cued in differnt ways, but the method outlined above works as well as any other one.
The very end may be taken care of by the conductor. If so, you will see one of two possible ways to end this.
1. A cue for the last quarter beat before Number 9 and a downbeat at 9.
2. A cue for the last quarter and one for the last note before 9 and then a downbeat.
How to give cues
Try to give cues using as little body language as necessary. It sends a bad signal to your second bassoonist if you are swinging your bassoon on the beats like a baseball bat! Sensitive players can pick up on small motions using peripheral vision. Just a slight motion is necessary. Be careful to be still when not cuing to avoid confusion!
Use in an audition
This excerpt is commonly used in the final round of a second bassoon audition. It often involves the candidates playing it with the Principal Bassoonist. If you find yourself in this situation, remember that it's very unlikely that any of the candidates will play this perfectly together with the Principal the first time through.
The real test comes in the second try, when you can show how much you picked up on during the first run-through. It is fine to ask a question or two, if necessary before playing it again, but don't get involved in any intellectual discussions at this point!
A fingering
If you have trouble with the slur from the high C# to G# at the first hold, try this fingering for the G#.
Rapsodie Espagnole -- the cadenza
We performed Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole last month at the Blossom Music Center.
I'd like to devote this post to the cadenza for two bassoons in the first movement.
The movement title is Prélude à la nuit or Prelude to the Night. The movement is full of impressionistic effects for the orchestra that hint at night sounds in Spanish town. Perhaps the two bassoons are mysterious gusts of wind blowing dust down a deserted street in the early hours of the morning.
Aside from the virtuoso writing and the use of non-traditional harmonies, it is notable that there is no meter throughout this cadenza.
Sometimes this passage is played in a steady tempo. I think this decision constitutes a major missed opportunity to add to the impressionistic character of this section. The lack of meter should indicate to the performers that some freedom is intended with the pulse. It's a shame to hear this duet played like an etude! It makes me wonder if the two players communicate so poorly that they found it necessary to play it steadily so as to keep their place!
Regarding pulse, I think it's important to utilize what's on the page when deciding how to make the notes play out over time.
Notice where there are fermatas and where there are none.
Three quarter notes, but only two fermatas, so don't sit on the first quarter note B too long!
Begin an accelerando after the second hold when the sextuplets start up again. It's best to reach a steady pulse at the height of the crescendo (second bassoon has a difficult part starting here). Decrease speed as you diminuendo.
The measure before Number 9 is often played steadily, too. There is still no meter to hem you in and the indication is Très ralentir, so it's hard to understand why the sextuplet 8th notes should be steady as a rock!
As you approach the hold a broadening of the pulse goes naturally with the crescendo.
What to Expect from the Conductor
This is a very touchy passage for both players and a good conductor will mostly stay out of the way, helping only when necessary -- at the beginning and the end.
If you want it to stay that way, it's extremely important that the two players run through the passage separately as many times as necessary so it goes off predictably well in the first run-through. If trouble happens, conductors have a hard time resisting the urge to "help". You may then have to play it in a way that is quite foreign to your understanding and more difficult than necessary.
Ideally, the conductor should give a cue for starting the first note and then help with getting out of the fermata at the end just before Number 9 and that's it!
How to Lead
If you are playing first bassoon on this, you will need to sharpen your skill in leading. Below, I've marked in red where cues should be given.
Hold still for the long, held notes. Cues 3-5 could be given as steady beat in a moderate tempo. In this way, the 32nd note flourish will sound faster than the 16th note sextuplets at the beginning.
To help the accelerando start slowly, I recommend cuing the E# in the first set, then just cuing the first of each group. The Très ralentir bar can be cued in differnt ways, but the method outlined above works as well as any other one.
The very end may be taken care of by the conductor. If so, you will see one of two possible ways to end this.
1. A cue for the last quarter beat before Number 9 and a downbeat at 9.
2. A cue for the last quarter and one for the last note before 9 and then a downbeat.
How to give cues
Try to give cues using as little body language as necessary. It sends a bad signal to your second bassoonist if you are swinging your bassoon on the beats like a baseball bat! Sensitive players can pick up on small motions using peripheral vision. Just a slight motion is necessary. Be careful to be still when not cuing to avoid confusion!
Use in an audition
This excerpt is commonly used in the final round of a second bassoon audition. It often involves the candidates playing it with the Principal Bassoonist. If you find yourself in this situation, remember that it's very unlikely that any of the candidates will play this perfectly together with the Principal the first time through.
The real test comes in the second try, when you can show how much you picked up on during the first run-through. It is fine to ask a question or two, if necessary before playing it again, but don't get involved in any intellectual discussions at this point!
A fingering
If you have trouble with the slur from the high C# to G# at the first hold, try this fingering for the G#.
I'd like to devote this post to the cadenza for two bassoons in the first movement.
Aside from the virtuoso writing and the use of non-traditional harmonies, it is notable that there is no meter throughout this cadenza.
Sometimes this passage is played in a steady tempo. I think this decision constitutes a major missed opportunity to add to the impressionistic character of this section. The lack of meter should indicate to the performers that some freedom is intended with the pulse. It's a shame to hear this duet played like an etude! It makes me wonder if the two players communicate so poorly that they found it necessary to play it steadily so as to keep their place!
Regarding pulse, I think it's important to utilize what's on the page when deciding how to make the notes play out over time.
Notice where there are fermatas and where there are none.
Begin an accelerando after the second hold when the sextuplets start up again. It's best to reach a steady pulse at the height of the crescendo (second bassoon has a difficult part starting here). Decrease speed as you diminuendo.
As you approach the hold a broadening of the pulse goes naturally with the crescendo.
What to Expect from the Conductor
This is a very touchy passage for both players and a good conductor will mostly stay out of the way, helping only when necessary -- at the beginning and the end.
If you want it to stay that way, it's extremely important that the two players run through the passage separately as many times as necessary so it goes off predictably well in the first run-through. If trouble happens, conductors have a hard time resisting the urge to "help". You may then have to play it in a way that is quite foreign to your understanding and more difficult than necessary.
Ideally, the conductor should give a cue for starting the first note and then help with getting out of the fermata at the end just before Number 9 and that's it!
How to Lead
If you are playing first bassoon on this, you will need to sharpen your skill in leading. Below, I've marked in red where cues should be given.
Hold still for the long, held notes. Cues 3-5 could be given as steady beat in a moderate tempo. In this way, the 32nd note flourish will sound faster than the 16th note sextuplets at the beginning.
To help the accelerando start slowly, I recommend cuing the E# in the first set, then just cuing the first of each group. The Très ralentir bar can be cued in differnt ways, but the method outlined above works as well as any other one.
The very end may be taken care of by the conductor. If so, you will see one of two possible ways to end this.
1. A cue for the last quarter beat before Number 9 and a downbeat at 9.
2. A cue for the last quarter and one for the last note before 9 and then a downbeat.
How to give cues
Try to give cues using as little body language as necessary. It sends a bad signal to your second bassoonist if you are swinging your bassoon on the beats like a baseball bat! Sensitive players can pick up on small motions using peripheral vision. Just a slight motion is necessary. Be careful to be still when not cuing to avoid confusion!
Use in an audition
This excerpt is commonly used in the final round of a second bassoon audition. It often involves the candidates playing it with the Principal Bassoonist. If you find yourself in this situation, remember that it's very unlikely that any of the candidates will play this perfectly together with the Principal the first time through.
The real test comes in the second try, when you can show how much you picked up on during the first run-through. It is fine to ask a question or two, if necessary before playing it again, but don't get involved in any intellectual discussions at this point!
A fingering
If you have trouble with the slur from the high C# to G# at the first hold, try this fingering for the G#.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Scheherazade -- Technical Matters
Here are some technical solutions I use for some of the difficult passages in the rest of the piece.
First movement, last note
This from a guy who wrote a classic book on orchestration!! High B is certainly one of the most unstable notes on the bassoon. I can put mine anywhere within about a minor third range if I want!
Second bassoon has an E in the staff, so you can tune with that part. However, Clarinet 1 has the B an octave higher (often sharp!). So you need some flexibility with this.
Here are some fingerings to try, especially if you find you are sharp on this note or it sticks out.
Note that neither fingering uses the low Eb key. Try your regular high B fingering without the low Eb key. It may have a better sound!
Octave G's
This passage with the G's might flow better if the upper G's are played with the left index finger completely removed. Watch for cracked articulation, though!
Last movement meter changes
In the last movement comes a section that alternates between three to the bar and two to the bar. Meters represented are 2/8, 3/8 and 6/16. In all cases, the duration of each bar is the same and the section is conducted in one.
Thus, it's just a matter of deciding how each bar is divided up.
The writing is confusing at times and maybe not always correctly written.
I've marked in red where the meter changes. Note: at D the figure should be played as two triplets, whereas at F, the figure is written the same, but the grouping must be three to the bar. Listen to a recording and you'll see what I mean.
First movement, last note
Second bassoon has an E in the staff, so you can tune with that part. However, Clarinet 1 has the B an octave higher (often sharp!). So you need some flexibility with this.
Here are some fingerings to try, especially if you find you are sharp on this note or it sticks out.
Octave G's
Last movement meter changes
In the last movement comes a section that alternates between three to the bar and two to the bar. Meters represented are 2/8, 3/8 and 6/16. In all cases, the duration of each bar is the same and the section is conducted in one.
Thus, it's just a matter of deciding how each bar is divided up.
The writing is confusing at times and maybe not always correctly written.
I've marked in red where the meter changes. Note: at D the figure should be played as two triplets, whereas at F, the figure is written the same, but the grouping must be three to the bar. Listen to a recording and you'll see what I mean.
Scheherazade - Cadenzas
Let's look now at the three cadenzas that come later in the movement. From a visual standpoint it's easy to see that each successive cadenza is more elaborate than the previous.
Therefore, it's smart to underplay the first one just a little. Not too long a hold on the F, not too slow to start with, not much accelerando or crescendo.
This leaves room for more of everything in the next two cadenzas. Longer hold on the F, slower start to the triplets, more crescendo and accelerando to the end. Note the ritardando molto at the end of the third cadenza. This can start earlier than indicated if you want -- on the last G and following.
Each cadenza is introduced by the three note sequence, D, E, F in quarter note triplets. I like to provide some direction to this introductory fanfare by playing the D and E as the latter part of a three-note quarter triplet group, giving the two notes a pickup feel as they approach the F. A slight crescendo towards the F in each case is helpful.
In the third cadenza, I use a simplified fingering for the E-D-E triplet alternation which occurs twice.
I return to a normal, full fingering for E in the next triplet group (D, E, F).
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