Chamber and Baroque Music

         What is chamber music?

  Mary

  Early Music Ensemble Voices of Music

  Quinteto 5 to Agave

  Canadian Brass Ensemble

• I thought it might be interesting to compare this as a magical piece of Baroque chamber music from Bach played by different instrumental ensembles.
• I recommend listening to the first 30 seconds of each video.
• Some background
• In reading another article, I was surprised to learn that the piece is only 18 measures.

  Lewis

  J. S. Bach — Trio Sonata based on The Musical Offering

• First, listen from 00:30 only to 01:12 (Musical Offering) to hear two iterations of its theme.
• Then, listen from 34:28 to 40:35. (Trio Sonata — Second movement: Allegro).
• Full title: Sonata Sopr'Il Soggetto Reale a Traversa, Violino e Continuo
• Based on Bach's Musical Offering
• The cello-like instrument is a viola da gamba.

  Myndall

  Antonin Dvorak — Serenade for Strings in E major

• One of my faves!
• Listen to about seven minutes of your choice. The whole thing is 29 minutes.
• Dvorak supposedly wrote it in just 2 weeks in May, 1875.
• There are 5 movements, and all but the finale are ABA form.
• The melody (A) in the first movement also appears in the finale at 27:34.

  Part of a Bach Brandenburg Concerto

• I recorded this from our bedroom window in New Orleans on Thursday.
• There was an event next door at the Beauregard-Keyes House, and the string quartet toggled between Bach and The Beatles.
• The talking outside was a haunted history tour on the sidewalk.

  Larry

  A Vivaldi string concerto.

  A Telemann concerto for flute and strings.

  Haydn — Symphony No. 45.

• Il Giardino Armonico ("The Garden of Harmony") is an Italian ensemble that plays music of the 17th and 18th centuries on period instruments.
• Starting in 2014, Il Giardino Armonico began performing and recording all of Joseph Haydn's symphonies and plans to complete this by the year 2032 -- which is the 300th anniversary of Haydn's birth.

  Leslie

  Beethoven — Quartet for Piano and Strings in E-flat

• The performance starts at 06:18. The beginning is an introduction to the Music Series at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art and then an introduction to the performance itself. Beethoven's Quartet goes to about 29:16, so no need to listen to the whole piece.
• I can't imagine that it was easy to play with masks on, but a visual documentation of the times we are living in. I can't comment on the quality of the performance. If I had to guess, I would say that they were playing precisely.
• I chose this for two reasons. One, we were talking about Beethoven two weeks ago. And also, because it loosely reminds me of when I lived in Taiwan and could attend very inexpensive performances at the National Concert Hall — often recitals by students. I loved the enthusiasm and support that the audiences gave the students.
• [Note by Lewis]: I performed this as Beethoven's Quartet for Piano and Woodwinds in E-flat!

  Mike

  Richard Strauss — Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings

• Listen from 06:10 to 09:22,
• then, listen from 18:30 for as long as you want to listen. (A few minutes is sufficient.)
• Description from The Orchestra Now:
  • With Metamorphosen (which means “Transformation”), Strauss sought to convey the meaning of how World War II had dramatically transformed humanity.
  • The piece is constructed in a unique format for 23 solo strings: Each of us on stage has a part that is special and unique from all the others. The parts blend together to form an overwhelmingly rich and thick texture. All performers from all 23 parts are given moments where they stand out to be heard as individuals.
  • The manner in which Strauss constructed the piece is relevant to the meaning as a memorial for the victims of World War II. The pain and suffering is felt differently by each individual, and also felt collectively by everyone in the entire world."