Are their any Classical Music Festivals-United States

[StephenTx]

Colleagues, I see many festivals popping up here and there in the States but they are seemed to be focused on Folk Music. I am a "newbie" since July and more into the Classical/Broadway and Contemporary Music. I am taking lessons via Skype from Pauline de Snoo in Holland as her speciality is definitely Classical which I am enjoying tremendously. I plan on attending the Swaledale Squeeze next May in England...but I was wondering if there was a gathering of concertinaist in the US that also brought together those with a classical leaning. Thank you.

[Dirge]

Colleagues, I see many festivals popping up here and there in the States but they are seemed to be focused on Folk Music. I am a "newbie" since July and more into the Classical/Broadway and Contemporary Music. I am taking lessons via Skype from Pauline de Snoo in Holland as her speciality is definitely Classical which I am enjoying tremendously. I plan on attending the Swaledale Squeeze next May in England...but I was wondering if there was a gathering of concertinaist in the US that also brought together those with a classical leaning. Thank you.

At the moment you join a very exclusive minority; I think you've assessed the situation about right.

 

Mind you do classical players of any sort get together much?

[Rod]

Colleagues, I see many festivals popping up here and there in the States but they are seemed to be focused on Folk Music. I am a "newbie" since July and more into the Classical/Broadway and Contemporary Music. I am taking lessons via Skype from Pauline de Snoo in Holland as her speciality is definitely Classical which I am enjoying tremendously. I plan on attending the Swaledale Squeeze next May in England...but I was wondering if there was a gathering of concertinaist in the US that also brought together those with a classical leaning. Thank you.

At the moment you join a very exclusive minority; I think you've assessed the situation about right.

 

Mind you do classical players of any sort get together much?

 

The Concertina is of course suitable for a far wider range of musical styles and applications than are generally associated with the instrument. I wonder why.

[StephenTx]

This is quite interesting as the concertina as I understand it from reading and discussions with Pauline the concertina started out as a classical instrument, in fact many classical pieces are written for the concertina. I can't help but wonder why if fell out of favor too? I wish we there were more classicalist...although there seems to be in a few in England and Holland. The Swaledale Festival in Northern England does bring together a number of classical players. There is a YouTube video from the Festival this year search "Swaledale Frestival concertina". I would love to get something going in the States if there are individuals interested.

Fe

[Anglo-Irishman]

This is quite interesting as the concertina as I understand it from reading and discussions with Pauline the concertina started out as a classical instrument, in fact many classical pieces are written for the concertina. I can't help but wonder why if fell out of favor too?

 

Stephen,

 

As I understand the history of organology books, the concertina didn't actually fall out of favour as a classical instrument - it just never succeeded in being accepted into the canon of classical instruments along with the strings, woodwind and brass. One important point is that, at the time of the concetina's inception, the symphony orchestra had all that it needed by way of tone colours - and had had it for a long time! Even the valve for brass instruments, which made trumpets, horns and tubas chromatic, was invented aound 1815, so by the time the concertina came along, the Romantic symphony orchestra instrumentation was complete.

 

Admittedly, the English concertina fulfils all the criteria that are cited for a classical instrument: it is fully chromatic, and can produce a continuous note the can be influenced throughout its duration (cresc., dim., sforzando, etc.).

However, another criterion is the availability of sufficient numbers of proficient players to staff an orchestra that is expected to play "difficult" music. The strings and woodwind and the trombone had been around for centuries, and had a wide base of manufacturers and teachers, and corresponding numbers of learners and players, so that even a small percentage of players who were up to professional standard were enough to staff the orchestras. There was also a long tradition of horn and trumpet playing, so the invention of the valved brass was exploited by already proficient brass players. The new concertina lacked this broad basis; its professional creme de la creme were not even a small percentage of all players - they were exceptional individuals.

 

As to the early "classical" pieces for EC: remember that bourgeois amateur music in the mid-19th century was what we would today call "classical". Children were taught violin or piano, and young people had voice training, and were then expected to entertain family and friends at soirees, playing composed music from the sheet. In this context, the EC - which has the range of the violin and a similar timbre - was obviously an option, because no amount of tuition enables a person to play the violin in tune, unless that person already has a good ear and fine motoric control. However, if you can merely find the right notes on an EC, they're at least in tune. If I had to be subjected to an evening of rank amateur light classical music, I'd much rather hear a mediochre EC than a mediochre violin!

Of course, the decline of the bourgeoisie and the rise of recording media did away with the necessity for house music, and the boxed concertina joined the cased violin on top of the unplayed piano, while the youngsters of the family joyously cranked up the gramophone ...

 

Thus the concertina fell into the hands of the rural or proletarian musician. The Anglo-German concertina was already there, but apparently there were geographical Anglo-free niches, where the EC was able to go into hibernation, waiting for the Great Folk Revival.

 

If you personally wish to call to memory a role that the concertina once played - and probably played well - more power to your elbow! It's all part of life's rich pattern, and it would be a pity if it got lost altogether.

 

Just my view of the matter! I'm not a historian, just a histoically interested amateur musician.

 

Cheers,

John

[Stephen Mills]

Stephen,

 

I hope you'll come to the Palestine music festival at the end of March. While decidedly biased towards folk, some of the concertinists, especially Kurt Braun, who is usually there playing Crane duet, play some classical pieces. After years of classical guitar, I had kept my concertina repertoire focused on other styles until recently, when I have begun adding some Renaissance pieces. Barring conflicts, I expect to be there this year. And where else are you going to be able to play ensemble pieces with a dozen or more concertina players just an hour away from your home?

 

The organizers, Dan Worrall and Gary Coover, usually post plans on this forum in December or January.

[Rod]

This is quite interesting as the concertina as I understand it from reading and discussions with Pauline the concertina started out as a classical instrument, in fact many classical pieces are written for the concertina. I can't help but wonder why if fell out of favor too?

 

Stephen,

 

As I understand the history of organology books, the concertina didn't actually fall out of favour as a classical instrument - it just never succeeded in being accepted into the canon of classical instruments along with the strings, woodwind and brass. One important point is that, at the time of the concetina's inception, the symphony orchestra had all that it needed by way of tone colours - and had had it for a long time! Even the valve for brass instruments, which made trumpets, horns and tubas chromatic, was invented aound 1815, so by the time the concertina came along, the Romantic symphony orchestra instrumentation was complete.

 

Admittedly, the English concertina fulfils all the criteria that are cited for a classical instrument: it is fully chromatic, and can produce a continuous note the can be influenced throughout its duration (cresc., dim., sforzando, etc.).

However, another criterion is the availability of sufficient numbers of proficient players to staff an orchestra that is expected to play "difficult" music. The strings and woodwind and the trombone had been around for centuries, and had a wide base of manufacturers and teachers, and corresponding numbers of learners and players, so that even a small percentage of players who were up to professional standard were enough to staff the orchestras. There was also a long tradition of horn and trumpet playing, so the invention of the valved brass was exploited by already proficient brass players. The new concertina lacked this broad basis; its professional creme de la creme were not even a small percentage of all players - they were exceptional individuals.

 

As to the early "classical" pieces for EC: remember that bourgeois amateur music in the mid-19th century was what we would today call "classical". Children were taught violin or piano, and young people had voice training, and were then expected to entertain family and friends at soirees, playing composed music from the sheet. In this context, the EC - which has the range of the violin and a similar timbre - was obviously an option, because no amount of tuition enables a person to play the violin in tune, unless that person already has a good ear and fine motoric control. However, if you can merely find the right notes on an EC, they're at least in tune. If I had to be subjected to an evening of rank amateur light classical music, I'd much rather hear a mediochre EC than a mediochre violin!

Of course, the decline of the bourgeoisie and the rise of recording media did away with the necessity for house music, and the boxed concertina joined the cased violin on top of the unplayed piano, while the youngsters of the family joyously cranked up the gramophone ...

 

Thus the concertina fell into the hands of the rural or proletarian musician. The Anglo-German concertina was already there, but apparently there were geographical Anglo-free niches, where the EC was able to go into hibernation, waiting for the Great Folk Revival.

 

If you personally wish to call to memory a role that the concertina once played - and probably played well - more power to your elbow! It's all part of life's rich pattern, and it would be a pity if it got lost altogether.

 

Just my view of the matter! I'm not a historian, just a histoically interested amateur musician.

 

Cheers,

John

 

'Classical' music need not necessarily be restricted to the English Concertina. A certain amount of suitable 'Classical' music can be satisfactorily adapted for the solo Anglo intrument by those with the required spirit of adventure.

[chris]

Hi

Guitar music seems to work without too much tweaking - try Juliette Daum's website see what she can do

chris

[StephenTx]

This is quite interesting as the concertina as I understand it from reading and discussions with Pauline the concertina started out as a classical instrument, in fact many classical pieces are written for the concertina. I can't help but wonder why if fell out of favor too?

 

Stephen,

 

As I understand the history of organology books, the concertina didn't actually fall out of favour as a classical instrument - it just never succeeded in being accepted into the canon of classical instruments along with the strings, woodwind and brass. One important point is that, at the time of the concetina's inception, the symphony orchestra had all that it needed by way of tone colours - and had had it for a long time! Even the valve for brass instruments, which made trumpets, horns and tubas chromatic, was invented aound 1815, so by the time the concertina came along, the Romantic symphony orchestra instrumentation was complete.

 

Admittedly, the English concertina fulfils all the criteria that are cited for a classical instrument: it is fully chromatic, and can produce a continuous note the can be influenced throughout its duration (cresc., dim., sforzando, etc.).

However, another criterion is the availability of sufficient numbers of proficient players to staff an orchestra that is expected to play "difficult" music. The strings and woodwind and the trombone had been around for centuries, and had a wide base of manufacturers and teachers, and corresponding numbers of learners and players, so that even a small percentage of players who were up to professional standard were enough to staff the orchestras. There was also a long tradition of horn and trumpet playing, so the invention of the valved brass was exploited by already proficient brass players. The new concertina lacked this broad basis; its professional creme de la creme were not even a small percentage of all players - they were exceptional individuals.

 

As to the early "classical" pieces for EC: remember that bourgeois amateur music in the mid-19th century was what we would today call "classical". Children were taught violin or piano, and young people had voice training, and were then expected to entertain family and friends at soirees, playing composed music from the sheet. In this context, the EC - which has the range of the violin and a similar timbre - was obviously an option, because no amount of tuition enables a person to play the violin in tune, unless that person already has a good ear and fine motoric control. However, if you can merely find the right notes on an EC, they're at least in tune. If I had to be subjected to an evening of rank amateur light classical music, I'd much rather hear a mediochre EC than a mediochre violin!

Of course, the decline of the bourgeoisie and the rise of recording media did away with the necessity for house music, and the boxed concertina joined the cased violin on top of the unplayed piano, while the youngsters of the family joyously cranked up the gramophone ...

 

Thus the concertina fell into the hands of the rural or proletarian musician. The Anglo-German concertina was already there, but apparently there were geographical Anglo-free niches, where the EC was able to go into hibernation, waiting for the Great Folk Revival.

 

If you personally wish to call to memory a role that the concertina once played - and probably played well - more power to your elbow! It's all part of life's rich pattern, and it would be a pity if it got lost altogether.

 

Just my view of the matter! I'm not a historian, just a histoically interested amateur musician.

 

Cheers,

John

 

'Classical' music need not necessarily be restricted to the English Concertina. A certain amount of suitable 'Classical' music can be satisfactorily adapted for the solo Anglo intrument by those with the required spirit of adventure.

[StephenTx]

John, Wow "organology"...quite honestly I didn't know the word existed. As a health care professional I would have guessed it meant study of body organs. Thank you for sharing such very interesting and informative inforation.

Stephen

[Dirge]

Stephen, wow, "inforation"... quite honestly etc....

[StephenTx]

Stephen, wow, "inforation"... quite honestly etc....

[StephenTx]

My mother taught me if you don't have anything nice to say.... I didn't realize we were so critical with typing and typo's :-)

[Anglo-Irishman]

My mother taught me if you don't have anything nice to say.... I didn't realize we were so critical with typing and typo's :-)

 

Hey Dirge,

 

That wasn't a typo, was it? "Inforation" means "something that is put into a forum" - doesn't it? And that's just what Stephen was talking about!

Cheers,

John

[Wolf Molkentin]

Stephen, wow, "inforation"... quite honestly etc....

 

"Inforation" means...

indictment, something like that indeed (following the path back to the Latin origins of such words)

 

- which would bring us near the suggestion made by John, save that we had to replace the hostile circumstances of a law tribunal with the overall friendly and peaceful athmosphere of CNet.

 

Thus a worthy companion to that "organology"...

[JimLucas]

My mother taught me if you don't have anything nice to say.... I didn't realize we were so critical with typing and typo's :-)

A sense of humor helps a lot, especially if you find you've inadvertently played the straight man.

If we were really critical of typing and typos, not to mention linguistic and grammatical errors, there would probably be more posts of criticism here than posts about concertinas. Best to grin along with (at least some of) the rest of us when someone finds humor in what you've written.

[chris]

Hi

someone has to invent new words, otherwise we'd say the same old things

chris

[StephenTx]

My mother taught me if you don't have anything nice to say.... I didn't realize we were so critical with typing and typo's :-)

A sense of humor helps a lot, especially if you find you've inadvertently played the straight man.

If we were really critical of typing and typos, not to mention linguistic and grammatical errors, there would probably be more posts of criticism here than posts about concertinas. Best to grin along with (at least some of) the rest of us when someone finds humor in what you've written.