Classical pieces for the EC

[tzirtzi]

Hello

 

I've been playing for about 4 or 5 months now, and have so far been playing almost solely folk tunes available both online and in books, and have been feeling generally under-challenged. So recently I've moved on to violin classical music - stuff from the mid-level grade books, at the moment a JS Bach partita and a bourée. But what these all lack is much use of the concertina's polyphonic and chordal potential - folk tunes seem always to be written out as a single line, violin music only includes occasional chords, so I feel I'm progressing little in this important area. I was wondering if anyone knows of any freely available classical music written or arranged for the EC? Such music clearly exists, as I've seen it sold online, and is presumably mostly Victorian and so public domain. I've looked, but haven't been able to find anything online myself.

 

If no-one does know of anything already online, what would people thing of the idea of starting to collect some online, to be available for free? There are good folk music collections online so there's no need for anything of that sort, but classical sheet music is quite scarce online generally, and especially so for the concertina. Would a free online collection of public domain concertina sheet music be of use to anyone? Would it be stepping on the toes of people selling concertina music? Would anyone be willing to contribute scans/photos/pdfs/ABCs/etc. if such a collection was started?

 

-Tam

[Leo]

Hi Tam

 

Would one of these work for you. All three are members here, and are occasion posters.

 

http://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/concertina/music/index.html

 

http://www.juliettedaum.com/concertina.html

 

http://www.concertina-academy.com

 

Thanks

Leo

[Dirge]

Firstly the ICA has a large collection of EC classical in their library. I have had lots of the duet music and it's excellent stuff, cleverly arranged by (usually) Mr Stanley who clearly understood how to get the best out of a duet. I see no reason why the same comments shouldn't apply to his EC stuff. You need to join to get at that but once you have, Dave Bissett, the librarian is really helpful and can be persuaded to scan in and email a piece that you are interested in. It's not officially part of his duties so you have to ask nicely! You can go and look at the library index right now, and see what there is; you don't need to join to do that. The catch is the technology is a bit behind and reproduction of the original beautifully calligraphed manuscripts (very legible in the original) can be frustratingly poor at times which doesn't help when you are trying to play something complex. But the music I've had has been stylish enough to put up with it. (This problem is being addressed, hopefully soon...)

 

There are several places with classical music for download on the net 'Mutopia' is perhaps the best. I've been told that guitar music is about the same range as EC; again I don't have the hands on experience to really know, but it would be more chordal. Go to mutopia and have a look at the guitar music, perhaps?

 

An online collection sounds brilliant if you can get it off the ground. I wish you luck.

 

(and you're absolutely right, being able to play chords is a concertina's 'USP' and should be made the most of)

[tzirtzi]

Hi Tam

 

Would one of these work for you. All three are members here, and are occasion posters.

 

http://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/concertina/music/index.html

 

http://www.juliettedaum.com/concertina.html

 

http://www.concertina-academy.com

 

Thanks

Leo

 

Thankyou very much! Some of this is exactly the kind of stuff I've been looking for

 

 

Firstly the ICA has a large collection of EC classical in their library. I have had lots of the duet music and it's excellent stuff, cleverly arranged by (usually) Mr Stanley who clearly understood how to get the best out of a duet. I see no reason why the same comments shouldn't apply to his EC stuff. You need to join to get at that but once you have, Dave Bissett, the librarian is really helpful and can be persuaded to scan in and email a piece that you are interested in. It's not officially part of his duties so you have to ask nicely! You can go and look at the library index right now, and see what there is; you don't need to join to do that. The catch is the technology is a bit behind and reproduction of the original beautifully calligraphed manuscripts (very legible in the original) can be frustratingly poor at times which doesn't help when you are trying to play something complex. But the music I've had has been stylish enough to put up with it. (This problem is being addressed, hopefully soon...)

 

There are several places with classical music for download on the net 'Mutopia' is perhaps the best. I've been told that guitar music is about the same range as EC; again I don't have the hands on experience to really know, but it would be more chordal. Go to mutopia and have a look at the guitar music, perhaps?

 

An online collection sounds brilliant if you can get it off the ground. I wish you luck.

 

(and you're absolutely right, being able to play chords is a concertina's 'USP' and should be made the most of)

 

I will indeed consider an ICA membership then. Can members go and use the library in person, if they live within a reasonable distance, or is it all digital?

 

I also hadn't thought of trying guitar music - wikipedia confirms that a typical guitar tuning gives a range only slightly larger than an EC, so hopefully there should be some appropriate stuff. Thanks for the suggestion

[Dirge]

I will indeed consider an ICA membership then. Can members go and use the library in person, if they live within a reasonable distance, or is it all digital?

 

 

Don't know about visiting in person, you'll have to ask. I wouldn't exactly describe it as all digital though.

[Christian Husmann]

Hello,

 

you might be interested in this website.

Great source of classical music that is.

 

Christian

[tzirtzi]

Hello,

 

you might be interested in this website.

Great source of classical music that is.

 

Christian

 

Thanks I do use the IMSLP, but find it woefully short on concertina music (only a single item, and that's for the anglo and both beyond the range of the EC and written on two staves). Still, it's a great resource for violin music and the like.

[Christian Husmann]

Hello,

 

you might be interested in this website.

Great source of classical music that is.

 

Christian

 

Thanks I do use the IMSLP, but find it woefully short on concertina music (only a single item, and that's for the anglo and both beyond the range of the EC and written on two staves). Still, it's a great resource for violin music and the like.

 

That´s right, but if you look around BWV 1000+ there are lots of pieces that are very suitable for the EC.

 

Christian

[Roger Gawley]

I will indeed consider an ICA membership then. Can members go and use the library in person, if they live within a reasonable distance, or is it all digital?

 

 

Don't know about visiting in person, you'll have to ask. I wouldn't exactly describe it as all digital though.

 

I would not exactly describe it as all digital either. (There is a sort to self-mocking sarcasm that seems to be peculiar to the English and colonies; it does not always come over properly by computer.)

 

We, the ICA are working on it though. Digitising the library, I mean.

 

Dave is very hospitable and you could visit by prior arrangement. Get a move on though: he wants to stop being Librarian at the end of the year.

 

Do join the ICA and do go and look at the material in the library.

 

Roger (Secretary to the ICA)

[David Barnert]

Thanks I do use the IMSLP, but find it woefully short on concertina music (only a single item, and that's for the anglo and both beyond the range of the EC and written on two staves). Still, it's a great resource for violin music and the like.

Any violin music is potentially english concertina music. The instruments have similar ranges and are both primarily melody instruments with capability to play other notes at the same time (drones, chords, and—less commonly—counter melodies).

[RatFace]

I also hadn't thought of trying guitar music - wikipedia confirms that a typical guitar tuning gives a range only slightly larger than an EC, so hopefully there should be some appropriate stuff. Thanks for the suggestion

 

I suggest going to the local library and getting a couple of guitar music collections - that span from pre baroque to modern. Just try playing through some of it, and you'll start to see what works and what doesn't, and even if it doesn't it's excellent practice for getting your fingers used to playing really awkward stuff!

 

Also, after a while you'll start to get the hang of re-arranging guitar music as you sight read - in particular handling the missing low E and F (though your treble may even have a low F or F#). Obviously a tenor range instrument can handle the low notes, but sometimes it's worth avoiding the lowest notes anyway, since they tend to be loud and speak a bit slowly.

[RatFace]

Oh, and also as well as getting the complete Bach violin sonatas and partitas, you can find the cello suites either in the original bass clef, in treble clef for violin, or in alto clef for viola. They're generally "easier" than the violin sonatas/partitas.

[tzirtzi]

Thanks to everyone who've left suggestions I have taken your advice and obtained some guitar and violin music - I wasn't expecting much of my local library, but they turned out to have a very good sheet music section, and I've borrowed six Bach suites for cello arranged for guitar, and sixteen Bach dance movements for cello arranged for violin. I'll report back on how I find it.

 

I've also been playing some pieces from the book from Juliette Daum's site - Mozart's Oh Dolce Concento + variations, and Non Più Andrai. Both quite easy as they have been transposed to G major, but very useful for getting my fingers used to playing chords.

 

I am also intending to join the ICA, as it sounds very worthwhile.

 

I've also created the database I mentioned - it's working and has about 100 entries, but I want to add a couple more features. So I will post a link to that for anyone who's interested soon .

 

Thanks again for all of your advice!

Edited May 13, 2009 by tzirtzi

[tzirtzi]

English-Concertina.co.uk database of EC online sheet music

 

If anyone knows of any other EC music online that could be added and would like to do so then please do - the guest password to add stuff is concertina.net - not very secure, but the point was to ward off inadvertently spamming bots rather than purposive human spammers. Similarly I've added very little violin music and no guitar music, so if anyone wants to add some more of that then feel welcome also .

 

In future I intend to add the ability to upload .pdfs and images to the site itself, so that stuff can be added that isn't already hosted elsewhere on the internet.

[David Barnert]

English-Concertina.co.uk database of EC online sheet music

 

If anyone knows of any other EC music online that could be added and would like to do so then please do...

 

In future I intend to add the ability to upload .pdfs and images to the site itself, so that stuff can be added that isn't already hosted elsewhere on the internet.

I have a CD-ROM containing sixty-something pdfs of scans of handwritten arrangements by Boris Matusewitch done in the mid 20th century of classical and "light classical" pieces for English Concertina (and two EC Duos). They total about 160 MB. I have neither the online storage space to host them nor the patience to input the fields your database requires, but I would gladly e-mail the files (or snail-mail the disk) to anyone who wants to take it on.

 

Here's the complete list, with copies taken out (whoever made the disk thought it was necessary to include copies of the duos, although the copies are duplicates of the same scans of the same sheets, that is, copies of the pdfs, not pdfs of hand-copied parts).

 

Around The Samovar (Russian Folk Songs)

Arrivederci Roma

Bach - Bourree (from unaccompanied partita)

Bach - Chorale (Jesu, Meine Freude)

Bach - Gavotte and Rhondo from Partita No. 6 - Violin

Bach - Gavotte

Bach - Meditation

Bach - Menuet I

Bach - Menuet II

Bach - Menuet in D Major

Bach - Suite in B Minor

Bach -Chorale (Komm, Suesser Todt)

Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 4

Brahms Theme 3rd Symphony- 3rd Movement

Carnival (from Black Orpheus)

Ciribiribin

Correlli - Sonata No. 8

Correlli La Folia - Sonata No. 12

Enesco - Rumanian Rhapsody

Etude No. 1 for Concertina

Etude No. 2 for Concertina

Gypsy Dance From Carmen

Gypsy Moon (Hungarian Gypsy Folk Song)

Hava Nagila

Haydn - Duo for Concertinas A&B

Hi Li-Li, Hi Lo

If Ever I Would Leave You

International Folk Medley

Kabalevsky - Variations on a Russian Folk Song for Concertin

Kabalevsky - Variations on a Ukranian Folk Song for Concerti

La Jesucita

La Paloma

La Strada Theme

Larghetto - for Concertinas A&B

Le Secret

Mademoiselle de Paree

Merry Widow Waltz

Misirlou

Monti - Czardas

Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor

Mozart Duo Concertante for Concertinas A&B

Mozart Viennese Sonata No. 5 for Concertinas A&B

Mozart Viennese Sonata No. 6 for Concertinas A&B

Non Dimenticar - Don't Forget

Paganini - Sonata No. 10 2nd Movement

Rachmaninoff - Theme (Rhapsody for Piano)

Rigaudon for Concertinas A&B

Roshenkis Mit Mandlen

Russian Potpurri

Sea Chanties

September Song

Softly As I Leave You

Song From Moulin Rouge - Where is Your Heart

Stravinsky - Chanson Russe

The River Seine

The Terry Theme

Tra Veglia e Sonno - Returning Dreams

Try To Remember - From The Fantastics

Villa Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5

Vivaldi - Concerto Op. 3 No. 6 in A Minor

Vivaldi - Concerto Op. 3 No. 9 in D Major (First Movement)

Vivaldi - Concerto Op. 3 No. 9 in D Major (Second Movement)

Vivaldi - Concerto Op. 3 No. 9 in D Major (Third Movement)

Vivaldi - Largo from Four Seasons for Concertinas A&B

[JimLucas]

I have a CD-ROM containing sixty-something pdfs of scans of handwritten arrangements by Boris Matusewitch done in the mid 20th century of classical and "light classical" pieces for English Concertina (and two EC Duos). They total about 160 MB. I have neither the online storage space to host them nor the patience to input the fields your database requires, but I would gladly e-mail the files (or snail-mail the disk) to anyone who wants to take it on.

David, I think you should check out this thread, and then consider contacting Ed.

[David Barnert]

David, I think you should check out this thread, and then consider contacting Ed.

I clicked on Ed's link and got this message:

You are using a browser that is not fully supported. Some features may not work too well, but you are welcome to have a look around.

I don't have time right now to try to find a way around it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same collection. I know Ed from the Squeeze-In, and I was given the CD-ROM at the Squeeze-In (although not by Ed).

[Nanette Hooker]

Hi

I downloaded the music from Ed's webpage, printed it off, typed out a contents list and made a book.

 

Here is the contents list.

 

David's list looks bigger

Edited May 17, 2009 by Poaceae