Quiz: Mystery scores

[(poco) Sforzando]

A sort of proto-Ives. A church hymn with a twist...

William Billings.

[(poco) Sforzando]

You are right on everything! Didn't choose these ones to be particularly difficult as I say... they're just beautiful!

G 35 must be for 12 cellos, in a tango rhythm. Is that the Pizza one?

[Chrone]

William Billings.

Pretty atypical harmonization for Billings (or any 18th century composer), don't you think?

...but you're right.  Care to hazard a guess as to the title? It's in the text.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Pretty atypical harmonization for Billings (or any 18th century composer), don't you think?

...but you're right.  Care to hazard a guess as to the title? It's in the text.

"Jargon."

[lukeottevanger]

Guido's 12 cello one - there's plenty of music for this combination, thanks to the 12 cellists of the Berlin Phil, for whom much has been written, but I have a feeling this may be by Julius Klengel - his Hymnus, written in memory of Artur Nikisch. I've played in that piece, actually; what I remember of it (based on my part only, somewhere in the middle) doesn't exactly match what I can see here, but my memory is pretty sketchy on this one, so it's worth a punt. 

[(poco) Sforzando]

Guido's 12 cello one - there's plenty of music for this combination, thanks to the 12 cellists of the Berlin Phil, for whom much has been written, but I have a feeling this may be by Julius Klengel - his Hymnus, written in memory of Artur Nikisch. I've played in that piece, actually; what I remember of it (based on my part only, somewhere in the middle) doesn't exactly match what I can see here, but my memory is pretty sketchy on this one, so it's worth a punt. 

Oh, yeah! Julius.

[Guido]

Yes Klengel's Hymnus is right - love the opening. Not a great composer, or even maybe a good one, but this is a nice piece. When did you play this?

Piazzolla is one of the unguessed ones

The other unguessed one is a little bit of a trick I guess... Remember that this is the mystery scores thread, not the mystery classical scores thread!

[lukeottevanger]

Yes Klengel's Hymnus is right - love the opening. Not a great composer, or even maybe a good one, but this is a nice piece. When did you play this?

In some KCMS concert. I look back at it and think we had some very fine cellists there at the time - choral scholars Justin Doyle (presently conductor of the BBC Singers) and Joe Crouch (one of the finest baroque specialist cellists) among them. Klengel actually has his own style, of a sort, I think - a kind of style identifiable by its very middle-of-the-roadness. He's extremely euphonic and clearly structured - quite firm, memorable lines, very easy on the ear. I first came across him when I had to play a movement from one of his concerti for my cello grade 7.

[Guido]

Yes I agree - utterly average, and completely uncontroversial and behind the times, but quite pleasing on the ear. Actually there's a double cello concerto that's rather sweet, especially the slow movement. His pieces for groups of cellos are delightful and brilliantly written for the intrument of course.

P.S. What did people think of the Part cello concerto. It instantly made me want to play it!

[lukeottevanger]

P.S. What did people think of the Part cello concerto. It instantly made me want to play it!

I tried watching it, but I couldn't get it to play. Must try again now I'm on a different computer.

[lukeottevanger]

A few more...

LO 258, 259, 260

[lukeottevanger]

LO 261, 262, 263, 264

[(poco) Sforzando]

258 is the ritornello from Giulio Cesare's first aria in Handel's eponymous opera.

259 is from the first movement of the Glière Concerto for Coloratura Soprano.

[Chrone]

"Jargon."

Yup. I found the following exegesis of "Jargon" at musicmavericks.publicradio.org:

The glory of Billings' music is its irrepressible tunefulness, matched with a liveliness of rhythm unafraid to shift gears as the text requires. The fact that European standards of counterpoint were sometimes violated did not bother him. In the introduction to The New-England Psalm-Singer, Billings wrote the archetypal declaration of American music's independence from Europe:

"...all the hard, dry, studied rules that ever was prescribed, will not enable any person to form an air.... I don't think myself confin'd to any Rules for composition, laid down by any that went before me, neither should I think (were I to pretend to lay down Rules) that any who came after me were any ways obligated to adhere to them... I think it is best for every Composer to be his own Carver."

Billings music wasn't always appreciated by his contemporaries. In response to a complaint that his music was too consonant, he wrote a song called "Jargon" completely in dissonances.

Let horrid Jargon split the air
And rive the nerves asunder;
Let hateful discord greet the ear
As terrible as thunder.

In response, some local boys tied two cats together by the tails and hung them from the sign of Billings' tannery shop to let them howl.

My other one ("Chrone2") remains unguessed. Hint: well-known piece.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Yup. I found the following exegesis of "Jargon" at musicmavericks.publicradio.org:

My other one ("Chrone2") remains unguessed. Hint: well-known piece.

Those are always the hardest. Looks like a setting of the Cries of London, though I don't know by whom. Meanwhile, 10 more from me - some harder than others.

[(poco) Sforzando]

More:

[(poco) Sforzando]

Three more for now:

[lukeottevanger]

Sfz 41 - Walton - Belshazzar's Feast

Sfz 42 - Boulez 1st Sonata - I think (I have this Boulez score, but it's too late for me to check it right now)

Sfz 46 - Dvorak symphony 3 (I've already used a passage from this movement in this thread, months ago!)

Sfz 47 - I know this one but again, no time to check. Is it a small Hungarian Folk song by Liszt?

[(poco) Sforzando]

Sfz 41 - Walton - Belshazzar's Feast

Sfz 42 - Boulez 1st Sonata - I think (I have this Boulez score, but it's too late for me to check it right now)

Sfz 46 - Dvorak symphony 3 (I've already used a passage from this movement in this thread, months ago!)

Sfz 47 - I know this one but again, no time to check. Is it a small Hungarian Folk song by Liszt?

So far so good! Clues to follow as you all become desperate. 

[(poco) Sforzando]

Don't I get credit for the two by Luke I identified?