Quiz: Mystery scores

[Larry Rinkel]

And now I'm going to bed before you have a chance to get cross with me! 

How do you think I got the Liszt? It looked very familiar, but then I Googled 7/4, found it, looked up the score, and bingo. I have nothing against creative research!!

I am only cross in that you deprived me of the chance to use my excellent clues. 

[lukeottevanger]

How do you think I got the Liszt? It looked very familiar, but then I Googled 7/4, found it, looked up the score, and bingo. I have nothing against creative research!!

I am only cross in that you deprived me of the chance to use my excellent clues. 

LOL! And as I admitted pages ago, Google was how I found out what your mysterious 'number 20' was too (which is why I was reluctant to say what is was back then, though I hope you noticed my little clue later on - 'it isn't by Webern, but it nearly is').

[Larry Rinkel]

LOL! And as I admitted pages ago, Google was how I found out what your mysterious 'number 20' was too (which is why I was reluctant to say what is was back then, though I hope you noticed my little clue later on - 'it isn't by Webern, but it nearly is').

And my next question is, how did Larry figure out the Villa-Lobos using only evidence Luke provided (when he thought he was being so clever in cropping out the title page)?

[lukeottevanger]

Well, I would hope from the clues in the music (I've tried to leave clues in all my examples, otherwise there's no fun in it, I think). In this case, two clues above all:

1) the accelerating push-pull figure, which is an obvious musical equivalent for the idea 'steam train leaving station', but which is actually pretty rare and in orchestral music is best known in Honneger's Pacific 231 and Villa Lobos' Bachianas Brasileras 2

2) the Brazillian percussion

the two taken together making the Villa Lobos the the only possible choice, I'd have thought.

You mean you did it some other way?

[Guido]

I have to say that I find your collective knowledge of scores incredible, quite apart from actually being able to identify a work from one page of a score. I am in awe!

Greg - my no.3 was already identified as a song by Ives - the first of the 114 song book, but no-one's guessed the right song - the first three words are a clue (think politics!)

OK - so here's some scores - they're all a bit dark, but the Great British summer which is providing the light is awful, so its not my fault! You even get to see an attractive shot of my index finger (not sure which hand).

[Guido]

more...

[Guido]

and a few more....

[Guido]

Great thread idea by the way Sean! Do you really think that the Fifth Cello Suite is Bach's finest work? And a little thing - it was composed for scordatura tuning - the top string down from an A to a G to give a darker timbre (rather than a six stringed cello as you suggested). The sixth wuite was indeed composed for a five stringed cello, but these are so rare that it is usually played as a virtuoso piece on a four stringer.

With mine - thinking of what instrument I play probably will give you more than an inkling in a lot of cases. A few are quite easy. Don't really have that many full scores - mostly piano reductions of concerti.

[Larry Rinkel]

Well, I would hope from the clues in the music (I've tried to leave clues in all my examples, otherwise there's no fun in it, I think). In this case, two clues above all:

1) the accelerating push-pull figure, which is an obvious musical equivalent for the idea 'steam train leaving station', but which is actually pretty rare and in orchestral music is best known in Honneger's Pacific 231 and Villa Lobos' Bachianas Brasileras 2

2) the Brazillian percussion

the two taken together making the Villa Lobos the the only possible choice, I'd have thought.

You mean you did it some other way?

Of course! Actually, the image was cropped too tightly for me to read all the percussion names. And it's not a piece I know well, V-L not being on my personal hit parade. But you left the 6-digit catalog number at the bottom, and it looked like a Ricordi print. From there, simple.

Nothing wrong with creative research, as I said.

[lukeottevanger]

Of course! Actually, the image was cropped too tightly for me to read all the percussion names. And it's not a piece I know well, V-L not being on my personal hit parade....

...nor on mine. I'm feeling slightly guilty as I know that a few of the pieces I have chosen are by composers you don't rate that highly - I imagine you finding the answer and thinking 'all that effort, for that - ugh!' But I think the point is to choose interesting-looking scores with a trail of clues to follow...

But you left the 6-digit catalog number at the bottom, and it looked like a Ricordi print. From there, simple.

Nothing wrong with creative research, as I said.

And when did you leave your job in the force, Detective Rinkel!  That's far too imaginative for me - I thought the choo-choo train impression was enough to go on!

So when you gave your answer, then - Villa Lobos BB 2 - you really meant only that, and weren't thinking of the train impression in this last movement?

[lukeottevanger]

Guido, your number 4 is one of Stravinsky's children's pieces 'for the five fingers' (the little figure at the top of the page refers to the hand position required); number 8 is a piece of Piazzolla - a piece I know but whose name momentarily escapes me (I'll have it in a while, I think). I'll have to look at the others a bit more, I think.

[Larry Rinkel]

So when you gave your answer, then - Villa Lobos BB 2 - you really meant only that, and weren't thinking of the train impression in this last movement?

No, I was aware of it. The little train of the -- whatever. I have one V-L CD with BB 2, 4, and 8. That's enough for me. Dpn't feel guilty. I'd feel worse if V-L was on your Hit Parade.  

[Larry Rinkel]

Great thread idea by the way Sean!

We lost Sean 100 posts ago . . .

[Larry Rinkel]

more...

#5 is from the 3rd movement of the Samuel Barber piano sonata.

[lukeottevanger]

Guido's no 7 is the opening of the Finzi Cello Concerto - should have got that one straight away. His number 10 I don't know, but I'm going to throw in the name Chausson - it looks very French for all sorts of reasons, and the 5/4 is suggestive of him, even though it's only a bar's-worth..... but I'm not aware of this piece if it is him.

[Guido]

But Sean started it, so I thought he deserved some thanks (he may read the forum still?).

no.4 Right Luke -  I really like those little pieces by Stravinsky - real quality is difficult to find in children's works.

no.5 Yeah - that looks absolutely fearsome to play (but perhaps it's easier to play than it looks?)

[Guido]

I suppose at the extrememly slow speed that its at it is easier than it looks.

Right there on the Finzi cello concerto - such an arresting opening, and those upward moving trills and scotch snap rhythms are very characteristic of the movement of course.

Still have 6, 8, 9, 10 to get.

no.8 is by Piazzolla, but which piece?

no.10 - It's not Chausson, but it French as you say (French publishers all have the same look).

[Guido]

no.10 - It's not Chausson, but it French as you say (French publishers all have the same look).

Oh yeah - and the markings are in french - actually I love the directions he gives (not much of a clue to say he's male!) - mettre beaucoup de pédale (dans un halo sonore) - a truly magical passage. Also the cello line at figure one - p mais tres intense

[Larry Rinkel]

no.5 Yeah - that looks absolutely fearsome to play (but perhaps it's easier to play than it looks?)

No - it's absolutely brutal.

[Larry Rinkel]

I suppose at the extrememly slow speed that its at it is easier than it looks.

Right there on the Finzi cello concerto - such an arresting opening, and those upward moving trills and scotch snap rhythms are very characteristic of the movement of course.

Still have 6, 8, 9, 10 to get.

no.8 is by Piazzolla, but which piece?

no.10 - It's not Chausson, but it French as you say (French publishers all have the same look).

#10 is the slow movement of the Poulenc cello sonata - a piece I've never heard before, indeed, did not know of its existence until five minutes ago. Creative research.