Topic: Haydn's Haus

[Madiel]

I'm curious, do you think there will still be CD's or something along the lines of physical media by then?

There better bloody well be.

Anyway, I think total reliance on the streaming model is fundamentally unviable for most artists, at least as things stand. Streaming does not involve the selling of goods, only of a service, where your music just gets added to an ever-growing pile. Maybe CDs are on the way out, but I doubt having something for sale is on the way out. If I can't have CDs, I will still prefer FLAC or similar, something I can actually purchase.

[Gurn Blanston]

There better bloody well be.

Anyway, I think total reliance on the streaming model is fundamentally unviable for most artists, at least as things stand. Streaming does not involve the selling of goods, only of a service, where your music just gets added to an ever-growing pile. Maybe CDs are on the way out, but I doubt having something for sale is on the way out. If I can't have CDs, I will still prefer FLAC or similar, something I can actually purchase.

I completely agree with that. It isn't the quality of the media that puts me off, it's the non-reality of it, I think. I like FLAC, I immediately copy every disk I buy to FLAC and it is what I usually listen to. But the key point is "every disk I buy". I want physical media, dammit.     

Oh well, maybe there will be a great replacement. If I had cornered the market on small capacity thumb drives, I would package disks on them, including PDF liner notes. I have seen drives with graphics on the case, so even that could be taken care of. Boy, what a nice idea that is. Keep it between us, don't tell anyone, OK? 

[Parsifal]

I completely agree with that. It isn't the quality of the media that puts me off, it's the non-reality of it, I think. I like FLAC, I immediately copy every disk I buy to FLAC and it is what I usually listen to. But the key point is "every disk I buy". I want physical media, dammit.     

Oh well, maybe there will be a great replacement. If I had cornered the market on small capacity thumb drives, I would package disks on them, including PDF liner notes. I have seen drives with graphics on the case, so even that could be taken care of. Boy, what a nice idea that is. Keep it between us, don't tell anyone, OK? 

Why is that better than an external hard drive?  I am copying every CD to FLAC and scanning the booklet to pdf. Every CD gets its own folder with FLAC files and booklet.

[Gurn Blanston]

Why is that better than an external hard drive?  I am copying every CD to FLAC and scanning the booklet to pdf. Every CD gets its own folder with FLAC files and booklet.

I'm not talking about a storage solution, I'm talking about buying physical media in the post-CD age.  Of course, I copy every CD onto 2 of 3 external hard drives the day I receive it. But the CD itself is carefully preserved, and I by god own it. That is the point. I (and not just me) am not into downloading stuff. I don't want to own 100% of nothing.

[Parsifal]

I'm not talking about a storage solution, I'm talking about buying physical media in the post-CD age.  Of course, I copy every CD onto 2 of 3 external hard drives the day I receive it. But the CD itself is carefully preserved, and I by god own it. That is the point. I (and not just me) am not into downloading stuff. I don't want to own 100% of nothing.

I felt that way too, but my attitude has evolved. In practice I still purchase discs because even if I just want a FLAC file a new or used copy is typically cheaper than a lossless download (when that is even available).

[Gurn Blanston]

I felt that way too, but my attitude has evolved. In practice I still purchase discs because even if I just want a FLAC file a new or used copy is typically cheaper than a lossless download (when that is even available).

And maybe I will too, but so far it hasn't worked that way. I do buy downloads of things I am curious about but are outside of my main interests, but if it is within my scope, I will buy the disk even if I already have the download. As you say, used CD's are virtually being given away these days. "What, you giving that away? I'll take it..." 

[Brian]

Hurwitz saying on CT that the Fey cycle is not going to continue. Don't know if he is privy to info we don't have, or if he is guessing.

[kishnevi]

Vol 5 has been issued (80, 81, 19 and Krauss C minor). Just ordered it from Amazon DE

Sarge

My copy arrived today. Listened already. Quite good. The Kraus was selected because (among other things) FJH called it a masterpiece.

[Gurn Blanston]

My copy arrived today. Listened already. Quite good. The Kraus was selected because (among other things) FJH called it a masterpiece.

Kraus comes to visit

Kraus was sent by his King on a trip of Europe to broaden his horizons, so to speak. He had taken his symphony in c# minor and transposed it down to c minor to have something to play on his travels. He also left out the minuet, for whatever reason. Anyway, he spent a lot of time at Eszterháza with Haydn, and left a copy of the symphony as a gift for the Prince. It's a first rate work. I have the Concerto Köln recording, I look forward to hearing this one.

[kishnevi]

Kraus comes to visit

Kraus was sent by his King on a trip of Europe to broaden his horizons, so to speak. He had taken his symphony in c# minor and transposed it down to c minor to have something to play on his travels. He also left out the minuet, for whatever reason. Anyway, he spent a lot of time at Eszterháza with Haydn, and left a copy of the symphony as a gift for the Prince. It's a first rate work. I have the Concerto Köln recording, I look forward to hearing this one.

The liner notes don't refer to the minuet, but do refer to an extended quote from Gluck.

[Gurn Blanston]

The liner notes don't refer to the minuet, but do refer to an extended quote from Gluck.

They probably would have only mentioned it if they had left it out, too.   IIRC, Gluck said some nice stuff about Kraus, as well he should have. If Kraus had been in Vienna instead of Stockholm, and hadn't died nearly as young as Mozart, he would have been a star instead of a footnote.  IMO, of course.

[Florestan]

Kraus comes to visit

The old canard that Haydn had little or no involvement in anything but writing music is patently false

As in the case of Mozart too. I posted something along these very lines in Gurn's Classical Corner, but nobody cared to comment...

[Gurn Blanston]

As in the case of Mozart too. I posted something along these very lines in Gurn's Classical Corner, but nobody cared to comment...

And in Mozart's case, there is some documentation for it. I find it interesting that later historians would take Nannerl's word for it that Mozart would do some crazy shit, and was a bad money manager etc. etc., but when she says he was really fascinated with math and arithmetic in particular, or he knew a great variety of things outside of music, they totally ignored it because it didn't fit their preconceptions. Which were pretty much the same as Salieri's flashbacks in Amadeus.  When I get a bit further in my blog, I will publish a list of all the books in Haydn's library after his death. You will be taken aback.

[Florestan]

When I get a bit further in my blog, I will publish a list of all the books in Haydn's library after his death. You will be taken aback.

No, I won't*, but others might very well be. 

* I know for a fact and by personal research that Classical Era composers and musical aesthetics are oftenly and ideologically misconstrued and misunderstood...

[Gurn Blanston]

No, I won't*, but others might very well be. 

* I know for a fact and by personal research that Classical Era composers and musical aesthetics are oftenly and ideologically misconstrued and misunderstood...

Yep.

[Gurn Blanston]

We like to think we know all about Haydn's works, but most don't know anything about these. In fact, Haydn intended them to be one of his crown jewels, still...

We'll turn Vienna into Mini-London

Have a read,
Thanks,

[kishnevi]

Do you have any idea how familiar Schubert and Brahms were with these works? They being the composers best known in our time for that genre...

[Gurn Blanston]

Do you have any idea how familiar Schubert and Brahms were with these works? They being the composers best known in our time for that genre...

Do I know specifically? No, but I'm sure the information is readily available. I would surmise that they were very familiar with them because they were truly popular among people who were into singing. It would be hard to imagine a circumstance by which they would have escaped attention, most especially the religious ones. Schubert would know them for sure, Brahms most likely.

[Gurn Blanston]

Boy, sure been quiet in da Haus! 

I have now arrived at some of the most important works of Haydn's career, and approaching them with the aim on writing about them is imposing. Fortunately, only this year (1796) has more than one of them, so I can sneak up on them a bit.    The first of the Six Great Masses is the Heiligmesse for St. Bernard de Offida. I found out plenty, and even at that just scratched the surface. Have a look and see if it jibes up with what you always thought about it. I know I had a couple of surprises!

The Blessed Bernard? Who dat?

Thanks,

[kishnevi]

The third piece from King Alfred does need to be recorded.  Just record enough of the succeeding dialogue to give the listener an idea of why the music breaks off.

I mean,  singers do bleeding chunks that break off suddenly all the time...it's no stretch for a bleeding chunk which the composer himself breaks off.

There is a Mass which can be called predecessor to LvB 9:. his own Missa Solemnis.