Informationen zu "Mark Tanner Cornish Pastiche for Bassoon & Piano Bassoon & Piano"
Verlag: Spartan Press Music Publishers
Verlagsnummer: SP1219
EAN: 9790579982197
ISMN: M-57998-219-7
Beschreibung
As I sit myself down to write this brief foreword, I ask myself can there be
music more stirring than these old Cornish folk melodies? Though not Cornish
myself (I confess to being born a little further up the road, in Bristol), I
feel I have spent sufficient time in these 'ere parts to resonate with the
sturdy brass band tradition that continues to permeate this incomparably
beautiful, rugged county. One can almost detect a French 'accent' when
listening to the piano music of Debussy, and likewise, speaking as a lapsed
brass player, there is undoubtedly something of the Cornish twang about
Trelawny when played on a cornet or euphonium. Then again, one gets a
different, yet entirely convincing effect upon hearing these melodies
rendered on woodwind instruments, hence, with a little gamesmanship on my
part, I am pleased to see my collection of these fifteen delectable ditties
come to fruition in the form of arrangements for treble clef brass
instruments (in B flat and E flat), trombone and tuba (bass clef), horn in F,
flute, clarinet and bassoon. While many will find themselves humming the
likes of Going up Camborne Hill, Lamorna or The Helston Furry Dance even
before they have turned to the first page - for these are indelibly
intertwined with Cornish culture - I wonder if I might draw your attention to
The Cornish Squire, The Pool of Pilate and Cold Blows the Wind Today
Sweetheart, which are quite simply sublime melodies, perhaps needing that
extra bit of help in bringing them to mind nowadays. In the best tradition of
musical hand-me-downs, Cornish folk music works equally ideally sung and
played, and only by doing so on a regular basis can such traditions hope to
continue forward with vigour and authority. A legitimate way of achieving
this is to revitalise the harmonic scheme of these ancient tunes and bring
them up to date for a modern audience, after all, it was such an approach
that fuelled the imagination of Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams
in decades past, while skilfully paying homage to the underlying charm and,
for want of a better word, simplicity, of the original music. But this is
only a start ? for without an energetic response from younger generations,
Cornish folk music is destined to wither on the vine in much the same way as
is happening with the Cornish dialect. So, put your instrument to your lips
and proceed, not with caution, but with enthusiasm and a smile, for your
great grandparents (and perhaps even their grandparents) would surely raise a
glass if they could hear you doing your bit to ensure the survival of this
splendid heritage.
