Kol Nidrei

 Mischa Maisky plays Kol Nidrei with Max Bruch 

Today is Yom Kippur, a day of atonement and the holiest day in Judaism.  The Yom Kippur service traditionally includes an ancient and mournful melody called the "Kol Nidre," which is also the basis of a concert piece by composer Max Bruch, written for solo cello and orchestra in 1880.   

The German National Socialist Party during the 1930's  assumed that Bruch was of Jewish origin and banned his music until Germany's defeat in the Second World War. Fortunately, for Bruch, who was raised Protestant, and whose ancestors were not Jewish, his music survived the persecution and Kol Nidrei is still firmly planted in the canon of every cellist. 

Have a listen to Ukrainian born cellist Mischa Maisky play this soulful piece. 

Schubert Cradle Song

This lovely lullaby by Schubert turns up on  the Grade 1 violin and cello syllabus. Some of you have played a duet version. Here are four different versions for you to listen to. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBq4tT5Sk8c Cello Version of Schubert Cradle Song 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxd2oeTynhc  Violin Virtuoso version The player here is Yovanovitch Bratza, who I haven't come across before. He was born in Serbia and died in England in 1964. This is a very old recording . 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2xx6lncuIY Vocal version

Great Cellists: Pablo Casals

 

Pablo Casals was born in Catalonia in Spain. (1876-1973) He lived for almost a century and made lots of recordings. He started on flute and violin and changed to cello when he was 11 or so. He made his debut in 1891 in Barcelona. His first job was in the opera house Le Liceu in Barcelona. He lived much of his life in the South of France. He was a very good tennis player. In his early career, his mother used to travel with him. He was fine when he got on stage there but needed a bit of a push from his mother to get there.

He was the first cellist to play the Bach cello suites in a concert and he sparked a lot of interest in them and every virtuoso cellist since aspires to play them.  Listen to  Pablo Casals perform The Song of the Birds (‘El cant dels ocells’), a traditional Catalan carol.

Casals made the song famous with his version for cello, which he would play as an encore. He performed it on 24 October 1971 at the General Assembly of the United Nations when he received the UN Peace Medal. He was 94. Before he began playing he said:

‘I have not played the cello in public for many years, but I feel that the time has come to play again. I am going to play a melody from Catalan folklore: El cant dels ocells - The Song of the Birds. Birds sing when they are in the sky, they sing: “Peace, Peace, Peace”, and it is a melody that Bach, Beethoven and all the greats would have admired and loved. What is more, it is born in the soul of my people, Catalonia.’

Great Performers: No 3 Jascha Heifetz

Jascha Heifetz  Video Clip  Click on the link to watch Jascha Heifetz play.

Jascha Heifetz was known as God's fiddler, so amazing was the perfection of his playing. He was born in Lithuania in 1901 which was then part of Russia. His father began to teach him when he was three years old. He was a child prodigy and was performing on stage when he was only six years old. He fled his home country in 1917 at the start of the Russian Revolution and spent the rest of his life in America. At 16 yeras old, he gave a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York.  "Pandemonium erupted after the recital, with ‘bravos shaking the walls of the auditorium’, according to one report. Among the headlines that followed were ‘Perfect Violin Playing at Last’, ‘Boy Violinist Wins Triumph’ and ‘Enter a Genius: Jascha Heifetz’.He traveled the world to give concerts and came to Ireland at least once during the 1920's. He hurt his shoulder and stopped playing in his late sixties and spent the rest of his life teaching and working for good causes. 

He made lots of recordings during his long life. I have two of his recordings to the WAMA Strings spotify list Listen here WAMA Strings 

Also you can hear him play work by Russian composer Tchaikowsky here https://archive.org/details/TCHAIKOVSKYViolinConcerto-Heifetz-NEWTRANSFER/01.I.AllegroModerato.mp3

He was said be like a statue on stage - very serious but the emotion and fire came through his playing. He died in 1987 in Los Angelos.  Look at that bow hand!

Tancuj Tancuj

Slovakian Folk Song

When I am searching for folk songs from different countries, I find this site useful.  https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=3705#

Today, I am looking for  Slovakian folk songs.  I found a version of the number Tancuj Tancuj which I am told is a very popular song there. 

Here is my video tutorial on playing Tancuj, Tancuj on violin speciully for students Anna and Sara. My version is in the key of G major. Remember to keep 1 and 2 close together on A string 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6CBvjaBb0c&t=218s

Download my version of the sheet music here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QDbnJPsos9ujmsOUXVn0Gkq_-W75Dpdr/view?usp=sharing

Great Violin Players of the Past: No 2 Fritz Kreisler

 Fritz Kreisler 1875-1962 No 2 in my canon of great violin players is the Austrian, Fritz Kreisler. A child prodigy, Kreisler graduated at age 10! from the Vienna Conservatory. One of the key aspects of his style was a very warm vibrato.  He was the first violinist to make lots of recordings which helped to make him very popular and very famous. He was a 'secret' composer. For encores he sometimes played pieces that he had written himself but he passed them off as works by obscure unknown composers. It seems he was a bit shy about introducing pieces he had penned himself.

He joined the Austrian Army during WW 1 and was injured and discharged. I love Kreisler's  pieces and whenever I hear them I imagine I am in a Viennese Coffee House eating delicious cake as there is a real feeling of lighthearted café music about many of his encores. Here is one I love to play myself; Liebesleid which is in waltz time. Listen to Kreisler himself playing Liebesleid here  http://www.viewpure.com/AqQ2_2qd-5Y?start=0&end=0 and a more recent video version by the German violinist David Garrett.

http://www.viewpure.com/Wh2PkYxCHZQ?start=0&end=0

Vibrato is a technique where you warm up the sound by making  your finger quiver or shake on the string. 

Check out this version played by Joshua Bell on the WAMA Strings Spotify List https://open.spotify.com/track/4PAwFMCI2N0tPqAoX0lBnt?si=nR20gjaISD2ihI8Zs16P4Q

The Sleeping Beauty Waltz: Grade 3 Violin RIAM

 

This lovely waltz is on the Grade 3 Violin Syllabus of the Royal Academy of Music Ireland . The arrangement  Have a listen. 

Listen to a song version here Once Upon a Dream

Find out more about the Russian composer Tchaikowsky here https://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/composer_profile.php?id=75