Monday, March 31, 2014

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014



QUOTE:
"No artist is pleased...there is no satisfaction whatever at any time.
  There is only a strange, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that
  keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."
AUTHOR: Martha Graham
MEANING OF THE QUOTE:
"An artist is never satisfied with his/her art. The
  pleasure the artists gets is in the act   of striving
  for the perfection that will never be realized."



COMPOSER
JOPLIN
http://marvinhamlisch.us/news/scott-joplin/
THE ENTERTAINER
(From a Piano Roll)
Those paper rolls were some kind
of forerunners for juke-boxes.
They were often used in the
penny-in-the-slot player pianos.
"The Entertainer" (1902) is a classic melodic and
rhythmic piano rag written in the jazz idiom of
ragtime, a style to which Scott Joplin is perhaps
the man most responsible and best known for.
It is sub-titled "A rag time two step," which was a
form of dance popular until about 1911 (and a
style which was common among rags written at
the time) with a musical structure:
Intro AA BB A CC Intro 2 DD.

While ragtime began as

a piano style, it was soon

arranged for numerous
musical ensembles and
became very popular
for the American music
of its day.
Joplin's rag,
"The Entertainer,"
THE ENTERTAINER
Instrumental Version
from "The Sting"
Marvin Hamlisch, Arranger
(and consequently a revival of his
other compositions) was made
popular in our time by its use in the 1973
Oscar-winning motion picture "The Sting,"

with a score adapted from the music
of Joplin by Marvin Hamlisch.


The tune became so popular it even
hit on the pop music charts. This new
interest in Joplin's music won so much belated
recognition that a special award was bestowed
posthumously, in Joplin's Bicentennial Year,
for his contributions to American music.
THE ENTERTAINER
Piano Music
THE ENTERTAINER
How to Play Version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=19&v=bXC8i8Z4w2c
The front cover of The Entertainer sheet music. It has a green background and in the centre is a red ink drawing of a stereotyped African-American performer on stage in top hat and tails
LINKS
GRANADA ADV. STRINGS
1.  21 GUNS
2.  NUMB

INTRO. TO INSTRUMENTS
GRANADA
1. KEYBOARD: ODE TO JOY INTRO.
2.  THEORY: STEP-WISE MOTION
HILLVIEW
1.  THEORY: STEP-WISE MOTION
a.  Reviewed first 8 pages of worksheets

GRANADA BEG. STRINGS
1.  BILE CABBAGES
2.  CIELITO LINDO

HILLVIEW ORCHESTRA
1.  21 GUNS

Friday, March 21, 2014

VIOLINIST JASCHA HEIFETZ


"There is no top.
There are always further heights to reach."
~Jascha Heifetz~
Jascha Heifetz:
God's Fiddler
Clip from
PBS Classic Arts Showcase Documentary
"Criticism does not disturb me,
for I am my own severest critic.
Always in my playing I strive to surpass myself,
and it is this constant struggle
that makes music fascinating to me"
~Jascha Heifetz~
"If I don't practice one day, I know it;
two days, the critics know it;
three days, the public knows it."
~Jascha Heifetz~
SOME VIDEOS TO WATCH
OF HEIFETZ

Heifetz and Piatigorsky
Introduction to the DVD
Produced by KULTUR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOGNwxSb6Zs
A Special Look
Into the Life and Music of
Jascha Heifetz:
Jascha Heifetz
Hora Staccato
Jascha Heifetz
Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35
I. Allegro moderato
Jascha Heifetz
Paganini Caprice No. 24

Jascha Heifetz
Tests Itzhak Perlman's Skills
Jascha Heifetz
Mozart 'Gavotte in G'
from 'Idomeneo' (1912)
They Shall Have Music (1939)
INFORMATION FROM:
Jascha Heifetz and Jack Benny
USO Skit, WWII
"Violinist of the Centuries" Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987)
and radio/TV comedian Jack Benny (Benjamin Kubelsky)
(1894-1974) perform a hilarious skit during one of the
hundreds of USO appearances and performances both
men gave throughout World War II. Jack was, in reality,
an exceptionally good violinist (he began playing at the
age of 6 but preferred performing to practicing), but said
that if he had focused on playing good on radio and TV
that it wouldn't have been as funny.
Jascha Heifetz began to play at the age
of 3 and made his debut at 7. The
spectators at an outdoor concert in 1912 in St.
Petersburg were so wild that police had to escort
the young virtuoso when he was not playing.
Heifetz made his American debut in Carnegie
Hall in 1917 and became the newest
American music sensation overnight.

Jascha Heifetz
100th Birthday Celebration
Eric Friesen interviews Erick Friedman

CBC Radio
Original Portrait Painting JASCHA HEIFETZ Violinist Musician
Jascha Heifetz, Iconic Violinist
Jascha Heifetz
Art of Violin: Part 2
Created by Yuri Beliavsky
Jascha Heifetz.
Art of Violin: Part 3
Created by Yuri Beliavsky
Jascha Heifetz
Tests Itzhak Perlman's Skills
John Singer Sargent: Jascha Heifetz 

VIOLIN: Care of Instrument

VIOLIN: Care of Instrument


String instruments are delicate and subject to such influences as temperature, humidity
and careless handling.

The following suggestions are offered for their care.

Never close the case on a violin or viola without first placing a cloth over the top of the instrument
Be sure you latch the case.
Never touch the bow hair with your hands. There should also be limited touching of the main body of the instrument. The oil in your body can ruin these parts. If fingerprints do get on the wood of the instrument, shine them off with a very soft cloth.

Keep the rosin wiped clean from the top of the instrument and strings with a soft cloth.

https://www.sharmusic.com/Shop-Shar/Accessories/Care/Cleaner-Polish-amp-Cloths/
Shar-Micropourous-Super-Cleaning-Cloth---Large-12-5-x-12-5-inches.axd
Always be sure the instrument is clean
before you put it away.

Always loosen the bow after use. 
http://blog.feinviolins.com/2011/06/bow-tension-how-much-is-enough.html


Tighten the bow the same number of turns 
when preparing to play.
http://blog.feinviolins.com/2011/06/bow-tension-how-much-is-enough.html
http://www.learninghowtoplaytheviolin.com/violin-bow-rosin-rehairing-maintenance.html



This is what the post looks like in the violin as seen through the endpin hole.  Note the vertical alignment and good fit with the top and back.
If this happens, please notify your teacher immediately or take it to a string repairman.
Check the bridge weekly to make sure it is not leaning.
Image of side view of violin with arrows pointing to the tailpiece, the bridge leaning toward the fingerboard, the fingerboard, and the strings.
http://www.learninghowtoplaytheviolin.com/violin-bridge-is-mine-straight.html
http://www.fretlessfingerguides.com/position_violin_cello_bass_bridge.html
http://www.violinstudent.com/bridge.html
Check the fine tuners weekly to make sure they are 
not going into the wood.
http://www.bernardolearyviolins.co.uk/How%20to%20damage%20your%20violin.html

The instrument and bow should be kept in the case away from curious hands when not in use. The instrument should always either be in your hands or in the case.

Do not leave the instrument in the car unless absolutely necessary. Extreme hot weather will cause the
glue to melt and blister varnish.
Do not glue any part of the instrument for any reason.

Please do not attempt any home repairs
without consulting the teacher.

Long fingernails not only make the instrument impossible to play well but can put permanent scratches in the wood. Please keep your fingernails short.
https://www.facebook.com/PotterViolinCompany/videos/973939432628489/