Impossible. They're all wild guesses based on the merest whisp of information.marlon said:All correct
I picked the right composer, but for the wrong reason.and YES I mean the Flemish part because his family comes from Mechelen in the Flemish part of Belgium. It was his grandfather that moved to Bonn
zoobyshoe said:The trouble with this quiz is that it was clearly written by an opera freak.
Here are some quetions for non-opera freaks:
6. This extremely famous composer is complained about by vocalists to this day for having no sense of how to write for the human voice.
8. This part of his greater "keyboard study" ends abruptly, unfinished, right after the composer introduces his own name into the music.
Good guess, but no. The composer I'm talking about is not complained about for being demanding but for not understanding the specific aethetics of the human voice. In other words, his understanding of the human voice as an instument was all wrong.fourier jr said:6. i guess js bach. i read a preview of a performance of his b minor mass which said he was one of the most demanding composers when it came to singing
Absolutely right! For bonus points, 1.) How do you say "Keyboard studies" in German, 2.) What are the four parts of Bach's "Keyboard Studies" and 3.) Do you happen to know the quirky/dramatic thing Glenn Gould did when performing this last bar of music for the video camera?8. bach again. it's the last part of his art of fugue where he writes his name into the music. in german, b = b flat, a = a, c = c & h = b natural. i might have b & b flat backwards... the urban legend says that bach dropped dead in the middle of writing that piece, but it's much more likely that the last page just got lost. some think that bach left it unfinished on purpose as if to say "now it's your turn" since he liked puzzles so much.
zoobyshoe said:Good guess, but no. The composer I'm talking about is not complained about for being demanding but for not understanding the specific aethetics of the human voice. In other words, his understanding of the human voice as an instument was all wrong.
Absolutely right! For bonus points, 1.) How do you say "Keyboard studies" in German, 2.) What are the four parts of Bach's "Keyboard Studies" and 3.) Do you happen to know the quirky/dramatic thing Glenn Gould did when performing this last bar of music for the video camera?
zoobyshoe said:6. This extremely famous composer is complained about by vocalists to this day for having no sense of how to write for the human voice.
Correct! Der Clavierubung (sometimes seen as: Klavierubung)fourier jr said:1) keyboard = clavier, studies = ubung?
,2) part 1 = keyboard partitas
Italian concerto, and Overture in the French Style (Usually included with the French Suites)part 2 = don't know
I'm actually fuzzy about what specific organ pieces are in part III, but you're probably right.part 3 = orgelbuchlein
Right.part 4 = goldberg variations
After dramatically punching out Bach's name with his right hand, Gould reaches over with the left, grabs his own right wrist, and holds the hand there, physically restraining himself from playing any further.3) i know gould used to play with his face a few inches above the keys, conduct an imaginary orchestra & hum/sing along with the music but i haven't heard of anything that he used to do for one particular piece.
Although this composer had a tremendous success with one vocal composition, he didn't write nearly as much for voice, proportionately, as most famous composers.brewnog said:Any more clues on this one?
Vocalists, and I used to know quite a few, speak of the human voice as an "instrument" like any in the orchestra. I often heard them things like "My instrument isn't suited for that piece. That piece needs a lighter instrument." and things like that. Take two sopranos, for example: one may have an "instrument" better suited to Mozart, and the other better suited to Wagner.brewnog said:I was going to say Bach too, until I saw that last post. Many singers comment that he did not seem to distinguish between composing for voices and instruments.
Excellent guess, but no. I think you're talking about Shostakovich. You would expect what I described from a composer with a piece of schrapnel in his head, but it was, in fact, someone else. The composer I'm referring to was riddled with anxieties of all kinds.arildno said:On 2) again:
I don't remember which Russian composer who was injured by a grenade; I suppose it's him.
zoobyshoe said:4. As a child, this Romantic composer, who is well known for his lieder is said to have been asked what he wanted to be. Pointing to a picture of Beethoven he replied: "I want to be that man."
7. This famous 20th century pianist's recording carrear was punctuated by an exceptionally satisfying symmetry.
Okay, here's another guess:zoobyshoe said:Excellent guess, but no. I think you're talking about Shostakovich. You would expect what I described from a composer with a piece of schrapnel in his head, but it was, in fact, someone else. The composer I'm referring to was riddled with anxieties of all kinds.
No, the composer I'm thinking of did his work at an earlier time in Russian history.arildno said:Okay, here's another guess:
Did he die on the same day as Josef Stalin?
Who would you say is the most famous Russian composer of all?arildno said:Hmm..
I know of Rachmaninoff, Borodin and some guy whose name starts with a G...
Correct. He once wrote a letter (don't know to whom) confessing that while he was recently conducting he had to use his non-baton hand to hold his head from floating up and off his body. Terrific stage fright.arildno said:Oh dear, P.T., right?
zoobyshoe said:Vocalists, and I used to know quite a few, speak of the human voice as an "instrument" like any in the orchestra. I often heard them things like "My instrument isn't suited for that piece. That piece needs a lighter instrument."
Operatic circles are where the term "diva" originated.brewnog said:Pretentious twonks!
zoobyshoe said:7. This famous 20th century pianist's recording carrear was punctuated by an exceptionally satisfying symmetry
zoobyshoe said:Same here. I've never actually sat through an entire opera.
I'm not what you'd call "uninitiated". I attended Oberlin College, which you may know has a fairly prestigious conservatory of music. I did a lot of tech work on Operas, and knew half the voice majors in the conservatory. When I said I've never sat through a whole one, it wasn't for lack of oportunity. It was a deliberate choice. I just can't warm up to those silly plots, and get exited about the whole opera atmosphere as some people do.Kenneth Mann said:What I recommend for those who are uninitiated to opera, is usually "I Pagliacci". It's very short, quite melodic and has an interesting plot.