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 Bits & Pieces
Bits & Pieces is our first CD, the result of numerous
requests over the past few years for a recording of the
music we regularly perform - from concerts to wedding
receptions. No attempt was made to select or present a
central musical theme. These pieces simply represent the
diversity of our repertoire, and are favorites of our
audiences (and ours!) regardless of the venue. If there
is a central thread or two that can connect the music of
16th century Spain with music of the 20th century
(including Lennon, Kern, Meyers, etc.) - and everything
in between - it is that all of the music presented is
both elegant and peaceful. With that in mind, we hope
you will sit back, relax, and enjoy these wonderful
works! - Aprylle & Reed
Program Notes
Greensleeves is an ageless tune known by all.
While the first known solo lute manuscript dates from
the very early 15th century, this set of variations for
continuo and recorder, by an anonymous composer, is
dated 1706. Usually presented entirely in a minor key,
the theme and some of its variations begin in the
related major key (F) and progress to the minor key (dm)
ending.
Luis Milan was a true Renaissance man"
- not just a musician, but a man of letters, a diplomat,
and a teacher. These three pavanas are part of a group
of six from his method El maestro for the vihuela
(a guitar-like instrument) published in Valencia in
1535. While the tonality (mode) of each piece strongly
resembles that of either the major or minor systems we
so commonly hear today, each has an interesting twist
which firmly grounds it in the mode indicated.
The Andante Largo from Vivaldi's Lute
Concerto in D major is one of his best-known works - not
necessarily for the Concerto as a whole, but for all of
the products on TV that it has been used to promote.
Vintage Vivaldi - no pun intended!
(Front Cover)
(Back Cover)
The Trumpet Voluntary of Henry Purcell is
a classic bridal processional - stately, regal, but
unpretentious - probably the most frequently played
after Wagner's "Here Comes the Bride."
Pietro Locatelli, a noteworthy composer of the
Baroque period, was one of the first internationally
renowned violin virtuosos. He is credited with
developing the solo cadenza (which displays the
virtuosic capabilities of the soloist) in the concerto
form. This Sonata in D Major, form-wise,
is more typical of the early classical sonata, but
textually is still very much Baroque.
All The Things You Are, a jazz classic
by Jerome Kern, is from his Broadway show Very Warm For
May. In this setting, the guitar weaves a counter melody
stressing the extended harmonies of 7ths, 9ths, and
11ths.
The Three Brazilian Pieces are by two
composers separated in age by many years. Each, however,
draws strongly on the influences of indigenous Brazilian
music, in form, rhythmic structure, and melodic content.
Modinha was originally scored for voice
and guitar, while the two Machado pieces are scored for
flute and guitar.
Stanley Meyer's Cavatina, the theme
song from the movie The Deerhunter, and
John Lennon's Grow Old With Me, are simply
two of those tirelessly beautiful songs - a perfect
match for the subtleties and intimacy of the guitar and
flute.
Gynopidie No. 1 by the eccentric French
composer Eric Satie, is the first of a set of three
Gynopedie he wrote for piano. In this setting for flute
and guitar, the hypnotic trance of the original is
anything but lost.
Benjamin Britten is regarded as the greatest British
composer of the 20th century. These Three Folksong
settings - from a group of six for high voice and guitar
- demonstrate Britten's masterful abilities to create
the extraordinary from the ordinary - from the 5 against
6 divisions of I Will Give . . . , to the
quasi jazz influence of the guitar part in Sailor Boy -
which was originally called "Soldier-Boy" in Appalachia.
Bits and Pieces, Price: $14.00 +
S/H
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