Violin Forum/Message Board

John Cadd · Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:50 pm Post subject: Monti`s Czardas

If you ever want to see a musical genius put on Victor Borga playing the accompaniment to Monti`s Czardas with a very brave violinist.The musical problems he sets the violinist and the mischivous faces he pulls are unbelievable. Pure musical magic.

techfiddle · Member Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 122

John Cadd · Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:48 am Post subject:

Techfiddle You played with Victor Borge .That must be a unique memory.He was so far ahead of his time when you think it was all black and white tv.Such a contrast to a fairly dull time in England as I recall it.There was a quality of genius about him.I remember the whole family loving every minute of his act.We could all sense the genuine music behind the comedy.There was absolutely no competition in his field of entertainment.Even people in his act never realised how fine a pianist he really was.Great memories.

techfiddle · Member Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 122

Yes, I was in high school -- I was 16-- in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he came to perform with the Tulsa Philharmonic (an orchestra now defunct, I believe). The Tulsa Phil (this was 1966) was conducted by a Toscanini student, Franco Autori, who had a lot of international connections. The orchestra had lots of singers perform with us, and artists who were either beginning their career or more at the end of it, like Erica Morini, Spivokovsky, Leonard Rose (Yo-Yo Ma's teacher), Mitch Miller, Doc Sevreson, Benny Goodman.

Great experience for a young person. Borge was traveling with a young pianist who later achieved fame, John Browning.

Did you not see Igudesman and Joo? These guys are every bit as funny as Borge, IMO, and also great musicians. They met as students at the Menuhin School in your home country.
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John Cadd · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:36 pm Post subject: czardas

You were certainly well catered for when you were growing up.I can`t imagine that level of quality entertainment at that age.I had never heard of Igudesman and Joo before.Quite a similar idea to mix music and comedy.For some reason I keep wondering if Borge was at all related to Walter Matthau. Here`s another puzzler for you .The Gymnopedies tune(lying down )is in one of the acts.Can you "hear " a similarity with part of Tchaikovsky`s 1812 overture?I need to work out the exact bars.It`s played faster in the orchestra.Correction here ,it`s in Gnossienne no 1. This is what the "All by myself" routine uses.Some music has strands that can drift into other compositions.
But that`s quite enough from me.

techfiddle · Member Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 122

I'm not sure about being "well catered to." I worked awfully hard.
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John Cadd · Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:17 pm Post subject:

Good for you. People often say that they never stop learning.Tell us what you have learnt recently.
Personally I have just realised since starting guitar that a coat button stuck to the guitar neck replaces the curve of the violin pegbox.this makes note finding far better than yesterday. Solid progress!
When you mention awfully hard ,we want to know about the "awfully" .
Bleeding fingers --that sort of thing.

techfiddle · Member Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 122

>> Personally I have just realised since starting guitar that a coat button stuck to the guitar neck replaces the curve of the violin pegbox.this makes note finding far better than yesterday.

Are you confusing the peg box and the scroll? There isn't any curve in a peg box. And how a button stuck to the guitar neck...sorry, you lost me.

See:

Violin Diagram
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/violintro.html#Strings
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John Cadd · Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:29 am Post subject: czardas

Where your thumb goes.On the neck .First position.The button acts as a baseline.Ruggiero Ricci mentions this sort of thing in his book on Left Hand Technique.He says that when shifting position and moving around the fingerboard to leave one finger "at home"( somewhere convenient) to maintain some contact with a fixed point. In this case the thumb is the fixed point. I have just become conscious that this was completely absent on the classical guitar.Now I can find A on the top string (5th fret) without thinking my fingers are too short. Not strictly violin material but very good if you like Chopin and Mozart.
The button position mimics the violin situation as I just lean the first finger back for the semitone (first fret ) position. The thumb just lightly touches the button and one is hardly conscious of this after a few moments.
My next logical step is to find the best position for another button halfway along the guitar neck.That will open a lot of doors.

techfiddle · Member Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 122

Oh, okay.

I like Mr. Ricci. He gave a master class at Rice when I was there, which class consisted of us calling out works and he playing. I think the stories of him practicing, in bed, when he was ill, are charming. His grandson wrote me once, thanking me for some mention in some online writing I did.

But I don't like his book, and don't use the principles in it.
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John Cadd · Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:05 pm Post subject: Czardas

Ah well now ,already, without a photograph, I can tell you have long fingers.Or maybe ,in fact,you have short fingers. But what do you not like about his book? The spider crawl?
That seemed to be a very useful idea. I have a Schirmer edition of the Paganini Caprices edited (fingered) by Harold Berkeley and in comparison the Berkeley is very clumsy and complicated.
Ricci goes for consistent hand shapes.
Maybe this is not what you had in mind. Many students would enjoy a comparison. A new topic perhaps?
One feature of the copy I do like is the introduction .Piano collections often have an interesting talk around the music which can help a great deal. Even a book of Mathematics is better with an introduction.

John Cadd · Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:25 pm Post subject: Czardas

Ah well now ,already, without a photograph, I can tell you have long fingers.Or maybe ,in fact,you have short fingers. But what do you not like about his book? The spider crawl?
That seemed to be a very useful idea. I have a Schirmer edition of the Paganini Caprices edited (fingered) by Harold Berkeley and in comparison the Berkeley is very clumsy and complicated.
Ricci goes for consistent hand shapes.
Maybe this is not what you had in mind. Many students would enjoy a comparison. A new topic perhaps?
One feature of the copy I do like is the introduction .Piano collections often have an interesting talk around the music which can help a great deal. Even a book of Mathematics is better with an introduction.