Michael Brecker – Delta City Blues (Brecker, 2007)
I was listening a piece from him called Delta City Blues. While I am not familiar with this genre and I do not fully understand what Brecker was doing, still I found the music quite impressive. His technique is brilliant. The control of the horn is absolute, and his improvisations are wild. The soul is perfectly coming through the music.
My chosen instruments are the piccolo, the Bass clarinet and the Cor Anglais. These are all part of the auxiliary instruments of the orchestra. Piccolo was evolved from the military transverse flute of the Middle Ages and went through a rapid innovation during the 18th century. In 1832 a Munich flutist Theobald Boemh invented a mechanism which used to the piccolo as well. The instrument first used by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in his work called The Magic Flute in 1791. The role of the piccolo is to add color and shading to the sound of the orchestra and occasionally even as a solo instrument. (Vsl.co.at, 2002)
In the late 18th century two instrument makers began developing clarinets in the bass register. In Paris, Gilles Lot created the “basse-tube” with several keys and a compass of more than three octaves. In Dresden, Heinrich Grenser created a bass clarinet (”Klarinettenbass”) which nine keys and a range down to a written Bb3 (which meant that the lowest sounding note was either Ab4 or Ab3).
The modern bass clarinet created by Adolphe Sax with 22 keys and an entirely straight tube in the 1830s. He also added a reflector which was designed to conduct the vibrations from the downward-pointing bell into the auditorium.
The bass clarinet first used in the opera called Les Huguenots, composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer in 1836. Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner were also among the first composers who made regular use of the bass clarinet, raising it to the status of a standard orchestra instrument.
The bass clarinet role in the orchestra is to play bass voice and solo pieces with a somber and solemn character. It is also perfectly capable of producing humorous and comical effects. (Vsl.co.at, 2002)
The contrabassoon, which also known as the double bassoon, is the contrabass instrument in the woodwind section. It is the deepest instrument in the orchestra with the contrabass tuba. The oldest surviving contrabassoon which dates from 1714 can be found in Leipzig and inscribed “Andreas Eichentopf in Northausen 1714”. The first four-part contrabassoon made in London by Thomas Stanesby in 1727. The first four keys model made by his son in 1739 and it can be found in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.
The modern contrabassoon created by Adam and Wilhelm Heckel in 1877. Richard Wagner was the first who was convinced by the quality of its tone and he used it in his Parsifal in 1882. At the beginning of the 20th century the instrument was further improved by Wilhelm Heckel. In France the firm of Buffet-Crampon also produced a French model in 1906 which differs mainly in terms of the key work. These technical improvements helped gain popularity to the contrabassoon, received new tasks as a solo instrument and found its way into chamber music.
In the orchestra the contrabassoon plays those parts that were written for the contra-bass sarrusophone, a widely used instrument that had been scored for particularly by composers in France and Spain such as Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. (Vsl.co.at, 2002)
I was listening to some music by two well-known saxophonist, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker. The Jazz style was not new for me although I do not know too many pieces. During my research I discovered two music which I learned while I was studying and performing, and they are also well known by many people.
The first piece was My favourite things from The Sound of music musical, which first staged in 1959 and later they adapted this musical into a film in 1965. (The Sound of Music Salzburg, 2020). This version played by John Coltrane.
The second piece was Summertime from the opera called Porgy and Bess. The jazz inspired song is a lullaby and it is the most covered song on the world. (Eno.org, 2020). This version played by Charlie Parker.
I really enjoyed listening these pieces. John Coltare and Charlie Parker approach these songs in a unique way. The freedom of Jazz including the flawless play and improvisation gives this music a new version. Although both musicians use the main melody, Coltare brings more improvisation into his play.
Aname 