Ask Augustin 43 - Speaking in Musical Sentences
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- It's been a while since the last Ask Augustin! In this episode I wanted to talk about the distinction between "sung" and "spoken" music. These words get used often nowadays. For me, there isn't a sharp distinction between the two types of playing, they are both components of beautiful violin playing -- since "spoken" music is also vocal, and even the most lyrical "singing" music should still have structure. Thinking of a musical passage as "spoken", as language, rather than just thinking of playing the notes with a beautiful sound, can be useful in finding phrasing that communicates the expression of a piece, as though you are speaking to the audience - or singing to the audience with lyrics.
It's often said that music is a language that can communicate things in a way that words can't. Just like any other language, music has a syntax, rules about emphasized syllables and weaker syllables, about sentence structure, and you will find sentences that are questions and others that sound more like answers, and you will find dialogues, monologues, stories.
Some composers -- Schumann comes to mind -- approached writing music from a literary angle, and their music seems to talk to us in sentences.
If we only "sing" when playing this kind of music, just focusing on sounding like a voice and sustaining a nice sound, it might not end up saying very much, or moving the listener. So no matter how 'cantabile' a theme is, and how beautifully the sound that we make, we also need to decide what we are trying to say!
In this video I give a few examples (Bach, Schumann, Brahms, Bartok), but even though this is one of my longer videos, it only scratches the surface of the topic.
It's nice to see world class musicians upload their insights on youtube. Imagine if Horowitz or Rachmaninoff had a youtube channel they casually uploaded videos too. What a time to be alive.
It's amazing how you can express extremly complex artystical concepts AND demonstrate them as such that they are clear as can be to the viewer, amazing!
My favorite virtuoso and teacher is back teaching us great phrasing tips...this is so deep and inspiring! :-)
Yay you're back !
As a 30 year old that grew up with grandparents on a dirt road I have the unique privilege of having experienced the days of going to the library and paying for a computer to even THINK about finding information on learning a musical instrument and only finding the most rudimentary intro lessons to only popular instruments available to print and read. And now to experience having a world-class soloist describe intricate details of technique in an in depth intimate video right in my pocket for FREE! It is an incredible time to have such well springs easily sharing their knowledge for free. I only wish more people used the Internet like this and less for funny cat videos.
Just listened to your recital for Aspen Music Festival. Joyful, sad, loving, playful, fantastique and exquisite!
Insightful, illuminating ideas of how language can shape the music and how music can speak in ways that transcend language. I’m so glad you started with Bach. I sense that Bach’s music, especially the Andante from his 2nd solo sonata in A minor, is simply an expression of God’s immeasurable love for us. Thank you very much for sharing your profound knowledge of music and the violin with us!
if youtube had a amazon vine voice it would be you
So beautifully illustrated. Bel canto on the violin 😌
Very inspiring!!!! 🎻💫
You are a natural teacher! 🙏🏼🎶
He's way better than any teacher-teacher! Pity that only very good players can profit from his masterclasses. Anyway, we still have the consolation of his online lessons.
What a mesmerizing tone & dynamics you are generating..! Just awestruck...!🤔
Very helpful, thank you!
so didactic...natural teacher/instructor too, because an awesome violinist...
Thank you very much for making all of these Q+A videos! For all of us still in quarantine it is a great way to seek expert advice when it comes to bettering our violin playing.
He makes talking about the violin so interesting! I'm a percussionist and I still love watching these. Like I don't belong here.
I love that you always give very specific descriptions
Great video, I feel like I’ve been playing Bach with too much singing like you said in the beginning, no wonder I couldn’t play that g minor adagio expressively. Now I can go fix it after this short masterclass😁
El lenguaje de la música es pura magia muchas veces, cada interpretación de una obra tiene algo diferente y muy especial. Hay interpretaciones llenas de virtuosismo, son un auténtico espectáculo... Otras interpretaciones son pura sensibilidad y esas son las que me llegan al Alma...siento que es para mí... Mil gracias, Augustin, por las explicaciones, por tu sensibilidad al interpretar! 💜🎶💜🎶💜🎻😊
So glad to see you back, and very happy for you that you were able to see your friends, and perform virtual concerts with them. The music was beautiful, Augustin! Thank you for returning with another Ask Augustin tutorial!❤️
I recently saw/heard you at the Seattle Chamber Music Society's Summer Festival and because it was virtual, I confess, I went back and listened to all three of the concerts you played a second time. This episode fits perfectly with what I heard in those performances. The three composers were Haydn, Borodin and Dohnanyi and yes, they certainly reflect their native languages and cultures. And the playing was out of this world. Could you make a video about how to work in a small ensemble (trio, quartet, quintet, etc.)? Incredible festival - Bravo! And for everyone reading this, try to see it next summer, especially if they extend the virtual aspect; Augustine is a regular performer there.
Your thoughts about music being connected to language reminded me of the Scottish folk song Thig Am Bàta, where each verse has four bars with different time signatures (13/8, 12/8, 11/8, and 12/8, with one exception), all because of the words and the story it tells. Just looking at these numbers, it would seem very constructed, but when you listen to the singer, it sounds so natural.
Thank you for posting these videos, they've already helped me a lot with my practicing. There's so much food for thought in this episode, thank you for sharing!
Wow! He's here again
So happy to hear you again!
This video seems like a great place to start reviewing in the new year. Thank you, Augustin.
Finally. Oh how long I've waited for your beautiful sound.
I dig the new haircut sir!
Fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
Really well spoken and insightful advice as always! For one of your home performances sometime in future, would you consider recording some of the Gershwin/Heifetz selections from Porgy and Bess?
Thanks for the advices! Can you play Saint-Saëns danse macabre?
Thank you very much!!!
Nice hair cut, good looking :)
Awesome
Your videos are very useful and informative. Can you please comment in general terms on the mechanics of how you end a phrase/sentence? E.g. do you completely stop the bow, and do you stop vibrato before stopping the bow so the sound dies out without vibrato? Obviously there are always special cases but I would love to hear your thoughts as a general practice. Thank you.
Love u!!
Ahhaaa finnaly got the haircut :D
hello i am from south korea. i love your violin's sound and tone.when i have a chance i want to the lesson from you.
Do you think that knowing the composers language helps in interpreting a piece?
Absolutely