. Today I heard that Julian Bream had passed away. I’m completely Heartbroken. Many years ago, I played with the Cambridge City Jassband , At The “ Old Brewrey” In Mere Wiltshire. Julian lived there and sat on the grass and listened to our set. Afterwards, sitting in my old VW Camper, I said to Catherine my Wife how much I would like to meet him, but of course was too shy. She promptly disappeared and returned with Julian who announced “ If You Won’t Come To Meet Me, I’ll Come To Meet You” !. I was completely speechless. We shared a couple of beers, and spoke of Dowland, Elizabethan Music, And Jazz Guitar. I’ve never recovered from this encounter. Dear, Dear, Julian. God Bless You. Sincere Condolences to the Family, But ! ! Rejoice , What a Player, Humanitarian, And Gentleman. x x .
Lucky you, John! I would love to have met Julian, my favourite classical guitarist. Your beautiful story doesn't surprise me, as the Julian you describe is just as I have imagined him.
It is astounding to me that anyone could fail to be moved by Bream's musicality and utter mastery of the lute and its music. The word "genius" is often bandied-about, but Maestro Bream is the genuine article.
An oft forgotten fact is that Julian Bream was an AWESOME Lutenist! I don't care if people have apoplexy about his "fretted lute" or his use of "nails", the fact remains that he produced as beautiful a sound on the Renaissance lute as he did on the classical guitar and I could listen to him for hours!
Seeing Julian Bream playing the lute on tv in the early 1970's sparked interest in the instrument and Renaissance and Baroque music that has remained with me ever since. I owe him a great deal!
I first fell in love with the lute through Julian Bream. I studied with Lucy Cross, who was of the non-nails style, but still love him. I gather that there was a debate about nails vs. no nails, even back in the early 1600s in England. I'm a PhD musicologist, but feel that authenticity often has take a back set to accessibility. That being said, I love Sting's versions of Dowland's lute songs.
Bream should be given credit for re-introducing the lute and its music to us, in a way that seems perfectly suited to the spirit of the Elizabethan age. His playing is what got me and many others interested in the repertoire. And let's not forget that by the early 17th century the right hand position had changed and players were able to use their nails.
Referring to the nails or no nails argument I can just say that I always fall asleep when I listen to lute music played without nails but I could listen to Mr. Bream's interpretations for ever.
I wish the owners of the RCA masters would reissue Maestro Bream's works from his golden age of lute performance... they went out of print some years ago, and are tough to find for a decent price, if they are available at all. Bream is one of the titans of classical guitar and lute - my choice as the best ever. Strange as it seems, when I listen to his renditions of Dowland and other early music, I feel transported back hundreds of years. What a genius!
One can complain ad infinitum about Bream's inauthenticity. for my part, his energy, style and elegance transcend technical issues. He seems to me to respond intuitively to the music and to capture the spirit and essence in a way that is breathtaking. I love O'Dette, North, Smith,Heringman and Wadsworth, but Bream brings something to the music that is stylish and unique.
A lot of people have mentioned how they got interested in playing/listening to lute music after hearing Bream play it. I have to say though that with so many incredible interpreters of lute music today, Bream does sound a little out of place for his approach to playing this instrument. A lute played without nails and with the thumb under techniques has a completely different, softer, uneven, noisy sound which I love (personal opinion!). There is a certain roughness about it. That said, there are plenty of documents from the Renaissance on describing experiments with thimbles, nails, hand position, and, yes, wild performance approaches. Reading about lute music and its performers has made me enjoy that "classical" music so much more. Improvisation was the order of the day, because so little was written on the music sheet.
Gian Luca. It’s All Very Well Pontificating About “ Nails Or No Nails”, Various “ Techniques” Etc, That’s All Very Well. But, You Seem To Have Misplaced Three Things !. “ Ears, Heart And Soul “. If You Are Not “Monumentally Moved” , By This Performance By Dear Julian, There Is No Hope For You. P S, Please Post Your Personal Effort On The “Tube Soon”.
Piccinini, in his 1623 book, wrote that the nails should extend beyond the fingertips. Maybe not common practice, but I only said that the right hand position had changed and "players were able to use their nails," not that everyone did.
@MrSnorlax22 It varies. You can do it on a guitar by tuning the G string to F#. Some strings are doubled here like a 12-string, and there are extra bass optional bass strings at handy pitches, but not essential to the music.
Re: "Period-correct performance would be nailless with a much lighter instrument, lower tension strings and different right hand technique. Listen to more historically-informed players such as Paul O'dette, Ronn McFarlane and Hopkinson Smith to hear the difference." I have heard O'dette and many others who allegedly play in a more "authentic" style than Bream, and none of them even approaches Bream's talent. He is, quite literally, a genius on classical guitar and lute.
One needs “Such Soul” , to play like dear Julian. Technique, is one thing, Soul is something else. As Fats Waller replied to a Lady who asked him, “ Mr Waller, What Is Swing, “ Lady If you gotta ask, you ain’t got it “.
@@Themostamazinguy - You're welcome to your opinion. But there's no reason to resort to ad-hominem attacks. The last resort of one whose arguments have failed. If you like Odette better, then listen to him. How classless of you to run down the memory of one of the giants of 20th century music.
The Past Speaks !. No One Comes Near To Julian. He Feels It. I’m Sure He Was There In PastTimes. Enough Of “Constant Unmusical “ Argument. Use Your Heart And Ears !.
It would be the fulfillment of a lifetime dream to see/hear Maestro Bream in person. Does he perform live anymore, or has he retired from it for the most part? If he is still performing live, is there a schedule of his upcoming concerts? I am prepard to travel to the U.K. to attend a performance (I reside in the USA). Last question: anyone know where to get a decent lute? I've played classical guitar, but via Bream, have discovered my passion is for lute. Replies/information very appreciated.
@TheEdgarvarese12 Actually he played a high-tension lute not unlike the modern classical guitar, and he used guitar technique and fingernails. Period-correct performance would be nailless with a much lighter instrument, lower tension strings and different right hand technique. Listen to more historically-informed players such as Paul O'dette, Ronn McFarlane and Hopkinson Smith to hear the difference. Nevertheless, Bream coaxed a beautiful sound out of the instrument.
When I studied music in the 70's we had some classical-guitar-policemen at school that scoffed at Segovia because he played Bach too romantically, and a few correct-lute-policemen who discussed trills forever - their playing made you fall asleep and they scoffed at Bream because he played with nails, had an incorrect right hand and had a guitar bridge on his lute. It didn't matter to them that he sounded wonderful and that he could move people, which they never could. The point is that Bream made great music which Mr Sour Comment doesn't seem to hear.
Geanos Uron historically right? Absolutely not. This is not similar to figuete thumb under technique. It sounds way different. But nonetheless this is beautiful
good point.. was he trying to do too much at that time introducing early music and not understanding the subtlety of the lute by playing his hybrid style? I like it but yeah why? maybe its just dated...
. Today I heard that Julian Bream had passed away. I’m completely
Heartbroken. Many years ago, I played with the Cambridge City Jassband , At The “ Old Brewrey”
In Mere Wiltshire. Julian lived there and sat on the grass and listened to our set. Afterwards, sitting in my old VW Camper, I said to Catherine my Wife how much I would like to meet him, but of course was too shy. She promptly disappeared and returned with Julian who announced “ If You Won’t Come To Meet Me, I’ll Come To Meet You” !. I was completely speechless. We shared a couple of beers, and spoke of Dowland, Elizabethan Music, And Jazz Guitar. I’ve never recovered from this encounter.
Dear, Dear, Julian. God Bless You. Sincere Condolences to the Family, But ! ! Rejoice ,
What a Player, Humanitarian, And Gentleman. x x .
Thanks for sharing your charming story!
Bravo to your thoughtful wife who made the memorable encounter happen and bravo for Julian Bream for being a real nice person.
What a treasure of a story. I certainly would love to have known him personally
Lucky you, John! I would love to have met Julian, my favourite classical guitarist. Your beautiful story doesn't surprise me, as the Julian you describe is just as I have imagined him.
Just reading about this is inspiring.
Rip Julian. Thanks for being part of the soundtrack of my life.
It is astounding to me that anyone could fail to be moved by Bream's musicality and utter mastery of the lute and its music. The word "genius" is often bandied-about, but Maestro Bream is the genuine article.
An oft forgotten fact is that Julian Bream was an AWESOME Lutenist! I don't care if people have apoplexy about his "fretted lute" or his use of "nails", the fact remains that he produced as beautiful a sound on the Renaissance lute as he did on the classical guitar and I could listen to him for hours!
Seeing Julian Bream playing the lute on tv in the early 1970's sparked interest in the instrument and Renaissance and Baroque music that has remained with me ever since. I owe him a great deal!
@John Fenner thank you for sharing your heart warming story.
Julian Bream ist u. bleibt der Grösste....
(he is and remain the greatest...) 😊
Truely spell binding! Wonderful performance from one of the most talented and influential musicians of the day!
I first fell in love with the lute through Julian Bream. I studied with Lucy Cross, who was of the non-nails style, but still love him. I gather that there was a debate about nails vs. no nails, even back in the early 1600s in England. I'm a PhD musicologist, but feel that authenticity often has take a back set to accessibility. That being said, I love Sting's versions of Dowland's lute songs.
almost too beautiful for words
Bream should be given credit for re-introducing the lute and its music to us, in a way that seems perfectly suited to the spirit of the Elizabethan age. His playing is what got me and many others interested in the repertoire. And let's not forget that by the early 17th century the right hand position had changed and players were able to use their nails.
Right on, Howard!
Michael Manderen, Oberlin
Referring to the nails or no nails argument I can just say that I always fall asleep when I listen to lute music played without nails but I could listen to Mr. Bream's interpretations for ever.
Enchantingly beautiful. Bream is a superb musician.
EL GRAN MAESTRO
SIEMPRE MUY DIDÁCTICO PARA GUITARRISTAS Y MÚSICOS
UN PLACER ESCUCHAR SU INTERPRETACIÓN
R.I.P. Maestro
this is high class. adorable.
The way he rolled that last chord....what else is there to say? Just perfect.
Oh, so right my friend... and that lute sustains that last roll forever.... Bream is the living end.....
Paul West. Absolutely The Perfect Way To Sum Up. If The Last Chord Was All We Had, We Would Need No More !.
I wish the owners of the RCA masters would reissue Maestro Bream's works from his golden age of lute performance... they went out of print some years ago, and are tough to find for a decent price, if they are available at all. Bream is one of the titans of classical guitar and lute - my choice as the best ever. Strange as it seems, when I listen to his renditions of Dowland and other early music, I feel transported back hundreds of years. What a genius!
There is a feeling of sadness in this music.
Probably having to look at men in tights at the time saddened the writer.
One can complain ad infinitum about Bream's inauthenticity. for my part, his energy, style and elegance transcend technical issues. He seems to me to respond intuitively to the music and to capture the spirit and essence in a way that is breathtaking. I love O'Dette, North, Smith,Heringman and Wadsworth, but Bream brings something to the music that is stylish and unique.
Just beautiful, beautiful!!
Rest In Peace. You music moved my soul.
Fantàstico, grandioso, gracias
Maestro Bream
Julian is such an exceptional Musician/guitarist,My dream:to study with him in my next life.
A lot of people have mentioned how they got interested in playing/listening to lute music after hearing Bream play it. I have to say though that with so many incredible interpreters of lute music today, Bream does sound a little out of place for his approach to playing this instrument. A lute played without nails and with the thumb under techniques has a completely different, softer, uneven, noisy sound which I love (personal opinion!). There is a certain roughness about it. That said, there are plenty of documents from the Renaissance on describing experiments with thimbles, nails, hand position, and, yes, wild performance approaches. Reading about lute music and its performers has made me enjoy that "classical" music so much more. Improvisation was the order of the day, because so little was written on the music sheet.
Gian Luca. It’s All Very Well Pontificating About “ Nails Or No Nails”, Various “ Techniques” Etc,
That’s All Very Well. But, You Seem To Have Misplaced Three Things !. “ Ears, Heart And Soul “.
If You Are Not “Monumentally Moved” , By This Performance By Dear Julian, There Is No Hope For You.
P S, Please Post Your Personal Effort On The “Tube Soon”.
Nobody plays lute like that anymore! I have all his Dowland records they are simply beautiful!
Great Bream!!!
he knows so much and plays so good. incredible
This is supernatural... I'm still shivering... I bet not even Segovia got anywhere near to playing the lute like that!
Fantastisch Gespielte Galliard
Maestro¡¡¡¡ Me hizo llorar de emoción. qué manera de interpretar. Nadie como usted.
Whatever your views on JB's approach to lute playing this is a wonderful video. Many thanks for posting.
Such power..
Merci,un immense virtuose.
@JaJDoo an instrument (like a lute or a guitar or a violin) can be played how do you want. The technique is a secondary thing.
The lute is a rare guitar indeed
The King of the Lute ! xxxxxxx
Only Stravinsky would fail to be impressed by this..!
wow this instrument looks like OOD (ood is an oriental instrument) but with much strings. wooow Thank you
Piccinini, in his 1623 book, wrote that the nails should extend beyond the fingertips. Maybe not common practice, but I only said that the right hand position had changed and "players were able to use their nails," not that everyone did.
¡Maravilloso!
Muito muito obrigado
Браво!
strange, how when the world around me seems mystical and beautiful, this is the music I think of. nothing recent really...
Wow this is a rare video indeed! A very young looking Tim Rice interviewing...
@MrSnorlax22 It varies. You can do it on a guitar by tuning the G string to F#.
Some strings are doubled here like a 12-string, and there are extra bass optional bass strings at handy pitches, but not essential to the music.
Julian Bream is God
the piece is captain digorie piper's galliard - the tune is if my complaints from the first book of ayres by john downalnd
@minotauresse He takes you there right away, doesn't he....
Re: "Period-correct performance would be nailless with a much lighter instrument, lower tension strings and different right hand technique. Listen to more historically-informed players such as Paul O'dette, Ronn McFarlane and Hopkinson Smith to hear the difference." I have heard O'dette and many others who allegedly play in a more "authentic" style than Bream, and none of them even approaches Bream's talent. He is, quite literally, a genius on classical guitar and lute.
GeorgiaBoy1961 to say Odette doesnt approach bream is idiotic. He is arguably the best lute player of the 20th and 21st century
One needs “Such Soul” , to play like dear Julian. Technique, is one thing, Soul is something else.
As Fats Waller replied to a Lady who asked him, “ Mr Waller, What Is Swing, “ Lady If you gotta ask, you ain’t got it “.
@@Themostamazinguy O'dette has a lifeless pulse, which is a damn shame
@@Themostamazinguy - You're welcome to your opinion. But there's no reason to resort to ad-hominem attacks. The last resort of one whose arguments have failed. If you like Odette better, then listen to him. How classless of you to run down the memory of one of the giants of 20th century music.
I prefer bream playing the lute than the guitar 1000 times
I noticed that he doesh't use the "thumb under" method, which would seem to account for his louder than most other lutes that I've heard.
The Past Speaks !. No One Comes Near To Julian. He Feels It. I’m Sure He Was There In PastTimes.
Enough Of “Constant Unmusical “ Argument. Use Your Heart And Ears !.
It would be the fulfillment of a lifetime dream to see/hear Maestro Bream in person. Does he perform live anymore, or has he retired from it for the most part? If he is still performing live, is there a schedule of his upcoming concerts? I am prepard to travel to the U.K. to attend a performance (I reside in the USA). Last question: anyone know where to get a decent lute? I've played classical guitar, but via Bream, have discovered my passion is for lute. Replies/information very appreciated.
Deja el Laud para los que saben!
watch the interviewer at the end of the piece!!!It's like he came bock to reality!!!
@emreglr Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard, P.19
@TheEdgarvarese12 Actually he played a high-tension lute not unlike the modern classical guitar, and he used guitar technique and fingernails. Period-correct performance would be nailless with a much lighter instrument, lower tension strings and different right hand technique. Listen to more historically-informed players such as Paul O'dette, Ronn McFarlane and Hopkinson Smith to hear the difference. Nevertheless, Bream coaxed a beautiful sound out of the instrument.
Well, I guess he can't just cut his nails every time he wants to play the flute...
i have a question, is it a 7 course lute, or an 8 course lute?
Take The Estus I counted 8
@@johnsonlee511 thanks, i kinda have a bad sight
what#s the name of this piece? i am not familiar with Dowland
Captain Diggory Piper's Galliard I think.
What piece is it ? Looks very hard and much contrapunctical
He says at the start of the video-Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard, by John Dowland.
0:35
How many strings?
I think 14
What's the point of playing a lute if you're going to make it sound like a guitar?
When I studied music in the 70's we had some classical-guitar-policemen at school that scoffed at Segovia because he played Bach too romantically, and a few correct-lute-policemen who discussed trills forever - their playing made you fall asleep and they scoffed at Bream because he played with nails, had an incorrect right hand and had a guitar bridge on his lute. It didn't matter to them that he sounded wonderful and that he could move people, which they never could. The point is that Bream made great music which Mr Sour Comment doesn't seem to hear.
+Opteryx Industries If Julian Bream can sound this great then his technique is right and all the others are wrong.
Geanos Uron historically right? Absolutely not. This is not similar to figuete thumb under technique. It sounds way different. But nonetheless this is beautiful
good point.. was he trying to do too much at that time introducing early music and not understanding the subtlety of the lute by playing his hybrid style? I like it but yeah why? maybe its just dated...
You dismiss the great Julian Bream's conception of the instrument, but could you do as well, let alone better? I doubt it.
@Dose0fReality: Wrong, my post was genuine. Sorry if it upset your delicate sensibilities. Do try and grow up, will you?
if anything, this a video is an example of how not to play the lute...
Tremendous !. I look forward eagerly to hearing your efforts. You were obviously not in line when Heart and Ears, were issued.
The King of the Lute ! xxxxxxx