Thomas Erskine - Symphony in E flat major 1/3

[MrGUILLERMOPLAZA]

Lo bueno que tiene este medio de YouTube es que permite conocer la obra de personas practicamente ignoradas por la historiografía musical, como es el caso de este compositor Thomas Erskine. Muy buena obra esta y excelentemente ejecutada por la Hannover Band. Gracias a ellos por recuperar la obra de este compositor y a TheCrazyCello por publicarla

[hot5pur11]

I have the 18th century British Symphonies CD which is simply superb to listen to with a nicely chilled bottle of Chardonnay!

[Sviolinist]

I was expecting this to be some sort of dry English composition, but I fell in love! Love it. Interesting, this man was English Nobility. Well, a great musician he must have been. International fame, he had!

[fynnjamin]

@Sviolinist Actually Kellie/Erskine was Scottish - just be careful as some Scottish people get offended for being called English! His nickname was Fiddler Tam. One of the shadier aspects of his life was an all-male drinking club that he started up. Great music!

[Sviolinist]

@fynnjamin I indeed bow to your greater knowledge. Please check out my new channel (sorry for the plug... really.. please don' spam me... I sincerely love Erskine) Hobo Superstar. <-- New Channel. The audio clarity will be crystal clear in the new episode. I just wish a light hadn't fallen on my blue screen. =(

[fanofhaydn]

impressive.

[justincrzo]

What instruments were used for this symphony? Especially from 0:45-1:07 and 2:30-2:50 Really beautiful! =)

[TheCrazyCello]

It's a standard classical orchestra:

Violins 1 and 2 (about four players on each part) Viola (couple of players)

Basso (Cellos, Bassoon, Bass and Harpsichord), Two Horns

Two Oboes - which are replaced here by clarinets.

The instruments playing between 0:45-1:07 and 2:30-2:50 are the two clarinets and a bassoon. Classical clarinets have a brighter, less mellow tone than modern clarinets, and the bassoon is earthier and more mellow than its modern counterpart.

[aelfricbetera]

the brash or brusque horn playing is somewhat unusual and appealing...

[TheCrazyCello]

Yeah it's great isn't it, love the cracked notes, I guess on a modern horn we'd call it "cuivré". Most period instrument recordings dull down the brass. It's good to hear them let go for a change, after all it must have sounded something like this for it to have stirred up so much controversy and outrage when it was written!

[Sviolinist]

@TheCrazyCello Controversy and outrage? Do tell!!!

[TheCrazyCello]

@Sviolinist Sir John Hawkins (a contemporary writer and music critic) writes of the "torrid extravagances of Kelly (Erskine)" and we hear that many music societies "refused to give up Corelli for Kellie", there were also intrigues and dalliances in his personal life which I probably can't mention here!

[Sviolinist]

@TheCrazyCello I am not just a string player, my second expertise is in Piano and then Horn. I agree, this is most unusual playing - but on period horns, it is VERY easy to hit those cracked notes! It's almost as if it was a sound that appealed to everyone in the past. I believe this to be so. At any rate, my horn teacher used to chastise me for cracking (contemporaries call it 'blasting' btw). I love this recording!

[TheCrazyCello]

@Sviolinist I always say: in 18th century music when the horns are playing - it's an event and you should KNOW about it! Especially in Classical music, where they seem to deliberately avoid the 11th and 13th harmonics, like you say it's almost as if it's natural to crack the notes. Incidentally, have you heard Gardiner's new Brandenburg Recordings, with the raucous horns in the first movement? It's fantastic!