Flute Concertino (Cécile Chaminade)
Among flautists, legend has it that Chaminade wrote the Concertino to punish a flute-playing lover after he left her to marry someone else, wanting to make a piece so fiendishly difficult that he could not play it (though he supposedly did manage).
To wrap up all of my blogs with this piece, this was one of the most difficult songs that I have ever played. Even to this day. I tend to struggle with some sections. But in the video below, it shows how far I have managed to go with only three months of practice. I decided to only perform bits of the piece because it wouldn't be as engaging to listen to the whole seven minute song. (This a five page song)
Corresponding to the second video, "the trill (or shake) consists of the rapid alternation of two tones. They are represented by the printed noted (called the principal note) and the next tone above in the diatonic scale. The interval between the two tones may be either a half-step or a whole-step," (Gower and Voxman, 60). Throughout this song, there are a variety of different musical elements represented, such as the trill.
What was the hardest piece you have ever played? (And to non-musicians) What genre do you think is the hardest to perform?
Wow, Raina! I love how elegantly you played this piece! Your playing really expresses Chaminade's purpose of his notes. This song being a tribute to International Women's Day makes a lot of sense. This song has feminine features, one being that it is played on a flute, which has a higher register almost all other instruments (besides piccolo, sopranino clarinet, sopranissimo saxophone, etc.). It also has many trills, and a light and easy feeling to it, and I believe you expressed that very well in your playing. The hardest piece I've ever performed was probably J.S Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 Movement 3 in a technical sense. This song required a lot of technicality, and forced me to play rather quickly. I have a question for you. How has learning Chaminade's concertino helped you as a musician?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the compliment, Jeremiah! I really appreciate the thought! :) To answer your question, this piece has impacted me as a musician quite significantly. It made me want to focus more on the complexities of the song rather than the simpler parts. That is pretty self explanatory anyway with other songs, but in this piece it heavily emphasizes it. This song made me lock down certain scales that I am not used to playing. Overall, Chaminade's concertino helped me in a variety of different ways to become better as a musician.
DeleteGreat way to finish up all your blog posts! Certainly the way you played was astonishing as well. The music sheets look very complicated to play and you have performed well coinciding with the difficult sheet music. I myself play an instrument but a different one, piano. How long have you played the flute? Do you see yourself playing proffesionally in the future?
ReplyDeleteExcellent performance! Your playing was incredibly smooth and tender, as was likely intended. What interested me greatly was your dynamic control. They way you can drop and raise your volume with such flow is impressive. To answer your question, the hardest piece I have played is Armenian Dances, as it has many instances of blinding fast notes for bassoon. All in all Raina, this was a great post and performance.
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