Information on Weissenborn
Background information on Julius Weissenborn, Opus 8 Bassoon Studies, and the Trio for Three Bassoons. By Terry B. Ewell, Bassoon Digital Professor. BDP #123.
Comments
YouTube information on Julius Weissenborn, his Opus 8 Bassoon Studies, and the Trio for Three Bassoons. Performers of the trio: - Arthur Grossman - Bruce Grainger - Terry B. Ewell By Terry B. Ewell, Bassoon Digital Professor. BDP #123 • www.2reed.net
The original transcript is available here.
Videos
Captions are unavailable. The complete transcript follows.
Chapters
Transcript
00:00Welcome
Welcome, this is Terry Ewell. 1. In this video I provide some background on the Opus 8/2 Bassoon Studies and Weissenborn. Several years ago I recorded a performance and instructional video on Study #15. Please refer to those videos separately. http://www.2reed.net/bdp/home.html#bdp39 2. Christian Julius Weissenborn (April 13, 1837 – April 21, 1888) came from a family of musicians. His father and brother were both bassoonists. He enjoyed a distinguished career as principal bassoonist of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. His appointment as professor at the Leipzig Conservatory led to the composition of many important teaching materials for the bassoon. 3. The Practical Bassoon School and the two collections of studies in Opus 8 provide a solid foundation for the study of the bassoon. Their importance is demonstrated by the fact that these studies are used throughout the world. No doubt you are watching this video because you have a copy of the Bassoon Studies in your hands. 4. The Opus 8/2 studies should be performed with Weissenborn's earlier studies in mind. For example, in Opus 8/1 Weissenborn explains the performance of grace notes, trills, other ornaments, and articulations. 5. William Waterhouse notes that Weissenborn originally conceived Opus 8/2 as a collection of sixty studies. Before publication, approximately forty-eight pages of musical material were removed. The thematic openings of the ten lost studies survive in a manuscript held in a London collection, but the complete music for those studies has not yet been recovered. 6. In addition to composing studies for the bassoon, Weissenborn wrote orchestral, choral, and vocal works. He also composed a well-known trio for three bassoons, which we will now consider.
00:19Background on Opus 8/2
Background on Opus 8/2
00:43Julius Weissenborn
Julius Weissenborn
01:15Practical Bassoon School and Opus 8
Practical Bassoon School and Opus 8
01:40Relationship to Opus 8/1
Relationship to Opus 8/1
01:49The Lost Studies
The Lost Studies
02:20The Trio for Three Bassoons
The Trio for Three Bassoons
02:35Reflection
Whoever lets only the dear God reign and hopes in Him at all times, He will preserve in a marvelous way in every cross and sadness. Whoever trusts in almighty God has not built upon sand. (Accessed 19 Feb. 2014: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale052-Eng3.htm) 8. This is a translation of German poetry written by Georg Neumark. The reference to the cross is to Jesus' crucifixion (and the sacrifice of His followers). The reference to sand comes from Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. The passage about sand is found in Matthew 7:24–29. These are the words that accompanied the melody chosen by Weissenborn in the first movement of his Trio for Three Bassoons. 9. Georg Neumark expressed his faith in God and in the teachings of Jesus through this poetry and music. Many composers, including J. S. Bach and Julius Weissenborn, were inspired to set Neumark's melody. 10. Weissenborn quotes this melody in the cantus firmus sections of the trio. Its first appearance is in the third bassoon part. The melody heard in the 4/4 section is also related to the same hymn tune. 11. Here is a portion of the trio containing the same hymn melody chosen by Weissenborn. You can hear the complete trio by downloading the recording from the Wikipedia article on Weissenborn. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Weissenborn Performance Arthur Grossman was one of the most widely recorded chamber musicians and bassoon soloists in the United States. He performed extensively with Soni Ventorum throughout the United States and internationally for the U.S. State Department. He recorded numerous chamber and solo works, served as principal bassoon of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, participated in the Marlboro Music Festival, was guest principal bassoon of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra during the 1977–78 season, and appeared as an invited artist at the First International Arts Festival of the Republic of China in 1980. Bruce Grainger became second bassoonist of the Seattle Symphony in 1978. Eight years later he was appointed assistant principal bassoon of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also served on the faculty of DePaul University and was a member of the Chicago Chamber Musicians. He died in Chicago after a long illness at the age of forty-two. Terry Ewell served as principal bassoon of the Hong Kong Philharmonic (1979–1986), the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (1992–1996), and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (2010–present). Further information about Dr. Ewell is available at: http://www.terryewell.com
02:36Georg Neumark Hymn
Georg Neumark Hymn
03:00The Cross and the Sermon on the Mount
The Cross and the Sermon on the Mount
03:25Neumark's Influence
Neumark's Influence
03:42Cantus Firmus in the Trio
Cantus Firmus in the Trio
03:58Trio Example
Trio Example
04:04Recording Information
Recording Information
04:26Arthur Grossman
Arthur Grossman
05:17Bruce Grainger
Bruce Grainger
05:56Terry Ewell
Terry Ewell
06:19Sources and Credits
Sources and Credits
Credits
- author Terry B. Ewell
- composer Julius Weissenborn