Orefici Melodic Study #3
Orefici's Melodic Study #3. Discussion about Orefici turning something ugly into a beautiful melody. Performance of the 3rd study by Terry B. Ewell. BDP #328. www.2reed.net.
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Orefici's Melodic Study #3. Discussion about Orefici turning something ugly into a beautiful melody. Performance of the 3rd study by Terry B. Ewell. BDP #328. www.2reed.net.
The original transcript is available here.
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00:00Introduction
Music: Orefici's Melodic Study 5, performed by Terry B. Ewell Well, Orefici's Study 3 is one of my favorites in this collection. I seem to never tire from listening to it because it is so unusual.
00:25An Unusual Opening Phrase
However, for a student who is playing this for the first time it seems like something as foreign as if you dropped in music from Neptune. I must confess that I fully understand this. For instance, take the very first measures, the first phrase. music This is
00:51The Disjunct Melody
not a particularly beautiful collection of notes. We have a melody here which is disjunct, it leaps all over the place. It doesn't even stay in the key signature given here---B flat major. We are not even sure what key it is in quite frankly! It starts on a D (Re) and ends on an E natural (Mi). It is quite confusing. In fact, I would say that it is pretty ugly.
01:28Turning the Ugly into Beauty
The genius of Orefici is that he takes something ugly and by the end of the study you think it is one of the most beautiful things that you have ever heard. Again, I think of one of my favority verses, Ecclesiastes 3:11. "He makes everything beautiful in its time." Here Orefici takes the ugly and makes it beautiful be the time we get to the end.
01:58Delayed Resolutions and Operatic Style
This melody features delayed resolutions and it has an operatic style and movement to it.
02:07Piano, Pianissimo, and Tone Color
All of that has to be brought out within basically two dynamics: piano and pianissimo. Now, there are a few crescendos within piano, but never go to forte. This is all done delicately within those dynamics, working with your tone color. Reed making is so important; work on the tip and all of that. This all has to be part of that,
02:34Reed Making and Beauty
something beautiful, something that feeds your soul, something that you can enjoy.
03:42Performance of Orefici's Melodic Study #3
Performance of Orefici's Melodic Study 3 Music: Orefici's Melodic Study 5, performed by Terry B. Ewell
Credits
- author Terry B. Ewell