Orefici Melodic Study #6

Orefici's Melodic Study #6. Discussion of the hidden melody in this study and the need to play both the melody and accompaniment. It contains a demonstration of how to play Study #6 in an ugly fashion. Performance of the 6th study by Terry B. Ewell. BDP #331. www.2reed.net.

Comments

The original transcript is available here.

Videos

YouTube · MP4

Chapters

Transcript with Time Codes

00:00Introduction: The Perplexing Study #6

Music: Orefici's Melodic Study #5, performed by Terry B. Ewell Well, Study number 6 by Orefici is perhaps the most the most perplexing study in the group of twenty. And you can see that Orefici himself struggles with this particular study. The breath marks here are not for breaths.

00:33Breath Marks and Four-Bar Phrases

Leonard Sharrow rightly points out that you should breath after the eighth notes not after the sixteenths. The breath marks here rather are indications of four bar phrases.

00:49An Ugly Way to Play Study #6

Now, I have heard this study played in ways that are truly ugly. For instance, take this reading of the study. music: opening of Study #6 Well, there is very little to commend itself with this type of playing, other than perhaps you get all of the notes. But it is truly ugly.

01:26Seeking Beauty

We are seeking something beautiful. God makes everything beautiful in His time, and I think that Orefici makes something very beautiful out of this.

01:37Finding the Hidden Melody

Let's just take the first note of each measure and let's consider that to be a melody. music Now, in that performance I moved some notes around in octaves. But you get the sense that indeed there is a melody shape here; there is a melodic line. Hidden in this study is that melody.

02:32Playing Both Soloist and Accompanist

So, this is the challenge for you as a performer: Be both the soloist, bringing out the melodic line and the accompanist. Those sixteenth notes should be florid and accompanying this beautiful melody. This is truly and interesting challenge.

02:55The Melodic Challenge

This is part of the genius of Orefici in this series of studies. This is a melody so different. This is a melodic challenge so different from all of the rest. As a performer you really have to think about it and you really have to master how you will present that melodic line.

03:42Performance of Orefici's Melodic Study #6

[Music: Orefici's Melodic Study #5 performed by Terry B. Ewell]

Credits

author Terry B. Ewell