An Equal Music and Beethoven String Quintet.

On 27 Nov 2003 23:15:35 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Liz D)
wrote:

>The Devil's Interval <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
>> An Equal Music is by Vikram Seth, one of the most extraordinary and
>> versatile young writers I know of. (For example, he's written an epic novel
>> set in India and a novel told entirely in sonnets set in San Francisco.) I
>> loved AEM and gave a copy of it to one of my kids' teacher who rather
>> solipsistically said, after reading it, that the details in the book were so
>> good that it seemed inconceivable to him a nonmusician could have written
>> it. I've never quite forgiven him that (being a nonmusician who writes
>> fiction about music.)
>> 
>> Anyway, I strongly recommend An Equal Music to anyone on this list. In fact,
>> thanks for reminding me about this one, too. I'd like to reread it.
>> 
>> Karen
>
>I'll second that, and also recommend the CD released as a companion to
>the book with a lot of the music which features in the book, including
>the Beethoven String Quintet in C minor Op 104.  (The one Michael
>manages to find on LP and then temporarily loses again).  Apparently
>it is the first ever recording of that on CD.  The sleeve notes of the
>CD are very good, including an introduction by Vikram Seth.

The two string quintets referred to by Vikram Seth in An Equal Music
are certainly among the least of Beethoven's composition. (The other
one is listed as Op. 4 BTW. By coincidence I had purchased the
Supraphon recording of those two quintets just shortly before I read
the book.  If anyone had asked me about Beethoven string quintets
before that I would have said that I only knew of one, the Op 29 which
is not one of the two cited.  Despite the high opus number of one of
the quintets, both are actually bits of Beethoven juvenalia which he
resurrected when his publisher wanted some more music.Both quintets
are arrangements of pieces written for other instrumental
combinations. The program notes for the recording contains an essay
which argues that these arrangement probably were not even by
Beethoven.  In days when intellectual property rights were not
codified and piracy was rampant, some of these arrangements got
honored with opus numbers by the publishing houses. The essay goes on
to say that Ferdinand Ries, a friend of Beethoven, made a large number
of these arrangements. He showed these to Beethoven, but then gave
them to Beethoven's brother who sold them to publishing houses.
Beethoven was frustrated by some of this piracy and tried to combat it
by doing some of this arranging himself so at least he would get
something for the arrangements.  The op 104 is actually a reworking of
the Piano Trio in C minor Op 1 no. 3.  I have played one of these
quintets.  They are argueably among the worst things Beethoven ever
did.  I think the whole point of mentioning them in the book was that
the protagonist would go to nearly any length to satify his musical
curiosity. Of course, if the protagonist had had a chance to read the
program notes included from the Supraphon recording (that is my source
for the above information) he might have passed up buying the
recording...but then he wouldn't have taken the bus trip crucial to
the story.
>
>I got both out of my local library, quite by chance.  I liked the book
>so much I bought myself a copy as I know I will read it again
>(something I very rarely do with a fiction book).  I regularly get the
>CD out of the library until such time as I can track down a copy for
>myself.  I think I am the only person who ever borrows it.
>
>I haven't heard of The Red Violin (book or film), sounds like one to
>keep an eye out for, thanks.

A little hokey, but not all that bad of a movie.  The film score by
Corligiano is quite good and Corligiano (as pointed out by Karen)
developed the score material into a violin concerto for Joshua Bell.
That concerto was recently premiered in Baltimore, but I had to miss
it since I had my own concerts and rehearsal when the premier actually
took place (It was delayed from the announced date by Hurricane
Isabel). I understand there is one portion of the concerto where the
violinist applies extreme pressure to the bow to create a pitchless
scrunching noise. Corligiano did that once previously with the
orchestral strings in his "Pied Piper Fantasy" (essentially a Flute
Concerto for James Galway), a piece which one of my orchestras played
a few years ago.  Once we got over the shock of what we were being
asked to do, it was great fun.  This pitchless sound was supposed to
represent the rats in the Pied Piper story.
>

Jon Teske
>Liz D