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Post by petite joueuse on Jun 25, 2006 19:03:35 GMT
Maybe its just me, but there seem to be an awful lot of pieces in D minor around at the moment!!
Went to a concert last night - Sibelius Violin Concerto and Dvorak Symphony No. 7 - BOTH in D minor! (interesting....comments have been made in TOP about people's recital/dip programmes that you shouldn't have 2 pieces in a row in the same key - but this concert programme worked really well - and the star performer, Leland Chen, came to sit beside me after the Sibelius - I was soooo honoured - and he's really nice to talk to!!).
Then I have a friend currently learning Bach's concerto for Violin and Oboe - also in D minor.
Then today on the radio I heard Marcello's Oboe concerto - the announcer didn't say what key it was in.....but it felt strangely familiar - so I checked....D Minor again!
Am I somehow or other particularly "tuned in" to D minor at the moment?? Weird! Have been listening A LOT to the Shostakovich Piano Concerto in F major - haven't analysed it, but I'm assuming it drifts into D minor quite a bit - maybe my ear is getting bored???
Happen to anyone else??
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Jun 25, 2006 20:07:33 GMT
The Brahms, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky violin concerti are also in D minor. So is Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto - one of the greatest Romantic piano concert (for me, the greatest, but that is subjective). Mozart's D minor piano concerto is sometimes described as 'the first Romantic piano concerto'. Perhaps D minor has a grab for romantic composers. How about a more prosaic explanation - bear in mind I might be talking rubbish here. Again ;D On a violin, the four strings are G, D, A, E. Hold a violin under your chin and place your left hand on the fingerboard. Your index and next (2nd and 3rd to us pianists) fingers will naturally place themselves a tone apart. So, from the G string upwards, the keys of G major, D major, A major and E major have the most natural positions on these strings. On the lower strings, it will be easier to pull the fingers back into the minor key positions in D minor than in any other key. Strings formed the backbone of orchestras until the 20th century. Perhaps the fact that the most natural minor key on a violin is D minor led to the most exciting compositions in this key as a result. Hmmmm. The more I type here, the more convinced I am that I am talking drivel. Anybody able to entice AmandaL over here? Steve
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Post by princessmoose on Jun 25, 2006 20:51:55 GMT
Ooooh Mozart's D minor piano concerto.. I looooove that piece .
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Post by janexxx on Jun 26, 2006 14:10:10 GMT
The Brahms, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky violin concerti are also in D minor. Steve D major surely!! Sibelius VC is in D minor. Violins prefer sharps, as they lie better under the fingers (as you said), thats why lots of violin concerti are in these keys. Also the open strings then resonate nicely in sympathy and you get a much nicer rounder sound. One or two flats are OK but more then that and it gets ukky, starts feeling like you should use the dreaded second position, and open strings are dead. Until AmandaL gets over here, you'll have to do with me
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Post by princessmoose on Jun 26, 2006 19:05:19 GMT
D minor is also Lynne's favourite scale! ;D ;D
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Post by overthehill_clarinettist on Jun 27, 2006 11:20:30 GMT
Oy you!! I DID resist the temptation to call the examiner "pregnant dog" when he asked for it yesterday!! That's reserved just for you 'cos I love you so much! Think I got away with forgetting to position the C# finger before starting the scale, too Ta for coming over for the accomps etc, hope you got home OK Only 3 weeks to wait for the result...................
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Post by princessmoose on Jun 27, 2006 11:22:44 GMT
I think you got away with it, it sounded fine to me, I knew it was D minor he'd asked for though! I'm psychic!
I know, I want to know the results now!!
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