Viola da Gamba Transcribed

Chopin: Nocturne in E minor, Op. posth. 72 no. 1

Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legend about a libertine. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the National Theater (of Bohemia), now called the Estates Theatre, on 29 October 1787.

Madamina, il catalogo è questo" (also known as the Catalogue Aria) is a bass catalogue aria,  sung by Don Giovanni's servant Leporello.
Here transcribed for baritone.

piano accompaniment: Helen Roberts
baritone: Robert Llewellyn

_________________________________

Lyrics:

Madamina, il catalogo è questo
Delle belle che amò il padron mio;
un catalogo egli è che ho fatt'io;
Osservate, leggete con me.

In Italia seicento e quaranta;
In Alemagna duecento e trentuna;
Cento in Francia, in Turchia novantuna;
Ma in Ispagna son già mille e tre.

V'han fra queste contadine,
Cameriere, cittadine,
V'han contesse, baronesse,
Marchesane, principesse.
E v'han donne d'ogni grado,
D'ogni forma, d'ogni età.

Nella bionda egli ha l'usanza
Di lodar la gentilezza,
Nella bruna la costanza,
Nella bianca la dolcezza.

Vuol d'inverno la grassotta,
Vuol d'estate la magrotta;
È la grande maestosa,
La piccina è ognor vezzosa.

Delle vecchie fa conquista
Pel piacer di porle in lista;
Sua passion predominante
È la giovin principiante.

Non si picca – se sia ricca,
Se sia brutta, se sia bella;
Purché porti la gonnella,
Voi sapete quel che fa.

English:

My dear lady, this is the list
Of the beauties my master has loved,
A list which I have compiled.
Observe, read along with me.

In Italy, six hundred and forty;
In Germany, two hundred and thirty-one;
A hundred in France; in Turkey, ninety-one;
But in Spain already one thousand and three.

Among these are peasant girls,
Maidservants, city girls,
Countesses, baronesses,
Marchionesses, princesses,
Women of every rank,
Every shape, every age.

With blondes it is his habit
To praise their kindness;
In brunettes, their faithfulness;
In the white-haired, their sweetness.

In winter he likes fat ones.
In summer he likes thin ones.
He calls the tall ones majestic.
The little ones are always charming.

He seduces the old ones
For the pleasure of adding to the list.
His greatest favourite
Is the young beginner.

It doesn't matter if she's rich,
Ugly or beautiful;
If she wears a skirt,
You know what he does.

Madamina, Il Catalogo È Questo (Don Giovanni - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

比我幸福 - 陳曉東 (Daniel Chan) - Piano

J.S.Bach: Sonata in G Major for Viola da gamba & Harpsichord .BWV1027. Transcription for Pianoduo. 
The  work is in 4 movements:
I. Adagio
II. Allegro ma non tanto
III. Andante 
IV. Allegro moderato
Realised and reproduced by VViljanen,Jan 14-17, 2024, on ground of a reading/sequence of H.Fesefeldt (1942-2019) fr. ca. 2010. 
A modeled  pair of grand pianos, revoiced, reconfigured was used in recording, as well as the rec. setup was made by VV. The tempos, and various articulations of the movts were set by VV, even not attempting to simulate those usually used very excelently, and heard in various recs with viola da gambas or with violoncellos.

J.S.Bach: Sonata for Viola da gamba & Harpsichord.BWV1027. Transcription for 2 Pianos

J.S.Bach: Sonata for Viola da Gamba & Harpsichord. BWV1027. Transcription for Pianoduo

J.S. Bach: Sonata for viola da gamba & harpsichord Nr.3 in G Minor. 
BWV1029.  The work is in three movements:
I.Vivace
II.Adagio
III.Allegro
Transcription for  pianoduo. Arranged, realized & reproduced by VV on a pair of modeled jazz pianos on a (now strongly modified) reading into a sequence by H.Fesefeldt (1942-2019) fr ca 2010. 
Revoicing & reconfiguration of the instruments as well as the setup of rec. made by VV.
ANY KIND OFCOMMERCIAL USE OF THIS TRACK IS PROHIBITED.
Photo collage by VV: JSB statue detail  and a view of Crab Nebula

J.S. Bach Sonata for viola da gamba & harpsichord Nr.3.BWV1029. Transcr for  pianoduo

J.S. Bach: Sonata for viola da gamba & harpsichord Nr.3. BWV1029. Transcr for  pianoduo

Arcangelo Corelli: Preludio - Corrente - Sarabande & Gigue Op.5n7, Sonata in D minor for violin & basso continuo. Transcribed for Piano Duo by VV 23.2.2024 on basis of a reading saved into a sequence by H.Fesedeldt (1942-2019) in ca.2010.
The articulations, dynamics and tempos were now revised, and a pair of modeled grand pianos were used for recording & reproduction ,the instruments revoiced, reconfigured, and the rec.setup made by VV.
Photo: Corelli portrait
Any kind of commercial use of this track is prohibited

Arcangelo Corelli: Preludio - Corrente - Sarabande 6 Gigue Op.5n7. Arr.for Piano Duo

Arcangelo Corelli: Preludio - Corrente - Sarabande & Gigue Op.5n7. Arr.for Piano Duo

Melancholy

Andrae Crouch: Blood Will Never Lose Its Power**.  Arranged & reproduced for pianoduo by VV Apr 14-19, 2024. - Articulations, dynamics & 'rhythmic-feel' etc. were set by VV, as well as the recording sessions, where  a pair of modeled grand pianos were used, being revoiced, and reconfigured, as well as the rec. setup made by VV. - Key: Ab Major.
Photo: Andrae Crouch (1942-2015)/Christianity Today.
**Lyrics:
"The blood that Jesus shed for me
Way back on Calvary
The blood that gives me strength
From day to day
It will never lose its power
It reaches to the highest mountain
It flows to the lowest valley
The blood that gives me strength
From day to day
It will never lose its power
It soothes my doubts and calms my fears
And it dries all my tears
The blood that gives me strength
From day to day
It will never lose its power
It reaches to the highest mountain
It flows to the lowest valley
The blood that gives me strength
From day to day
It will never lose its power"

(ANY KIND OF COMMERCIAL USE OF THIS TRACK IS PROHIBITED)

Andrae Crouch: Blood Will Never Lose Its Power.Adapted for piano duo

Andrae Crouch: Blood Will Never Lose Its Power. Adapted for pianoduo

Acetate

Inspired by the final lines from the poem Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

"The Clouds that gather round the setting sun
Do take a sober colouring from an eye
That hath kept watch o'er man's mortality;
Another race hath been, and other palms are won.
Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears."



Intimations: A Prelude

Four Scottish Dances

Four Scottish Dances - Arranged For Piano - Sir Malcolm Arnold

A QUIET MOMENT

My warmest thanks to everyone stopping by for listening to my  'REVIEW   OF THE PAST TIME PIANISTS' INTERPRETATIONS ON THE HISTORICAL PIANO ROLLS, and also to a small LIST of MY MODEST OWN RENDITIONS, all of the latter representing a variety of piano music & some pipe-organ classics, - and  TO THE Growing LISTS OF (just lately done and reproduced)  TRANSCRIPTIONS OF VARIOUS CHAMBER MUSIC CLASSICAL PEARLS FOR TWO PIANOS.
A HEADSET IS RECOMMENDED for optimal sound experience!
This kind of 'touching' on these old pre-sound-rec. era works by the great performers of the past, and giving my sound to these old 'punch rolls',  makes me feel  deep humbleness, .and I wish that this modest attempt to bring these  performances alive will satisfy you listening to them!
To introduce myself...
I am a Finnish M.D., PhD. and Hand Surgeon (now retired), previously when young with 10 years of professionally orientated piano studies at Turku Conservatory in 1965-1975, partly  along with medical University studies. 
The digital sound techniques have become very familiar to me already from 1980's along with my university research work  
and my musical activities.
As continuation to my musical and professional experience, I have, during the last few years of my retirement, adopted a music historical challenge
to bring the past time major and minor pianists, prior to sound-recording era, onto the same 'start line' with the present pianists, by making their presentations, played onto 'punch rolls' i.e. piano rolls, audible with modern digital techniques. This wouldn't be possible without the pioneering  efforts of Richard Stibbons, Wayne Stahnke, Terry Smythe, Warren Trachtman, Spencer Chase, and others, who developed the optical digitizing techniques of the piano rolls, and digitized them.

The main part of my recordings here in SC consists of selection recorded by me from optically digitized piano-rolls** (from 1910's on or earlier, classical and 'vintage era'). These recordings of mine are not and will not be commercially unavailable. - The rolls were first optically scanned and converted into a digital form by diverse operators** (see also to the info of each piece). The pieces here were partly (minor part) picked from various open net sources, publicly available, but mainly from the huge archive (n=ca.5000) of digitized copies copies of the original reproducing piano rolls, made available to me by one of the pioneers of roll digitizing tehchniques (willing to keep anonymous), and then recorded from this archive mainly with virtual grand piano (called by me 'Bluethner Model One') modified/re-designed by me, as well as the rec settings. 
Also a minor selection of my own renditions among my records can be found here, included on my playlist 'Bach Goes Virtual', the name of the list telling something about the techniques used for getting the end result... The list includes various organ works by J.S.Bach and others, and also a few piano renditions of mine. Then there are included also various pieces which have been in my repertoire, but here played mainly by the  'guest' great players of the past (before the sound recording era).
MY MOST HUMBLE THANKS TO THE NOBLE DONOR  OF THIS INVALUABLE PIANO ROLL MATERIAL FOR MY USE!!!
My Sincere Thanks also to The Player Piano Group, UK, for providing me their permission to use the information about the piano rolls collected and provided on their web page ( https://rolls.playerpianogroup.org.uk ),  and for simplifying my short historical presentations of these renditions on their re-publication here!
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MY MOST HUMBLE THANKS TO EVERYONE  OF YOU FOR LISTENING, AND FOR YOUR 'LIKES' & COMMENTS !
YOUR LISTENING & FEEDBACK IS TRULY APPRECIATED..!!.
Use of good headphones or speakers will make your music experience more enjoyable!
Best wishes, all the best
Veikko
These recordings are not commercially available, and ANY KIND OF THEIR COMMERCIAL USE IS PROHIBITED.

J.S. Bach: Sonata for viola da gamba & harpsichord Nr.3. BWV1029. Transcr for pianoduo

Veikko Viljanen

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