What Mildred said re: hastily made mistake which I then when translating every word recognized as such.
Quantz' direct quote is lovely, particularly the German phrasing.
Isn't it just? Sadly I can't get across the flavour of Mensch in English, since it's man just as if he'd said Mann. Human being sounds clumsily. And "Mensch" in Yiddish means something slightly different. And the passive construction of "mir nötig" also can't be repeated in English.
Nicolai, btw, is a big Quantz admirer, regrets that his work hardly gets played anymore at the time of writing (because musical taste moves on) and defends him against the accusation of his flute pieces being repetitive by saying that many of these were composed explicitly for Fritz who hated completely new stuff, so there had to be something familiar in each one.
See, Fritz, that's why MT and later Joseph get Gluck and later Mozart respectively, aka the musical innovators of the age. His taste in everything really was frozen somewhere in the 1730s.
I actually very much appreciate these notes on the German, because now I know enough to distinguish Mensch from Mann (I don't imagine I get the nuances, but at least I know enough to know there is a nuance) and I can at least see the passive construction. But I would never have gotten this on my own of course!
Nicolai, btw, is a big Quantz admirer, regrets that his work hardly gets played anymore at the time of writing (because musical taste moves on) and defends him against the accusation of his flute pieces being repetitive by saying that many of these were composed explicitly for Fritz who hated completely new stuff, so there had to be something familiar in each one.
Oh wow, that's really interesting actually. I wonder how Quantz felt about that. (Does Nicolai say?)
See, Fritz, that's why MT and later Joseph get Gluck and later Mozart respectively, aka the musical innovators of the age. His taste in everything really was frozen somewhere in the 1730s.
Ha, yeah. I'm imagining ghost!Fritz (maybe mildred's reincarnated Fritz?) visiting the present day and being extremely indignant that it's those young whippersnappers who are remembered... Like so much, you bring it on yourself, Fritz!
I wonder how Quantz felt about that. (Does Nicolai say?)
No, he doesn't. The entire passage where this is brought up reads: It is not a little task to create that many concerts for a single lover of the art, and even more so for a lover of the art who is King. Therefore, it is a proof of Quantz' richness of musical inspiration. Every single one of these concerts has a unique character; the uniformity lies only those passages where Quantz had to appease the King who did not wish for something completely new.
However, he also adds just a few paragraphs later that Quantz could be a musical dictator in company himself, brooking no opinion but his. So I suspect that if Quantz' style felt outfashioned at the point where Nicolai is writing, it's also due to Quantz himself not wanting to change with the times. Which, fair enough; there aren't many composers who keep open for experimentation in their old age. (Good old Verdi being one; even laywoman me learned that you can tell in "Falstaff" and "Aida" that Wagner happened.)
*nods* Yes, this was my impression of Salieri as well when I listened to a bunch of his operas a while back (and why he isn't remembered the way Mozart is). Ha, I watched a less-than-engaging version of Aida and I still need to watch Falstaff. I really need to find some good performances, and I'll keep that in mind! (I have watched a good performance of Otello, which was amazing.)
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Re: Nicolai Vol. 6
Quantz' direct quote is lovely, particularly the German phrasing.
Isn't it just? Sadly I can't get across the flavour of Mensch in English, since it's man just as if he'd said Mann. Human being sounds clumsily. And "Mensch" in Yiddish means something slightly different. And the passive construction of "mir nötig" also can't be repeated in English.
Nicolai, btw, is a big Quantz admirer, regrets that his work hardly gets played anymore at the time of writing (because musical taste moves on) and defends him against the accusation of his flute pieces being repetitive by saying that many of these were composed explicitly for Fritz who hated completely new stuff, so there had to be something familiar in each one.
See, Fritz, that's why MT and later Joseph get Gluck and later Mozart respectively, aka the musical innovators of the age. His taste in everything really was frozen somewhere in the 1730s.
Re: Nicolai Vol. 6
Nicolai, btw, is a big Quantz admirer, regrets that his work hardly gets played anymore at the time of writing (because musical taste moves on) and defends him against the accusation of his flute pieces being repetitive by saying that many of these were composed explicitly for Fritz who hated completely new stuff, so there had to be something familiar in each one.
Oh wow, that's really interesting actually. I wonder how Quantz felt about that. (Does Nicolai say?)
See, Fritz, that's why MT and later Joseph get Gluck and later Mozart respectively, aka the musical innovators of the age. His taste in everything really was frozen somewhere in the 1730s.
Ha, yeah. I'm imagining ghost!Fritz (maybe mildred's reincarnated Fritz?) visiting the present day and being extremely indignant that it's those young whippersnappers who are remembered... Like so much, you bring it on yourself, Fritz!
Re: Nicolai Vol. 6
No, he doesn't. The entire passage where this is brought up reads: It is not a little task to create that many concerts for a single lover of the art, and even more so for a lover of the art who is King. Therefore, it is a proof of Quantz' richness of musical inspiration. Every single one of these concerts has a unique character; the uniformity lies only those passages where Quantz had to appease the King who did not wish for something completely new.
However, he also adds just a few paragraphs later that Quantz could be a musical dictator in company himself, brooking no opinion but his. So I suspect that if Quantz' style felt outfashioned at the point where Nicolai is writing, it's also due to Quantz himself not wanting to change with the times. Which, fair enough; there aren't many composers who keep open for experimentation in their old age. (Good old Verdi being one; even laywoman me learned that you can tell in "Falstaff" and "Aida" that Wagner happened.)
Re: Nicolai Vol. 6