Description on Youtube:
The opening Allegro Assai from Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Concerto in A minor, Wq.170, presented in celebration of his 300th anniversary. Performed on original instruments by the Early Music ensemble Voices of Music, William Skeen, soloist; 4K UHD video from our Virtuoso Concertos concert, November, 2014.
Voices of Music FAQ
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Q. Where can I learn more about this music?
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Q. Where can we hear you play in concert?
A. We perform in the San Francisco Bay Area. For a concert schedule, visit our website or join our mailing list https://www.voicesofmusic.org/
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Our CDs are available on iTunes, Google, Amazon, CD Baby and just about everywhere; you can also buy a CD in a jewel case from Kunaki: https://www.voicesofmusic.org/cds.html
Q. What is Early Music performance, or historical performance?
A. We play on instruments from the time of the composers, and we use the original music and playing techniques: it’s a special sound.
Q. Why are there no conductors?
A. Conductors weren’t invented until the 19th century; since we seek to recreate a historical performance, the music is led from the keyboard or violin, or the music is played as chamber music~or both
Q. What are period instruments or original instruments; how are they different from modern instruments?
A. As instruments became modernized in the 19th century, builders and players tended to focus on the volume of sound and the stability of tuning. Modern steel strings replaced the older materials, and instruments were often machine made. Historical instruments, built individually by hand and with overall lighter construction, have extremely complex overtones—which we find delightful. Modern instruments are of course perfectly suited to more modern music.
Q. Why is the pitch lower, or higher?
A. Early Music performance uses many different pitches, and these pitches create different tone colors on the instruments. See https://goo.gl/pVBNAC
C.P.E. Bach transformed the musical language at the end of the Baroque, and as part of this process he also elevated the role of the cello, so that as a solo instrument it became the equal of the keyboard, violin and flute. This new balance is represented by the presentation of Bach’s concertos in multiple forms: the solo parts for the cello concertos were also arranged for harpsichord and flute. Although it is tempting to speculate that the cello versions were composed first, or specifically with the cello in mind, it is also quite possible that Carl Philipp could, first of all, handle the composition of three versions simultaneously, and, second, that he, like his father, w
