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From the Diary of a Fly
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Topic: From the Diary of a Fly
(Read 5548 times)
gaer
PS Silver Member
Full Member
Posts: 187
From the Diary of a Fly
on: November 21, 2005, 01:46:32 AM
This is number 124, Book VI from Bartok's Microkosmos.
It's called "From the Diary of a Fly".
If no one comments at all, I may edit this to "How I wasted a perfectly good Sunday playing strange music."
For those who don't know the piece, which I think may include most people, it starts softly. The fly just "does his (or her) thing" until a crisis point is hit as the music gets louder and louder, marked "molto agitato e lamentoso", with "Ouch! A cobweb!", marked at 40 seconds into the piece. The tempo is supposed to increase a bit, from around 146 to around 160 to the quarter. 11 measures later, at 50 seconds, "con gioia" (with joy) marks the fact that the fly has escaped the web, so he flies away.
Gary
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ted
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 4018
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #1 on: November 21, 2005, 09:12:28 AM
I am strongly attracted to this music and to the idea of creating a microcosmos of tiny pieces myself, perhaps initially through improvisation. It is the sort of thing we all probably assert we COULD create but never actually get around to doing. You have given me an idea - a session of microcosmic improvisations - the polar opposite of Jarrett's lengthy excursions. Come to think of it, I suppose Milhaud's "Madame Bovary" and "The Household Muse" are essentially microcosmic in form.
The conundrum would be whether or not to give them names and ,if so, whether the music would come first or the names. I don't find this music in the least strange; please let us hear some more.
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"Mistakes are the portals of discovery." - James Joyce
berrt
Sr. Member
Posts: 293
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #2 on: November 22, 2005, 05:58:08 PM
A great piece, Gary! Thank you for the perfect sunday!
B.
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gaer
PS Silver Member
Full Member
Posts: 187
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #3 on: November 23, 2005, 06:04:55 AM
Quote from: berrt on November 22, 2005, 05:58:08 PM
A great piece, Gary! Thank you for the perfect sunday!
B.
Thank you Bertt, Ted. It really is terribly difficult to upload files when so few people say anything. For instance, I see that this recording has been downloaded 28 times (at this moment). I am always shocked that people won't take just a moment to say something, even if it is to say, "Well, I don't really like this piece." To me, no feedback is worse than negative comments, provided that the negative comments are fair.
Gary
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justliam
Full Member
Posts: 137
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #4 on: November 23, 2005, 02:47:08 PM
Ditto Gaer, that is annoying lol, I've just downloaded but will have to listen later so will comment then. I love bartok however and have microcosmos 5 and 6 with me but so far the only piece I have learned is 153* the very last one, I was gonna perform it for A - level but opted for the safer (and lengthier hehe) clair de lune
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raymond_
PS Silver Member
Newbie
Posts: 17
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #5 on: November 23, 2005, 09:22:31 PM
I loved that. Thank you.
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virtuoso_735
PS Silver Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 52
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #6 on: November 24, 2005, 04:04:04 AM
Nice.
First time I heard that piece, although I read a lot about that particular piece. Very nicely played from what I can hear.
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kelly_kelly
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 831
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #7 on: November 24, 2005, 05:19:42 AM
Very interesting and well played. Pieces like that aren't always easy to listen to, but I enjoyed and thought you did a good job
Thanks for taking the time to share it with us!
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It all happens on Discworld, where greed and ignorance influence human behavior... and perfectly ordinary people occasionally act like raving idiots.
A world, in short, totally unlike our own.
totallyclassics
PS Silver Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 78
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #8 on: November 24, 2005, 08:50:39 AM
awesome! I just recently became introduced to the different style of Bartok. I love it!
Can't wait until i am good enough to play them myself. Learn some more Bartok, and play it! Also, I love the dynamics! You were perfect. How long have you been playing?
just curious.
tc
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gaer
PS Silver Member
Full Member
Posts: 187
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #9 on: November 25, 2005, 07:12:25 AM
As always, thanks for all your comments. There are other pieces in the Mikrokosmos that are much easier to listen to, some actually very pleasant, I think. I can't help but think that much of Bartok's music for piano would immediately be of interest to the majority of people, not just pianists, if they were written for other instruments. Just think, for instance, of the "Concerto for Orchestra".
I think it would sound horrible, reduced for two pianos, because all the tone color of the different instruments makes all the difference in the world.
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applelover
PS Silver Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 39
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #10 on: November 26, 2005, 10:46:58 PM
awesome piece, thanks
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arensky
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 2324
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #11 on: December 02, 2005, 06:55:30 PM
Crystal clear articulation, great tone and phrasing. An excellent performance!
Lucky fly;
but the poor hungry spider, he should have written that too...
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"One never knows about another one, do one?" Fats Waller
wzkit
PS Silver Member
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Posts: 232
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #12 on: December 02, 2005, 07:15:37 PM
Great stuff! Thanks for posting this up!
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jason2711
PS Silver Member
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Posts: 157
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #13 on: December 03, 2005, 04:19:19 PM
nice playing! thanks!
i played this several years ago for my grade 8, was an interesting contrast to the scarlatti and haydn i was playing with it
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bearzinthehood
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 448
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #14 on: December 07, 2005, 09:39:20 AM
Hah on first hearing I didn't really pay much attention to this piece. Now that I hear it again I think it's awesome!
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pianistimo
PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 12142
Re: From the Diary of a Fly
Reply #15 on: December 07, 2005, 12:27:23 PM
that piece has to be just as hard as the OC! to play it flawlessly (as far as i could tell) is a great feat.! I happened to find that piece while digging around at wcu library for some things for a student. i gave him the first few measures to work to get used to hand positions at the keyboard. i especially like bartok's creativity at the keyboard - starting with one hand comfortably over the other. when you place one hand over the other - it gives you a sort of feeling of security. then, to do it slightly touching and barely, and possibly not at all is like a fly grazing over.
the swiftly changing accents make this piece quite more on the difficult level than i first realized - but it is an EXCELLENT sight- reading piece for beginning adults. just reading the notes! as far as playing it, it's probably more on the advanced level - to get through and play well. glad you showed us how it's done! And, with a great tempo, dynamics, and movement. gaer, yur cool.
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