Ok, I really can't believe I'm about to ask this...but
how hard (in terms of exams etc) is Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole?

Well the 4th movement (Andante) is on the grade 8 syllabus this year.
2nd movement is DipABRSM
1st movement is LRSM

I can't remember what approximate standard you are Aurora but I see no reason to let the above "standards" for the piece put you off attempting some of it.
I seem to remember my violin teacher starting me off on this long before I was anywhere near grade 8 standard and I learnt so much from the piece. You needs all kinds of shifting. The Andante benefits from a lot of sul G and sul D playing so you get a lot of practice in the higher positions on these strings.
Movement 2 looks nasty but falls under the fingers nicely if you get the fingerings sorted out. It is also good for your intonation - lots of triplet sections with semitone intervals.

Movement 1 is just fab. I would say that technically I don't actually think it is that hard - but I'm a bit crazy. The difficulty is in the expression and the fact you have to keep up the intensity for 5 pages - that will be why it is LRSM.

Go on, get the music ... you know you want to. If you just start off by learning a few bars of the Andante and concentrate on playing them beautifully it will be well worth it. Then you can add a few bars at a time from different movements. Think of it as a long term project - years of work - which you can keep coming back to as your technique develops.

Aurora Violin, guess what piece I like? (well ok, there is millions I like )

Tambourin Chinois by Kreisler!!!

and NO Organistin, before you even say anything I am NOT attempting ANY of it ok?

(Auroraviolin, it is approximately at fellowship difficulty by the way )

Well you could get the music... you don't have to attempt any of it. You could just sit and look at the music.


Anyway, if you buy it now it is an investment because in a few years time when you are ready for to do your fellowship sheet music will certainly cost a lot more than it does now.

Runs away quickly before Jojo throws something at me

There isn't a 'smiley' throwing a 'brick' (is there?)
I have been 'down that road', I have music for 'The Carmen Fantasy', 'Paganini La Campanella', Paganini Caprice 24, Bruch G minor Concerto, Tchaikowski's, Caprice Basque and a few other's, got to stop I think


correction.........having checked my computer folder.......I have a copy of......'Tambourin Chinois by Kreisler' already!!!

All of which have doable bits in that you can probably already play

Paganini Caprice 24 is lovely.

Carmen Fantasy

WARNING:
this is a dangerous woman, if you have any sightings of her DO NOT APPROACH HER, just dial 999 or report her whereabouts to your local police station

Very appropriate for today actually as I have been having murderous thoughts about my ex. Long and involved story but it basically involves a bicycle wheel.

OK, it really IS as hard as I thought (I was sort of hoping someone was going to say it was grade 7-ish...)

Actually, Jojo - there is some sense in buying music for the future When I was about 14 I'd been playing the flute for just over a year and decided I would learn the Carmen Fantasy(!)...well I almost managed the whole thing but really really badly - but when I came back to it at the far more sensible age 17 (post grade 8) I'd already learnt the notes and even then I decided it needed to be shelved for a while. Well, now I'm 19 and performing it next week!

I'm toying with the idea of having a go at the Lalo and making it a long-term project. I'm not massively confident about my technique but I think learning a piece that is so far out my reach might just spur me on to improve to the next level.
Basically - I just want to learn something fancy and flashy and NO MORE HAYDN
(I really hope my teacher isn't reading this )

Go for it Aurora. Get that music and get started.
Start with the Andante and make the first 8 bars beautiful.
Then have a look at movement 1 and learn the 1st 4 bars until you can shift up to the high notes nicely and play these 4 bars really grandly (if grandly is an English word?)
Then you've made a start.

I am evil

I have dialled 999

OK, I'll do it

Fab and you can let us know how you are getting along on this thread.

Organistin, I'll make it a 'project' to save up some money to come and see you one day

Auroraviolin, I'll be watching this thread with anticipation and in 5 years from now I'll be joining it with my Tambourin Chinois

I've just looked at the sheet music for Tambourin Chinois.. I've never seen it before.. and for once I have nothing to say.

Just listened to the Lalo and Tambourin Chinois as I had never heard of them. Wow - what stunning music - thanks for the introduction and good luck with the playing!

are you 'taking your words back' (re: come on have a go???)
(not that I would mind, I never intended to have a go for a few years to come anyway )

though this little girl does not seem to 'mind it' one little bit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=attf7B8n4hM


but this is the way I would like to play it one day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c3QjoBTFbk...feature=related

No... just
But having just watched the Giora Schmidt video it's "just" a series of repeated patterns in different positions so once you work out what those patterns are you sorted.. .kind of.
The other bits that looked nasty at first glance were the double stops but on closer analysis it seems that most of them consist of one repeated note with the other note changing... so in other words you can slam one finger down, keep it there and hang on for dear life while the fingers on the other string do scales. Simple.


I don't even want to think how many hours of practice it would take to get this piece anywhere near a respectable standard!
But I still think you should "have a go". The first few bars look ok.

my 'lovely dear Organistin' always looking at the bright side

ps yes the first 20 bars are 'ok' (up to the Ab minim tied with the dotted crotchet spilling into bar 21 )

They are repeated later on ... so that's 40 bars in the bag already.
There's also a 6 bar fragment of that same section in 2 other places .. so we're up to 52 bars now.

So there you go... you can practically play 52 bars of Tambourin Chinois already.

I wonder if my eternal optimism is actually a fault

Like all things in life: depends how and when you use it
in this example....
if all I did with my time was to only 'dream' of playing fellowship music and take a few bars here and there I might spend my 'optimism' the wrong way...

BUT if I spend my practice time tackling mostly what's right for my level but at times 'challenging' myself with a few bars from a fellowship piece therefore satisfying my thirst for these pieces and also dipping into some of the more difficult technique then I am stretching myself here and there and I think that is healthy, it keeps me happy and it is also good for my 'brain pathways' and my fingers too right?

what do you think?

having said that, I am really not in the mood to start on any bars of Tambourin Chinois so thank you anyway for all your enthusiasm Organistin

I find it so way beyond my level it is more off-putting than 'spurring' (those 20 bars go so quickly they would not satisfy me )

That's a perfect solution and when you do that and keep coming back to a piece after a few months break you will really see how you have progressed towards your ultimate goal of getting the entire piece "in the bag".

Don't forget dipping into pieces below your level and making them truly beautiful! That gives you a boost too because you can see how far you've come along your violin journey.

you left out my last 2 sentences: I am not going to do any of the Tambourin Chinois after all, but good try

Yes, I'd realized that but I was responding to general "tackling pieces that are challenging and a bit beyond your current level".
Of course now you've made me want to go and have a go at Tambourin Chinois..... well the first 20 bars anyway

but you made Auroraviolin want to have a go at the Lalo

[quote name='jojo' date='Apr 22 2011, 11:06 AM' post='1053178']
[quote name='Organistin' post='1053174' date='Apr 22 2011, 11:56 AM']
[quote name='jojo' post='1053172' date='Apr 22 2011, 10:50 AM']
[
but you made Auroraviolin want to have a go at the Lalo
[/quote]

I don't think so... Aurora already had that well in mind before posting on here.
Nothing to do with me ( That's my sweet and innocent face)

So true - I've wanted to have a go at it for ages
Actually, I've just downloaded the score for Tambourin Chinois: http://violinsheetmusic.org/classical/k/kr...nois-violin.pdf
I'm going to have a go at that now

ok... well Tambourin Chinois is ridiculous
Would you say this is harder than lalo?



Errr..to answer my own question: http://erato.uvt.nl/files/imglnks/usimg/c/...0-Lalo_Op21.pdf
Doubt it

Yes but the Lalo is longer - 5 movements in total. So a lot more to learn.
From a technique point of view I think Tambourin Chinois is harder. .

Certainly it is way harder than movement 4 of the Lalo.

I've just had a go at movement 1 (i found it online)

...hope my neighbours didn't mind too much!

well done Auroraviolin

I'll dig out my Nocturne in Csharp Minor transcription by Milstein, I learnt half of it 3 years ago, maybe I'll be able to learn the other half now? (erm, maybe not has it's got a very fast run of some chromatic scale or some scale of some sort from what I can remember in it ) but hey, I feel I can have a bash at that anyway, as I won't touch the Tambourine Chinois for minimum 5 years anyway

here it is played by 'THE MAN HIMSELF'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUNmb_bXNSE...feature=related

I don't have the sheet music for it. What exactly is the scale?

It's a chromatic scale, I have removed the photos as I am not sure if I am allowed to post them actually sorry