Arthur,
If I may, and I did spend some typing time saying how much I respect your
opinion on another thread, may I ask you not to "shout" at me. I did say that
it was a vague memory that the quote was from Mozart, and that it was probably
apochryphal. You don't need the caps "NOT from Mozart", nor the "NOT from
Beethoven". You could simply say "I recognize the quote and it was from an
obscure Parisian journal and attributed to Berlioz". ]
When speculative answers are given to questions it is not a matter for
"correction" in the sense of a beating, merely for a gentle correction with the
facts. Should we deny the speculative answers then we would lose the threads of
consciousness that lead to real answers.
Best, Jon
----- Original Message -----
From: Arthur Ness
To: Jon Murphy ; LGS-Europe ; Lute Net ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 4:04 AM
Subject: Re: OT: Mozart for guitar
The quotation that the guitar is like a miniature orchestra is NOT from
Mozart. The quotation is NOT from Beethoven. The quotation is in an essay
about the guitar that BERLIOZ wrote for an obscure Parisian journal of the
arts, _Debats_ (8 June 1855).
While we're on the subject, there is no evidence that Chopin declared that
the only sound lovelier than one guitar is two. That seems to be a paraphrase
of something Mozart also did NOT say, "The only thing worse than one flute, is
two."
Beethoven is sometimes said to have attended a guitar recital by Giuliani. If
he did, of course, he heard nothing! He even wrote a little note to one of his
Viennese publishers, asking "please give my regards to Giuliani." Of course,
the publisher's Giuliani might be the guy who polished up the brass on the big
front door. The guitarist Giuliani played 'cello in the first performance of
the Seventh Symphony, but I imagine Beethoven didn't hear him that time,
either. He wasn't asked back to play in the Eighth. The point? There's no
factual basis for the belief common in the guitar world that Giuliani
influenced Beethoven. They may never even have spoken to one another.
Oh yes, I also doubt that Schubert had a guitar hanging on the wall above his
bed.
This should end Guitar Mythology 101 for tonite.
----- Original Message -----
From: Jon Murphy
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; lute@cs.dartmouth.edu ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: OT: Mozart for guitar
Also OT,
In my aging memory there is a quote from Mozart (probably apochryphal). "The
guitar is an orchestra unto itself". I have no idea where I saw it, or heard
it, but it was many years ago so I have lost the context. If the quote is
accurate then it might imply that Mozart might have had guitar sounds in
mind when writing for piano.
Best, Jon
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
--
