Bach Etudes - Book 1 (English)
for the modern oboe
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
The pursuit of a controlled, expressive, reliable oboe playing is similar to the appreciation we have for the interpretation of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. The search for beauty intertwines with the demand for technical reliability while at the same time giving each note its proper weight within a well organized phrase. In these 20 Etudes, Alex Klein leads the modern oboist into an exploration of Bach works, some of them arranged for the first time for this instrument, leading to high performance standards easily applied and expanded to other repertory, styles and eras.
Preface and commentary
The Preface contains several pages of musical examples, plus opinion on style, articulation and standards. Words with regards to the oboe's evolution since the baroque period, Bach's own arrangements and the importance of his music to modern oboe players utilizing the entirety of their instruments' capabilities.
All Etudes arranged from
unaccompanied Bach works
Arranged to keys favoring the oboe
and its complete range
Gavotte en Rondeau, after BWV1006
Allemande, after BWV1010
Bourée, after BWV1009
Corrente, after BWV1004
Sarabande Double, after BWV1002
Courante, after BWV1007
Allemanda, after BWV1004 (D minor)
Largo, after BWV1005
Bourée, after BWV1010
Gigue, after BWV1007
Menuet and Trio, after BWV1007
Andante, after BWV1003
Double, after BWV1002
Gigue, after BWV1006
Allemanda, after BWV1004 (F minor)
Allemande, after BWV1008
Allemande, after BWV1007
Courante, after BWV1010
Prelude, after BWV1008
Prelude, after BWV1010
An open door to Neurosciences
How does it actually "work"? What is it that makes oboe playing "happen"? How can we balance knowledge, performance, fear, musicianship, technical precision and success as an oboist? "The Science of Expression" explores possibilities, experiences and questions that assist oboists in achieving consistency even under pressure from extreme repertory.
What do Scientists say about Music Performance?
Paralel to musicians spending countless hours practicing in hopes of securing a reliable performance there are neuroscientists equally spending countless hours studying and testing a variety of theories on how the musicians' brains work, how is it that numerous brain elements, chemicals and neurotransmitters engage to provide musicians with a better understanding of the task of being a musician.
With over 35 scientific studies listed, including informative books about oboe playing, the reader is invited to study further, in a quest for efficiency in practicing and how to obtain better security in music performance.
Topics of scientific studies include the use of reflexes, how the brain absorbs practicing (fundamental knowledge for those who question how come certain oboists seem to play easily with little practice time while others endure less progress even after numerous hours at it), understanding "mistakes" and our sour relationship with those occasions when we expect more of ourselves, groupings and patterns, neurology in music, competence and panic, and the perils of practicing under tempo as viewed from the point of view of those who study human physiology and performance.