I am a bit old now. I have a lot of recorders. I learned about baroque pitch with EMS. I was stunned that it was so recently decided that 420 hrz was only established in 1993.
It's like calling all composed music classical music - even atonal music! The classical period was not a long period, 50 years or so. But it is now encompassing Baroque music. I think Venice was the home of all new music in the 17th century. It was so important., printing music to bring it to all musicians,
It's even worse now. Calling symphonies songs. I hate that so much. Harpsichord music is my favourite type of old music. I was a singer. And my keyboard ability is pretty awful.
Wow! I have learned so much from Elam Rotem's channel, and as a renaissance lutenist enjoy Brandon's channel a lot. What a combo in one interview! Thanks so much for putting this together, Brandon!
I have learned so much from Elam Rotem's channel!! It's beautifully taught and presented. Of course I am a subscriber. Thank you for offering this inspiring interview. (Kirin)
I appreciate that you discussed that Early Music is a vague term. It drives me a bit mad because it covers such a long period of time. Music is never static.
Thank you for this! I'm a big fan of Elam's work. In a lot of ways I think the music he specializes in is a lot more interesting than much of modern music, but more importantly, has some great ideas that could be brought back and reimagined.
Hello Brandon- I finally got around to listening to your interview with Mr Rotem. Thank you!!! Such a good interview and it raises many of the issues I struggle with interpreting the frottole. Great conversation!!
Rotem seems a kind soul. I like his perspective. His channel is amazing. For some reason this is making me think of the whole rubber bridge craze. (the one cool trick to sound both old fashioned and more in control of the guitar than you are - how unsurprising that it is associated with the weirdly non-progressing player TS, the billionaire musician who after all this time still stares in fear at their hands pecking out triads on the piano.) But snark aside, i guess the bridge thing relates to the slippery and unreliable concepts of authenticity and inspiration. Rotem's videos have shown me how these words are phantoms historically. Music has always been subject to contextual play, and to the reliance on relatively uncreative mechanical tricks to generate work. For anyone with any interest at all in historical music practice, Rotem's channel is a joy.
Great interview, I love both your channels. I think for me Elam is great because if I think of a melody what can I do with the harmony and bass. I thinking about how people used to do it gives me options. Maybe not what I want but a start😊
I would love to see you do a video with a clawhammer banjo player, old time American music and clawhammer banjo as we know it was developing at the same time as classical guitars "golden age". Tom Collins has a great RUclips channel but there are lots of other great players including Rhiannon Giddens, Abigal Washburn and Lukas Poole (who makes banjos) . It would be really cool to see the two instruments side by side.
Sting’s album was huge for me! My background is composition, improvisation, and jazz, so I still find myself completely unbothered by a modernization of “early music.” I suppose I’ve fallen into viewing them like jazz standards. Rolf Lislevand is one of my favorites and he does CRAZY things in his ensemble.
For me the Portamenti / Corsican choir (@31:40" - 34:40") eye-opener was the Pokrovsky Ensemble recording of Stravinsky's 'Les Noces'. The piece went from something dry and minimalist to an engaging, human village scene just by giving the performers license to be less clinically perfect and more 'illuminated & inspired' by the actual context.
Acker, re question on playing off the page: consider playing music genres you don't necessarily at this point respect or understand. Simple things that are maybe not so simple, like comping triads but somehow it isn't boring? Strumming a guitar. Learn the chords of a pop song by playing along to it. Stuff like that.
The misconception of performances being "perfect" in the time of the composition. Is pretty widespread. Take a look at Early Music Journal (Oxford) from 1994 in honor of Palestrina. The choir he performed with or led in the Vatican must have sounded AWFUL! There are comments about the singers in the payroll records, and some are surprising and shocking. So-and-so has no more voice, or show up drunk. Also, to taste-- what about the incredibly fast tempi in some performances of high Baroque music now (such as Vivaldi pieces for strings)?
Sigh... I lost two long comments in progress when an advertisement interrupted the program. A short form: how to understand the term "good taste" in treatises, pedagogical writing from earlier sources and styles, and composers' instructions.
The point Rotem makes about how people inhabit the music they make, how people do what is natural and what is simply the done thing, and later we call it something and pick it apart. I agree and I don't. On the one hand, yes, and it is like the difference between religion and belief. You know people don't really believe in christianity because they have to explain it to everyone and themselves so much. That's religion. Money and class are the actual belief system, and no one has to examine them critically at all to live in our culture. On the other hand, not so much when it comes to art that is made for patrons or clients or fans, or is motivated by ideology or politics. These situations engender many layers of self consciousness and contrivance that do not comfortably fit with Rotem's characterization of the way people inhabit music in a place and time.
Rotem has himself at times expertly unpacked for us works of music theory and advice which carry at least implicitly non musical reasons for musical practice. I remember in particular a video on a renaissance era work describing good singing practice, in which the writer colorfully weaves together issues of aesthetics, music theory, class, and gender in his takedown of bad singers.
9:52 I don't get what you mean by early music... 1. 1700s isn't early to me at all people still listen to/play the greatest hits of that time all the time and use them in modern production like Legnd of Zelda's theme is based on a song from that time... 2. Synths can play early music even the simlist ones and all AAA,AAAA games use full ocrtras these fdays for their OSTs so it's still alive and well.
You've lost a big opportunity in interviewing correctly to Elam Rotem. It was too much "me" and "I". Definitely, you wanted to communicate your stuffs but we wanted to listen to Elam's. Egocentric, in brief.
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Elam Rotem is an international living treasure.
Oh yes. He is wonderful .
I have been obsessed with early music since 1977. I studied a bit with Layton Ring. And flute with his Christine, his wife
I am a bit old now. I have a lot of recorders. I learned about baroque pitch with EMS. I was stunned that it was so recently decided that 420 hrz was only established in 1993.
It's like calling all composed music classical music - even atonal music! The classical period was not a long period, 50 years or so. But it is now encompassing Baroque music.
I think Venice was the home of all new music in the 17th century. It was so important., printing music to bring it to all musicians,
It's even worse now. Calling symphonies songs. I hate that so much. Harpsichord music is my favourite type of old music. I was a singer. And my keyboard ability is pretty awful.
Mr Rotem is not just a composer, but an incredible one at that! Check out his "Lamentation of David" first and then "Joseph and his Brethren".
Early. MUsic sources is a wonderful channel.
Tnank you. I really love Elam Rotem.
Early Music Sources is my favorite channel.
When I started singing early music, Elam's channel provided so many answers to my questions.
Wow! I have learned so much from Elam Rotem's channel, and as a renaissance lutenist enjoy Brandon's channel a lot. What a combo in one interview! Thanks so much for putting this together, Brandon!
I feel quite glad that you both met and made a video together! It's like seeing two gods joining their wisdom and power. :)
Well, two very human gods, who shade away from any dogma and are happy to tell how they stumble towards knowledge. It sure was a treat.
I have learned so much from Elam Rotem's channel!! It's beautifully taught and presented. Of course I am a subscriber. Thank you for offering this inspiring interview. (Kirin)
The collab I didn't know I desperately wanted until now🥺
Collab we didn't asl but we needed
Elam's channel ROCKS and also the polyphony in Hebrew is amazing.
2 of my favourite musical RUclipsrs.
Love your work Elam ❤
A crossover we have always needed!!
I appreciate that you discussed that Early Music is a vague term. It drives me a bit mad because it covers such a long period of time. Music is never static.
Wow two heroes in the one podcast!
Thank you for this! I'm a big fan of Elam's work. In a lot of ways I think the music he specializes in is a lot more interesting than much of modern music, but more importantly, has some great ideas that could be brought back and reimagined.
Early Music Sources is amazing. One of my favourite channels.
Thank you Brandon, Elam Rotem has created important investigations into histories that are “a big mess”. The beauty is apparent and the conflict.
Oh my. Elam does it all himself! Respect.
Hello Brandon- I finally got around to listening to your interview with Mr Rotem. Thank you!!! Such a good interview and it raises many of the issues I struggle with interpreting the frottole. Great conversation!!
Rotem seems a kind soul. I like his perspective. His channel is amazing.
For some reason this is making me think of the whole rubber bridge craze. (the one cool trick to sound both old fashioned and more in control of the guitar than you are - how unsurprising that it is associated with the weirdly non-progressing player TS, the billionaire musician who after all this time still stares in fear at their hands pecking out triads on the piano.)
But snark aside, i guess the bridge thing relates to the slippery and unreliable concepts of authenticity and inspiration. Rotem's videos have shown me how these words are phantoms historically. Music has always been subject to contextual play, and to the reliance on relatively uncreative mechanical tricks to generate work.
For anyone with any interest at all in historical music practice, Rotem's channel is a joy.
There's a wax cylinder recording of Tarrega on RUclips. He starts with Maria gavotte
Great interview, I love both your channels. I think for me Elam is great because if I think of a melody what can I do with the harmony and bass. I thinking about how people used to do it gives me options. Maybe not what I want but a start😊
Yes!!! Translations!!
mental note: never disrespect Early Music in Elam Rotem's presence.
To be fair, I thought Acker was vaguely rude. Rotem didn't push back and was a gentleman.
I would love to see you do a video with a clawhammer banjo player, old time American music and clawhammer banjo as we know it was developing at the same time as classical guitars "golden age". Tom Collins has a great RUclips channel but there are lots of other great players including Rhiannon Giddens, Abigal Washburn and Lukas Poole (who makes banjos) .
It would be really cool to see the two instruments side by side.
Incredible interview
Elam Totem my musical hero
I love you Elam.
Sting’s album was huge for me! My background is composition, improvisation, and jazz, so I still find myself completely unbothered by a modernization of “early music.” I suppose I’ve fallen into viewing them like jazz standards. Rolf Lislevand is one of my favorites and he does CRAZY things in his ensemble.
I love your channel, by the way. Thanks for all of the great videos!
For me the Portamenti / Corsican choir (@31:40" - 34:40") eye-opener was the Pokrovsky Ensemble recording of Stravinsky's 'Les Noces'. The piece went from something dry and minimalist to an engaging, human village scene just by giving the performers license to be less clinically perfect and more 'illuminated & inspired' by the actual context.
We are all wrong, and it's fine.
❤❤❤❤
🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thanks!
18:30
"support the pieces that we do, and don't go against them"😮😮😮❤
I love how staunchly non-dogmatic Elam is.
Is this somewhere as an actual podcast? Us peasants without RUclips premium would like to know
It's only here for the moment.
Thank you none-the-less, you’re videos keep me motivated to keep learning
Acker, re question on playing off the page: consider playing music genres you don't necessarily at this point respect or understand. Simple things that are maybe not so simple, like comping triads but somehow it isn't boring? Strumming a guitar. Learn the chords of a pop song by playing along to it. Stuff like that.
the understandings are emergent I guess is my point, there is no book
Please make a video on the Indian Instrument Sitar!!! :)
The misconception of performances being "perfect" in the time of the composition. Is pretty widespread. Take a look at Early Music Journal (Oxford) from 1994 in honor of Palestrina. The choir he performed with or led in the Vatican must have sounded AWFUL! There are comments about the singers in the payroll records, and some are surprising and shocking. So-and-so has no more voice, or show up drunk.
Also, to taste-- what about the incredibly fast tempi in some performances of high Baroque music now (such as Vivaldi pieces for strings)?
Sigh... I lost two long comments in progress when an advertisement interrupted the program.
A short form: how to understand the term "good taste" in treatises, pedagogical writing from earlier sources and styles, and composers' instructions.
Read Hume about taste. Actually not so hard
He has an essay on taste
YT put so much advertising in the video that I gave up watching.
Thanks for letting me know. I'll delete some of those ads
👍
Congratulations, @EarlyMusicSources, on cracking 100K subscribers!
You should check out a Marty Friedman song or 2
34:00, isn't there a recording of Tarrega playing Maria? Or is it fake?
I think it's not Tárrega. Not positive though.
Hey man, if it ain't Baroque, don't fix it.
Baroque'n'role man.
The point Rotem makes about how people inhabit the music they make, how people do what is natural and what is simply the done thing, and later we call it something and pick it apart. I agree and I don't.
On the one hand, yes, and it is like the difference between religion and belief. You know people don't really believe in christianity because they have to explain it to everyone and themselves so much. That's religion. Money and class are the actual belief system, and no one has to examine them critically at all to live in our culture.
On the other hand, not so much when it comes to art that is made for patrons or clients or fans, or is motivated by ideology or politics. These situations engender many layers of self consciousness and contrivance that do not comfortably fit with Rotem's characterization of the way people inhabit music in a place and time.
Rotem has himself at times expertly unpacked for us works of music theory and advice which carry at least implicitly non musical reasons for musical practice. I remember in particular a video on a renaissance era work describing good singing practice, in which the writer colorfully weaves together issues of aesthetics, music theory, class, and gender in his takedown of bad singers.
💚🖤❤️🤍🙏
Hi brandon do you like alhambra 5p classical guitars and salvarez optima strings
9:52 I don't get what you mean by early music... 1. 1700s isn't early to me at all people still listen to/play the greatest hits of that time all the time and use them in modern production like Legnd of Zelda's theme is based on a song from that time... 2. Synths can play early music even the simlist ones and all AAA,AAAA games use full ocrtras these fdays for their OSTs so it's still alive and well.
He said turn of the 17th century. Which means late 1500s.
You can't know what was correct. Because there was no written criticism to say what was correct vocal technique or pitching.
You've lost a big opportunity in interviewing correctly to Elam Rotem.
It was too much "me" and "I". Definitely, you wanted to communicate your stuffs but we wanted to listen to Elam's. Egocentric, in brief.
Point taken! I approached this more as a conversation rather than as an unbiased formal interview of a guest
Most of my clothes are from 20 years ago.
I can only imagine how awful flutes sounded in original performances.
I have a baroque flute and I sound pretty awful.
My liege; you have a podcast?