R. Calace Sheet Music

[Jim Garber]

I emailed Calace last week sometime about getting a list of the music they sell. I was surprised to actually get a response. this morning.

The best part of it was:

Are also available 4 Cd all of Calace Music at the price of Eu. 13 each.

1 - works for orchestra and mandolino and piano
2 - works for Trio: Liuto, pianoforte e mandolino
3 - works for Mandolino e pianoforte
4 - works Chitarra e mandolino

Seems like a bargain, esp considering the price of the individual pieces which are actually photocopies of the original printed ones. There are rumors of them republishing but I can't imagine that that will happen soon.

If anyone wants to see the whole list I have put it in an MSword doc. Email me and I will send you one.

Jim

[Eugene]

Please, I have a few of their digital catalogs. However, I'd be grateful if you could send the new. I have the CDs you've numbered 2 and 3. Players are 2) Fabio Menditto-mandolin, Fabio Giudice-liuto cantabile, and Alvaro Lopes Ferreira-piano and 3) Nunzio Reina-mandolin and Alessandra Garavello-piano. I like'em; the playing is solid and the tempi tasty and metred. At the time I bought these (via FAX), they were the only CDs that the Calace shop had available.

[Jim Garber]

Hi Eugene:
Of course i will send you the list. I mistakenly thought that the CDs were digitized versions of the sheet music they sell and therefore were a real bargain. Thanks for clearing up that.

Jim

[Eugene]

Hmmm, I suppose they could be CDs of *.pdf files or some such. If so, they definitely would be new offerings. A great many of the scores are redundant to serve whatever instruments you might have available; e.g., the Tarantella has identical mandolin parts whether you get it for piano accompaniment, guitar accompaniment, or quartetto romantico. Also, the guitar part is identical whether only guitar or set in the quartet. Issuing digital versions of the scores could be rendered more efficient simply by offering all parts and listing those ensembles that Ol' Raffaele endorsed.

I am guessing that CD 4 is Zigiotti and Merlante's new recording. I've been curious about that for a while.

[RSW]

Somewhat confused here... are these CDs of audio content or scanned copies of the actual printed music? Can't seem to locate the Calace firm website.... grazie,

Richard

[Eugene]

Jim believed the latter (scanned scores), but I suspect the former (audio recordings) because it coincides with recordings with which I am familiar.

The Calace shop: http://www.calace.it/

[Jim Garber]

I emailed Calace and we'll see if they can clear it up. Since I asked and received a list of their sheet music and that was mentioned on it I assumed that these had something to do with the sheet music. Since Eugene mentioned the CDs of recorded music I am not so sure any more.

Also, these is no mention of the solo pieces being on the CDs. Strange that they would not make it clearer in their listing or that they would not have performers listed if they were recordings.

Jim

[Bob A]

You emailed Calace? I tried that once. My understanding is they reply to a fax rapidly, and never, ever check their email.

[Jim Garber]

I had emailed them re the sheet music list and got it in about a week. I have a feeling that they might check but you never know.

I also emailed Carlo Aonzo, who has had some dealing with them to see if he knows anything.

My friend will be in Naples in october. maybe he can check if we don't hear sooner.

Jim

[Arto]

I asked Ugo Orlandi in EGMA and he thought the CDs include sheet music files, not audio. I got the impression he was not absolutely sure, so it´s worth checking from Calace before ordering.

If these are pdf files, the option is very interesting indeed. But where are the solo works, and tutors?

Arto

[vkioulaphides]

Aha! Arto, you have unwittingly confessed to having attended EGMA!

We expect a full review *hint, hint*

Cheers,

Victor

[John Craton]

Just curious ... has anyone conclusively established whether these are audio CDs or whether they contain Calace sheet music? I'm tempted to order them either way, but I'd like to know beforehand what to expect. Thanks!

[Jim Garber]

I have yet to hear anything from Calace. Perhaps best to fax them or call.

Jim

[John Craton]

I finally broke down an FAXed an order to Calace for their CD, if just to find out whether it contains sheet music or audio recordings. I placed the order a month and a half ago, but it has yet even to appear on my credit card statement. For those who've ordered from Calace before, what is their usual response time? I know their reputation for virtually ignoring e-mails, but I had thought a FAX would be handled in a bit more timely fashion. Not really all that anxious, just curious.

[Eugene]

I have placed one order in the past. I sent a FAX listing the few things I'd like and asking how to go about getting them. They all arrived by mail in a bit over a week with a note asking me to send payment! I am still almost certain the CDs they list are audio CDs.

[John Craton]

Okay, finally an update. I originally FAXed an order to Calace in December, a week or so before Christmas. Never heard back. Finally assumed the FAX didn't go through and tried again on 21 February. Today I got a friendly e-mail from one of the Calace staff apologizing for the delay -- apparently they received but then lost my original FAX. She told me that they cannot accept credit card orders from the U.S. (news to me), but will be sending the CD to me today with an invoice which I should pay with a bank draft or international M.O. once it arrives. Very nice of them, I thought, and exceptionally trusting. With luck we should be able to report within a couple of weeks whether this mystery CD is a CD-ROM of the sheet music or, as I suspect, an audio CD of some of Calace's works. Stay tuned, folks!

[Embergher]

Hello,
I have just ordered music from Calace this week, and they've sent it today, so I should get it somewhere next week (or maybe friday). I did the order by email, wich didn't seem to be a problem at all. Annamaria Calace kindly answered the emails. (writing the emails in italian probably helps as that saves them the time to translate, though I've made another order some years ago, by fax, in English, without any problem ...)

I also bought CDs 2 and 3 from Calace when I was there in 2003 (he didn't have any others at that time). (I must say the mandolin solo is not well set up: the intonation is very bad in higher positions, especially in one cadenza. Anyway, I'm probably too focused on perfection of intonation, it shouldn't stop you buying these CDs...)
(The 4th CD may be the one by Sergio Zigiotti. Here are a few MP3s as preview: "LINK")

It's a very nice but surpisingly small (typical Italian) workshop. Raffaele Calace sold me the CDs, some strings and let me try one of his new mandolins.

Here's a scan (pdf) of the LIST OF WORKS they sent me a few years ago, the prices still seem to be applicable.

[Embergher]

My music from Calace arrived today. As we thought, it's all copied from the manuscripts or from an older printed edition. (Linda, Danza Spagnola is printed, not the best quality, but it's readable!).
I like handwritten music very much, but Calace's handwriting is not the most clear ... I will have to rewrite quite a few of them if I don't want complaints from the people of my ensemble ...
On the other hand, I'm quite happy to have copies of the manuscripts: #if they're planning to make new editions, who knows how accurate they will be ... some things in the manuscripts that are 'obviously wrong or forgotten' may get changed. (I would prefer an 'urtext' edition, but i doubt that will be the case)
However, everything I ordered arrived well, so we'll have soon a few new Calace pieces for the next concerts ...

[Jim Garber]

(I would prefer an 'urtext' edition, but i doubt that will be the case)

Here's a question I have on the definition of urtext, especially as it refers more modern composers. Does urtext refer to a bare-bones version, without eidtiorial commentary (dynamics, fingerings, bowings/pick strokes, etc) or does it refer to the version as the composer originally intended? If Calace published his pieces with many directions, does the urtext edition keep those directions. For instance, I know there are some pieces that use duo style where the left hand fingers pluck. Would that direction be left out of an urtext edition even tho it was in the original?

Jim

[Embergher]

I think an 'urtext' edition should not include comments, fingerings, dynamics, #.... other than from #the composer, and certainly none of a later edition after the death of the composer.
If the composer himself added comments in a later edition, (or arrangements for other combinations of instruments), they should be mentioned as well (if possible separately).
Obvious 'mistakes' are of course worth mentioning, even if it is an urtext edition.
This is they way it is done with most piano and violin music of Bach, Mozart, .....

[John Craton]

At last the mystery is solved. The CD finally arrived today and, as most of us already suspected, it is indeed an audio CD and not a CD-ROM of Calace's sheet music. Sigh. Though I assumed this would be the case, I was hoping to be surprised. Anyway, the CD is a nice addition to my library, and I have scanned the back cover below.

[Embergher]

Now that I see it: I have heard this CD before.
A bit strange is the last piece, the concerto ... They play first the third movement (and not completely as it's written, it's a bit shorter if I remember right), and then the first movement, they play lastly.
I really wouldn't know why ... I know the first movement is more important, longer and has the cadenza in it (could be more impressive?), but that's very often the case, already at Vivaldi's or Mozart's time (the Mozart violin concertos for example).
It sounds strange when you're used to play it in the original order.

[Eugene]

I've had this Orlandi CD for a great long time. I was so offended by the wrong order (III-II-I) of the concerto movements that I program my CD player to play it in the proper order: CD tracks 10-9-8.