Bach Minuets in G

  1. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Last year, Andy Boden posted a great arrangement of the famous Minuets in G from the Notebooks of Anna Magdalena Bach to the Classical forum on the Cafe (Link). I've been meaning to record this for a while and have now got around to it.

    I have to admit I can't play the guitar arpeggios in Andy's "Guitar 2" part at that speed -- they are played at 240 notes a minute and don't sit nicely on tenor guitar/mandola in GDAE (may sit better on an actual guitar, but I don't play guitar). So, I've replaced the arpeggios with a strummed 3/4 rhythm over Andy's chord changes -- apologies to Andy for taking liberties with his arrangement.

    1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
    Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin
    Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
    Ozark tenor guitar

    My recording using the Cafe's embedded MP3 player:



    And on Youtube:



    Martin
  2. Marcelyn
    Marcelyn
    That's such an enjoyable arrangement, Martin. Really nice work.
  3. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Fine arrangement and also fine playing, Martin.
  4. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    There's a fresh breeze to this, a brisk stride, like someone opened the french windows of the smelly royal dancing hall at last.
    No wonder John likes it - it might go as "The 42nd's Farewell to Dresden".
  5. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Thanks, Marcelyn/John/Bertram!

    Yes, it's played a bit quicker than a minuet would have been and with a more strident rhythm. I blame Andy -- he notated it as 120bpm in his arrangement, although replacing his arpeggios with strummed chords also contributes to a more folky feel. Andy's notes were: "This one is not for the purists !! - but the 1st mandolin and 1st guitar are playing what Bach wrote with the other two parts adding further colour and accompaniment."

    On a pedant point: while the tunes are indeed from the notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach, there appears to be general consensus now that the more famous of these minuets (the one we can all hum along with) wasn't written by Bach at all, but rather by Christian Petzold.

    Martin
  6. Sasquatch
    Sasquatch
    Martin, it is my goal to learn at least one Bach piece. I love the stuff but I cannot imagine myself playing it. Not sure if its fear of the unknown, fear of failure, lack of discipline or a combo of the 3. I have played Monroe style mando since I started so its all new to me. I believe my goal is achievable though. Anyway, thanks for posting this wonderful music.
  7. OldSausage
    OldSausage
    I don't think you'd have any problem, Sasquatch - I've found it's more similar to my usual fare than I expected, just a different vibe. Just have to be ready to put in a bit more time to learn each tune than usual.
  8. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Sasquatch: there are Bach tunes at every level of difficulty, and plenty of it is very accessible. The Minuets in G here are among his easiest and fall under the fingers much like a fiddle tune -- I'm sure you won't have a problem.

    Other good simple ones include the Bourree from the Lute Suite in E minor (best-known through Jethro Tull), which I recorded a few years ago:



    Many of his keyboard pieces work just fine as solos or as duets on mandolin and OM/mandocello, such as the Minuets in G minor which are at 3:02 in this recording I made recently (apologies for screaming kids in the background):



    Martin
  9. Sasquatch
    Sasquatch
    Thank you Martin & OldSausage. I believe I will give it a try. I believe we will take the Bob Ross approach to Bach on the mando: We don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents!
  10. David Hansen
    David Hansen
    I've always liked the catchy one, Bach or not. Here's my go on my Sobell mandolin, Sobell octave mandolin, concertina, baritone guitar and bass.

  11. Eddie Sheehy
    Just the one...

  12. David Hansen
    David Hansen
    Yup! Same as yours. Nicely done Eddie.
  13. Jim Baker
    Jim Baker
    I'm looking for good abc for these. No luck yet.
  14. Jim Baker
    Jim Baker
  15. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Hello Jim, me too, I’m looking for an ABC file of the popular classics.
    Or maybe I’ll just play Jigs and Reels for the rest of my days.
  16. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    The Minuets in G sound very nice, Martin, but I think, they are usually not played as a couple. The one that is often paired with the well-known Minuet in G-major, you play first, is a Minuet in G-minor. I found a nice arrangement of this Minuet at Trekel. It was done by Edwin Mertes, who was born in Mettlach/Saar. That's where the river Saar does a big bend called the Saarschleife. Mertes added a third part, that doesn't exist in the two-part piano-original, but to me, it sounds OK. Now, have a look at the Saarschleife, one of the main attractions here in the Saarland:
  17. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Superb playing of Petzold's Minuet in G-minor, Christian!
  18. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Very nice, Christian! Yes, the G minor minuet is the "correct" pairing with Petzold's (misattributed) G major minuet, and it's a great complementary mood with that minor key feeling. My alternative pairing was created by Andy Boden as I was playing his arrangement. Andy did flag up that it wasn't a setting for the purists...

    Martin
  19. Jairo Ramos
    Jairo Ramos
    Yes, Superb playing... I would add that it has a professional level, first class music... a pleasure to listen to...
  20. Richard Carver
    Richard Carver
    This is very good, Christian. It is a very accurate arrangement and played with great feeling and precision, as always. An interesting contrast with Martin's original of the major minuet from 10 years ago (which, as he said, does not aim for an accurate rendition). I used to play these two as a pair on the guitar - the major is pretty straightforward but the minor is that bit more difficult - also, my favourite of the two. Perhaps I should try this version.

    Edited to add: the Saarschleife looks lovely, though the water seems as murky as my newly completed pond.
  21. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Thanks Martin, Jairo and Richard. There is one problem, when playing classical mandolin: the ornaments are usually picked. On the guitar or in folk mandolin styles, they are mostly done by left hand slurs, but classical mandolin players pick every note of a trill. The mordents in this minuet are notated in this edition as 32th notes which is a bit fast for me, so the ornament doesn't sound as elegant as it is supposed to sound. Well, maybe some day...
  22. Richard Carver
    Richard Carver
    An interesting point about the ornaments, Christian. Martin and I had an exchange about this in relation to (I think) some of the Telemann than I recorded, where, as you say, I played the trills and mordents guitar-style, hammering on and pulling off. They are not quite as clean. In the Ballet from Terpsichore, there is a trill to be picked, which I did, but not entirely accurately.
  23. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    I found an arrangement for guitar and flute for the second minuet in G-major, and replaced the flute with my mandolin:
  24. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    A very fine recording of G-major minuet. The arrangement is great and sounds amazing with your instruments, Christian.
  25. Richard Carver
    Richard Carver
    I somehow missed this last week, Christian. Just excellent - lovely precision and light touch.
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