Disco Stu's Classical Score Videos

[Disco Stu 14,067]

In my spare time, I enjoy scanning in scores of classical music by my favorite composers and creating videos following the scores to upload to Youtube.  I only do chamber/small ensemble music, as following an orchestral score in a Youtube video requires the eyes of an eagle.  It's patient, slightly tedious work, but I enjoy the end result.  Plus, with the Pistons I'm working on these days, it's often putting the music on Youtube for the first time, so hopefully it will help in a small way bring the attention of a few people to music I think is still vital and alive in 2019.

 

I know this is beyond even a niche of a niche, but I thought I might as well promote these here just in case anyone's interested.

 

Here's my newest:

 

Walter Piston - String Quartet No. 1 (1933)

 

Aaron Copland loved this piece of Piston's, praising its "acidulous opening movement, the poetic mood painting of its second, and its breezy finale", all of which "sets a superb standard of taste and of expert string writing."

[Disco Stu 14,067]

I have FINALLY finished the score video for Walter Piston's String Quartet No. 2.

 

I especially encourage anyone to check out the 3rd movement at 18:19.  Allegro giusto!! I love it as much as I've loved any music in my life and I just CAN'T GET ENOUGH.

 

 

[Disco Stu 14,067]

Just finished my score video for Walter Piston's String Quartet No. 3, my personal favorite of his 5 quartets.

 

I think he brings a real "rock star" energy to the outer movements, with an emphasis on sharp dynamic contrasts, driving rhythms and repetitive motifs that I get really caught up in every time I listen.  Pay special attention to the wonderful viola theme in the central section of the final movement at 12:19, which is a low-key highlight of all Piston's output I think.

 

 

[Thor 5,273]

I'm confused. I thought you were all about disco.

[Jurassic Shark 8,706]

He was, but then he realised that ABBA is much better than CHIC, and his world collapsed. He's been in this weird US American composer phase ever since.

[Disco Stu 14,067]

Setting the aside the point that my username doesn’t have anything to do with my music tastes, I’ll say that songs like Chic’s “Everybody Dance” and “Strike Up the Band” ARE American classical music as far as I’m concerned. They explicitly place themselves in the lineage of Gershwin, Kern, and Duke Ellington and I’d even argue that in the 1970s you could draw a connection between Chic and the concurrent appearance of the minimalism of Reich and Glass.  So yes Chic, with its very American mixture of highbrow and gritty urban lowbrow, is obviously more up my alley than ABBA  

 

Either way, Walter Piston continues to be a particular obsession of mine!

[Thor 5,273]

Dammit, you just broke my illusions. I thought you were a disco buff. Love disco myself, especially old-school.

[Jurassic Shark 8,706]

55 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

Strike Up the Band

 

That's by Gershwin, though.

[Disco Stu 14,067]

Hence my saying they explicitly place themselves in a lineage with Gershwin!  It’s not a cover but it’s definitely intended as an allusion.
 

 

[Jurassic Shark 8,706]

I like this fun arrangement:

 

 

[Disco Stu 14,067]

Social distancing means more time to work on score videos!

 

Walter Piston - Capriccio for Harp and String Orchestra (1963)