Up There With the Greats - Cello Suites and Hot Jazz

The Whittaker Library thinks it's rather nice that this week the collection has acquired CDs by our own celebrities:-

• David Watkin, Head of Strings, plays the Bach Cello Suites - a recording receiving rave reviews;
• and our Jazz department releases RCS Jazz Road West

Find them on the new accessions shelf next week.  Or look up details online, here.

We are the very helpful Whittaker Library at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, here to help our community of performing artists with their information needs.

Cello Woe - a Warning to Cellists

A cello is mellow and low
But not the best thing if you know
You'll be busking outdoors
Whilst a howling gale roars
And the rain's changing slowly to snow.

Whittaker begs to reassure his readers that this is entirely fictional and relates to no cellist known to 'himself'.

Research into Scottish fiddle-tune accompaniments

© Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk.

This seems an appropriate image to illustrate the Bass Culture research project I'm assisting with.  (It is part of a bigger picture by David Allan, called A Highland Wedding at Blair Atholl.)

 What I and my colleagues at the Universities of Glasgow and Cambridge are seeking to establish, is what the cellist was playing, what patterns we can identify, and how it changed during the 18th-early 19th centuries.  Here's our brand-new blog, including a fab picture of the research team.

And here's another nice one called The Penny Wedding, by Sir David Wilkie.  His preliminary sketch shows the musicians more clearly.

http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/artists_l-z/wilkie/Wilkie_ThePennyWedding.jpg

 

Musical Limericks no.8 (The bottom end of the orchestra)

Image from MiltonGlaser.com

Cellist goes Continental

A cellist was going to France,
And excitedly  burst into dance;
A gavotte and a jig
In a strange-looking wig
Made the coppers look very askance!

Racy Bass

A lady who plays double bass

Has a strangely implacable face

If she missed a rest

You’d never have guessed

Though her heartbeat might silently race!

Flat footed

A timpani player from Troon

Tuned his timps imperceptibly doon;

When meant to play C,

He struck a low B;

“YOU ARE FLAT!”, yelled the maestro, “You loon!”

*****

Musical Limericks no.1 (flute, oboe, clarinet)

Musical Limericks no.2 (bassoon)

Musical Limericks no.3 (trumpet, horn)

Musical Limericks no.4 (Piper, by James Beaton)

Musical Limericks no.5 (tuba, trombone)

Musical Limericks no.6 (saxophone)

Musical Limericks no.7 (violin, viola)

Musical Limericks no.8 (cello, double bass, timpani)