Unusual titles

Anything musical that will not fit into the above fora
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fredbucket
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Unusual titles

Post by fredbucket »

Are there any pieces out there with unusual, bizarre or otherwise notable titles of musical publications?

This one, from Sibley, may be a candidate for the longest ...

Publication Name: Easy and fundamental instructions whereby either vocal or instrumental performers unqcquainted with composition, may from the mere knowledge of the most common intervals in music, learn how to introduce extempore embellishments or variations; as also ornamental cadences with propriety, taste, and regularity, translated from a famous treatise on music, written by Johann Joachim Quantz, composer to his Majesty the King of Prussia.
URL: https://urresearch.rochester.edu/instit ... onNumber=1

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Re: Unusual titles

Post by Timtin »

Satie: 3 Pieces in the Shape of a Pear
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Re: Unusual titles

Post by timgill »

Where to begin? "Warble for Lilac Time" by Sam Raphling? "Happy-Hippo Tuma" by Denis Armitage? No, let's kick off with a challenge to Fred's longest title:

"Zur Gemüthsergötzung verfertiget von John Wolf Brennan: Happy Birthday Variationen auffrichtige Anleitung, wormit denen Liebhabern des Clavires, besonders aber denen Lehrbegierigen, eine deütliche und cantable Art dezeiget wird, musikalische Geburthstagswünsche zum gefälligsten Vortrage im Style von Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, Frédéric Chopin, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, George Gershwin, Béla Bartók und Arvo Pärt durchzuführen."

Whatever that means.
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Re: Unusual titles

Post by Arjuna »

Dr. Tarkus' Atom Hearts Club Suite.
Professor Bad Trip, Lessons 1, 2 and 3.
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Re: Unusual titles

Post by Timtin »

Henry Cowell's 'Fabric' and his '6 Ings' seem rather unusual titles.
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Re: Unusual titles

Post by Timtin »

It's not entirely clear to me why Parry called his Hands Across the Centuries as such.
The individual movements have vaguely old-fashioned titles, but apart from that
the music sounds a lot like Brahms at his best. Is this perhaps the real reason?
Btw, a new scan of this lovely work is now on IMSLP. It's an alternative to the one
on Musicaneo.
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Re: Unusual titles

Post by fredbucket »

Another candidate for the longest title, this time from BSB:

Cantica spiritualia oder Auswahl der schönsten geistlichen Lieder älterer Zeit in ihren originalen Sangweisen und großentheils auch ihren alten Texten aus dem reichen Lieder- und Melodien-Schatze der Katholischen Kirche und des katholischen Volkslebens zum öffentlichen und Hausgebrauche gesammelt und nach den Bedürfnissen der Gegenwart bearbeitet ; zunächst für eine Singstimme und Pianoforte, jedoch also eingerichtet, daß die choralmäßigen Lieder auch von der Kirchengemeinde mit Orgelbegleitung oder vierstimmig gesungen werden können

Autor: Beckers, Hubert
Erschienen 1847
URL: http://reader.digitale-sammlungen.de/de ... 00001.html

for thems what is interested...

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Fred
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Re: Unusual titles

Post by Timtin »

My attempt to get this title translated into English produced this:-

Collected Canticles spiritualia or selection of the most beautiful
hymns earlier period in their original Sang ways and in a great
measure also their ancient texts from the rich songs and melodies
Sweethearts of the Catholic Church and the Catholic people living
for the public and house Gebrauche and processed according to the
needs of the present ; initially for voice and piano, but so arranged
that the regular choral songs can be sung by the congregation with
organ accompaniment or four voices.

Sadly, I'm not really any the wiser.
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Re: Unusual titles

Post by timgill »

Concerto for Sandpaper and Wind Band

http://www.reift.ch/popupPlayerCd.php?id=2740
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Re: Unusual titles

Post by Jim Faston »

timgill wrote:Concerto for Sandpaper and Wind Band

http://www.reift.ch/popupPlayerCd.php?id=2740
Any idea what grit that was written for?
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