Stephanie Jones playing a Bach Fugue on an acoustic guitar

[Drew Stephenson]

They're actually pretty hard to find on my phone, so i get lazy...

[Sam Spoons]

Doesn't sound overly bright to me given the environment and the instrument. It's small bodied but also the headstock looks like it might be of a considerable age. Vintage string instruments don't tend to have the bottom end we expect today.

My thoughts too, though I'd say it's a modern replica of a vintage guitar and reading the notes confirms, she says "I am playing on a 19th Century J.A Stauffer copy by Jan Tuláček"

TBH it doesn't do much for me though very little classical music does.

I was aware of her BTW and she is a pretty amazing player.

edit :- note to self, read the whole thread before commenting, Wonky actually read the notes before posting

[merlyn]

Bach was clearly influenced by music he could get access to listen to.

Yes. Famously he walked forty miles to hear Buxtehude who was considered the best organist around at the time. And a lot of his themes are influenced by Italian music (i.e. Italian music had good melodies). Take the Brandenburg Concertos. They start off with a melodic theme then go into Bach land with variations.

But I think Bach was hearing his own music inside his head. It's Bach who advocated for tempered tuning by writing 48 preludes and fugues in all the keys, major and minor. Known as The Well Tempered Clavier if this could be played on a keyboard and sound good the keyboard was in tempered tuning. Beethoven could play all 48 in any key.

The 'too many notes' is part of the Baroque aesthetic. Movements usually have one emotion or affect throughout. In the classical era emotions could turn on a dime.

Bach's idea of music was a constant stream of harmony. Right now this is similar to the fact that most music has a drumbeat going through it with the emphasis on 2 and 4. Music made now keeps the rhythm going; Bach kept the harmony going.

[Martin Walker]

Today I came across this superb rendition of a Bach Fugue, originally written for violin, played by Stephanie Jones on an acoustic guitar.

I've seen a lot of fancy shredding, powerful rock performances, stunning solos and so forth over the years but I don't think I've ever been as impressed with the artistry of a guitar performance as I was watching this.

Stephanie Jones isn't a name I'd seen before, but I'm sure some of you must have.

Stunning performance!

I came across Stephanie Jones back in June 2020, when I posted this link on my Facebook page:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UwA8zvDcho

Oh, and knowing how 'correct' you like to be Eddy, I've just manually corrected the spelling of every post title in this two-page thread from 'Bache' to 'Bach' - hope you don't mind

Martin

[MOF]

I wondered what the device around her left leg is, it seems to be connected to a deep black guitar shaped box behind the guitar itself, I wondered if this replaced the solitary foot stool that I saw as standard practice when my brother was being taught the classical guitar.
What never ceases to amaze me is how classical soloists never need sheet music.

[Wonks]

I wondered what the device around her left leg is, it seems to be connected to a deep black guitar shaped box behind the guitar itself, I wondered if this replaced the solitary foot stool that I saw as standard practice when my brother was being taught the classical guitar.
What never ceases to amaze me is how classical soloists never need sheet music.

Looks to be one of these, (especially as Stephanie Jones is in their product photo) a 'guitar lift' (but in black, not clear).

https://guitarlift.de/?language=en

[MOF]

Thank you Wonks.

[CS70]

J S Bach was a working man, for the church, organist, choir master. I don’t think he ever composed for kings and queens, I’m certain in fact.
Beethoven, Mozart, now that’s a different story.

Er... who do you think the Musical Offering is offered to?

Most classic composers were incredible virtuosos... playing fast and precise was their thing. The shredders of the day. Probably their compositions are more restrained than their improvisations. Bach apparently could improvise 3- or 4-part canons and fugues on the spot, without missing a beat. The 5- and 6- part he had to sit down and think a little bit.

As you say, it was about surviving and sticking out of the crowd. Almost every man and woman of means could play an instrument, often at a pretty good level, so mediocre and average didn't really do, wouldn't have impressed anybody.

[CS70]

Bach's idea of music was a constant stream of harmony. Right now this is similar to the fact that most music has a drumbeat going through it with the emphasis on 2 and 4. Music made now keeps the rhythm going; Bach kept the harmony going.

A beautiful analogy, thank you. I'd never thought of it that way, but it fits perfectly.

[CS70]

Today I came across this superb rendition of a Bach Fugue, originally written for violin, played by Stephanie Jones on an acoustic guitar.

This was nice, and I love the guitar..

[Eddy Deegan]

Oh, and knowing how 'correct' you like to be Eddy, I've just manually corrected the spelling of every post title in this two-page thread from 'Bache' to 'Bach' - hope you don't mind

Gosh, I'm quite shocked I missed that! Thank you Martin

[Arpangel]

It was a book that got me interested in music, when I was about nine, it’s called "A Portrait Of Bach" by Jo Manton.
It’s a very simple book written for children, but it portrays such a magical and inspiring view of the Bach family life, after I read it I knew I had to get as many Bach recordings as possible, and it all started. And that was when I bought my first ever record Johann Sebastian Bach "Organ Works" on the Music For Pleasure label.

https://www.discogs.com/Carl-Weinrich-Bach-Organ-Recital/release/494589

My second musical mile stone was to be in five years time, when I would ad Switched On Bach to my collection.

[arkieboy]

Not got round to listening to this before.

I keep a copy of Willard's transcriptions for Bach's Lute Suites handy - torturous with my reading capability but I find few things quite as satisfying as working on these beautiful pieces of music, even if only the intermediate ones are within my performance reach.

I frequently bemoan the lack of dynamics in the approach many classical players take to these tunes having inhabited some of them and imagining what they could be - this is not a criticism I would throw Stephanie Jones' performance here. Bravo!

The boxiness of the sound I think is down to the instrument - it is a pretty small body in comparison with a modern classical, together with a very white soundboard which, if it were spruce, would give a more strident treble than the more common cedar. The clarity you get from that combination suits the music well I think - you certainly wouldn't want a blooming bass end obscuring the way the themes move across the fretboard.

My classical has a spruce top, chosen for this exact reason.

I have Pinnock's recordings of the Brandenbergs on period instruments and the thinness of the sound similarly suits the complex material by allowing the individual parts to be distinct.

Nowhere near steeped in this kind of music to understand (and possibly disagree) with received wisdom on these matters, but this sounds nigh-on perfect to me.

[Albatross]

Just in case anyone was wondering, here is the link to the luthier that made the guitar (if it hasn't already been mentioned) https://www.tulacek.cz/

[Arpangel]

God knows what mood I was in that day, but I like it now, sounds good, she’s got it, very delicate, expressive performance.

[Exalted Wombat]

She is giving it a bit of the Eva Cassidy treatment isn't she!

Here's Bream performing the same piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLVKDfYZHVc

[OneWorld]

Today I came across this superb rendition of a Bach Fugue, originally written for violin, played by Stephanie Jones on an acoustic guitar.

I've seen a lot of fancy shredding, powerful rock performances, stunning solos and so forth over the years but I don't think I've ever been as impressed with the artistry of a guitar performance as I was watching this.

Stephanie Jones isn't a name I'd seen before, but I'm sure some of you must have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EM6t3iHK1Y

Maybe it's the pianist in me but I thought the performance, dynamics and expression combined to produce a feel that hit the spot perfectly.

I have been an admirer of Stephanie's for sometime now, as you say, she hits the spot, there are legions of classical guitarists on YouTube, and there's nothing wrong with that, in fact I think it is great that whilst so much music is made electronically, the organic alternative is still alive and well, and that young people such as Stephanie represent the continuing interest. One of my favourites of hers is, a modern piece that really gets the best out of the classical guitar...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UwA8zvDcho

[OneWorld]

Also, this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbi-7tPaqo

Perfectly formed.

Agreed - an absolutely sublime piece of music
I stumbled across this a couple of years ago and keep coming back to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNEnzNHTkd8

I came across this rendition of the Chaconne some years (I trawl YouTube obsessively and the amount of exemplary music never fails to amaze me) and I think version, by John Feeley's is the best of those performed on the guitar. When first hearing it on the guitar I wonder how it could have been done on the violin, seeing as to a great extent it is not a chordal instrument, but anyway, done on the violin, as intended when written is an equally impressive piece of music and that middle bit just knocks me out, whether on guitar/cello or whatever. I do like this version on two cellos.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y1vJYUokbc

[OneWorld]

J S Bach was a working man, for the church, organist, choir master. I don’t think he ever composed for kings and queens, I’m certain in fact.
Beethoven, Mozart, now that’s a different story.

Brandenberg Concertos? OK not quite Kings and Queens but I think a prince or two was on the roster, that said, the Brandenbergs were written to order, the sort of thing Bach would knock out in between sets!

[Arpangel]

J S Bach was a working man, for the church, organist, choir master. I don’t think he ever composed for kings and queens, I’m certain in fact.
Beethoven, Mozart, now that’s a different story.

Brandenberg Concertos? OK not quite Kings and Queens but I think a prince or two was on the roster, that said, the Brandenbergs were written to order, the sort of thing Bach would knock out in between sets!

The Brandenbergs, yes, fantastic, my favourite pieces of music for most of my childhood, along with the St Mathew Passion, that was, until I heard the Wendy Carlos renditions of Bach, my world changed forever, and they are the only versions I can listen to now.
I can’t think it would be be easy though, to equal the intensity and emotion of that Chaconne on a synthesiser, impossible I’d say, completely, we’ve come a long way, but there’s still more than a long way to go, to achieve violin level of expression, on an electronic instrument.