Posted by Magersfontein on October 18, 2009 at 6:31pm
There was Mendelssohn on the Proms programme that evening, and someone remembered that Mendelssohn's leider are mentioned in the Holmes canon, so Sherlock Holmes was topic of the discussion broadcast during the 20 minute interval. Essentially, Matthew Sweet interviewed novelist/critic A N Wilson and scriptwriter Steven Moffat. (Wilson has become a sort of all-purpose literary talking head. Moffat is the new head writer and executive producer of "Doctor Who", having written some of the best scripts for the revived series. BBC TV is making a series of Sherlock Holmes films, wriiten by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson.) Passages from Conan Doyle's stories were read by David Warner.
The discussion was recorded before an audience, only a few hours before transmission. I was there, sitting in the centre of the front row, and I was able to record the whole thing on my digital recorder. So here is an off-air recording of the broadcast, followed by my bootleg recording.
Roger
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@ Magersfontein: I envy you your attendance! Thanks for uploading both versions!
@Gyorgi: A very nice addition to the thread! The references to concerts are often used by Canonical students when attempting to date various stories.
Magersfontein > Anson (Bob) RobertsOctober 19, 2009 at 10:09am
That's a very good summary of Holmes's musical connections - as I'd expect from Ted Friedman. Thanks for posting it, Gyongi! Mendelssohn was clearly a favourite of Watson's, but not necessarily of Holmes's. Bert Coules reckons that anyone who favours Wagner's music would have little taste for Mendelssohn's. Funnily enough, Bert himself is a Wagnerian, who doesn't think much of Mendelssohn... But in any case poor old Felix hardly got a mention during the discussion!
Roger
Gyongi Fekete > MagersfonteinOctober 19, 2009 at 9:07pm
Thank you to gentlemen, your comments are much appreciated.
Anson (Bob) Roberts, I have a great love and respect for Sherlock Holmes, largely due to my father who is a long time Sherlockian, at 60, he has followed Holmes for most of his sentient life. He, my Dad is somewhat of a polymath with tremendously diverse interests. I cringed at being dragged along to Bootmakers meetings when I was a girl, now I am thankful for it!
Magersfontein, I was glad to post this, I found it very interesting and thought it would be useful for some of the fine folks here. I find Wagner syrupy. Ah, I'm too young to know! I'm a Miles Davis kind of girl myself...add a smattering of Coltrane and Debussy, Bach, Beethoven, Buck Owens, Ennio Morricone and a veritable myriad of people but not Mendelssohn. I don't think I've been around long enough to appreciate the more esoteric composers, like Berg, Shostakovich and the like. They require something special I believe.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mentioned several European musicians and composers throughout his stories to support the musical skill of Sherlock Holmes and his love of music.
Dr. Watson wrote in The Red Headed League: "Holmes was an enthusiastic musician, being himself not only a very capable performer of no ordinary merit." The detective enjoyed music of all kinds, including opera, concert music, and obscure compositions. His special devotion to music was clear from the number of references in the stories.
In the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, some of Felix Mendelssohn's work "Leider De Onne Worter" (Songs Without Words) were played by Holmes at Dr. Watson's request as they were his favorites. Watson wrote in the story, "That he knew Holmes could play difficult pieces because he played some Mendelssohn and other favorites. He would also create his own pieces extemporaneously."
During his investigation of the case, A Study in Scarlet, Holmes looked forward to spending an afternoon at Halles where Whilhelmina Norman-Neruda, the well known violinist was performing. Holmes said, "And now for lunch and the Norman-Neruda. Her attack and bowing are splendid. What's that little thing of Chopin's she plays so magnificently, Tra-La-La-Lira-Lira-Lay."
Holmes and Watson interrupted their investigation of The Red Headed League to see the famous Spanish violinist perform at St. James Hall. Holmes said. "Sarasate plays at St. James Hall this afternoon. What do you think Watson? Could your patients spare you for a few hours?"
In listening to Sarasate, Holmes' mood was quite revealing. In The Red Headed League Watson wrote, "All the afternoon he sat in the stalls wrapped in the most perfect happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers in time to the music, while his gently smiling face and languid, dreamy eyes were as unlike those of Holmes, the sleuth-hound Holmes, the relentless, keen-witted, ready-handed criminal agent as it was possible to conceive."
Holmes and Watson hurried from The Red Circle Case to Covent Garden where a Richard Wagner night was in progress. Holmes said to Watson, "by the way is it not eight o'clock and a Wagner night at Covent Garden? If we hurry we might be in time for the second act." Holmes earlier in The Red Headed League expressed a preference for German music. He told Watson, "There's a good deal of German music on the programme, which is rather more to my taste than French or Italian. It is introspective and I want to introspect. Come along."
In the story The Mazarin Stone Holmes fooled his enemies, Count Sylvius and Sam Merton, into thinking he was actually playing the "Hoffman Bacarolle" on the violin. However, Holmes played a recording of Jacques Offenbach's "Bacarolle" from his opera The Tales of Hoffman.
Holmes said, "I shall try over the Hoffman Barcarolle upon my violin. In five minutes I shall return for your final answer. You quite grasp the alternative do you not? Shall we take you or the stone?"
Holmes violin playing was so excellent that the listeners in The Mazarin Stone could not tell him from the record.
Sherlock Holmes revealed during the investigation of The Cardboard Box case that he knew a great deal about Niccolo Paganini, the celebrated Italian violinist and generally considered to be the greatest master of violin technique who ever lived. Holmes discussed Paganini with Dr. Watson, sitting with him for an hour over a bottle of claret while he told anecdote after anecdote of that extraordinary man.
During his discussion of music in The Cardboard Box, Holmes told Watson that he owned a violin made by the renowned violin maker, Antonio Stradivarius. Holmes believed it to be worth at least five hundred guineas, which he had purchased for some fifty-five shillings on Tottenham Court Road.
Holmes was very careful in the maintenance of his Stradivarius violin. He kept it in its case stored in a corner of his sitting room at Baker Street. This treatment of a musical instrument is in sharp contrast to many other of his possessions: tobacco in the toe of a Persian slipper, needles and syringes, unanswered correspondence stuck on his mantelpiece with a jackknife and chemical relics in a butter dish.
Replies
@Gyorgi: A very nice addition to the thread! The references to concerts are often used by Canonical students when attempting to date various stories.
Roger
Anson (Bob) Roberts, I have a great love and respect for Sherlock Holmes, largely due to my father who is a long time Sherlockian, at 60, he has followed Holmes for most of his sentient life. He, my Dad is somewhat of a polymath with tremendously diverse interests. I cringed at being dragged along to Bootmakers meetings when I was a girl, now I am thankful for it!
Magersfontein, I was glad to post this, I found it very interesting and thought it would be useful for some of the fine folks here. I find Wagner syrupy. Ah, I'm too young to know! I'm a Miles Davis kind of girl myself...add a smattering of Coltrane and Debussy, Bach, Beethoven, Buck Owens, Ennio Morricone and a veritable myriad of people but not Mendelssohn. I don't think I've been around long enough to appreciate the more esoteric composers, like Berg, Shostakovich and the like. They require something special I believe.
Music of Sherlock Holmes
by Ted Friedman
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mentioned several European musicians and composers throughout his stories to support the musical skill of Sherlock Holmes and his love of music.
Dr. Watson wrote in The Red Headed League: "Holmes was an enthusiastic musician, being himself not only a very capable performer of no ordinary merit." The detective enjoyed music of all kinds, including opera, concert music, and obscure compositions. His special devotion to music was clear from the number of references in the stories.
In the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, some of Felix Mendelssohn's work "Leider De Onne Worter" (Songs Without Words) were played by Holmes at Dr. Watson's request as they were his favorites. Watson wrote in the story, "That he knew Holmes could play difficult pieces because he played some Mendelssohn and other favorites. He would also create his own pieces extemporaneously."
During his investigation of the case, A Study in Scarlet, Holmes looked forward to spending an afternoon at Halles where Whilhelmina Norman-Neruda, the well known violinist was performing. Holmes said, "And now for lunch and the Norman-Neruda. Her attack and bowing are splendid. What's that little thing of Chopin's she plays so magnificently, Tra-La-La-Lira-Lira-Lay."
Holmes and Watson interrupted their investigation of The Red Headed League to see the famous Spanish violinist perform at St. James Hall. Holmes said. "Sarasate plays at St. James Hall this afternoon. What do you think Watson? Could your patients spare you for a few hours?"
In listening to Sarasate, Holmes' mood was quite revealing. In The Red Headed League Watson wrote, "All the afternoon he sat in the stalls wrapped in the most perfect happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers in time to the music, while his gently smiling face and languid, dreamy eyes were as unlike those of Holmes, the sleuth-hound Holmes, the relentless, keen-witted, ready-handed criminal agent as it was possible to conceive."
Holmes and Watson hurried from The Red Circle Case to Covent Garden where a Richard Wagner night was in progress. Holmes said to Watson, "by the way is it not eight o'clock and a Wagner night at Covent Garden? If we hurry we might be in time for the second act." Holmes earlier in The Red Headed League expressed a preference for German music. He told Watson, "There's a good deal of German music on the programme, which is rather more to my taste than French or Italian. It is introspective and I want to introspect. Come along."
In the story The Mazarin Stone Holmes fooled his enemies, Count Sylvius and Sam Merton, into thinking he was actually playing the "Hoffman Bacarolle" on the violin. However, Holmes played a recording of Jacques Offenbach's "Bacarolle" from his opera The Tales of Hoffman.
Holmes said, "I shall try over the Hoffman Barcarolle upon my violin. In five minutes I shall return for your final answer. You quite grasp the alternative do you not? Shall we take you or the stone?"
Holmes violin playing was so excellent that the listeners in The Mazarin Stone could not tell him from the record.
Sherlock Holmes revealed during the investigation of The Cardboard Box case that he knew a great deal about Niccolo Paganini, the celebrated Italian violinist and generally considered to be the greatest master of violin technique who ever lived. Holmes discussed Paganini with Dr. Watson, sitting with him for an hour over a bottle of claret while he told anecdote after anecdote of that extraordinary man.
During his discussion of music in The Cardboard Box, Holmes told Watson that he owned a violin made by the renowned violin maker, Antonio Stradivarius. Holmes believed it to be worth at least five hundred guineas, which he had purchased for some fifty-five shillings on Tottenham Court Road.
Holmes was very careful in the maintenance of his Stradivarius violin. He kept it in its case stored in a corner of his sitting room at Baker Street. This treatment of a musical instrument is in sharp contrast to many other of his possessions: tobacco in the toe of a Persian slipper, needles and syringes, unanswered correspondence stuck on his mantelpiece with a jackknife and chemical relics in a butter dish.