J-G

I seem to recall (back in the eighties or so) a few jazz guitarists playing amplified archtops at high volume used to have a really massive soundpost inserted— to reduce resonance and discourage feedback. Some others used to close up the f-holes or fill the body with synthetic foam for the same purpose.

Yep, a great Jackson-Guldan is still a Jackson-Guldan.

I have two German trade bows, one stamped Willy Roth, the other HOMA. FWIW, one is completely round at the downstream end of the lapping, l3.5 cm from the nipple; the other is still faintly octagonal at the balance point, about 24 cm down. I wouldn't have thought this detail tells us anything important about either origin or quality. Or does it?

To quite a few of us here, that won't sound very old. By all means, post photos!

Found it. Turns out the whole 2-hour video I mentioned (The Art of Conducting) is on Youtube, and it's well worth watching. The percussionist's anecdote comes at about 55:18 in the video.

Not necessarily a myth, but perhaps a story about the effect seeing Furtwängler standing in the doorway had on the orchestra member who told the story.

Thanks, Philip, good to hear this story again! I recall hearing it told in a televised interview (maybe in the seventies?) by one of the BPO percussionists, someone who had been in the orchestra since Furtwängler's day. I think the excerpt appeared on a video compilation called something like The Great Conductors, with video snatches of many of the greats going way back. Wish I could find my copy.

Good catch, Stephen! Yeah, that is weird. Looks like our 2021 OP saw and copied the 2003 question— but without reading the answers.

I guess the OP's question was really who was the first to actually compose and publish cadenzas for their concertos, instead of just putting a fermata and leaving it to the players to fill the gap.

Thanks for that information, violinnewb. Yes, the pieces you have learned (and performed) in the past tells us a lot. Also of course the level of the studies you play every day. It comes down to a question of whether you're learning to play a piece, or an instrument. As a rule of thumb, I've always thought that a piece you can't fight your way through sight-reading is a piece that you're not ready to learn. The fact that you're asking about fingerings sounds an alarm— if you're not yet comfortable with the routines of shifting, arpeggios, double-stops, etc., then this may not be the next piece for you to try to master. I hasten to add I don't (and couldn't possibly) play the piece. But it's a great one, so good luck with it!

Why not help us out and tell us how good a player you are?

Welcome, Megan. Sorry to say it looks like Bob hasn't checked in here in over three years. It may be possible to get a message to him through one of the two orchestras he mentions in his second post above. Good luck!

Looks like the OP started a thread on the MNK forum a few months ago but has had no responses there. To the OP: putting the builder's name in your topic title helps to draw the attention of readers who may recognize the name. Also can help with future forum searches. Good luck!

No prob', bro'!

Point taken. Thank you, Blank Face.