Maggie Ferguson - bandoneón at bondi beach
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- čas přidán 19. 05. 2016
- Bach Bourree at Bondi Beach - Maggie Ferguson playing bandoneon solo... www.maggiefergusontango.com/
In ‘Bach Bourree at Bondi Beach’ Maggie Ferguson pays homage to the bandoneon’s spiritual roots with music from a deeply devotional time, played on the iconic Australian beach which is a magnet for millions of people from all countries and was the home of thousands of Australia’s pioneering immigrants.
Maggie’s tango story is personal and universal. Many years ago, as a classical violinist, she went to Buenos Aires to learn as much as possible about the performance of Argentine tango, convinced of its importance in her life. After many return visits Maggie decided to study the bandoneon, which some call the ‘voice of tango’ thus providing a formidable musical challenge. Although primarily used in the tango, the bandoneon was originally an instrument of worship in Germany, hence the decision to record the Bach Bourree.
Maggie Ferguson pioneered tango music education in Australia, blazing a trail through schools and conservatoriums demonstrating to students and audiences the culturally unifying beauty of tango. She feels strongly its underlying message of cultural alienation, poverty, social hardship, lucky windfall and deep human connections. It is the universal immigrant struggle. This message has touched hundreds of her students who flock to know more about tango and become part of TangoOz, Australia’s first tango training orchestra which she created in 2009 and which is reformed every year, Coincidentally, in 2009, UNESCO named the tango one of ‘The world’s intangible cultural heritages’.
Maggie works with tango musicians and dancers worldwide with whom she shares the passion and joy of performing tango. In Australia she plays with many ensembles as guest tango director. Her concerts are specially crafted to present a musical tango journey throughout the 20th century, incorporating the dance, tango history, styles, composer anecdotes, and some joyous audience participation.
The Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a bi-sonoric, free reed instrument invented in Chemnitz, Germany around 1834 by Carl Friedrich Uhlig. It is a square squeezebox, with bellows not unlike a concertina. Heinrich Band, a teacher, promoted the instrument to his students and modified and extended the keyboard. He called it ‘bandonion’, shorthand for Heinrich Band’s accordion. Created primarily as a religious instrument, the bandonion was a substitute for the organ in churches of small rural communities, in contrast to its cousin, the German concertina, which was a folk instrument.
The original instrument, manufactured by Ernest Louis Arnold (ELA) arrived in Argentina in the 1890s in the hands of German immigrants. It was immediately recognized as being highly suitable for tango. In fact, it changed the voice of the tango from cheeky insouciance to nostalgia and lament, which matched the volatile, homesick tendencies of the immigrants. Tango saved the bandonion from extinction and the name was modified from bandonion to the Spanish ‘bandoneón’ to reflect its new role. In 1911, Alfred Arnold (AA) began manufacturing bandoneons in Carlsfeld exclusively for the Argentine and Uruguayan market. Its popularity grew at such a rate that in 1930 alone, 25,000 instruments were exported to Argentina.
Technical aspects
The bandoneón has up to seven bi-sonoric tones, or fourteen rectangular shaped reeds on one zinc or aluminum plate. Each tone has a fundamental and an octave mounted on a separate reed plate, which must be tuned separately without vibrato. In contrast to the accordion, the bandoneón has no pre defined chords. It has no piano-like keyboard, but a complex layout of buttons which varies from instrument to instrument. An average is thirty seven buttons on the right hand and thirty three on the left hand. It is played resting the instrument on both knees while sitting, opening (abriendo) and closing (cerrando) while depressing one or more buttons with each hand. Most buttons make a different tone opening and closing, although there is no pattern to the layout. The bandoneón has been incorrectly termed ‘diatonic’ in contrast to the so called ‘chromatic ‘instrument, created in 1925 by Charles Peguri in Paris.
The bandoneón has two different layouts for the right keyboard (opening and closing) and two different layouts for the left keyboard, again for opening and closing. Therefore one has to learn four different patterns to play it. In addition, there are different tones on the button layout of the Argentine tuned instrument versus the German tuned version.
Given these facts, the bandoneón is regarded by tango musicians as devilishly difficult to play, with a chaotic layout devoid of logic. It is however impossible to conceive of the tango without it.
Reference: Alejandro Marcelo Drago - Hudba
Loved it
Que puedo decir de este video se que esta echo con mucho amor lo primero luego hermosa dama y hermosa interpretacion muchas gracias.
habra q tomarse el bondy a australia! muy bueno
Maggie, que gusto verle de nuevo, muchos saludos desde Cuenca en el Ecuador de su fans Francisco, muy linda interpretación FELICITACIONES
Made a coldish night near Edinburgh like Summer. Brilliant rhythmic playing. Best wishes and kind regards from Scotland
Brillante. Bien Maggie.
Hi Lucio and Francisco Thank you very much for your comments. Greetings from Sydney!🐋 Maggie
Hi Maggie! Brilliant - what a great idea Bach on the beach!! Greetings from Melbourne!
Hermoso, my bello
I hope you keep uploading. Your channel is awesome !!!
Querida especial e maravilhosa Fergie, mais música, precisamos da tua sensibilidade e magnífico preciosismo no bandoneon! Amo a Argentina 🇦🇷. Nos avises, quando fizeres um show no Brasil 🇧🇷, em Porto Alegre (onde eu moro), para ir vê-la. Beijo e muitas felicidades 🥰
Obrigada Rosa Maria !! x🦈🎶
Muhteşemsin Maggie
Stunning performance! Nice video too. Best Wishes..!
Thanks for watching and your comment!
So good!!
Ben Westgarth thanks Ben xxx🦈
Where can i find the other 98 cities of the series 100 Cities bandoneon ??
Hello Maggie, maybe Cafe 1930 next time ?