Perpetual Motion (album)
Encyclopedia
Perpetual Motion is an album of classical music released in 2001. The album is unique in that none of the pieces featured on it are played on the instruments for which they were written. Arrangers Béla Fleck
and Edgar Meyer
won a Grammy in 2002 for their arrangement of Claude Debussy's "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum". The album also won a Grammy as Best Classical Crossover Album.
Fleck assembled a group of musicians well-known on their own instruments: violinist Joshua Bell
, cellist Gary Hoffman
, percussionist Evelyn Glennie
, double-bassist Edgar Meyer, mandolin player Chris Thile
, and guitarists John Williams
and Bryan Sutton
.
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
and Edgar Meyer
Edgar Meyer
Edgar Meyer is a prominent contemporary bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. Meyer has worked as a session musician in Nashville, part of various chamber groups, a composer, and an arranger...
won a Grammy in 2002 for their arrangement of Claude Debussy's "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum". The album also won a Grammy as Best Classical Crossover Album.
Fleck assembled a group of musicians well-known on their own instruments: violinist Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell
Joshua David Bell is an American Grammy Award-winning violinist.-Childhood:Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, the son of a psychologist and a therapist. Bell's father is the late Alan P...
, cellist Gary Hoffman
Gary Hoffman
Gary Hoffman is a former tackle in the National Football League.-Biography:Hoffman was born Gary Edward Hoffman on September 28, 1961 in Sacramento, California.-Career:...
, percussionist Evelyn Glennie
Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, DBE is a Scottish virtuoso percussionist. She was the first full-time solo percussionist in 20th-century western society.-Early life:Glennie was born and raised in Aberdeenshire...
, double-bassist Edgar Meyer, mandolin player Chris Thile
Chris Thile
Christopher Scott Thile is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers whose most recent album is Antifogmatic...
, and guitarists John Williams
John Williams (guitarist)
John Christopher Williams is an Australian classical guitarist, and a long-term resident of the United Kingdom. In 1973, he shared a Grammy Award win in the 'Best Chamber Music Performance' category with Julian Bream for Julian and John .-Biography:John Williams was born on 24 April 1941 in...
and Bryan Sutton
Bryan Sutton
Bryan Sutton is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicked acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays many other instruments including mandolin, banjo, and electric guitar....
.
Track listing
All songs arranged by Edgar Meyer and Béla Fleck with additional arranger specified:- "Keyboard Sonata In C Major" (K 159, L 104) (Domenico ScarlattiDomenico ScarlattiGiuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
) – 2:19 - "Two Part Invention No. 13 In A Minor" (BWV 784) (Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
) – 1:45 - "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" from Children's Corner SuiteChildren's CornerChildren's Corner is a six-movement suite for solo piano by Claude Debussy. It was published by Durand in 1908, and was given its world première in Paris by Harold Bauer on December 18 of that year...
(L 113) (Claude DebussyClaude DebussyClaude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
) – 2:25 - Mazurka In F Sharp Minor, Op. 59 No. 3Mazurkas, Op. 59 (Chopin)Mazurkas, Op. 59 are a set of three Mazurkas for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin. The set was composed and published in 1845.-Mazurka in A minor, Op. 59, No. 1:...
(Frédéric ChopinFrédéric ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
) – 3:43 - "Prelude" from Partitia No. 3 for Solo ViolinPartita for Violin No. 3 (Bach)The Partita No. 3 in E major BWV 1006 by Johann Sebastian Bach for solo violin consists of the following movements:# Preludio# Loure# Gavotte en Rondeau# Menuets # Bourrée# GigaIt takes approximately 20 minutes to perform....
(BWV 1006) (Bach) – 3:47 - Etude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 10 No. 4Étude Op. 10, No. 4 (Chopin)Étude Op. 10, No. 4, in C-sharp minor, is a study for solo piano composed by Frédéric Chopin in 1830. It was first published in 1833 in France, Germany, and England as the fourth piece of his Études Op. 10...
(Chopin) – 2:13 - Mazurka In F Sharp Minor, Op. 6 No. 1 (Chopin) – 2:24
- Three-Part Invention (Sinfonia) No. 10 (BWV 796) (Bach) – 1:01
- Melody In E-flat (Peter TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
) – 3:15 - "Presto No. 1 In G Minor After Bach" from Five Studies for Piano (Johannes BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
) – 1:49 - "Prelude" from Suite for Unaccompanied CelloCello Suites (Bach)The Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello by Johann Sebastian Bach are some of the most performed and recognizable solo compositions ever written for cello...
No. 1 (BWV 1007) (Bach) – 2:17 - Three-Part Invention (Sinfonia) No. 15 (BWV 801) (Bach) – 1:14
- Moto Perpetuo Op. 11 No. 2 (Nicolò PaganiniNiccolò PaganiniNiccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
) – 3:40 - Keyboard Sonata In D Minor (K 213, L 108) (Scarlatti) – 4:51
- Two Part Invention No. 6 (BWV 777) (Bach) – 2:29
- "Adagio Sostenuto" from Piano Sonata No. 14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight"Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata , was completed in 1801...
(Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
) – 5:07 - Two Part Invention No. 11 (BWV 782) (Bach) – 0:55
- Seven Variations In C On "God Save The KingGod Save the Queen"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
" (Beethoven) – 9:06 - Three-Part Invention (Sinfonia) No. 7 (BWV 793) (Bach) – 2:01
- Moto Perpetuo Op. 11 No. 2 (Bluegrass Version) (Paganini - arr:James Bryan Sutton) – 2:38
Personnel
- Béla Fleck - GibsonGibson Guitar CorporationThe Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
1937 style 75 banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, Gold Star banjo with thick gutCatgutCatgut is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fibre found in the walls of animal intestines. Usually sheep or goat intestines are used, but it is occasionally made from the intestines of cattle, hogs, horses, mules, or donkeys.-Etymology:...
(1-20) strings (2) - Joshua Bell - Tom Taylor StradivariusStradivariusThe name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
of 1732 (3,7,12,19) - Gary Hoffman - 1662 Nicolò Amati celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
made in Cremona, ItalyCremonaCremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
(3,6,16) - Evelyn Glennie - Malletech marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
(2,10,12,17) - Edgar Meyer - Customized 1769 Gabrielli double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
(8,15,16,19), pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(9,13) - Chris Thile - 2000 Lynn Dudenbostel F5 mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
(1,8,14,) - James Bryan Sutton - 1996 Bourgeois D150 steel string guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(20) - John Williams - 2000 Greg Smallman and Sons guitar (4,18)
Awards
Grammy Awards of 2002Grammy Awards of 2002
The 44th Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002. The biggest was Alicia Keys, winning 5 Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'". U2 won 4 awards including Record of the Year and Best Rock Album.-Award winners:...
- Winner- Best Instrumental Arrangement - Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer (arrangers) for Debussy: Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum performed by Béla Fleck with Joshua Bell and Gary Hoffman
- Winner- Best Classical Crossover Album