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Classics
From
Morris
to
Mozart
Sixteen
popular
classical
melodies
for
the
D/G
diatonic
accordion
arranged
by
Tony
Croft
Published
by
Tony
Croft
2015
www.syzygy-music.co.uk
ISBN
9781517568245
Review
As
both
a
classically
trained
orchestral
clarinettist
and
a
melodeon
playing
traditional
musician,
I
was
intrigued
by
the
description
of
Tony
Crofts
Melodeon
Classics
and
looked
forward
to
receiving
my
copy.
This
is
a
really
splendid
tunebook.
They
say
good
things
often
come
in
small
packages
and
although
modestly
slim,
this
volume
is
just
that,
containing
16
well-chosen
and
clearly
presented
pieces
from
the
classical
music
repertoire.
There
is
something
for
everyone
here,
from
relative
beginners
right
up
to
advanced
players
alike.
It
is
clear
that
Tony
Croft
has
thought
very
deeply
about
his
arrangements.
In
the
Introduction
to
the
book
he
writes:
To
my
delight,
I
have
found
that
a
melodeon
is
far
more
versatile
an
instrument
than
is
commonly
recognised.
In
particular,
if
one
is
willing
to
allow
compromise
for
the
limitations
of
the
diatonic
instrument,
then
some
of
the
much-loved
classical
repertoire
can
be
adapted
for
performance
on
it.
Indeed!
Tony
has
managed
these
compromises
superbly
and
all
the
pieces
in
this
book
work
very
well
indeed.
The
arrangements
all
assume
a
standard
2-row
D/G
melodeon
and
work
equally
well
on
a
humble
Hohner
Pokerwork
and
a
more
sophisticated
posh
box.
Many
of
the
players
who
pick
up
this
book
will
doubtless
be
coming
from
a
traditional
music
background,
used
to
playing
dance
music,
perhaps
for
morris
or
ceilidhs,
perhaps
tunes
in
pub
sessions
or
similar.
If
they
are
at
all
apprehensive
about
the
possibly
unfamiliar
content
of
the
book,
they
can
be
immediately
reassured
by
the
very
first
piece
the
well-known
morris
tune
Shepherds
Hey
which
provides
a
link
to
the
classical
repertoire
by
virtue
of
its
association
with
composer
and
arranger
Percy
Grainger.
Tonys
arrangement
of
this
tune
introduces
his
very
clear
tablature
scheme,
showing
exactly
which
buttons
to
press
and
which
bellows
direction
is
needed.
Beginners
are
further
reassured
by
the
concluding
remarks
of
the
Introduction:
For
those
really
new
to
the
melodeon
the
easier
arrangements
are
numbers
1,
2,
5
and
15.
Working
through
these
first
will
enable
you
to
gain
familiarity
with
some
of
the
notation
used
throughout
the
rest
of
the
book.
The
introductory
pages
also
include
a
brief
explanation
of
basic
music
theory
and
notation,
plus
useful
diagrams
of
the
melodeon
keyboard
layout.
Working
through
Tonys
arrangements,
it
is
often
necessary
to
move
beyond
the
traditional
melodeon
left
hand
style
of
oom-pah
bass
and
chord
accompaniments
to
something
altogether
more
subtle
and
effective,
frequently
making
good
use
of
sustained
chords
or
combinations
of
chords
and
bass
notes,
or
even,
in
places,
no
left
hand
at
all.
This
is
a
really
good
learning
process
and
the
player
is
challenged
to
think
musically
about
what
the
left
hand
is
doing.
Similarly,
some
of
the
pieces
encourage
the
development
of
air
management
technique
with
careful
control
of
the
bellows
and
air
button
needed.
The
pieces
themselves
are
well
chosen
and
full
of
interest,
consisting
of
arrangements
of
extracts
from
instrumental
and
orchestral
works,
operatic
excerpts,
etc.,
by
a
variety
of
composers
including
Bach,
Vivaldi,
Brahms,
Dvok,
Mozart
and
Holst.
Some
of
the
pieces
are
well
known,
for
example
the
Bach
Minuet
(No.
7),
others
perhaps
less
so,
e.g.
Intermezzo
from
Cavalleria
Rusticana
(No.
12),
probably
the
most
challenging
in
the
entire
book.
But
I
have
found
them
all
enjoyable
to
work
at,
and
many
could
be
favourably
performed
to
an
audience.
The
book
is
attractively
produced,
with
clear
and
well-sized
typesetting
of
the
music
and
tablature.
Where
needed,
Tony
has
provided
succinct
but
useful
supplementary
notes
after
each
piece,
for
example,
hints
for
alternative
fingerings/buttons,
use
of
air
button,
etc.
The
title
page
includes
a
reference
to
online
YouTube
videos
of
Tony
performing
all
the
pieces
in
the
book.
These
are
excellent,
and
provide
additional
clarity
and
guidance
for
anyone
unsure
about
interpteting
the
written
music
notation.
I
have
just
a
very
few
criticisms.
Firstly,
there
are
no
tempo
markings
at
all,
which
one
would
normally
expect
to
find
at
the
start
of
each
piece.
Unless
the
player
knows
the
piece
beforehand
(or
has
access
to
the
YouTube
videos),
there
is
no
clue
about
the
speed
at
which
the
music
is
to
be
played.
Even
broad
hints
such
as
slowly,
steady
waltz
tempo
etc.,
would
have
been
helpful.
Secondly,
a
grating
typographical
error
has
managed
to
evade
proof-reading:
No.
11,
Thaxted
is,
of
course,
adapted
from
Holsts
Planets
Suite
(the
plural
s
is
missing
from
the
title).
Lastly,
and
more
subtly,
in
No.
3,
the
famous
cor
anglais
solo
from
Dvoks
New
World
Symphony,
the
first
two
beats
of
bars
7
and
18
are
given
as
a
dotted
crotchet/quaver
rhythm,
which
is
not
what
Dvok
wrote
here
they
should
be
straight
crotchets,
thus
preventing
the
swaying,
dotted
rhythm
becoming
too
repetitive
and
cloying.
But
these
are
all
relatively
minor
points
and
do
not
detract
unduly
from
the
books
overall
usefulness,
value
and
enjoyment.
In
summary,
Tony
Croft
is
to
be
congratulated
on
producing
Melodeon
Classics.
It
is
a
little
gem
of
a
book
which
will
keep
melodeon
players,
whether
beginners,
intermediate
or
advanced,
fully
engrossed
and
will
provide
much
enjoyment
and
enhancement
of
their
melodeon
technique
and
musical
understanding.
Highly
recommended!
Steve
Dumpleton
December
2015