IMSLP Forums

Anyone can tell me the name and author of this piece?
Also I would be interested in any good recording of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JIr9__L ... re=related


Thanks a lot!

One of the Italian comments to the video says it is a Toccata by Pietro Domenico PARADISI.

Quick Amazon search comes up with this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YO ... mu_dp_trk1

It's taken at a faster tempo and there's no sign of an orchestral accompaniment, but it's the same piece. The piece itself is a keyboard Toccata originally in A major and it has been arranged for harp and orchestra in the video soundtrack. As a keyboard toccata it should be taken at a fast tempo, probably as fast as possible. The performance in the video is simply meandering, much like the sheep! Thankfully it is not as somnolent as this performance accompanied by wave sounds (which I find hilarious):

http://www.amazon.com/Paradisi-Toccata- ... 004&sr=8-9

The same performance, sans water effects, is on a discs of music for dogs!
http://www.amazon.com/Paradisi-Toccata/ ... 04&sr=8-16

You'll find dozens of MP3 downloads of this piece here (though most are exactly the same file being sold under different album titles). Perhaps the version in the video is among these:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_scat_ ... 99eeee9a40

Paradisi goes by the name of Paradies here at IMSLP, which I believe to be unhelpful since the rest of the online world and record companies and music publishers refer to him as Paradisi. A score to the keyboard version can be found here:

http://imslp.org/wiki/Harpsichord_Sonat ... _Domenico)

Hope this helps.

--Sixtus

PS: The Wikipedia entry for Paradisi gives links to this Toccata performed in various temperaments. Fascinating, even though the Toccata, especially performed at the fast tempi taken, is completely unsuited for such a demonstration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Domenico_Paradisi

sbeckmesser wrote:Paradisi goes by the name of Paradies here at IMSLP, which I believe to be unhelpful since the rest of the online world and record companies and music publishers refer to him as Paradisi.

Paradies is the name unanimously used by the libraries represented at VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/44486069/ This is presumably because he moved to London in 1746, changing his name and using Paradies professionally (I would guess). Since IMSLP is itself a library it always uses the scholarly sources rather than making its own judgment as to what may be a more popular form of the name. You can still search for 'Paradisi'; that will bring his page up.

Perhaps a redirect page in the wiki for the name Paradisi would be in order. Even if it's not "correct", the use seems prevalent enough that it might be helpful for those searching for Paradisi.

haydenmuhl wrote: the use seems prevalent enough

On Amazon, an MP3 search for "Paradies Toccata" turns up 4 items, "Paradisi Toccata" generates a list of 36! However, the proportion of listenable performances (not dismally slow, or mixed in with wave action) is higher under Paradies. And the number of distinctly different performances under Paradisi is far lower than 36, since most seem to be the same harp (MIDI-harp?) recording, both with and without white noise or background raindrops. On iTunes the Paradies/Paradisi ratio is 8/58, though again there are only around 7 distinctly different performances for Paradisi. I like the iTunes techno/disco version by "Preludio Italiano." At least it isn't slow -- sorta Wendy Carlos visits a dance club.

The best "real" performance, at full speed and on a harpsichord, is this one, listed under Paradies at both Amazon and iTunes:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00580 ... 276&sr=1-1

In any case Paradies/si should have a redirect page, considering how popular this piece seems to be. And, just as he should have fewer versions "for relaxation" at Amazon -- the piece seems to be a harp-player's Pachelbel Canon -- he should also have fewer pianistically edited editions at IMSLP.

--Sixtus

haydenmuhl wrote:Perhaps a redirect page in the wiki for the name Paradisi would be in order. Even if it's not "correct", the use seems prevalent enough that it might be helpful for those searching for Paradisi.

I'm not sure how this would be of any greater utility than what we have now. 'Paradisi' still comes up under a search, since that spelling is listed in the 'Alternate Names' section in the category. If it were just a redirect page, you would still have to search for the name, so it would be the same result. Or do you mean that it would still appear in Category:Composers and so forth?

Thank you very much indeed for your help!
I thought that this piece was originally written for harp...