Re: GG plays Byrd & Gibbons

[Tim Conway <tpconway@ozemail.com.au>]

Hello All,

Another longie, I regret. I hope it is of interest, particularly to our 
Japanese friends.

Like the many others writing on this thread I have a great affection for 
the Byrde/Gibbons CD, although it's not my favourite (I think that would 
have to be the LvB Sonatas 12 and 13 CD...but not always. Anyway, the 
Altman/ItGrd is the best thing on the CD, pace those who go for 
Salisbury). BTW,         should it be Byrde or Byrd?

Unlike others' comments, my comments and questions are pedestrian.

1. The Byrde/Gibbons CD I have is the CBS/Sony version, produced in 
Japan. The liner notes (is that what one still calls the booklet that 
comes with CDs?) are all in Japanese except for the front and back 
covers. However, every so often there appears some English in the midst 
of the Japanese characters, usually only a short phrase or word, and 
usually enclosed by parentheses. They are:

My Ladye Nevells Booke
point
poignancy
jocular
pawn-takes-pawn
triadic compatibility
polarity-reversal
DEW
predictable
birds of a feather
for my Ladye Nevelle
outlet

I am fascinated to know why these alien words should appear in this 
Japanese text, except of course for obvious examples such as 'My Ladye 
Nevells Booke'. 'DEW', however, is later expanded in a footnote to 
'Distant Early Warning', which I remember as being a radar-like 
contrivance of the 1950s Cold War: what on earth can this have to do with 
GG, Byrde or Gibbons? Similarly 'pawn-takes-pawn'. 

Do these English phrases appear because they are in an English text that 
is being translated and there is no Japanese equivalent? Or is it that 
the writer has invented a Japanese neologism and feels constrained to add 
the English source-word to show that he knows what he is doing, in the 
way English writers sometimes quote their English translation of a Latin 
phrase then quote the original Latin phrase as well? Perhaps members 
owning the English CD can see if those phrases appear in the English 
liner notes.

I cannot make out who wrote the liner notes, which are in two sections. 
Assuming GG was the author of one, who did the translation? How true to 
the original is it? Perhaps the notes are Japanese originals and not 
translations. I hope our Japanese f-miners can throw some light.

BTW, I have a number of Japanese GG CD liner notes, none of which I can 
understand -- if any Japanese member has an English GG CD liner note or 
two he or she wishes to swap and it is one that I have in Japanese, 
perhaps they could let me know. Arigato. If a largish number of Japanese 
members show interest, I can put a list of my Japanese GG CDs on f-minor 
(MJW permitting).

2. The outside of the front cover of the liner notes is a photograph of 
an apparently ancient, creased parchment glued to wood. It is in English, 
as is the outside of the back cover, and I assume both are the same as 
those appearing on the English CD. Everything else is in Japanese.

The English parchment announces the contents of the CD. It seems to show 
9 pieces or tracks grouped in 2 'Partes': 4 tracks in Parte the Firste, 5 
in Parte the Seconde. The inside of the front cover, however, lists only 
8 tracks. I am pretty sure from an inspection of the Japanese characters 
listing the 8 tracks that Sony have combined the Salisbury pavian and 
galliard into one track. Is this what happens on English-only versions? 
If so, why have the producers reduced GG's group of 9 to a group of 8? If 
not, why does the grouping appear this way only in the Japanese version?

3. No doubt the liner notes explain why GG divided the 9 pieces into two 
'Partes', but as I can't read them I am in the dark. I should be most 
grateful if someone would give a brief explanation.


Regards to all,


Tim Conway
<tpconway@ozemail.com.au>