Hank Reynolds
I recently shared ideas on the subject of musical literacy in response to some questions posed by one of our readers. One question was “Why is repeated listening the key to musical literacy?” Repetition is key to so many things. We can’t begin to define … Read more
I was gratified to receive some nice comments, both public and private, after my post announcing that I was discontinuing the Friday Performance Picks. Let me first clarify that I will continue writing and producing other materials for Professor Carol. (She did not fire me … Read more
After more than 10 years of writing the weekly Friday Performance Picks on this site, I have decided that 505 of them is probably enough, at least for a while. I need to focus my attention on some other projects. For anyone who might feel … Read more
Clemens non Papa, Videte miraculum Videte miraculum is a Magnificat antiphon for the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast is generally known as Candlemas and is celebrated in many denominations on February 2. Professor Carol has written about celebrating Candlemas … Read more
Clarke, Passacaglia on an Old English Tune for Viola Rebecca Clarke got a one-line entry in the 1980 edition of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians informing us that she was an English violist married to the composer John Friskin. Interest in women composers exploded … Read more
Hotteterre, Premiere Suite Jacques-Martin Hotteterre [“Le Romain”] (1674-1763) belonged to an imminent French family of woodwind instrument makers. Five generations of instrument makers began with Loys de Haulteterre, a wood turner who died c. 1620-25. His great grandson, Jacque-Martin, became the most famous member of … Read more
Chopin, 24 Preludes It seems appropriate to being the new year with a prelude. But a prelude to what? A musical prelude generally designates an instrumental movement that precedes the other movements of a large-scale work. You might find one at the beginning of Baroque … Read more
O Come, O Come Emmanuel Having featured choral settings of the O Antiphons during Advent this year, it seems time to return to an instrumental genre, and we can do that while maintaining our focus on the O Antiphons. O Emmanuel is the last of … Read more
MacMillan, O Radiant Dawn Sir James Loy MacMillan was born in Scotland in 1959. His setting of O Oriens has much in common with the other O Antiphons featured here for Advent, except that he has set an English text and has elaborated a bit … Read more
Čopi, O radix Jesse Ambrož Čopi was born in Koper, Slovenia in 1973. He studied composition and conducting in Ljubljana. His choral music has gained widespread recognition in Europe, but he is perhaps best known as an educator and mentor of young musicians. He has written … Read more