Hank Reynolds
Britten, Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings I have previously mentioned my years, basically middle school through college, as a horn player. During that time, I frequently heard the name of Dennis Brain as the undisputed master of the instrument. Brain (1921-1957) had died quite … Read more
Paderewski, Nocturne Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941) was one of the most celebrated concert pianists of his time. Born in Poland, which was then a part of the Russian Empire, he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and took a teaching position there. He launched his concert … Read more
Berio, Black Is the Color Luciano Berio (1925-2003) was an Italian composer and a major figure in the avant-garde music of the 20th century. His cycle of eleven arrangements of folk songs is one of his most popular and frequently performed works. Titled simply Folk … Read more
Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade Scheherazade has to rank as one of Rimsky-Korsakov’s most colorful orchestral suites. Composed in 1888, it was inspired by the stories of One Thousand and One Nights. The King has a distressing habit of executing his wives after a single night, but Scheherazade … Read more
Mayer, Notturno Before moving on from the nocturne (the subject of the last two entries in this series), I want to consider an example by Emilie Mayer (1812-1883). Mayer was recognized in her lifetime as a fine composer. Robert Schumann was among those who called … Read more
Chopin, Nocturne in B Major, Op. 9 No. 3 Last week we featured a nocturne by John Field, who is credited as the inventor or originator of the genre. Field had considered other potential labels for his emotional and highly expressive style of writing, but … Read more
Field, Nocturne No. 5 in B-flat Major The nocturne is a type of character piece developed primarily by Irish composer John Field (1782-1837). Field’s works had a significant influence on Chopin, the composer perhaps most closely associated with the nocturne. The name denotes night, and … Read more
Valle, So Nice The Brazilian composer Marcos Valle (b. 1943) wrote Samba de Verão (“Summer Samba”) in 1964. It became an immediate hit in Brazil and quickly made its way to the United States as part of the Bossa Nova craze. The original lyrics in … Read more
Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 21, Op. 53 “Waldstein” Professor Carol will be presenting a webinar in our “Milestones” series on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”). If you’re reading this after that webinar has occurred, all of our webinar recordings are indexed here. Composed in 1804, … Read more
Takemitsu, Requiem The Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996) became Japan’s leading composer of the 20th century writing with a predominantly Western musical vocabulary. He was conscripted into the Japanese army toward the end of World War II when he was a mere adolescent. At the … Read more