Hank Reynolds
Schuman, New England Triptych (Chester) When it comes to American patriotic tunes, Chester sits pretty much at the top of the list. Col. Jim Keane, director of the U.S. Army Field Band and a contributor to some of our courses, remarked in one of Carol’s … Read more
Dittersdorf, Double Bass Concerto in E-Flat Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799) has one of the more colorful names among composers. Born Carl Ditters, he was ennobled by Maria Theresa in 1773 as a prerequisite for assuming a new post, and that gave him the additional … Read more
Berg, Lyric Suite In my years as an undergraduate majoring in music composition, we spent considerable time analyzing music of what’s called the “Second Viennese School” or the “New Viennese School”—essentially Arnold Schoenberg and his students Anton Webern (1883-1945) and Alban Berg (1885-1935). (The “First … Read more
Carissimi, Plorate, Filii Israel (from Jephte) The oratorio was developed in Italy during the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church’s response to Lutheran reforms. The priest Philip Neri (1515-1595) began holding prayer services during the penitential season of Lent in the Oratory (prayer hall). Music was important … Read more
Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy Percy Grainger (1882-1961) is another composer, with others like Bartók and Kodály, who collected folk songs and incorporated them into his compositions. The new technology of the gramophone made field recordings possible, while that same leap in technology threatened the cultural forces … Read more
Carlos Simon, Amen! Professor Carol has had a close association with the Dallas Winds for many years, giving their pre-concert lectures and doing other promotional work. Now that we are in Winston-Salem, she agreed to serve on the board of the Piedmont Wind Symphony. There … Read more
Footprints in the Snow Quite a few years ago, my older sister developed a liking for Flatt & Scruggs. She wasn’t hanging out in Bluegrass circles, but picked up the fad from her boyfriend’s Georgia Tech fraternity. I suspect the budding engineers at the fraternity … Read more
Chausson, Le temps des lilas Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) entered the Paris Conservatory in 1879 to study with Jules Massenet. Already 24 years old at the time, this somewhat late move came after he had obtained a law degree and was sworn in as a barrister. … Read more
Schütz, Alleluia: Lobet den Herren Psalm 150 catalogues the many instruments to be used in praising God: trumpets, lutes, harps, strings, pipes, drums, and cymbals. I suspect there was no intent to exclude others that didn’t make the list. The Psalm is an open invitation … Read more
Morricone, Cinema Paradiso Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) was primarily a film composer with one of the most impressive lists of works. Not all of his more than 400 films were masterpieces, and many are foreign films that didn’t get much attention with English-speaking audiences. Among the … Read more