Hank Reynolds
J.C. Bach, Sonata for Two Keyboards Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) was born to Johann Sebastian Bach and his second wife Anna Magdalena. The elder Bach was 50 years old at the time. He had married Anna Magdalena in 1721 after the sudden death of his … Read more
Gjeilo, Unicornis Captivatur Unicornis Captivatur comes from the Engelberg Codex, a manuscript at the Benedictine Abbey of Engelberg in Switzerland. The manuscript dates from about 1400 and contains early German sacred music collected over a period of years. The Latin text is an adaptation of … Read more
Josef Rheinberger, Kyrie from Mass in E-Flat Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) is known primarily for his 20 organ sonatas. His writings extend well beyond organ works, however, and include two symphonies, concertos, chamber music, two operas plus other dramatic works, masses, cantatas, motets, and Lieder. Most … Read more
Down in the River to Pray The origin of this well-known song is not clear. It has been described as a Spiritual, a Gospel hymn, and an Appalachian folk song. Musically it seems to have elements of all of those genres. Perhaps its popularity comes … Read more
François Couperin, Leçons de tenèbres François Couperin (1668-1733) is known as “le Grand” to distinguish him from several other members of his family that were important musicians of the time. We featured his uncle Louis Couperin in this series last summer. The Couperin family was … Read more
Górecki, Totus Tuus Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933-2010) was not among the composers I studied during my years of higher education. We spent quite a lot of time with his fellow Pole and contemporary Krysztof Penderecki, but Górecki‘s works had, for the most part, not yet … Read more
The Rocky Road to Dublin For St. Patrick’s Day this year, we have The Rocky Road to Dublin. The text was written by D. K. Gavan for the popular singer Harry Clifton (1832-1872), and it’s now considered a standard Irish folk song. The music is … Read more
Ingegneri, Tenebrae factae sunt We have now entered the season of Lent, a perfect time to feature sacred works of a more introspective nature. The text of this responsory by Marc’Antoine Ingegneri (c. 1535 or 1536-1592) takes us deeper into Lent, in fact all the … Read more
Chopin, Barcarolle Barcarolles or boat songs were folk songs traditionally sung by Venetian gondoliers. They became particularly popular in the early 19th century and influenced the character of opera arias. Some composers even turned them into purely instrumental character pieces for the piano or other … Read more
Debussy, La mer The sea is beckoning, and I’m going to finish out this pre-Lenten season with more maritime music. Impressionism lent itself well to depicting various aspects of nature, perhaps none better than the sea. And the prime representative of Impressionism in music is … Read more