Hank Reynolds
Gaultier, Prelude and Tombeau de Mazangeau Had we not all lived through 2020, we might be wondering why this man is performing from his hotel room. But if you are quarantined in a hotel, hope that it is a good one and that you have … Read more
Louis Couperin, Suite in A Minor The Couperin family formed a Parisian dynasty from the late 16th century through the mid-19th. Louis Couperin (1626-1661) was the third son of Charles (1595-1654) and the oldest to reach adulthood. His two younger brothers gained prominence as well: … Read more
Jocelyn Hagen, Hands Jocelyn Hagen (b. 1980) is an American composer born in Minnesota and raised in North Dakota. Her work tends to focus primarily on choral music although she writes in various genres and has a particular interest in multi-media works. Just as the … Read more
Mancini, Theme from The Pink Panther You don’t run across bass quintets often, perhaps for obvious reasons, but this arrangement adds an appropriate element of whimsy to the famous Mancini theme for The Pink Panther. Henry Mancini (1924-1994) is best known for his numerous film … Read more
Sarasate, Zigeunerweisen Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) was one of the premier violin virtuosos of his day. He wrote approximately 50 compositions, all for the violin. Most of these fall into the category of virtuosic showpieces. The most famous of these are his Carmen Fantasy and … Read more
Koussevitzky, Concerto for Bass Last week we featured a bass concerto by Wanhal, and I want to stick with the theme of works for double bass just a little while. As a child, the Russian-born Serge Koussevitzky (1874-1951) studied violin, cello, piano, and trumpet. But … Read more
Wanhal, Double Bass Concerto Few people these days know the music of Johann Baptist Wanhal (1739-1813). Count me among them. Born in Bohemia (the Czech Republic), he became a prominent Viennese composer at the same time as Mozart and Haydn, and you can easily hear … Read more
Ungar, Ashokan Farewell I like to choose something American when the Fourth of July rolls around, and this year I decided on a folk tune that has achieved a sort of iconic status. It’s not a true folk song because it’s newly composed and we … Read more
Cui, Cinq Petit Duos, Op. 56 The simple charm of these short works, five little duos by César Cui, has tempted me to add them to our collection of A Child’s Treasure of Music. I confess to knowing little of Cui’s music, but in that … Read more
Daniel Elder, Ballade to the Moon I ran across a couple of news articles about the composer Daniel Elder this week. Perhaps you’ve seen them. Elder is (or was) an up-and-coming choral composer living in Nashville. Listening to Elder’s work, it’s clear that he is … Read more