Hank Reynolds
Penderecki, Agnus Dei The Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki (pen-de-RETsk-i) died last year. Born in 1933, he spent much of his life behind the Iron Curtain and much of his output was in the form a sacred music. Penderecki’s music was all the rage when I … Read more
Paulus, Pilgrim’s Hymn The American composer Stephen Paulus (1949-2014) is perhaps best known for his choral works. We featured one such example, the exceptionally lovely chorus The Road Home in this series four years ago. The Pilgrim’s Hymn comes from Paulus’ one-act opera The Three … Read more
The Foggy Dew I have a fair amount of Irish ancestry (the Belfast variety). My mother, a first-generation American, taught me a few things about St. Patrick’s Day, but as Protestants, we didn’t make a big deal out of any saint’s day. Still, St. Patrick’s … Read more
Monteverdi, Confitebor tibi Domine Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) had considerable success as both a Renaissance and Baroque composer. Those labels would come into use only later to describe his transition from one stylistic approach to another, but it was clear at the time that a new … Read more
Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms I count this among the works that I once knew well and then let languish. It seems to be a long list, which I guess is to be expected after spending years listening voraciously as a student, and then turning to … Read more
Taverner, Mater Christi sanctissima To mark the beginning of Lent, let us consider this antiphon by the English Renaissance composer John Taverner (c. 1490-1545). Not much is known about Taverner’s life. His entry in Grove does more to debunk earlier biographical accounts than to add … Read more
Spencer Williams, Basin Street Blues Mardi gras is upon us. Always the last day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, this year it falls on February 16. I will not be in New Orleans to celebrate this exercise in hedonism, some of which is harmless … Read more
Bizet, The Flower Song (from Carmen) The music of Georges Bizet’s Carmen (1875) has gained a popularity that few operas can match. People with little exposure to opera are likely to recognize the Toreador Song and the Habanera. There are many other great moments in … Read more
Porter, I Love Paris Our 7-year-old granddaughter, Patti, loves Paris. The walls of her room are covered with images of the city. I’m not sure what prompted this. She has visited Germany twice but never set foot in France. Visiting Paris is her dream and … Read more
Mozart, Serenade No. 10 “Gran Partita,” K. 361 A few months back we featured Gounod’s Little Symphony for Winds and mentioned the Harmonien. We quoted Horace Fitzpatrick: From about 1756 onward the Emperor [in Vienna] and the Austrian nobles kept house bands called Harmonien, usually … Read more