Hank Reynolds
Edward, Child Ballad 13 Francis James Child (1825-1896), a Harvard professor, catalogued 305 folk songs and published his collection in five volumes. Because there are many versions of folk songs that have been spread through oral transmission in many countries, the Child Ballad numbers are … Read more
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 6 I’m not a big reader of composer biographies. It always seemed to me more productive simply to dive into the music, which was the real focus of my interest. Of course, it’s useful to know something about the circumstances of the … Read more
Poulenc, Theme and Variations It has been a few years since we featured anything by Francis Poulenc. That was the short French chanson Margoton va t’a l’iau. I noted then French composer Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) developed a reputation for lighthearted and whimsical compositions, and yet … Read more
Fazil Say, Paganini Variations Pianist and composer Fazil Say was born in Ankara, Turkey in 1970. He performs much of the standard repertoire in concert appearances and his recordings include mainstays such as all of the Beethoven sonatas. His performance persona tends to be eccentric … Read more
Janequin, Le chant des oiseaux The French Renaissance composer Clément Janequin (c. 1485 – 1558) may be best known for his use of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia involves the mimicking of sounds occurring in nature—words like buzz, splash, or murmur. You probably know some longer examples with words … Read more
Holst, The Planets (Mars) The last few weeks have taken us through some rather vivid and dramatic music: Strauss, Copland, Sousa, and even The Magnificent Seven. This week continues along those lines with the rousing tone poem The Planets by Gustav Holst. Very early in this … Read more
Gounod, Petite symphonie pour vents You likely know the French composer Charles Gounod (1818-1893) from his Ave Maria in which he superimposed a lyrical melody over Bach’s Prelude in C Major from the Well-Tempered Clavier (Book I). Among his operas, Faust (1859) and Romeo et Juliet … Read more
Gabrieli, Canzona per Sonare N. 4 It was just about 200 weekly posts ago that we featured a canzona by Giovanni Gabrieli – 199 posts to be exact. Gabrieli did make a more recent appearance here last year with the more somber Beata es virgo, … Read more
Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, BWV 1049 Very early on in this series, we featured Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 filmed in Köthen’s Hall of Mirrors. It was an occasion to discuss Bach’s time in Köthen (from 1717-1723), where Bach lived and worked when he … Read more
Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man American music can be difficult to define, especially when so much of our music has its roots elsewhere. Many American composers were born in other countries and immigrated here. Many went abroad to receive their training, soaking up primarily … Read more