Hank Reynolds
Ravenscroft, Psalm 98 (Bay Psalm Book) With Thanksgiving approaching, lets take a look at the music of early American settlers. First, a disclaimer: Thomas Ravenscroft (c. 1588-1635) was British, not American. But if you plopped down in a group of Pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1640, you … Read more
Lully, Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs The Italian-born Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) became one of the most prominent composers of the French Baroque era and court composer for French King Louis XIV. Also employed at the time by Louis XIV was the playwright Molière with whom Lully … Read more
Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 2 in E Flat No. 53 means that we are starting a second year of Friday Performance Picks. We have covered a lot of ground in the past year in terms of musical eras, styles, and genres. But you don’t … Read more
J.S. Bach – Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582 There is a zombie movie playing in the next room. Or maybe it’s a television program. And no, let’s be clear, Professor Carol is not in the next room watching it. I won’t explain … Read more
Rameau: Suite from Castor et Pollux Elegant, refined, ornamented, sensitive – all terms applied to the mid-18th-century Rococo style. The 1717 painting by Jean-Antoine Watteau epitomizes the style. It depicts a fête galante on the island of Cythera, the birthplace of Venus, with happy, carefree aristocrats enjoying the … Read more
Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme In contrast to the composers known as the Might Five, discussed in the prior post, Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was far more committed to the use of Western European forms. Russia had looked West since the time of Peter the Great’s … Read more
Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain Some people like to associate the tone poem Night on Bald Mountain with Halloween. I could have featured this work in late October to coincide with that occasion, but I think that would only confuse things. Mussorgsky originally titled the work St. John’s … Read more
Piazzolla: Tango Suite, 3rd movement One of the things I like about writing this series is discovering new music and interesting performers. So much can be found on the internet. Of course, you have to wade through some rather disappointing things to find the gems, … Read more
Dvořák: Slavonic Dance, Op. 72, No. 2 If you’re familiar with Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, you probably know the orchestral version. But both sets, Op. 46 and Op. 72, were originally written for piano four hands and later orchestrated by Dvořák. Piano four hands means, as you might … Read more
Bruch: Kol Nidrei, Op. 47 In the coming week, Jews will mark the holiest day of their liturgical year: Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. In Old Testament times, it was the one day when the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, the … Read more