Corigliano: Lullaby for Natalie To understand why I am writing about this Lullaby, I have to give you a little background. My first experience hearing music by John Corigliano in concert nearly knocked me to the floor. It was his Symphony No. 3, known as Circus … Read more
Johann Sebastian Bach Born: 1685 in Eisenach Died: 1750 in Leipzig Era: Baroque What is a Toccata and Fugue? The word “toccata” comes from the Italian toccare (to touch). This type of instrumental piece was designed to highlight the performer’s technical ability—literally, how well the … Read more
Claudio Monteverdi Born: 1567 in Cremona Died: 1643 in Venice Era: Renaissance/Baroque Please refer to the Listening Form for further instruction. Claudio Monteverdi would be astonished to learn that his 1607 experimental opera Orfeo is still performed today. Called a favola in musica (fable in … Read more
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Born: 1756 in Salzburg Died: 1791 in Vienna Era: Classical Recordings Please refer to the Listening Form for further instruction. Two blasting chords announce the beginning Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni. The effect is brutal. So, too, is the dramatic silence between them. … Read more
Franz Schubert Born: 1797 in Vienna Died: 1828 in Vienna Era: Romantic Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe Born: 1796 in Löbejün, Germany Died: 1869 in Kiel Era: Romantic Please refer to the Listening Form for further instruction. The Ballad Erlkönig is a ballad penned by Johann … Read more
Igor Stravinsky Born: 1882 in Lomonosov, Russia Died: 1971 in New York City Era: Modern Please refer to the Listening Form for further instruction. The Firebird is a well-known character in many Russian fairy tales. But the task of turning it into a musical masterpiece … Read more
Mozart: Symphonie Concertante in E-flat Major, K. 364 This week, we go back into the heart of the Classical era and take up Mozart for the first time. Mozart left his mark on all virtually all of the Classical genres. But I think his Symphonie Concertante, K. 364 … Read more
Google goes Classical. Or, at least High Baroque. Think of the millions of people who have seen Google’s doodle-logo (still up today) showing a fortepiano played by a wigged fellow, with the words Google etched on the side of the instrument. Think of the slice … Read more
What’s my favorite part of being Professor Carol? It’s lovely to hear from the kids, of course. But that happens most often when there’s a discovery that thrills the student, such as a 13-year old who realized she could take her newly achieved ability to … Read more
Morley: Now Is the Month of Maying Well, it’s May. We could do something on International Worker’s Day, but drawing on older celebrations of May Day seem more appropriate. May Day is celebrated in many countries with dances and songs and Maypoles marking the beginning … Read more