Advent is a season of preparation – a penitential season when we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Savior. Christmas seems to begin earlier every year, at least if we take our cues from store decorations and ads in the media. How often are … Read more
Manuel de Falla: La Vida Breve (Danza Española No. 1) We frequently hear about starving composers, but here’s a composer with his own currency. Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) often ranks as Spain’s most important 20th-Century composer. His one-act opera La Vida Breva features a lot of … Read more
Yesterday I was reading the August 2014 issue of Opera News—one whose theme was the cross-over between opera and Broadway musicals. An article entitled “Ears are Ringing” by Laurence Maslon caught my eye. I turned to it, wondering if it would confirm my despair about … Read more
J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047 Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos are among his most popular works. The dedication page to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt from 1721 when Bach was Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold in Köthen. The premier performance would … Read more
It’s hard for me to clean out drawers, especially in the kitchen. Everything there once had a raison d’être, whether a Walmart receipt or an unidentified key. Yet most of it should be thrown away. Except . . . when it shouldn’t. Today, sifting through … Read more
Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52 Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) wrote almost exclusively for the piano and is best known for short character pieces such as noctures, études, and mazurkas. It is somewhat remarkable that this idiosyncratic output earned Chopin a solid position among … Read more
Are you wondering what a “heightened neume” is? Maybe you are taking our course in Early Sacred Music and thinking, “Wow, something new about heighted neumes!” Either way, there’s something new to report. First, let’s say what a “heighted neume” is. Heighted neumes were a … Read more
I hadn’t seen any classic space films for decades. So, upon receiving the invitation to speak at the October 2014 NASA Homeschool Day at Space Center Houston, I decided to revisit them. Re-watching 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was the most fascinating, followed by Close … Read more
Michael Burritt: Fandango 13 If percussion doesn’t fit into your paradigm of classical music, you might need a bigger paradigm. After all, banging on things that resonate is probably one of the oldest forms of music-making (along with singing). Percussion is important in virtually all … Read more
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 49, III – Scherzo I said last week that there is no right place to start when getting to know Classical music, or – more accurately – no wrong place to start. Perhaps you listened to the Haydn Trumpet Concerto that began this … Read more