Bach, Das Orgelbüchlein (6 Advent and Christmas Chorale Preludes) J. S. Bach composed a more or less unbroken stream of music for organ and harpsichord throughout his professional life. But his time in Weimar, from 1708 to 1717, marks a particularly fruitful period for organ … Read more
By the time we send next week’s digest, St. Nicholas Day will have come and gone. Consequently, I’ll say a word about it today, and then tell you about an idea that came to me. First, we’re approaching the date (December 6th) for the commemoration … Read more
Debussy, Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maisons Claude Debussy composed Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maison in December 1915 as the second Christmas during World War I was approaching. Debussy had cancer by this time and was composing very little. He … Read more
Tartini, Devil’s Trill Sonata Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) is best known for his Sonata No. in G minor (GT 2.g05), known informally as the “Devil’s Trill” sonata. The trill in question occurs in the final movement (at 9:44-10:00 in this recording) in which Tartini demands double-stop … Read more
A shower of sounds comes from under the door of Studio 610, the space where my ten-year old granddaughter has her classes on Wednesdays. Focused on the laptop while waiting, I do occasionally rise to peek through the high, narrow window of the door, trying … Read more
Gurney, In Flanders Last week we featured a work by George Butterworth, a young English composer who was killed in action in World War I. Today, we look at Ivor Gurney (1890-1937), another English composer and contemporary of Butterworth. Gurney saw combat in World War … Read more
Okay, this is just the cutest thing. The father of a family dear to us decided to capture an activity that he, his wife, and five children undertake each year: the packing of shoeboxes for the Samaritan’s Purse project. After the family completes its weekend … Read more
Butterworth, The Lads in Their Hundreds George Butterworth (1885-1916) was one of several the English composers who in the early 20th century collected folk songs and worked them into his compositions. We have already looked at his contemporaries Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Frank Bridge, … Read more
We are embarking on the last stretch of this voyage through the Great European Rivers (Danube, Main, Rhine). As I write, sailors are pulling away the ropes that tied us to Dock 9 in downtown Cologne. Our next port? Amsterdam. By the time this essay … Read more
Cowell, The Banshee I don’t pay much attention to Halloween, but once I decided to feature this work, it seemed appropriate to save it until we could get all of our ghosts and goblins dealt with at the same time. A mythical creature “banshee” comes … Read more