My phone has thousands of pictures on it. By way of justification, a goodly percentage of the shots were taken in museums. These I made to help me recall images of art works and capture their explanatory labels. Before cell phones changed our lives, I … Read more
Kosma, Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles mortes) Fall has arrived for most of the country, including here in North Carolina and almost surely in Paris, so we might as well celebrate with one of the most popular songs in the repertoire. Autumn Leaves was composed by … Read more
I try to imagine growing up in Vienna. In fact, I’m penning these words perched on a bench in Marie Theresien Platz, a glorious square that unites Vienna’s huge Natural History Museum with its equally large Old-Masters’ Art Museum. Both of these buildings stand directly … Read more
Franck, Panis Angelicus I had something else scheduled as today’s Friday Performance Pick, but it can wait. I want to note instead the passing of soprano Patricia Janečková. She died of breast cancer on October 1 at the age of 25. Janečková seems to have … Read more
Professor Carol is traveling to Budapest today. While she is preoccupied with conducting tours and webinars and writing about Mahler, I thought I might take this opportunity to say a few words about our Friday Performance Picks. I began this series in October of 2014 … Read more
Persichetti, Divertimento for Band I grew up in band country—Texas. There was only one year in one school where we had an orchestra. And let’s face it, the orchestra was not very good, whereas the band had many competent instrumentalists. Band repertoire didn’t always offer … Read more
I am the homework-enforcer in our family, partly by default, but largely because homework is a topic I get worked up about. Don’t get me wrong: I am not an advocate of homework, especially for younger children who are exhausted by a full school day. … Read more
Anchieta, Bone Jesu The composer Juan de Anchieta (c. 1462-1523) served in the court of Ferdinand and Isabella in one of the most dynamic periods of Spanish history. In 1469, Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516) married Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504), uniting Catholic Spain after … Read more
My desktop is a mess. “Desktop” once meant the top of one’s writing table. Surprisingly, that surface in my office isn’t messy. My laptop’s desktop is the problem. (It’s hard to say those two words together.) Whenever I am at a conference or setting up … Read more
Beach, Romance This week we feature a short character piece by the American pianist and composer Amy Beach (1867-1944). But unlike other women composers before her, notably Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn, Beach established her reputation as a composer with large-scale works: primarily her Mass … Read more