Britten, Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings I have previously mentioned my years, basically middle school through college, as a horn player. During that time, I frequently heard the name of Dennis Brain as the undisputed master of the instrument. Brain (1921-1957) had died quite … Read more
There is a dues of 5¢ each meeting. You must obey the president. You must come to as many meetings as possible. You must bring a message if one of the members who lives near you can’t come, and learn why if possible. [Signed] Carol … Read more
Paderewski, Nocturne Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941) was one of the most celebrated concert pianists of his time. Born in Poland, which was then a part of the Russian Empire, he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and took a teaching position there. He launched his concert … Read more
Last week my topic revolved around lilacs. This week a different topic is flying around: Pantry Moths. Encountering these fluttering nightmares evokes no beautiful poetry or songs, nor can I find paintings that portray them in all their glory. Instead, I am mired in the … Read more
Berio, Black Is the Color Luciano Berio (1925-2003) was an Italian composer and a major figure in the avant-garde music of the 20th century. His cycle of eleven arrangements of folk songs is one of his most popular and frequently performed works. Titled simply Folk … Read more
May I share a melody and invite you to think about lilacs today? Composed by Sergei Rachmaninov around 1900, the song Siren enhances a poem by Ekaterina Beketova (1855-1892) who, in her short life, wrote poignant verses begging to be set to music. In the … Read more
Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade Scheherazade has to rank as one of Rimsky-Korsakov’s most colorful orchestral suites. Composed in 1888, it was inspired by the stories of One Thousand and One Nights. The King has a distressing habit of executing his wives after a single night, but Scheherazade … Read more
In banking, when they’re trying to teach you about counterfeit money, they don’t give you counterfeit money. They give you real money, over and over and over again. You learn the feel of it. Then you can identify counterfeit money just from the feel of … Read more
Mayer, Notturno Before moving on from the nocturne (the subject of the last two entries in this series), I want to consider an example by Emilie Mayer (1812-1883). Mayer was recognized in her lifetime as a fine composer. Robert Schumann was among those who called … Read more
Chopin, Nocturne in B Major, Op. 9 No. 3 Last week we featured a nocturne by John Field, who is credited as the inventor or originator of the genre. Field had considered other potential labels for his emotional and highly expressive style of writing, but … Read more