It was time to stretch . . . and so we did. We have created a Second Edition of Discovering Music. For our wonderful customers who have used our signature course since its birth in 2009, worry not! The outline of 17 units covering the … Read more
The Rocky Road to Dublin For St. Patrick’s Day this year, we have The Rocky Road to Dublin. The text was written by D. K. Gavan for the popular singer Harry Clifton (1832-1872), and it’s now considered a standard Irish folk song. The music is … Read more
We should live on earth like a wheel turns: it touches the earth only at one little point, while all the rest of it ceaselessly rushes upward; but we, how we lie down on the earth and cannot get up! — Ambrose of Optina It is … Read more
Ingegneri, Tenebrae factae sunt We have now entered the season of Lent, a perfect time to feature sacred works of a more introspective nature. The text of this responsory by Marc’Antoine Ingegneri (c. 1535 or 1536-1592) takes us deeper into Lent, in fact all the … Read more
It’s March, and Conference Season is beginning again. Whereas 2021 saw a return to educational conferences, the 2022 season promises a real flourishing of events as people return to enjoy the pleasure of one another’s company and the joy of carving out time to attend … Read more
Chopin, Barcarolle Barcarolles or boat songs were folk songs traditionally sung by Venetian gondoliers. They became particularly popular in the early 19th century and influenced the character of opera arias. Some composers even turned them into purely instrumental character pieces for the piano or other … Read more
I read with interest about the death of Jan Piénkowski, illustrator, author, and master-designer of pop-up books. None of his books yet stands on our grandkids’ shelves, but two are on their way: Tales from Poland and a Necklace of Raindrops, ordered after reading his … Read more
Debussy, La mer The sea is beckoning, and I’m going to finish out this pre-Lenten season with more maritime music. Impressionism lent itself well to depicting various aspects of nature, perhaps none better than the sea. And the prime representative of Impressionism in music is … Read more
Plot Summaries are useful, aren’t they, especially in a pinch, like: “I didn’t finish this month’s book-club selection, but still want to participate in the discussion.” Yet the dangers posed by the “plot summary” percolates in my mind due to a recent conversation with a … Read more
Sibelius, The Oceanides After Wellerman last week, we might as well continue with the sea theme. Artists have found numerous ways to portray the natural elements. For composers, it’s a bit more complicated since music lacks the concrete imagery that can be found in other … Read more