Our series of Hymn Workshops continues with a special Advent session on Noels. By the 16th century, French manuscripts contain a variety of Christmas songs called Noëls, including many popular secular songs refitted with Christmasy words. There’s early evidence of French families singing Noëls on Christmas Eve, both in the church … Read more
Telemann, Overture “Burlesque de Quixotte” I have been occupied with Bach in the past few weeks, preparing our new Composer of the Month series. At the same time, I revisited the music of Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767). The two had a lot in common. But … Read more
After months of wishing to do so, I am taking advantage of a free course from Hillsdale College called Classic Children’s Literature. You may have seen this course advertised with its colorful promo extolling the vitality and efficacy of works like Treasure Island, Beauty and … Read more
Ives, The Unanswered Question I have inserted Charles Ives’s The Unanswered Question this week into the sequence of performance picks that I had planned. Somehow, unanswered questions seem appropriate at the moment, but I will leave it at that and let you make of it … Read more
“It’s such a nice songbook. We had been looking to find something just like it. But how do we use it?” Now there’s a good question. When we spent the “spring shutdown” creating Hurrah and Hallelujah—a volume of songs dedicated to restoring our heritage of … Read more
Tallis, Audivi vocem The text of Audivi vocem is from the service of Matins on All Saints’ Day (November 1). This setting by Thomas Tallis makes use of the Sarum rite chant. The Sarum rite comes from Salisbury Cathedral in England. Various styles of chant … Read more
When parents talk with me about ways to bring music into their children’s education, I often hear the words “composer studies” or “composer biographies.” If a discussion ensues, I try to frame my responses in a measured way. On the one hand, how grand it … Read more
Fauré, Requiem In program notes for the Fauré Requiem, John Bawden writes: Of the many settings of the Requiem, this is probably the most widely loved. In comparison with the large-scale masterpieces of Verdi, Brahms and Berlioz, Faure’s setting seems gentle and unassuming, yet it is … Read more
Cut to the chase. What you don’t know can hurt you—or at least hurt the sweater. Book learning (facts, figures, concepts) is a wonderful thing. But learning from books lacks the punch of real-world learning. Not knowing or understanding how things work can cause small … Read more
A Mighty Fortress: Hymns from the Era of Bach and Handel Tuesday, October 27 at 8 pm EDT. Continuing our series of Hymn Workshops, we turn to the chorales of the late Baroque, looking particularly at the Lutheran chorales of J.S. Bach that from the … Read more