Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 (2nd mov.) Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) might be considered one of the last great symphonists of the Romantic era. His symphonies are long and monumental. His style owed much to the influence of Wagner, although the symphonies are in many ways conservative … Read more
Vaughan Williams, Bredon Hill The collection of 63 poems by A. E. Housman (1859-1936) entitled A Shropshire Lad became a favorite source for song texts in England at the beginning of the 20th century. Major publishers initially turned it down, but Housman himself subsidized its … Read more
While we have no ability to travel back to an earlier time, we do have opportunities to visit historical sites. Because I grew up in Texas, I was drilled in the history of that state and its special status. I was able to make multiple … Read more
Beethoven, Wellington’s Victory We left off last week at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and now move 125 miles and 400 years to Waterloo. The Duke of Wellington complained a few years after the battle that the field had been so altered as to … Read more
Sitting at my desk, hoping to color the advancing twilight with waves of beautiful sound (and forget the exhaustion of scooping up the previous day’s basement flooding courtesy of Hurricane Debby), I selected a two-CD set of the complete works for piano by Maurice Ravel, … Read more
The Agincourt Carol I have spent the past week exploring military history in Western Europe. Time constraints have made it a superficial exploration in many ways. In some places, I was well prepared to understand what I was seeing. In others places, I have at … Read more
I met a man on the road today. He was coming down a steep bluff as I was climbing up, and so we chatted briefly about how much farther I had to go. He asked if I had served and said he had also. In … Read more
Janequin, D’un seul soleil After last week’s foray into the ars subtilior, you may be ready for something a bit more sedate. Clément Janequin (1485-1558) was in his time perhaps the most celebrated composer of French chansons. Today he may be best known for two … Read more
Ciconia, Una Panthera Was it the avant-garde of the Middle Ages? A style of music known as ars subtilior arose on the heels of the 14th-century ars nova. The ars nova marked a considerable advance on what came to be considered the ars antiqua in … Read more
