Janáček, Pohádka Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) composed Pohádka in 1910. Pohádka means tale (or fairy tale) in Czech, so we can consider it in our recent series focusing on music for children. The tale is based on the epic poem The Tale of Tsar Berendyey by Vasily Zhukovsky (1783-1852). Zhukovsky’s life and … Read more
Ironing. That’s where my thoughts lie as we enter into the Thanksgiving weekend. Not in wrestling over the aesthetics of a flower arrangement or the culinary challenges of a pecan pie. Nope. Ironing. Thanksgiving tends to turn our thoughts towards the past. What is more … Read more
Schoenberg, A Survivor from Warsaw I have a more sympathetic view of Schoenberg than many of my friends, and I think that owes something to the fact that one of the first works of his that I encountered was A Survivor from Warsaw. I have always … Read more
We’re coming to the end of my favorite week of the year. The week before Thanksgiving is full of promise. The crust on the pumpkin pie is not yet burnt; the silver platter might still get a polish; and the weather may actually cooperate with … Read more
Ravel, Ma mère l’Oye (Cinq Pièces Enfantine) Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite consists of five short pieces for children. Originally written for piano four hands in 1910, Ravel created the orchestral version the succeeding year. We have featured works by Ravel several times in this series, more … Read more
I hear parents complain that it’s difficult to teach children about historical styles in the arts. Let’s use, as an example, historical styles of architecture. Does this sound familiar? How am I ever going to teach these architectural styles to my kids? It’s boring for … Read more
Puccini, Vissi d’arte (from Tosca) Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) can claim several operas as being among the most frequently performed, La Bohème in particular. Within his operas are several arias that are among the most famous, Nessun dorma from Turandot in particular. Vissi d’arte from Tosca qualifies on both counts … Read more
In my work, I have countless occasions to observe people reacting to circumstances they did not expect. Consequently, I’ve been giving thought lately to the concept of “disappointment.” How one handles disappointment, particularly the small disappointments that are inevitable in daily life, reveals a great … Read more
Saint-Saëns, The Carnival of the Animals Returning to the subject of children’s music, we have to include in our list of works The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921). He has been described as a greater child prodigy than Mozart, but his mother resisted exposing … Read more
Imagine harnessing the energy tourists use to snap pictures on cell phones and putting it, instead, into something more expressive and fully devoid of technology. What am I imagining? Sketching. Sketching has long been one of the primary ways to capture experiences (right along with … Read more