Johann Stamitz, Clarinet Concerto in B Flat Major (1st movement) The clarinet was a very new instrument in 1755 when Johann Stamitz (1717-1757) wrote his clarinet concerto. For some time his was believed to be the first clarinet concerto, although clarinet concertos by Johann Melchior … Read more
I admit it took me a little while to catch on. There might be a reason for Theater Erfurt‘s staging Carmen with SUVs, police cruisers, and junk cars. But so often operas in Eastern Germany get a modern treatment for no reason at all. I … Read more
Strauss, “Und du wirst mein Gebieter sein” from Arabella Back in college, my conducting professor gave me a small conducting role in the University’s production of Arabella. It was offstage and had something to do with keeping the ensemble together. It lasted about 15 seconds and, … Read more
Professor Carol’s courses have received awards for excellence from The Old Schoolhouse, and it’s time once again for the survey. The trade magazine for homeschool families, The Old Schoolhouse®, conducts a yearly survey for its Excellence in Education Awards. If you love our products, and if our company … Read more
Memories of graduate school flood my mind these days. Those four years of coursework at the University of North Carolina marked the beginning of my life as a scholar. I had figured out painfully in college how to study. But the fervid quest to learn, … Read more
Fauré, Piano Trio, Op. 120 Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) attended a boarding school for musicians with a conservative focus on church music and turning out good organists and choirmasters. During his time there, Camille Saint-Saëns took over the piano instruction, and opened his students ears to … Read more
The neighborhood where I grew up in Roanoke Virginia never was trendy. But today it’s best described using one of my mother’s favorite phrases: it has kind of “gone to pot”—a reference to the process of sending defective industrial parts back to a giant pot … Read more
Dowland, Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part “Semper Dowland, semper dolens” (always Dowland, always doleful). The motto comes from Dowland himself. Melancholia is what made John Dowland (1563-1626) famous. Songs like “Flow My Tears” and “I Saw My Lady Weep” seem to sum up … Read more
Soloviev-Sedoy, Evening Song – Leningrad The World Cup has been all over the news lately. Here in Germany, the flags came out for the occasion. Germans do not display their national flag routinely as we Americans do. Their 20th-century history leads them to shun displays … Read more
