Not long ago, a group of us who share the vision of Classical Education decided to take on the name “Classical Consortium.” Sounds serious, doesn’t it? Well, mostly it’s been another nice way to deepen our relationships academically and personally. One of our projects has … Read more
Reich, Drumming The relentless rhythm that propels works like Honegger’s Pacific 231 and Prokofiev’s Precipitato (the previous two posts) can be used to a very different effect. One example is Drumming by Steve Reich (b. 1936). Reich is a prominent composer within today’s “minimalist” school. Minimalism refers … Read more
If there can be “Christmas in July,” why not “Advent in June”? At least that’s the conclusion we reached today driving the first leg from Dallas to New Mexico en route to the Great Homeschool convention in Ontario California. More accurately, we began preparing for … Read more
Honegger, Pacific 231 The impetuous and relentless energy of Prokofiev’s Precipitato (last week’s selection) seems like a good entrée into what can be called “machine music.” And one of the best examples would be “Pacific 231” composed in 1923 by Arthur Honegger (1892-1955). Composers have used … Read more
Traveling through Virginia this week, I’m reminded about my own education in Virginia history while growing up in Roanoke in the 1950s and early 60s. It was a different era, of course, and those textbooks have long been replaced. Still, we were given a lasting … Read more
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Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 83, III. Precipitato Precipitato: impetuously. Impetuous can mean reckless, foolhardy, acting quickly without care. But that meaning of impetuous doesn’t quite capture what follows. These synonyms work better: powerful, vigorous, relentless. Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7 is one of the “war … Read more
Two empty seats in the middle of a crowded international flight? It’s rare, but we had them on a Lufthansa Frankfurt-to-Dallas fight I took last week. I sat on the right aisle of the middle section, happy to discover the adjacent seat empty. The woman … Read more
Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 53 The Prokofiev Concerto No. 4 was among the works for left hand alone commissioned for by the Paul Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein’s reaction upon receiving it? He returned it to Prokofiev saying, “Thank you very much, but I don’t understand … Read more
It really was there: tear-shaped chips of amber in the flotsam left by the lapping of the waves. We had stopped at Pärnu to drool over the beauty of the Baltic Coastline and look for amber. We scrambled out of the bus like kids, some of … Read more
Ravel, Piano Concerto for Left Hand Composers have had various reasons for writing piano music for left hand alone. It presents a technical challenge. Camille Saint-Saëns wrote a set of etudes to strengthen the left hand and develop technique. And writing for one hand also challenges the composer’s … Read more