Clemens non Papa, Videte miraculum Videte miraculum is a Magnificat antiphon for the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast is generally known as Candlemas and is celebrated in many denominations on February 2. Professor Carol has written about celebrating Candlemas … Read more
Clarke, Passacaglia on an Old English Tune for Viola Rebecca Clarke got a one-line entry in the 1980 edition of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians informing us that she was an English violist married to the composer John Friskin. Interest in women composers exploded … Read more
Hotteterre, Premiere Suite Jacques-Martin Hotteterre [“Le Romain”] (1674-1763) belonged to an imminent French family of woodwind instrument makers. Five generations of instrument makers began with Loys de Haulteterre, a wood turner who died c. 1620-25. His great grandson, Jacque-Martin, became the most famous member of … Read more
Chopin, 24 Preludes It seems appropriate to being the new year with a prelude. But a prelude to what? A musical prelude generally designates an instrumental movement that precedes the other movements of a large-scale work. You might find one at the beginning of Baroque … Read more
O Come, O Come Emmanuel Having featured choral settings of the O Antiphons during Advent this year, it seems time to return to an instrumental genre, and we can do that while maintaining our focus on the O Antiphons. O Emmanuel is the last of … Read more
MacMillan, O Radiant Dawn Sir James Loy MacMillan was born in Scotland in 1959. His setting of O Oriens has much in common with the other O Antiphons featured here for Advent, except that he has set an English text and has elaborated a bit … Read more
Čopi, O radix Jesse Ambrož Čopi was born in Koper, Slovenia in 1973. He studied composition and conducting in Ljubljana. His choral music has gained widespread recognition in Europe, but he is perhaps best known as an educator and mentor of young musicians. He has written … Read more
Part, O Adonai The second installment of our O Antiphons for Advent comes from the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935). Pärt’s restrained and deeply spiritual approach is rooted in medieval chant and also the low-register sonorities of Russian choral music. He joined the Eastern … Read more
Vulc, O sapientia In this Advent season, I plan to feature various settings of the O Antiphons for our Friday Performance Picks. The seven “Great O Antiphons” represent some of the most enduring texts of Advent. Composers have turned to these texts from at least … Read more
Chabrier, España The music of French composer Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894) was a strong influence on composers Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Francis Poulenc, and is considered by some to be a major factor in the early modern music. Gustav Mahler referred to España, today’s performance … Read more