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
Ireland, Sea Fever English composer John Ireland (1879-1962) studied composition with Charles Villiers Stanford at the Royal Conservatory. Introverted and timid, Ireland found Stanford’s exacting standards and sometimes harsh demeanor intimidating, but he credited Stanford with giving him a solid foundation. Ireland would join the … Read more
Seeger, Music for Small Orchestra Like many other women composers, Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) is receiving renewed attention. She achieved some recognition in her lifetime as a talented composer, but it was short-lived, partly no doubt because of her untimely death. She studied at the … Read more
Crumb, Let It Be Forgotten George Crumb (1929-2022) strikes me as one of the most interesting composers of the late 20th century. Several years ago, we featured his Voice of the Whale (1971) in this series. Crumb was born into a musical family in Charleston, … Read more
Varèse, Ionisation Edgard Varèse (1883-1965) was born in Paris. He moved to America in 1915 and spent most of his professional life here. He studied music at the Schola Cantorum and the Paris Conservatory. He also spent a good deal of time studying engineering in … Read more
Xenakis, Rebonds B Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) was born to Greek parents in a Greek community in Romania. In 1932, he began attending a boarding school in Greece where he studied music while also excelling in mathematics. He entered the National Technical School in Athens in … Read more
Scriabin, Poem of Ecstasy The Poem of Ecstasy by Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) often goes by its French title Le poème de l’extase. It is one of only five symphonic works written by Scriabin, along with Prometheus: Poem of Fire and three numbered symphonies. He tended … Read more
Cowell, The Banshee I don’t pay much attention to Halloween, but once I decided to feature this work, it seemed appropriate to save it until we could get all of our ghosts and goblins dealt with at the same time. A mythical creature “banshee” comes … Read more
Persichetti, Divertimento for Band I grew up in band country—Texas. There was only one year in one school where we had an orchestra. And let’s face it, the orchestra was not very good, whereas the band had many competent instrumentalists. Band repertoire didn’t always offer … Read more
Rautavaara, Credo (from Missa a Cappella) I ran across this piece yesterday while looking for an assortment of Credos. Professor Carol is teaching our Early Sacred Music course online for Memoria this semester and, as always, she wants to bring in new materials and find … Read more