Shostakovich, Galop The galop was a popular ballroom dance in the 19th century that took its name, as you might expect, from the galloping of horses. It was fast and furious. Galops tended to be short, lasting only a couple of minutes, since otherwise they … Read more
Orff, Carmina Burana Even if you don’t know Carmina Burana, you will likely recognize the opening and closing theme O Fortuna. It has been used frequently in films and broadcasts. But this cantata’s enormous popularity lies in the energy and variety of its 25 movements. … Read more
Stravinsky, Octet for Wind Instruments Once you have set the music world on fire by writing The Rite of Spring, arguably the 20th century’s most consequential work, what do you do next? We answer that question this month with a detailed look at Stravinsky’s life … Read more
Britten, A Ceremony of Carols Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) became one of England’s most notable composers in the years prior to World War II. He continued to hold a dominant position until his death. His most significant works include the operas Peter Grimes (1944) and Billy … Read more
James Barnes, Symphonic Overture James Barnes (b. 1949) and I crossed paths as graduate students at the University of Kansas in the mid 1970s. Jim worked primarily with the bands, and by that time my band days were basically over. So we were mostly involved … Read more
Myaskovsky, Cello Sonata No. 1 Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950) holds a prominent place in Russian music of the early 20th century, although he is somewhat in the shadow of Shostakovich and Prokofiev. He was born in Novogeorgiyevsk (Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki) near Warsaw, a fortress town on … Read more
Webern, Cinq Pièces Five pieces in under six minutes—it says something about the sparseness of Webern’s music. The Austrian composer Anton Webern (1883-1945) is one of three primary figures in the Second Viennese School. Arnold Schoenberg and his acolytes Webern and Berg pioneered the compositional … Read more
Ives, Songs My Mother Taught Me If I had it to do over again, I might argue in favor of including this song in our collection of traditional songs Hurrah and Hallelujah. No, it’s not really a traditional song. It was written by the American … Read more
Berg, Lyric Suite In my years as an undergraduate majoring in music composition, we spent considerable time analyzing music of what’s called the “Second Viennese School” or the “New Viennese School”—essentially Arnold Schoenberg and his students Anton Webern (1883-1945) and Alban Berg (1885-1935). (The “First … Read more
Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy Percy Grainger (1882-1961) is another composer, with others like Bartók and Kodály, who collected folk songs and incorporated them into his compositions. The new technology of the gramophone made field recordings possible, while that same leap in technology threatened the cultural forces … Read more
