Berlin, Alexander’s Ragtime Band Irving Berlin (1888-1989) contributed as much to American music over his long lifetime as anyone. It’s hard to imagine a more famous collection of songs—God Bless America (1938), White Christmas (1942), There’s No Business Like Show Business (1946), just to name … Read more
Sacred Harp, I’m Going Home For Thanksgiving, I have selected music that is quintessentially American. Of course, the Shape-Note singing tradition did not spring up spontaneously in America. It draws on various older traditions. But the style that survives (and thrives) today developed in American … Read more
Ungar, Ashokan Farewell I like to choose something American when the Fourth of July rolls around, and this year I decided on a folk tune that has achieved a sort of iconic status. It’s not a true folk song because it’s newly composed and we … Read more
Daniel Elder, Ballade to the Moon I ran across a couple of news articles about the composer Daniel Elder this week. Perhaps you’ve seen them. Elder is (or was) an up-and-coming choral composer living in Nashville. Listening to Elder’s work, it’s clear that he is … Read more
Copland, Danza de Jalisco Our Composer of the Month Series features Aaron Copland this month. Carol and I select composers for this series who are, of course, well known and beloved by us. Still, in presenting the materials, we “start from scratch” and spend a … Read more
Gottschalk, Souvenirs d’Andalousie During his lifetime, Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869) was acknowledged as the preeminent American piano virtuoso and composer of music for piano. Born in New Orleans to a Jewish father and Creole mother, he absorbed numerous musical influences during his upbringing. He went … Read more
Ives, The Unanswered Question I have inserted Charles Ives’s The Unanswered Question this week into the sequence of performance picks that I had planned. Somehow, unanswered questions seem appropriate at the moment, but I will leave it at that and let you make of it … Read more
Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man American music can be difficult to define, especially when so much of our music has its roots elsewhere. Many American composers were born in other countries and immigrated here. Many went abroad to receive their training, soaking up primarily … Read more
Barber, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 Summer may not start officially until June 21, but I grew up with the firm understanding that summer meant summer vacation, which commenced at the beginning of June. And I grew up in Houston where, if one looks only at … Read more
Bernstein, A Simple Song Simplicity is a virtue, the virtue of removing everything extraneous to something in order to reveal its true essence. After enduring the hoopla of the Super Bowl this week, I’m convinced it is mostly a forgotten virtue. I remember a lecture … Read more
