Mozart, Overture to Abduction from the Seraglio One day during my graduate studies, the orchestra conductor, Dr. George Lawner, handed me the task of creating a two-piano arrangement of this overture. He was directing a scaled down version of the opera Abduction from the Seraglio … Read more
Clementi, Sonata in G minor, Op. 7, No. 3 Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) lived 80 years. He was born before Mozart and died after Beethoven. In 1766, he found a patron in Sir Peter Beckford and moved to the Beckford Estate in Dorset where he completed … Read more
Beethoven, Egmont Overture, Op. 84 Lamoral, Count of Egmont (1522-1568) became a martyr in the fight for independence in the Spanish Netherlands. During the Great Iconoclasm, he had favored restraint in dealing with the Calvinists. The Duke of Alba was sent from Spain to put … Read more
Schubert, Piano Quintet in A Major (“Trout”) Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet gets its name from the fourth movement (at 21:21), a set of variations on Schubert’s song Die Forelle (trout). The quintet was composed in 1819 but not published until 1829, after Schubert’s death. The work … Read more
Mozart, Variations on “Ah! Vous dirai je maman” I have “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” on the brain. Having two small grandchildren in the house can do that as the melody takes on an important developmental role. But the tune “Ah! Vous dirai je maman” has … Read more
Haydn, Seven Last Words The Seven Last Words spoken by Christ on the Cross come from the four Gospels. Three are reported in the Gospel of John and another three in the Gospel of Luke. The seventh appears in both Matthew and Mark. Numerous authors … Read more
Haydn, Piano Trio in C Major, Hob. XV: 27 The piano trio of the Classical era grew out of the Baroque trio sonata. The long-popular Baroque trio sonata featured a solo instrument accompanied by what was called the basso continuo consisting of harpsichord and viol da gamba … Read more
Johann Stamitz, Clarinet Concerto in B Flat Major (1st movement) The clarinet was a very new instrument in 1755 when Johann Stamitz (1717-1757) wrote his clarinet concerto. For some time his was believed to be the first clarinet concerto, although clarinet concertos by Johann Melchior … Read more
Let me take you back to the place where I became acquainted with Haydn’s Seven Last Words on the Cross (Die Sieben Letzen Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze). Picture, if you will, a low-ceilinged room in a slightly musky academic building. For many decades, this … Read more
A few months ago while sailing the Arabian Sea, I was engrossed in a conversation with a new friend about music on the Amazon River. What kind of music? Western Classical music. Panos Karan had given an extraordinary piano recital the night before. It was … Read more
