September, 2023

70 Posts
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Music Presenters: When They Make Overwhelming Requests of Musicians
Some presenters will make overwhelming requests of musicians. A fancy top-notch gallery in New York recently held an opening of a new exhibit with live music. A gallery curator in another city had loved it enough to want to replicate
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Who Were the Brussels Seven?
Seven students of Paul Gilson created their music collective Les Synthétistes (The Synthetists) on the occasion of their teacher’s 60th birthday in September 1925. They wanted to create a distinctive modern Brussels sound that was different from the late-Romantic sound
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The Great Composers’ Final Works
A jaw-dropping collection of technically dazzling fugues, stopped mid-measure, annotated by a poignant note from a grieving son. Two delicate mazurkas that the composer was too sick to play and never heard performed. A cantata for the freemasons. A standard
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George Gershwin
George Gershwin’s Song-Book George Gershwin, born on 26 September 1898, developed a distinctive musical style that combined classical, jazz, and popular music in a ground-breaking fusion unique to American music. Renowned for his remarkable dexterity as a songwriter, he literally
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An Homage to Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away on March 28, 2023. Just a little while ago. If he had been battling cancer for many years now, we all wished he had more time to create and gift the world with his talent. During
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On This Day
14 September: Luigi Cherubini Was Born
One thing is for sure, Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini was born in Florence in 1760. There still seems to be a bit of discussion on the exact day of his birth, however. Some of that confusion comes from
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William Grant Still: Thirteen Facts About the Great American Composer
Composer William Grant Still, Jr., had one of the most fascinating careers in the history of American classical music. He was born in an era of segregation and racial violence when his creative voice was ignored by white institutions sheerly
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Interview With Japanese Composer Naoko Ikeda
When searching for repertoire for my students to perform at local festivals, I discovered the compositions of Naoko Ikeda, a talented Japanese composer and teacher. Her pieces are full of beautiful, flowing melodies that I thoroughly enjoy teaching and playing.
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