We all know Bess’ song from Porgy and Bess: ‘Summertime, and the Livin’ is Easy’. We decided to do a survey of what other composers thought about summer and were surprised at the very different moods and modes composers used
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Happy New Year 2019
“Auld Lang Syne” December 31st, 2018In much of the English-speaking world, a traditional folk song set to the words of a Scots poem is used to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. “Auld Lang Syne,” probably -
1,001(Arabian) Nights III
Folk Tales in Music December 30th, 2018Maurice Ravel wrote two works with Shéhérazade, the heroine and narrator of The Arabian Nights as the title. One of his earliest surviving orchestral pieces, the “Ouverture de Shéhérazade” makes use of a Persian melody, but it was not well -
The Piano Concerto
Part 3 – The Lesser-Known and Rarely-Performed December 30th, 2018Since the invention of the piano in the 18th century, composers have placed the instrument centre stage, pitting it against the might of an orchestra to create music which ranks amongst the greatest in the repertoire. -
Consider This Before You Date a Musician December 29th, 2018 Musicians are a rare breed. I’m the first to admit life with me might be a bit challenging. Being a professional musician isn’t all fun and games. It’s not an avocation, nor a vocation it’s our way of life, our -
The Beauty of Counterpoint December 28th, 2018 Often, the point of interest in the music isn’t the melody but what’s going on underneath. I recently attended a performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, but without the dancers, i.e., a full ballet with the orchestra only. It gave an -
Preserving the Joy December 27th, 2018 For those of us who engage in music, as performers and teachers, the classical canon offers an endless source of excitement, thrilling stories and fantasies, portrayed in myriad colours, moods and styles. The desire to play this music and revel -
Franz Schubert and the Countess December 26th, 2018 The memoirs of Franz Schubert’s friends are full of references to Caroline Esterházy. In fact, Eduard von Bauernfeld wrote in February 1828. “Schubert was, in fact, head over ears in love with one of his pupils, a young Countess Esterházy, -
Bach: Christmas Oratorio (Annunciation to the Shepherds)
Premiered Today in 1734 December 26th, 2018One of the episodes in the Nativity of Jesus describes the annunciation to the shepherds, in which an angel tells a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus. Initially, this was part of the broader Nativity scene, which also