“The Star-Spangled Banner”: The National Anthem as Arranged by Rachmaninov and Stravinsky

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On September 14, 1814, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the Royal Navy during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key penned the words that would later form the National Anthem. The defining image of the poem was the sight of the U.S. flag, with its fifteen stars and strips, flying defiantly above the Fort following the battle. The triumphant image was central to the …

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“Show Boat”: Excerpts from Kern and Hammerstein’s Groundbreaking Musical

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When Show Boat opened at New York’s Ziegfeld Theatre on December 27, 1927, it marked a revolutionary moment in the American musical theater. Audiences were confronted with a new kind of work which was neither a frothy operetta, nor a loosely constructed Jazz Age musical comedy. The Musical Play was born, with its serious, dramatic themes, and integration of music and dialogue. An entry in The Complete Book of Light Opera includes this description: Here …

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Balakirev’s “Islamey”: A Spirited Dance from the Caucasus Mountains

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It was a trip to the Caucasus Mountains that inspired Russian composer Mily Balakirev (1837-1910) to write Islamey: Oriental Fantasy, one of the most technically challenging works ever conceived for solo piano. In a letter, Balakirev commented on the spirited folk music he heard there, as well as the natural beauty of the region, which lies at the intersection of Europe and Asia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea: …the majestic …

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Jascha Heifetz and Bing Crosby: Berceuse from Godard’s “Jocelyn”

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Jascha Heifetz was the ultimate “crossover artist” before the term existed. During the Second World War, Heifetz joined popular entertainers such as Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in performances for U.S. servicemen. Heifetz’ collaborations with Crosby included this performance, recorded in Los Angeles on July 13, 1946, months after the War’s end. Accompanied by the studio musicians of the Victor Young Orchestra, Heifetz and Crosby performed the Berceuse (Lullaby) from the opera, …

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Holst’s “Nunc Dimittis”: Homage to Renaissance Polyphony

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English composer Gustav Holst found inspiration, not only in the folk music of his native land, but also in the early music of William Byrd and Palestrina. Nunc dimittis for eight-part choir is Holst’s homage to Renaissance polyphony. Composed in 1915 for Richard Terry, organist of Westminster Cathedral, the work was performed on Easter Sunday of that year, and then fell into obscurity. It existed in manuscript form until publication in 1979. This …

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Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Music Inspired by Shakespeare

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As a teenager, Felix Mendelssohn was drawn to the works of Shakespeare, especially the shimmering fairytale magic of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. After reading a German translation of the comedy, Mendelssohn’s sister Fanny wrote, We were entwined in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Felix particularly made it his own. He identified with all of the characters. He recreated them, so to speak, every one of them whom Shakespeare produced in the immensity of …

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The Vocalise: Music of André Previn and John Williams

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Free of the literal meaning of a text, the wordless vocalise floats into a dreamy and surreal landscape. In André Previn’s Vocalise, the singer enters into a haunting musical conversation with the solo cello and the instrumental voices of the orchestra. Composed at Tanglewood on July 18, 1995 for Sylvia McNair and Yo Yo Ma, the work was originally scored for voice, cello, and piano, and was orchestrated later. Previn, the German-American pianist, …

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