In honor of Presidents’ Day, here is Lincoln Portrait by twentieth century American composer Aaron Copland. Listen to the way Copland combines music and Lincoln’s eloquent words to create a monument to the 16th president. Besides the use of popular early American songs like Camptown Races and Springfield Mountain, do you hear anything else in the music that seems distinctly American? Listen to Copland talk about Lincoln Portrait and get some background on the piece here. You …
Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen, Opus 15 (“Scenes from Childhood”) supports the adage that good things can come in small packages. Schumann wrote this set of thirteen short pieces for solo piano in 1838 as adult memories of childhood. Rooted in an ethos of Romanticism, each piece evokes a distinct mood. In this highly economic music a single chord can create great drama and every note seems perfect. Let’s listen to the first piece in the …
Listen to this amazing performance of the final movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto played by Itzhak Perlman. You probably know Tchaikovsky as a Romantic composer of lush, fiery, emotionally charged music, but don’t forget that he was also a ballet composer. You may notice a grace and elegance in the rhythm that suggests dance. After you listen, consider what makes Perlman’s performance so exciting. The piece is a tight rope walk …
Technique is conception. -Zvi Zeitlin As we begin a new year of practicing, let’s consider the mental side of violin playing. The concepts we hold in mind can be an important guide for sound, phrasing, musical style and other aspects of playing. Technique should always serve the musical concept. In many cases, starting with a musical concept can propel us over a technical hurdle. Think about your last practice session. Did you …
In celebration of the holiday season, here is music by the twentieth century English composer Benjamin Britten. A Ceremony of Carols is scored for three part treble chorus, solo voices and harp. The text, from Gerald Bullett’s The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems is Middle English. Listen to the uniquely pure timbre produced by the boys’ choirs in these recordings. This is a sound that has been heard for centuries in cathedrals across England. …
Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift or you want to expand your CD collection for the new year, here are five recordings which I highly recommend: Offering Alexandra Adkins, violin Find at the artist’s website Find on Amazon Alexandra Adkins is a member of the Houston Symphony violin section. Last December she released this CD which includes sonatas by Handel, Leclair, Corelli and two movements …
In the early decades of the twentieth century, American composer Charles Ives was stretching musical boundaries. Ives created exciting collages of sound by layering fragments of folk songs, hymn tunes and other music, often simultaneously in different keys and tempos. The result was a musical melting pot that was uniquely American and anticipated compositional techniques used later by The Beatles, John Cage and others. Thanksgiving and Forefathers’ Day from Ives’s Holidays Symphony musically evokes memories …