Three ways to be a British composer
In spite of wide divergencies of personal style, there is a common factor in the music, say of Schumann and Weber. And this common factor is nationality. Ralph Vaughan Williams, from National Music, Bryn Mawr […]
Codes, Cyphers, and Keys
Johannes Brahms Scherzo in C minor for Violin and Piano from the F-A-E Sonata (1853)Joan Tower Purple Rain for String Quintet (2020) BCMS Commission /PremiereGabriel Fauré Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 15 (1876-79) People […]
Musically speaking
“He who does not take a thorough pleasure in a simple chord progression, well constructed, beautiful in its arrangement, does not love music.” –Saint-Saëns Musical Memories, 1919
Winter has ended*…Let summer come
Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat major, K. 452** Fauré La Bonne Chanson, Op. 61* Schubert Octet in F major, D. 803 **I myself think it’s the best thing I’ve ever written…I wish […]
Five successful years for the Commissioning Club
Mozart Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370 Debussy Sonata for Cello and Piano, L. 135 Godfrey Ad Concordiam: Quintet Variations for Oboe, Strings and Piano (BCMS commission) Mendelssohn Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 66 Beethoven’s real teaching…was […]
Early Beethoven, Late Debussy, and Dvořák Decisive
Beethoven String Trio in D major, Op. 9, No. 2 (1797-98) Debussy Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, L. 140 (1917) Dvořák Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 65 (1883) Beethoven’s real teaching…was […]
Playful entrances, colorful exits, and the lightness of being
Beethoven Serenade in D major for Flute, Violin and Viola, Op. 25 (1795-6) Debussy Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, L. 137 (1915) Walton Piano Quartet in D minor (1918-1921, revised 1974) Beethoven’s real teaching…was […]
Chamber music in 3D—rooted, informed and opened to the sky
Dohnányi Serenade in C for String Trio, Op. 10 (1902) Debussy String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (1893,4) Dvořák String Sextet in A major, Op. 48 (1878) Beethoven’s real teaching…was not to preserve the […]
Finding Their Way: Schumann, Brahms, and Schoenberg
“In every era there presides a secret alliance of kindred spirits. Ye who belong together, close your ranks ever more tightly, that the Truth of Art may shine more clearly, diffusing joy and blessings over […]
On the G String: Beethoven, Prokofiev, Dvořák
Beethoven Piano Trio in G Major, Op. 1, No. 2 (1794-95) Prokofiev Quintet for Winds and Strings in G Minor, Op. 39 (1924) Dvořák Bass Quintet in G Major, Op. 77 (1875, revised 1888) Our […]