Hello all, this is Dan's wife Katie. Today, I'd like to tell you about MY favorite composer, on his birthday. You may not know that my husband, in addition to being a fabulous pianist and classical music buff (as evidenced by this blog), is also a composer in his own right. Below is his greatest work, in my opinion.
First, a little background. Dan wrote this song for our wedding, almost 6 years ago. He performed it at our reception--I was completely surprised. The words tell the story of our courtship, but they also are a very beautiful depiction of marriage, "a picture of the oneness between Christ and His Church". In the last verse of the song, Dan took many biblical descriptions of marriage and put them together. As for the music, I prefer to think of it as part of the romantic genre ;-).
About a year after we were married, a friend professionally recorded Dan's song--Dan both sings and plays the piano. Today, I have a surprise of my own. I put that recording together with a collection of photos and videos from our engagement and wedding. I hope you enjoy it!
Happy Birthday, my love!!
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Friday, September 26, 2008
Classical Music Meets Jazz, in America
Today the American composer George Gershwin was born in 1898. Gershwin's music is where classical meets jazz. He started early in life as a pianist, and together with his older brother, Ira, eventually wrote many popular songs, such as "I Got Rhythm".
His first major classical work is Rhapsody in Blue, perhaps the most well-known American work of our time. Fantasia 2000 made a cartoon to go along with it, as seen/heard here (parts 1 and 2). Apparently Gerswhin told one of his biographer's the following: "It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance."
Another one of his popular pieces, "An American in Paris" was written by him after a brief stay in Paris, where he tried to study with Nadia Boulanger, Maurice Ravel, and a few others. None of these teachers worked out. Ravel refused to teach him - he was too impressed with Gershwin's jazz style and instead suggested that Gershwin teach him. I got the following quote from wikipedia, apparently from the program notes at the premiere:
"My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere." When the tone poem moves into the blues, "our American friend ... has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness." But, "nostalgia is not a fatal disease." The American visitor "once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life" and "the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant."
Here are the first, second (The Blues), and third movements. This is classy-jazz at it's best!
Another one of my favorites, although not as well-known or loved, is his Concerto in F, a full-length, three-movement piano concerto, orchestrated completely by the composer himself (Ferde Grofe had orchestrated his Rhapsody in Blue). Here is the end of the 2nd movement and entire third movement. It gives a great taste of the bluesy 2nd movement (very moving piece), and the energetic, driving, machine-gun of a 3rd movement, which absolutely holds me spell-bound whenever I listen to it.
Let's finish with one of his most famous piano pieces - Prelude No. 2 from his 3 preludes for piano. Hope you've enjoyed this classical jazz!
His first major classical work is Rhapsody in Blue, perhaps the most well-known American work of our time. Fantasia 2000 made a cartoon to go along with it, as seen/heard here (parts 1 and 2). Apparently Gerswhin told one of his biographer's the following: "It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance."
Another one of his popular pieces, "An American in Paris" was written by him after a brief stay in Paris, where he tried to study with Nadia Boulanger, Maurice Ravel, and a few others. None of these teachers worked out. Ravel refused to teach him - he was too impressed with Gershwin's jazz style and instead suggested that Gershwin teach him. I got the following quote from wikipedia, apparently from the program notes at the premiere:
"My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere." When the tone poem moves into the blues, "our American friend ... has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness." But, "nostalgia is not a fatal disease." The American visitor "once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life" and "the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant."
Here are the first, second (The Blues), and third movements. This is classy-jazz at it's best!
Another one of my favorites, although not as well-known or loved, is his Concerto in F, a full-length, three-movement piano concerto, orchestrated completely by the composer himself (Ferde Grofe had orchestrated his Rhapsody in Blue). Here is the end of the 2nd movement and entire third movement. It gives a great taste of the bluesy 2nd movement (very moving piece), and the energetic, driving, machine-gun of a 3rd movement, which absolutely holds me spell-bound whenever I listen to it.
Let's finish with one of his most famous piano pieces - Prelude No. 2 from his 3 preludes for piano. Hope you've enjoyed this classical jazz!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Greatest Jazz Pianist
I know I've focused on the lives of classical composers up to this point, but I can't pass up the opportunity to highlight someone with just as much talent and musicianship as those I've previously blogged about.
The great American jazz pianist Bill Evans was born on this date in 1929 in New Jersey. Even though I'm such a die-hard classical music fan, I've gotten into jazz as a result of Bill Evans, and I've learned parts of his pieces by ear because the sounds and rhythms he produced so intrigue me.
From the wikipedia article: "In addition to introducing a new freedom of interplay within the piano trio, Evans began (in performances such as "My Foolish Heart" from the Vanguard sessions) to explore extremely slow ballad tempos and quiet volume levels which had previously been virtually unknown in jazz. His chordal voicings became more impressionistic, reminiscent of classical composers such as Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin, and Satie..."
Perhaps that's why I like his music so much - I love the music of these composers! Here's a lovely performance of the above-mentioned "My Foolish Heart" from 1965. He sure plays and looks like a serious musician - no flamboyance here, just pure music.
The first music I heard of Bill Evans was his solo album "Alone". It is amazing stuff. Here's the opening number on that album, "Here's That Rainy Day", and here is another number, "On A Clear Day".
Here are some other highlights, from the Bill Evans Trio:
Waltz for Debby, George Gershwin's Summertime, and Nardis.
Bill Evans was also an educator, and he had some interesting ideas about composing, improvising, and performing, as viewed here, an excerpt from the film, "The Universal Mind of Bill Evans". Evans makes the case that improvisational jazz is really a compositional form - a looking back to the days of Bach, Mozart, Chopin, etc., in which composers and performers were one and the same, and composing 1 minute of music often took place in 1 minute, not in days or months (Bach was the ultimate improviser, and many of his compositions sound like improvisatory material). Interesting thoughts.
Tragically, Evans struggled with an addiction to heroin probably since the 1950's, which he seemed to overcome, only later to get hooked on cocaine. Drugs undoubtedly contributed to his early death in 1980. Here is an amazing performance of In Your Own Sweet Way one year prior to his death, with his last trio. He sure looks different here!
I hope you've enjoyed this detour into the world of jazz, highlighting one of it's most talented composers/performers.
The great American jazz pianist Bill Evans was born on this date in 1929 in New Jersey. Even though I'm such a die-hard classical music fan, I've gotten into jazz as a result of Bill Evans, and I've learned parts of his pieces by ear because the sounds and rhythms he produced so intrigue me.
From the wikipedia article: "In addition to introducing a new freedom of interplay within the piano trio, Evans began (in performances such as "My Foolish Heart" from the Vanguard sessions) to explore extremely slow ballad tempos and quiet volume levels which had previously been virtually unknown in jazz. His chordal voicings became more impressionistic, reminiscent of classical composers such as Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin, and Satie..."
Perhaps that's why I like his music so much - I love the music of these composers! Here's a lovely performance of the above-mentioned "My Foolish Heart" from 1965. He sure plays and looks like a serious musician - no flamboyance here, just pure music.
The first music I heard of Bill Evans was his solo album "Alone". It is amazing stuff. Here's the opening number on that album, "Here's That Rainy Day", and here is another number, "On A Clear Day".
Here are some other highlights, from the Bill Evans Trio:
Waltz for Debby, George Gershwin's Summertime, and Nardis.
Bill Evans was also an educator, and he had some interesting ideas about composing, improvising, and performing, as viewed here, an excerpt from the film, "The Universal Mind of Bill Evans". Evans makes the case that improvisational jazz is really a compositional form - a looking back to the days of Bach, Mozart, Chopin, etc., in which composers and performers were one and the same, and composing 1 minute of music often took place in 1 minute, not in days or months (Bach was the ultimate improviser, and many of his compositions sound like improvisatory material). Interesting thoughts.
Tragically, Evans struggled with an addiction to heroin probably since the 1950's, which he seemed to overcome, only later to get hooked on cocaine. Drugs undoubtedly contributed to his early death in 1980. Here is an amazing performance of In Your Own Sweet Way one year prior to his death, with his last trio. He sure looks different here!
I hope you've enjoyed this detour into the world of jazz, highlighting one of it's most talented composers/performers.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Disney Music
I know I'm a little bit late with this Birthday, but on July 22, 1949, American composer/singer/song-writer Alan Menken was born in New York. I just heard a program on classical radio today interviewing him, and thus the blog-post.
As the program host, Jim Svejda, noted, Menken is growing to be one of the most award-decorated film composer/song-writers of all time, in some ways coming close to Alfred Newman and John Williams. According to wikipedia, he has won 12 awards (academy awards, tony awards, etc) and has been nominated for 10 more on top of that. His most popular music has been from recent Disney animated films, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the recent Disney film, Enchanted.
I remember watching Beauty and Beast in the theater when it came out. I was only 13 years old at the time (why would a 13-year-old boy care about sissy fairy-tales?) As soon as the movie began, I was absolutely transfixed by the music in the prologue to the story, and I remember getting goose-pimples all over and my eyes moistening up with tears. Needless to say, Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite Walt Disney animated movie (although Robin Hood comes pretty close, for different reasons).
As the program host, Jim Svejda, noted, Menken is growing to be one of the most award-decorated film composer/song-writers of all time, in some ways coming close to Alfred Newman and John Williams. According to wikipedia, he has won 12 awards (academy awards, tony awards, etc) and has been nominated for 10 more on top of that. His most popular music has been from recent Disney animated films, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the recent Disney film, Enchanted.
I remember watching Beauty and Beast in the theater when it came out. I was only 13 years old at the time (why would a 13-year-old boy care about sissy fairy-tales?) As soon as the movie began, I was absolutely transfixed by the music in the prologue to the story, and I remember getting goose-pimples all over and my eyes moistening up with tears. Needless to say, Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite Walt Disney animated movie (although Robin Hood comes pretty close, for different reasons).
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Music of the Grand Canyon
Ferde Grofe was born in New York City on this day in 1892. He was well known for arranging other composers works, particularly for a full-orchestra arrangement of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
The work he is most famous for today is his Grand Canyon Suite, a five-movement work for orchestra, each movement representing an aspect of the Grand Canyon. The most famous movement is called "On the Trail" - this piece is hilarious! You've probably heard parts of it on Looney Tunes cartoons or something like that. It depicts a bumpy ride on a donkey on the trail of the Grand Canyon - listen for the hee-haws, cloppity-clops, etc.
The work he is most famous for today is his Grand Canyon Suite, a five-movement work for orchestra, each movement representing an aspect of the Grand Canyon. The most famous movement is called "On the Trail" - this piece is hilarious! You've probably heard parts of it on Looney Tunes cartoons or something like that. It depicts a bumpy ride on a donkey on the trail of the Grand Canyon - listen for the hee-haws, cloppity-clops, etc.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Saddest Piece of Classical Music
Samuel Barber was born in 1910 in Pennsylvania, America.
His Adagio for Strings is his most famous work. Originally written as part of a string quartet when he was only 26 years old, it was later made into a separate piece for orchestra, which is the way it is usually played today. The piece has been said by some to be the "saddest piece of classical music", and has been in many movies. In 2001 it was played at the World Trade Center in commemoration of all the lives lost. I've read comments from the families of those victims say that this piece has touched their souls and gotten them through a lot. It's hard to imagine how Barber at such a young age had the insight to write such a deeply-felt, excruciatingly sad piece of music. Here is a performance of the Adagio for Strings. This is one of the most amazingly beautiful, rich, harmonious pieces ever written. Listen to the pathos and weep!
Another notable version of the piece is Barber's arrangement for 8-part choir, set to the text "Agnus dei" (referring to Jesus Christ - "Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us..."). Powerful music!
His Adagio for Strings is his most famous work. Originally written as part of a string quartet when he was only 26 years old, it was later made into a separate piece for orchestra, which is the way it is usually played today. The piece has been said by some to be the "saddest piece of classical music", and has been in many movies. In 2001 it was played at the World Trade Center in commemoration of all the lives lost. I've read comments from the families of those victims say that this piece has touched their souls and gotten them through a lot. It's hard to imagine how Barber at such a young age had the insight to write such a deeply-felt, excruciatingly sad piece of music. Here is a performance of the Adagio for Strings. This is one of the most amazingly beautiful, rich, harmonious pieces ever written. Listen to the pathos and weep!
Another notable version of the piece is Barber's arrangement for 8-part choir, set to the text "Agnus dei" (referring to Jesus Christ - "Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us..."). Powerful music!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Happy Birthday to the Father of American Music
Today is the birthday of two special composers. The first is Johann Nepomuk Hummel, born in 1778. When I was in my teens, I accompanied my brother on piano as he played Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto, a very fine piece which is a regular part of the trumpet repertoire (click here for the source of the excerpt). Now that I look at his wikipedia entry, I feel gypped because I realize he wrote so much piano music I never knew existed. Sigh… as Rachmaninoff said, “Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.”
The second is Aaron Copland, born in 1900. He grew up in a time when classical composers were alienating themselves from the mainstream concert-going public with their heavy modernist styles that only the “elite” music lovers would go for. In his early life, Copland conformed to the strict modernism of the time, but he eventually became disgusted with the breach between the mainstream public and the elitist crowds. He abandoned his approach and wrote simply so that all people would understand and be able to enjoy the classical music of the day. However, his previous hard work and training wasn't at all wasted - his more accessible music is teeming with very complex rhythms and well-placed dissonances, aspects which he learned and mastered during his early compositional experimentation.
Copland’s music really resonates with me. Some of his most memorable compositions are based on a “rural America” theme:
- Fanfare for the Common Man
- Hoedown from Rodeo
- Appalachian Spring, excerpt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(Click here and here for the sources of these excerpts)
The Appalachian Spring suite is one of my favorite pieces of all time and a MUST-listen. It consists of several american folk-themes strung together in a suite about 25 minutes long. Probably the most famous melody, based on the Shaker hymn "The Gift to be Simple", comes near the end, and Copland’s treatment of it and the other themes is breathtakingly beautiful and nostalgic. I'm moved to tears every time I hear certain parts of this suite, and I’m even getting a little misty-eyed as I write this just thinking about it.
To hear Copland’s influence on other composers, listen to the theme from the movie “Apollo 13” (composer James Horner), also very beautifully nostalgic and truly American in its sound (excerpt taken from here).
The second is Aaron Copland, born in 1900. He grew up in a time when classical composers were alienating themselves from the mainstream concert-going public with their heavy modernist styles that only the “elite” music lovers would go for. In his early life, Copland conformed to the strict modernism of the time, but he eventually became disgusted with the breach between the mainstream public and the elitist crowds. He abandoned his approach and wrote simply so that all people would understand and be able to enjoy the classical music of the day. However, his previous hard work and training wasn't at all wasted - his more accessible music is teeming with very complex rhythms and well-placed dissonances, aspects which he learned and mastered during his early compositional experimentation.
Copland’s music really resonates with me. Some of his most memorable compositions are based on a “rural America” theme:
- Fanfare for the Common Man
- Hoedown from Rodeo
- Appalachian Spring, excerpt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(Click here and here for the sources of these excerpts)
The Appalachian Spring suite is one of my favorite pieces of all time and a MUST-listen. It consists of several american folk-themes strung together in a suite about 25 minutes long. Probably the most famous melody, based on the Shaker hymn "The Gift to be Simple", comes near the end, and Copland’s treatment of it and the other themes is breathtakingly beautiful and nostalgic. I'm moved to tears every time I hear certain parts of this suite, and I’m even getting a little misty-eyed as I write this just thinking about it.
To hear Copland’s influence on other composers, listen to the theme from the movie “Apollo 13” (composer James Horner), also very beautifully nostalgic and truly American in its sound (excerpt taken from here).
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