Charles Tomlinson Griffes (born Elmira, NY, 17 Sept 1884; died New York, 8 April 1920). American composer. His earliest musical studies were piano lessons with his sister Katharine. In about 1899 he began to study the piano with Mary Selena Broughton, who taught at Elmira College and who had a profound influence on his personal … Continue reading The Pleasure Dome of Charles Tomlinson Griffes
Author: f. d. leone
Songwriter.
Nadia Boulanger : teacher of the century
Juliette Nadia Boulanger (16 September 1887 – 22 October 1979) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century including Aaron Copland, Roy Harris, Quincy Jones, John Eliot Gardiner, Elliott Carter, Dinu Lipatti, Igor Markevitch, Virgil Thomson, David Diamond, Idil Biret, Daniel Barenboim, Philip … Continue reading Nadia Boulanger : teacher of the century
What do Bill Monroe and Arnold Schoenberg have in common?
Well, for one thing they were both born on today's date: Schoenberg in 1874 and Monroe in 1911. But, besides this accident of birth, both Schoenberg and Monroe changed music history. Arnold Schoenberg's Composition with Twelve Notes altered the course of music of the 20th century just as Bill Monroe's invention of Bluegrass. The style … Continue reading What do Bill Monroe and Arnold Schoenberg have in common?
Happy Birthday, Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt (born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of classical and sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs his self-invented compositional technique, tintinnabuli. His music is in part inspired by Gregorian chant. His earliest works, mostly for piano, are neo-classical in style. In 1962 his … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Arvo Pärt
Warren William Zevon ( January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003)
Warren Zevon, who died on this date in 2003 at the far-too-premature age of 56, was a singer, a songwriter and one of the great under-appreciated talents in modern America. But he could also be, as his friends, family and lovers will quickly tell you, a pain in the ass. He was at times intimidating, … Continue reading Warren William Zevon ( January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003)
Early Romanticism : the solo piano music of John Field and others
John Field (1782-1837) was an Irish pianist, composer, and teacher. He was born in Dublin into a musical family, and received his early education there, in particular with the immigrant Tommaso Giordani. The Fields soon moved to London, where Field studied under Muzio Clementi. Field was very highly regarded by his contemporaries and his playing … Continue reading Early Romanticism : the solo piano music of John Field and others
Morton Feldman January 12, 1926 – September 3, 1987
Morton Feldman was born in New York in 1926 and died there in 1987. Just like Cage, a close friend, he was an American composer – an American artist – an American in the true sense of the word. He identified himself by differentiating his views on composition from those of his colleagues in Europe. … Continue reading Morton Feldman January 12, 1926 – September 3, 1987
John Zorn : happy birthday
John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist with hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, and producer across a variety of genres including jazz, rock, hardcore, classical, surf, metal, klezmer, soundtrack, ambient and improvised music. He incorporates diverse styles in his compositions which he identifies as avant-garde … Continue reading John Zorn : happy birthday
Bohuslav Martinů : the Czech Stravinsky?
Bohuslav Martinů (December 8, 1890 - August 28, 1959) was born in a small Czech village. He studied briefly at the Prague Conservatory before he flunked out. No one ever called him a great student. He managed to become not only the greatest Czech composer of his generation, but a major international figure, known especially … Continue reading Bohuslav Martinů : the Czech Stravinsky?
Today I sing of Othmar Schoeck
Othmar Schoeck (1 September 1886 – 8 March 1957) was a Swiss composer and conductor. He was known mainly for his considerable output of art songs and song cycles, though he also wrote a number of operas, notably his one-act Penthesilea, which was premiered in Dresden in 1927 and revived at the Lucerne Festival in … Continue reading Today I sing of Othmar Schoeck
Musica Kaleidoskopea 