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
Category: Pet Sounds
A place to post about new music which I find especially interesting or noteworthy.
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
Ernst Krenek : August 23, 1900 – December 22, 1991
Ernst Krenek (August 23, 1900 – December 22, 1991) was an Austrian, later American, composer of Czech origin. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including Music Here and Now (1939), a study of Johannes Ockeghem (1953), and Horizons Circled: Reflections on my Music (1974). Krenek's music encompassed a variety … Continue reading Ernst Krenek : August 23, 1900 – December 22, 1991
pet sound : roomful of teeth
Roomful of Teeth is a GRAMMY-winning vocal project dedicated to mining the expressive potential of the human voice. Through study with masters from singing traditions the world over, the eight-voice ensemble continually expands its vocabulary of singing techniques and, through an ongoing commissioning process, forges a new repertoire without borders. Founded in 2009 by Brad Wells, the band gathers annually at … Continue reading pet sound : roomful of teeth
Leif Segerstam : conductor, composer
Most people have heard of "Beethoven's 5th" but they may not know that he wrote nine symphonies. Far fewer will know how many symphonies Mozart (41) or Haydn (104) wrote. But at one point in music history the symphony was the basic genre-form for orchestra. The symphony prospered in the 18th century and was still a vibrant … Continue reading Leif Segerstam : conductor, composer
Streaming electroacoustic music
One of the premier vendors for learning about and buying electroacoustic music has been the excellent Canadian site electrocd.com. Recently they added a streaming offer at their sister site, electro:thèque, that is priced fairly reasonably at $79.00 CAD (which because of the favorable exchange rate against the US dollar, computes to a little over $60.00 USD for twelve months … Continue reading Streaming electroacoustic music
pet sound : Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s Haydn Keyboard Sonata series
Having ignored these recordings for years I am delving into them and finding them very enjoyable. Listening to Vol. 2 today. 1. Sonata for Keyboard no 19 in E minor, H 16 no 47bis 2. Sonata for Keyboard no 20 in B flat major, H 16 no 18 3. Sonata for Keyboard no 32 in … Continue reading pet sound : Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s Haydn Keyboard Sonata series
Musica Kaleidoskopea 