@musicprogramnotes.bsky.social
I am a music researcher, program note writer, music program annotator - find out more from my website: www.MusicProgramNotes.com . Each day, I also post music of lesser-known composers and lesser-known works by the great composers. Open for work, too.
Celebrating the Music of Sir Granville Bantock!
(August 7, 1868 โ October 16, 1946)
English composer. Here's his Coronach, filled with beautiful Romantic melody and mood.
Coronach: Meditation for Violin and Piano (โPro Patria Moriโ) (1899, arr. 1918)
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Jeremiah Clarke!
(?/1674 โ December 1, 1707)
English organist and composer. Correctly attributed today, her is his joyous The Prince of Denmark March (better known as Trumpet Voluntary, written around 1699):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRrs...
More Celebration of the Music of Francesco Cilรจa!
(July 23, 1866 โ November 20, 1950)
Not only opera, but an exquisite chamber work shows us this fine composerโs musical greatness โ the Romanze from his Cello Sonata:
youtu.be/izhyeOTwVIA?...
Celebrating the Music of Francesco Cilรจa!
(July 23, 1866 โ November 20, 1950)
Cilรจa was an Italian opera composer. Here is his Lament of Frederico from his third opera, 1897, Lโarlesiana (based on the same plot that Bizet wrote his famous incidental music for):
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
More Celebration of the Music of William Schuman!
(8/4/1910 โ 2/15/1992)
Here, the thrilling Tocatta portion of the second half of Schumanโs great Symphony No. 3:
youtu.be/DKxnQ0thmGI?...
Celebrating the Music of William Schuman!
(8/4/1910 โ 2/15/1992)
American composer. His early โAmerican Festival Overtureโ (1939) was one of the pieces that brought him fame. The last 40 seconds or so are especially thrilling.
American Festival Overture
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Franz Xaver Sรผssmayr!
(?/1766 โ September 17, 1803)
Austrian composer who completed Mozart's unfinished Requiem. Here is his stunningly lovely Ave verum corpus:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Happy Birthday, Sir Arthur Bliss!
(8/2/1891 โ 3/27/1975)
English composer. Blissโs facility with orchestral forces and his knack for the dramatic are keenly evident in his โMarchโ from the soundtrack to H.G. Wellsโs film adaptation of โThings to Come.โ (1936)
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
More Celebration of the Music of Ernst (Ernล) von Dohnรกnyi!
(July 27, 1877 โ February 9, 1960)
Here is an absolutely beautiful, reflective and soulful, and fierce symphonic movement, the Finale, from Dohnรกnyiโs Symphony No. 2:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
More Celebration of the Music of Ernst (Ernล) von Dohnรกnyi!
(July 27, 1877 โ February 9, 1960)
Dohnรกnyiโs composition talents were impressive โ hereโs an imaginative work for string trio:
Serenade for String Trio, Op. 10
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Ernst (Ernล) von Dohnรกnyi!
(July 27, 1877 โ February 9, 1960)
Hungarian composer. Here is his movement 4 from his Symphonic Minutes - Tema con Variazione. Andante poco moto
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gztU...
More Celebration of the Music of Ignacio Cervantes!
Near the end of his life, Cervantes wrote one of his finest works. Fรบsion de Almas, for his daughter, Maria. Linked here is a charming documentary about Maria which opens with her performing that song.
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Ignacio Cervantes!
(July 31, 1847 โ April 29, 1905)
Cuban composer and pianist. Here is a delightful arrangement of several of his great dances played by a guitar orchestra.
Danzas Cubanos
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8qt...
More Celebration of the Music of Franz Xaver Mozart!
(July 26, 1791 โJuly 29, 1844)
Franzโs musical aesthetics reflected the burgeoning Romantic movement. Here is a most beautiful movement, longing and piercing, the Andante from his Piano Quartet in G minor: youtu.be/uNXD2mNbsw4?...
Celebrating the Music of Franz Xaver Mozart!
(July 26, 1791 โJuly 29, 1844)
Austrian composer Franz Mozart was the youngest of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartโs two surviving children. Here is a truly brilliant Rondo for Flute and Piano by Franz X. Mozart: www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Michail โMikisโ Theodorakis!
(July 29, 1925 - September 2, 2021)
Greek composer and politician and humanitarian. This beautiful song seems to capture an essence of all of Theodorakisโ imspirations โ the Song of Songs ([of] Mauthausen): www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Mona McBurney!
(July 29, 1862 โ December 4, 1932)
British teacher, pianist and composer. Active as a musician all her adult life, she composed operas, mainly, but also a fair amount in other genres. Hereโs a lovely little piano piece:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Happy Composing, Jonathan Ostlund!
(October 24)
Swedish composer. In this piece, โThe Gate of Northern Lightsโ (from his album โVoyagesโ), thereโs an indescribable infectiousness of color and harmony, always forward moving, like a throbbing pulse:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hNC...
More Celebration of the Music of Rued Immanuel Langgaard!
(July 28, 1893 โ July 10, 1952)
A completely different side to this unique Danish artist โ his String Quartet No. 5 (1925), here the Lento misterioso movement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjL_...
Celebrating the Music of Rued Immanuel Langgaard!
(July 28, 1893 โJuly 10, 1952)
Danish composer. Listen here to the last two minutes of his Symphony No. 11 (which is only 5 or 6 minutes longโฆ) led by a quartet of tubas, of all instruments!!
youtu.be/us7fZdvQMxk?...
A sad tale, indeed, David!
27.07.2025 18:56 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Celebrating the Music of Enrique Granados!
(July 27, 1867 โ March 24, 1916)
Spanish pianist and composer. Here is one of his finest works, the Intermezzo (from Goyescas), here played in an arrangement for cello and piano performed by Jacqueline du Prรฉ): youtu.be/5jgIglWnPUI?...
Ahhhhhh, scrapple!! ๐
27.07.2025 18:38 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
Celebrating the Music of Nkeiru Okoye!
(July 18, 1972)
Musician and composer Nkeiru Okoye describes herself as โโฆan American-born composer of African American and Nigerian ancestry." Here is Okoyeโs potent response to 9/11 โ Voices Shouting Out (2002):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8U1...
Celebrating the Music of John Field!
(July 26, 1782 โ January 23, 1837)
Irish composer Field was well known in his lifetime as both a great pianist and piano composer. He is best known today for his Nocturnes for piano. Here is his Nocturne No. 2 in C minor:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Phillipe Gaubert!
(July 3, 1879 โ July 8, 1941)
French musician Gaubert was respected equally as a conductor, composer and flutist. His Madrigal for flute and piano (1908) is simply gorgeous.
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
#musicsky
More Celebration of the Music of Ernest Bloch!
(July 24, 1880 โ July 15, 1959)
Tuneful, colorful and rich:
Concertino for Flute, Clarinet and Strings:
1. Allegro comodo
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Ernest Bloch!
(July 24, 1880 โ July 15, 1959)
Bloch was born in Switzerland but moved to America in 1916. Here is his โPrayer,โ the first movement from his From Jewish Life (1924), is often regarded as one of his most beautiful creations.
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Celebrating the Music of Franz Berwald!
(July 23, 1796 โ April 3, 1868)
Swedish composer. Here's the extremely fetching Overture to his 1862 opera, Estrella de Soria:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
#musicsky
Celebrating the Music of Louis-Claude Daquin!
(July, 4 1694 โ June 15, 1772)
French composer Daquin was a child prodigy. His Le Coucou (The Cuckoo from his 1735 harpsichord suite, Piรจces de clavecin, Troisiรจme Livre) is one of his most charming works.
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
