Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was a famous Russian pianist and composer. Lilacs was one of eleven songs that Rachmaninoff composed in 1902. That year he got married and he composed the songs to help pay for the honeymoon. In 1913 Rachmaninoff adapted the song into a solo piano piece. He recorded the piece three times. In 1920 he made a recording of the piece for Victor and also recorded it on a piano roll. In 1942 Rachaminoff recorded Lilacs for RCA.
Here is the recording of Lilacs Rachmaninoff made for RCA. Enjoy!
Georgy Catoire was a Russian composer of French descent. He studied the piano in Berlin with Klindworth. Catoire studied composition with Rimsky-Korsakov and Anatol Lyadov. He was appointed as a professor to the Moscow Conservatory in 1916. Catoire composed works for piano, orchestra, and chamber music ensembles. He also wrote important books on harmony and musical form.
Here is a recording of a piece by Catoire called Elegy for violin and piano. It is played by David Oistrakh (violin) and Alexander Goldenweiser (piano).
The Quintet of the Hot Club of France was a string jazz group made up of three guitars, a violin, and a bass. It was originally formed in 1934 after a series of informal backstage jam sessions. The quintet was a unique jazz group because it was made up of an interesting combination of instruments and it invented a style of jazz known as “gypsy jazz” or “hot jazz.” Over the years the quintet went through many different rhythm guitarists and bass players but the two main players (Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli) remained the same. From 1934 until the beginning of the war in 1939 the quintet made hundreds of recordings and toured Europe many times. The quintet was disbanded in 1939. In 1946 Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt teamed up together again and formed another quintet. This post-war quintet lasted from 1946 until 1948.
Here is a recording done by the Quintet of the Hot Club of France in 1937 of a jazz standard called the “Sheik of Araby.” Enjoy!
Michał Kleofas Ogiński was a Polish Prince, diplomat, pianist, violinist, and composer. His Polonaises were an important influence on Chopin.
The Polonaise in a minor ‘Farewell to the Fatherland’ is one the the most famous polonaises ever written. It was composed after Ogiński returned to Warsaw, Poland from a diplomatic mission to the Hague and London, England. Ogiński found out upon his return to Poland that the country was being threatened with an invasion from Russia, Prussia, and Austria. He became depressed and composed the Polonaise in a minor. The polonaise became very popular because there was a rumour that Ogiński had committed suicide which was not true.
Ogiński also composed a piece called the Song of the Legions which later became the Polish National Anthem.
Iwo Załuski – pianist
Iwo Załuski is the great-great grandson of Michał Kleofas Ogiński. He is working to restore the music of the Ogiński dynasty into the repertoire of Polish piano music.
Here is a recording of Iwo Zaluski playing the Polonaise in a minor ‘Farewell to the Fatherland’. Enjoy!
Bernat Vivancos is a Catalan composer and teacher. He studied piano and composition in Barcelona. He later moved to Paris to study composition at the Conservatoire Superieur de Musique et de Danse for five years and then moved to Oslo Norway to complete his studies.
Vivanco’s music is full of colourful harmonies and beautiful melody. He has written a lot of vocal and instrumental music. Vivancos has received many commissions from international ensembles.
Nuria Rial (1975-
Nuria Rial is a Catalan soprano. She studied voice and piano at the Barcelona Conservatory and got diplomas from the Barcelona Conservatory in piano and voice. Nuria studied voice at the Music Academy in Basel and got a soloist diploma. Her specialty is Renaissance and Baroque music. She has made many recordings.
Here is a recording of a Catalan song by Bernat Vivancos called La jordi de la mort (Death’s Garden). It is performed by soprano Nuria Rial and Bernat Vivancos is the pianist. Enjoy!
Bonporti was an Italian composer, violinist, and priest. Bonporti may have studied with the Italian violin virtuoso and composer Arcangelo Corelli. His music is full of imaginative harmonies, lively part writing, and an unusual concentration to melodic detail. J.S. Bach copied out some of Bonporti’s Inventions. For a long time, four of Bonporti’s Inventions were attributed to J.S. Bach. Recent scholarship has shown that the inventions Bach copied out are actually by Bonporti.
Here is a recording of a motet by Bonporti. It features a soprano, Ellen Hargis, and Ensemble Ouabache.
The Troubadours were lyric poets and poet-musicians from France. The poets and poet-musicians active in Southern France were referred to as Troubadours. The poets and poet-musicians active in Northern France were referred to as Trouvères. Many of the songs were about courtly love. Here are two troubadour songs. The first song is called Humils forfaitz and it is by Giraut Riquier (c.1230-c.1300). The second song is called Ai tal domna and it is by Berenguier de Palau (early 12th century).
W.A. Mozart’s Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581 is his only completed clarinet quintet. It was composed in 1789 for clarinettist Anton Stadler. The Quintet is one of the earliest and best-known compositions written for one clarinet and a string quartet. It is a very popular work because of its lyrical melodies. The second movement is the most widely known movement of the whole work.
Benny Goodman was an American jazz clarinettist and bandleader. He formed his first big band in 1934. It was the top band of the swing jazz era. Benny Goodman mostly played jazz but he also had an interest in classical music written for the clarinet. Goodman commissioned works from Bartok, Copland, and Hindemith.
Here is a recording of Benny Goodman and the Budapest String Quartet playing W.A. Mozart’s Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581. This recording was made in 1948 and was Benny Goodman’s first classical music recording. Enjoy!
On December 2nd 1889, Theo Wangemann (who worked for Thomas Edison) recorded Johannes Brahms performing two segments at the piano in the home of Dr. Fellinger. The works recorded were a paraphrase of Strauss’ Libelle and part of Brahms’ Hungarian Dance no.1 in g minor.
For a time it was thought that the wax cylinder had been lost. It was re-discovered in the 1980s. Unfortunately the recording was almost entirely masked by noise. Wax cylinders get more and more worn each time they are played.
In the 1990s, Jonathan Berger and Charles Nichols (two PHD students at Stanford University) were able to remove some of the noise masking the music in the recording. Here is the wax cylinder recording that Brahms made in 1889. You will need to turn up the volume on your speakers to hear what little remains of the recorded music on the cylinder and use your imagination to fill in what is missing. Enjoy!
Dick Wellstood was an American jazz pianist. He was one of the great stride pianists. Wellstood had a real knack for taking just about any jazz tune or classical tune and turning it into a really exciting stride piano piece. Here he takes a well known piece for violin called the Caprice no. 24 in a minor by Niccolo Paganini and turns it into a stride piano piece. If you aren’t familiar with the original version of the piece on the violin, I suggest that you listen to that before you listen to Dick Wellstood’s version. If you understand what the original piece sounds like you will appreciate the stride piano version of the piece more. Enjoy!
Musical Treats 