Astor Piazzolla – Milonga del Angel

by

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

Astor Piazzolla was an Argentinian tango composer, arranger, and bandoneon virtuoso (the bandoneon is a type of accordion).  He invented a modern style of tango music called tango nuevo (a style of tango that uses elements of jazz and classical music).

A milonga is a dance that is similar to a tango. It is usually a faster dance then the tango and there aren’t any pauses between steps. The dance is more humourous and rustic compared to a serious and dramatic tango.

Here is a milonga by Piazzolla called Milonga del Angel (Milonga of the Angel) I hope you enjoy it. The musicians are Astor Piazzolla (bandoneón), Fernando Suarez Paz (violín), Oscar Lopez Ruiz (electric guitar), Hector Console (bass), Pablo Ziegler (piano).

 

James Scott piano rags

by

James Scott (1885-1938)

James Scott was an African-American composer of ragtime music.  He is one of the major ragtime composers and pianists along with Scott Joplin and Joseph Lamb.

Scott’s piano rags use a wide range of the keyboard and a melody is often stated and then repeated higher up on the keyboard in a “call and response” style.

Here are two of James Scott’s piano rags.  Unfortunately I do not know who is performing the rags because the person who posted the clip on youtube did not list the name of the pianist.  Enjoy!

(James Scott – The Great Scott Rag)

(James Scott- Ragtime Oriole)

Luiz Bonfa – Manha de Carnaval – The Rosenberg Trio

by

Luiz Bonfa (1922-2001)

Luiz Bonfa was a Brazilian guitarist and composer.  He is known for the music he wrote for the film Black Orpheus.  He helped to bring Brazilian music to the world stage.

Here is a composition called Manha de Carnaval.  It is a bossa nova (a lyrical fusion of a samba and jazz).  Bossa novas were developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s.   It is played by the Rosenberg Trio (a solo guitar, rhythm guitar, and string bass).  Enjoy!

John Field- Nocturne no. 5 B Flat Major Andantino

by

John Field (1782-1837)

John Field was an Irish composer and piano virtuoso.  His Nocturnes inspired Chopin.

Here is a recording of John Field’s Nocturne no.5 in B Flat Major played by the Irish pianist John O’Connor.  John O’ Connor has performed in many recitals and has played with many of the world’s top orchestras.  Enjoy!

G.F. Handel – Nine German Arias

by

G. F. Handel (1685-1759)

Georg Frideric Handel was a German baroque organist, violinist, conductor, and composer who spent most of his working life in London, England.  He composed more than 40 operas, oratorios, sacred music, orchestral music, chamber music, and keyboard music.  Today Handel is known for works such as the oratorio Messiah, Water Music, and the Royal Fireworks Music.

Handel’s nine German arias are not from any of his 40 operas.  They are Da capo arias (an A section followed by a B section which is followed by the A section one last time).  This form (ABA) was a popular form of opera aria in the baroque period.

Here are the German arias by G.F. Handel.  Dame Emma Kirkby is the soprano. She is accompanied by the London Baroque.

Erik Satie – Trois Gnossiennes

by

Erik Satie (1866-1925)

A French composer and pianist.  Satie was part of a group of composers known as Les Six.

In Satie’s early compositions, the music is reduced down to its bare essentials, and emotion and expressivity are strictly controlled.  The melody in each piece is modal.  The melodic lines flow seamlessly, and there is a simple chordal accompaniment of mildly dissonant, modal chord progressions that don’t resolve.  The accompaniment is straightforward (a sustained note followed by a blocked chord) and has a constant rhythm.  This constant rhythm gives the pieces a static feel.  The music is not divided up into measures.  Satie likes to take certain motivic structures and join them together randomly with other structures.  The use of modes makes the music sound archaic and at the same time very modern.

Here are the first three of Satie’s six Gnossienne.  They are played by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.  The Gnossienne were composed in 1890.

 

Rachmaninov(1873-1943) plays Rachmaninov Lilacs op.21-5 Rec.1942

by

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!

Catoire Elegy – Oistrach, Goldenweiser

by

Georgy Catoire (1861-1926)

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 – The Sheik of Araby

by

The Quintet of the Hot Club of France

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!

Michal Oginski – Polonaise in a minor ‘Farewell to the Fatherland’

by

Michał Kleofas Ogiński (1765-1833)

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!