Category Archives: 20th century

Reynaldo Hahn – Le rossignol des lilas

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Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)

Reynaldo Hahn was a French composer who was born in Caracas, Venezuela.  Hahn studied composition with Jules Massenet (the composer of the opera Thais which contains a famous piece for violin solo called Meditation).  Reynaldo Hahn first became known for his songs when he was a teenager.  After 1900 he concentrated more on conducting, writing ballets, operas and operettas.

Here is a song by Reynaldo Hahn called “Le rossignol des lilas.” It is performed by mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and pianist Roger Vignoles.  Enjoy!

 

Reynaldo Hahn – A Chloris

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Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)

Reynaldo Hahn was a French composer who was born in Caracas, Venezuela.  Hahn studied composition with Jules Massenet (the composer of the opera Thais which contains famous piece for violin solo called Meditation).  Reynaldo Hahn first became known for his songs when he was a teenager.  After 1900 he concentrated more on conducting, writing ballets, operas and operettas.

A Chloris (1916) is a popular song by Reynaldo Hahn.  Here it is sung by the French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky.  Enjoy!

 

Erik Satie – Trois Gnossiennes

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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

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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

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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).

Bernat Vivancos – catalan song-Lo jardí de la mort

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Bernat Vivancos (1973-

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!

Shostakovich – Three pieces for two violins and piano op.97

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Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Soviet Russian composer, piano virtuoso, and an important figure in 20th Century music.

The Three pieces for two violins and piano, op 97 by Shostakovich come from his ‘Gadfly’ suite.  This music is beautiful and light-hearted (a complete contrast to much of his music which is dark and very dissonant).

Shostakovich was known for writing some very dark dissonant music.  His dark dissonant music reflects his feelings towards Joseph Stalin and the Soviet regime.

Here is a a recording of the three pieces for two violins and piano, op 97 from the ‘Gadfly’ suite by Shostakovich.  It is performed by Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman (two famous Israeli-American violinists), and Samuel Sanders (an American Pianist and professor at the Juilliard School of Music in New York).  Enjoy!

Duruflé: Quatre Motets

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Maurice Duruflé

Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)

Maurice Duruflé was a French composer and organist.  He didn’t write very many works.  Duruflé is most well known as a composer for his Requiem.  He was also a well known performer on the organ and toured internationally.

Duruflé’s four motets are based on gregorian chants taken from the Liber Usualis (a book of prayers, lessons, and chants for important  offices used in the Roman Catholic Church).  The motets are written in a modal style because the chants themselves were written in modes (these are old scales that were used in church music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance period and folk song long before major and minor scales and modern harmony existed in music).

Here is a recording of Maurice Duruflé’s four motets performed by the Laurens Collegium in Rotterdam.  The conductor is Wiecher Mandemaker.

Béla Bartók – Three Hungarian Folk Songs from Csík

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Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Béla Bartók was a Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso.  In the early part of his career as a composer, Bartók travelled with his colleague Kodály to remote villages in order to study their folk melodies.  He recorded some of the peasants in these villages singing the folk melodies native to their region.  Bartok later transcribed most of these melodies as best as he could for the piano and added harmonies to the melodies.

The Three Folk Songs from Csik  are melodies that Bartók recorded village peasants singing, and then transcribed for the piano.  I hope you enjoy them.  They are quite beautiful.

Widor Agnus Dei

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Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)

Charles-Marie Widor was a French organist, composer, and teacher.  He wrote works for various instruments and ensembles.  He is mostly known today for his ten organ symphonies.

Here is the Agnus Dei from Widor’s Mass op.36 for choir and organ.  It is performed by the Schola Cantorum of Saint Agnes based in New York City.  James D. Wetzel is the organist and choirmaster.  David Enlow is the guest organist.  The music is very skillfully composed.  Listen to how the voices meld together  and how well the organ accompaniment fits and provides a mood for the piece.  Enjoy!