Musical Selection for today

Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto

The violin concerto (1939) is a transitional work: the first two movements sing sweetly and intently; the last movement burns the barn down with complex meters and new dissonances.

American composer Samuel Barber, most famous for "The Adagio for Strings", often confuses critics. He founded no school; he stuck to no one style. As a public figure, he seemed aloof from the various critical fights of American music: tonal vs. atonal, Stravinsky vs. Schoenberg, and old-guard vs. modern.

Barber distinguished himself as a melodist. Almost everything he wrote has at least one gorgeous tune or memorable theme.

Frühlingsglaube (Spring's faith)

It's spring, a time for renewal and awakening. Poets throughout history have penned many a wonderful expression of man's sentiments relating to the seasons, to nature and the world in which we inhabit however briefly. German Lied or art song has many fine examples of such expression. I've been drawn to Franz Schubert's, (1797-1828) Frühlingsglaube, text by Johann Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862).

Die linden Lüfte sind erwacht,
Sie säuseln und wehen Tag und Nacht,
Sie schaffen an allen Enden.
O frischer Duft, o neuer Klang!
Nun, armes Herze, sei nicht bang!
Nun muß sich alles, alles wenden.

Die Welt wird schöner mit jedem Tag,
Man weiß nicht, was noch werden mag,
Das Blühen will nicht enden;
Es blüht das fernste, tiefste Tal:
Nun, armes Herz, vergiß der Qual!
Nun muß sich alles, alles wenden.

The mild breezes are awakened,
They whisper and move day and night,
And are at work everywhere.
O fresh scent, o new sound!
Now, poor heart, don't be afraid.
Now all, all must change.

The world is more beautiful with every day,
One knows not what yet may be,
The flowering will not end.
Even the deepest, most distant valley blooms.
Now, poor heart, forget your torment.
Now all, all must change.

The picture above is of Wisteria blooming now in South Carolina. We stopped on the side of the rode to take this picture and I got a good whiff of the beautiful and delicate fragrance.

"O Frischer Duft"

There is a link to Lieder in the sidebar. What a treasure of great poetry and music from the heart of Europe and from the Romantic Period of the Arts. (1820-1910) Schubert wrote the music for Frühlingsglaube in 1820 when he was in his early 20's and the author of the poem, (Uhland) in his early 30's.

Romantic Music.

On the Route

Today while delivering the Newberry Observer it was nice to hear some truly inspired music on npr. Lately I've been disappointed with the music selection especially in the early morning hours when the selections have been of lessor known composers, and thus lessor inspired works. So what was it that caught my ear? Ralph Vaughan Williams' Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus for strings and harp.

"Vaughan Williams is arguably the greatest composer Britain has seen since the days of Henry Purcell. In a long and extensive career, he composed music notable for its power, nobility and expressiveness, representing, perhaps, the essence of 'Englishness'."

In 1914 he published the now famous "The Lark Ascending" Romance for violin and orchestra, dedication to Marie Hall. It is one of his most well-known pieces along with Fantasia on Greensleeves.

It is music like this that reminds me that there are no ordinary moments, there is indeed, at all times the Eternal Ecstasy waiting within every aspect of being. Waiting to be remembered and celebrated, never withheld from anyone, ever.

me in the EE