Summer Page Turners
I never hear anybody recommend them. For years, I’ve listened closely as people suggest summer reading titles. Often, it’s “lighter fare,” assuming that most readers want to relax during the summer. That’s fine.
I wonder why nobody includes music books. No, I don’t mean books about music or musicians. Those can be most interesting. But there are and have been so many books of sheet music, with and without accompanying lessons. They’re for people of all ages to learn, practice, and simply enjoy music. Given some basic skills, one can “read through” books of music selections just for fun. It’s always been a great way to acquaint yourself with new pieces, as well as revisit some familiar ones.
And just as there are extensive lists of lighter literature appropriate for the summer, there are simplified collections of classical works. Such books have introduced children to famous pieces. But grown-ups can enjoy making music with them as well.
Famous composers have written collections of piano pieces which they’ve specified are for children or “the young.” Mendelssohn, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Nielsen, and Prokofiev come to mind. Nielsen’s are for “Young and Old.”
When I first thought about mentioning all this, I guessed that there are still a lot of music books available, both new and used. I did a little in-person exploring, discovering that your local music stores, book stores, and libraries are all worth a visit.
Check it out! There’s still a good bit of summer remaining, though it passes quickly. I know that just from glancing back at all that was a part of Classic Mornings since my last blog.
We celebrated a successful end of the fiscal year just days before the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. On Classic Mornings, I realized that July 4 was also the bicentennial of the birth of American songwriter & composer Stephen Foster (Beautiful Dreamer, I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair, etc). And just for fun, we looked back at 1876, the year of the nation’s centennial. Several classical music events of that year caught my attention.
Two famous works premiered in 1876, though early in the year. Nevertheless, during the centennial year of our nation, Edvard Grieg‘s music for Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake were performed for the first time. American pianist/composer Ernest Schelling (1876-1939) was born in 1876. He was the first host of the Young People’s Concerts in New York Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari and Manuel de Falla were born in 1876 as well.
Philadelphia was a center of attraction on July 4. And on Classic Mornings, I was reminded of an amusing story involving the famous Liberty Bell. There are replicas of the bell. A museum in Philadelphia will let you touch and ring one for $5. The Dallas Wind Symphony managed to get one of them transported to Dallas and hoisted onto a stage, so that they could record the famous Liberty Bell March by John Philip Sousa with the namesake bell. There was great anticipation for the pairing of the march and the bell.
It didn’t work. But it was a noble effort. And the result is entertaining. The memento of the attempt is on the Dallas Wind Symphony’s recording titled Strictly Sousa (Reference Recordings 94). It’s also online.
Sometimes online translators don’t really help. But they can provide some amusement if you’re familiar with words in both languages. That happened when I went to search for recent concerts and recordings of an oboist whom I’ve featured on the program over the years. I found a Dutch article about her. So, I used an online translation option, only to have her name appear as Pauline Austria. That’s not her name. It’s Pauline Oostenrijk. It reminded me – and maybe this is the first time you’re hearing it – that the Dutch word for Austria is Oostenrijk. It’s similar to the German/Austrian word Österreich, which is the actual name of the country. It led me to her homepage to learn that this onetime principal oboe of the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague now teaches the instrument. She says it’s her mission to get as many children to begin oboe lessons as possible, as she began to play when she was a child. We were introduced to her 25 years ago, from her recording with the New Sinfonietta of Amsterdam, featuring works by members of the Bach family.
In anticipation of playing a bassoon concerto by Vivaldi on Classic Mornings, a bit of wordplay led me to wonder whether the Oklahoma Sooners have bassooners. I learned that there is an ensemble at the University of Oklahoma known as the Sooner Bassooners. One article suggested there were 15 members. And a video clip online shows them performing the National Anthem.
Savor the upcoming summer days! And stay tuned!
