Archive for the ‘WBJC Choral Hour’ Category
Mass for troubled times
In his later years Franz Joseph Haydn personally enjoying great success and fame, but the world around him was in trouble. In 1798 Haydn wrote Missa in Angustiis (“Mass for troubled times”) which may have been premiered the day Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated Napoleon in the Battle of the Nile. This late mass would gradually be called … Read More »
Veterans Day
In honor of Veterans Day, I’ll have music of different moods by American composers beginning with Aaron Copland’s Simple Gifts and ending with Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings in the choral arrangement. In between those small treasures, there will be performances of music by Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre. Related posts: Almost All American Mass … Read More »
Berlioz, Big Hair, Te Deum
How I love this cartoon of Hector Berlioz conducting the kitchen sink, canons and who knows what else! He was known for big hair and humongous orchestras. Having said that, the Te Deum by Berlioz, big by some standards, doesn’t employ the usual gigantic forces. It’s still big enough with the orchestra successfully competing with … Read More »
