First blog entry.  Hmmm... what to write, what to write.....

Well, I can start with last night's show.  An examination of American musical composition.  Naturally, the focus was on the notables - Samuel Barber, Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin.  If I had had more than 2 hours available, it would have been a bit more comprehensive.  More Barber (some of his art songs, some more of his chamber music), more Ives (I wasn't able to play any of his songs, which are really interesting, nor was I able to touch on stuff like Three Places in New England), and I would have done more than one Gershwin piece.  I would also have done some John Cage, and I would have touched on significant songwriters, like Bob Dylan (whom I've played a lot of recently) or Paul Simon.  I was, however, able to put in some Elliot Carter (a lovely wind quartet) and some conservative Lukas Foss.  Oh well, you use the time you have available.  I might do some more next week.

Playlist: July 10, 2006