Sunday of Blind Composers

Johann Sebastian Bach became increasingly blind towards the end of his life. Apparently, whilst suffering from seriously impaired vision, he dictated the scores of his final works and revisions to one of his colleagues to write for him.
Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit, BWV668a Egon Petri Piano Deutsche Grammophon  November 15, 2011
 Johann Sebastian Bach: Präludium und Fuge G-Dur BWV 541 (Eisenbarth-Orgel St. Leonhard Asenham)

Maria Theresa von Paradis, 1759-1824, had an accident causing total blindness when she was just four years old. Born in Vienna, she was a friend of Mozart. She sang opera at an early age, and composed a number of operas, and classical works, working entirely from memory and faultlessly dictating the scores, without the need for revisions.
Morgenlied Eines Armen Mannes Patrice Michaels Soprano David Schrader Piano Cedille January 1, 2000

George Frideric Handel (German: Georg Friedrich Händel;   (23 February 1685, Halle – 14 April 1759, London) In August 1750, on a journey back from Germany to London, Handel was seriously injured in a carriage accident between The Hague and Haarlem in the Netherlands In 1751 one eye started to fail. The cause was a cataract which was operated on by the great charlatan Chevalier Taylor. This did not improve his eyesight, but possibly made it worse^. He died eight years later in 1759 at home in Brook Street, at age 74. The last performance he attended was of Messiah. Handel was buried in Westminster Abbey.  More than three thousand mourners attended his funeral, which was given full state honors.

Messiah, HWV56 (standard version), Part 1 - 11.Aria (Bass): The people that walked in darkness

Robert Lloyd, Bass, Sir Neville Marriner Conductor Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chorus

Jean Langlais was born in La Fontenelle (Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany), a small village near Mont Saint-Michel, France. Langlais became blind due to glaucoma when he was only two years old, and was sent to the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (National Institute for Blind Children) in Paris, where he began to study the organ, with André Marchal. From there, he progressed to the Paris Conservatoire, obtaining prizes in organ, which he studied with Marcel Dupré, composition, which he studied with Paul Dukas. He also studied improvisation with Charles Tournemire

Jean Langlais: Incantation pour un jour Saint (Mathis-Orgel St. Josef Marktredwitz). 

Jacob van Eyck (ca. 1590 – 26 March 1657) was a Dutch nobleman and musician. He was one of the best-known musicians in The Netherlands in the seventeenth century as a carillon player, expert in bell casting and tuning, organist, recorder virtuoso, and composer. Van Eyck was born blind into a noble family in the small town of Heusden. In 1625 he left home and became carillon player of the Dom Tower of Utrecht, in 1628 he became the Director of the Carillons of Utrecht. René Descartes, Isaac Beeckman and other scientists praised his knowledge of acoustics, bell casting and tuning and bell players came to Utrecht to study with him. He died in Utrecht.

Erik Bosgraaf , recorder, plays Jacob van Eyck's “Comagain”

Pablo Bruna (1611-1679) was born in Daroca, Aragón, and permanently blinded by illness at the age of five. He served for more than forty years at the church of Santa María la Mayor in his home town: as organist from 1631 and as maestro de capilla from 1669. His Tiento de dos tiples exploits the divided keyboard of the 17th-century Spanish organ: the two upper parts act as solo voices, accompanied by quieter registration in the two lower parts. Characteristics of the organ tiento include abundant use of melodic and harmonic sequences, and the exploration of varied rhythms.

José Suárez, organist, in January 1998 at the convent of San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya.

Miguel de Fuenllana (c.1500–1579) Little is known of his life. It is assumed from his name that his roots lie in the municipality of Fuenllana, in the province of Ciudad Real, although he was born in Navalcarnero, Madrid. Blind from birth, he composed a Libro de música para vihuela intitulado Orphenica Lyra (Seville, 1554), dedicated to Philip II of Spain. At the arrival of Isabel de Valois, third wife of Philip II, she brought with her a group of French instrumental musicians who wished to stay in the Spanish court; Fuenllana alternated with this group and his musical works were performed together with those of foreign artists. At the death of the queen in 1568 he continued serving in the Spanish court. He died in Valladolid. This Fantasia (Orphenica Lyra, Fo. CV) is one of many polyphonic masterworks of this great renaissance composer. Lawrence Johnson, guitarist

Jaroslav Ježek  (September 25, 1906 – January 1, 1942) was a Czech composer, pianist and conductor, author of jazz, classical, incidental and film music. Ježek was born in the Prague quarter of Žižkov to the family of a tailor. He was almost blind from a young age. He studied composition at the Prague Conservatory as a pupil of Karel Boleslav Jirák (1924–1927), at the master school of composition with Josef Suk (1927–1930), and shortly also with Alois Hába (1927–1928). Ježek met the playwrights/comedians Jan Werich and Jiří Voskovec (aka George Voskovec), leaders of the Osvobozené divadlo (Prague Liberated Theatre) in Prague, and took up the post of main composer and conductor for the theatre. During the next decade (from 1928 to 1939), he composed incidental music, songs, dances, and ballets for the comic and satirical plays of Voskovec and Werich. In 1934 he became a member of Czech Group of Surrealists. Forced to leave Czechoslovakia following the Nazi occupation, Ježek, Voskovec and Werich went into exile in New York City. He worked as a piano teacher and choirmaster there, and continued to work with Voskovec and Werich. In 1942, the long-ill Ježek died of chronic kidney disease in New York. On December 29, 1941, two days before his death, Ježek married Frances Bečáková.
He collaborated with many avant-garde artists of pre-war Czechoslovakia, such as Vítězslav Nezval and E. F. Burian.

Jaroslav Ježek (arranged by Charley Gerard) You Don't know What Are the Dark Ages (Vy nevíte, co je středověk)Charley Gerard, alto saxophone, James King, bass, Lenny Robinson, drums, Carl Banner, piano, Jared Dubin, trombone, Jackie Coleman, trumpet.

Turlough O'Carolan,(1670 – 25 March 1738) was a blind early Irish harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last great Irish harper-composer and is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer.
Jeff Carter, guitar - O'Carolan: Si Bhig Si Mhor

 

Sunday of Women Composers

Women composers : the lost tradition found. Leonarda, 1988. Kyrie / Hildegard of Bingen Sopranos and altos of the Schola Cantorum, University of Arkansas; Jack Groh, conductor
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1170) (Germany), a unique and extraordinary woman by any century's measure, wrote books on natural science, theology and medicine and the first morality play set to music. She composed a large collection of religious music, Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum (Symphony of the harmony of celestial revelation). Noble by birth, her resources probably helped her to found her own Order in Germany, and she earned the respect of kings, emperors and churchmen. The title of her collection, "Symphonia," refers, in addition to its more general musical meaning, to the medieval style hurdy-gurdy called a symphonia, used in this performance of 0 Jerusalem. The songs in this collection are in Latin, and, as common with plainsong, were written as a single line of music. This performance includes echoes and drones inspired by Hildegard's melodies and poetry. It is not known how this music may have been performed in Hildegard's time.
Selections from the opera La liberazione di Ruggiero / Francesca Caccini Mertine Johns, mezzo-soprano; Michael May, harpsichord; Yvonne Cable, cello; Vieuxtemps String Quartet members Masako Yanagita, Marnie Hall, Margaret Middleton Chi desia di saper Carol Plantamura, soprano; Jürgen Hübscher, baroque guitar; Beverly Lauridsen, viola da gamba
Francesca Caccini (1587-between 1628 and 1640): Francesca Caccini's father Giulio, along with Peri, is credited with writing the first opera. Francesca sang and played lute, guitar and harpsichord, all very well, according to Monteverdi. She began composing major entertainments during her late teens. Although Francesca spent most of her life in Florence, she traveled widely, and made her singing debut at the wedding of Maria de Medici to Henri IV, King of France, in 1600. She became a musician for the Medici Court in 1607 and by 1613 was one of the highest paid musicians in Florence. In 1615 she published her first book of monodies, and with it gained respect as a composer. She then began to write large-scale operas, one of which was the first Italian opera to be produced outside Italy when it was performed in Warsaw in 1682. Caccini also wrote madrigals, canzonettas, musical settings for sonnets, variations and sacred works. Her music is very dramatic and uses unprepared dissonance, precisely indicated ornaments and word painting. As a singing teacher Caccini produced a whole school of disciples.
 Tradimento! / Barbara Strozzi Carol Plantamura, soprano; Jürgen Hübscher, lute; Beverly Lauridsen, viola da gamba
Barbara Strozzi (b.1619. Last published in 1664) composed some of the most extraordinary music of the 17th century and was considered the best singer and lute player in Venice. She was probably the illegitimate daughter of the poet Giulio Strozzi, who adopted her when she was nine. He saw to it that she received the best musical education and encouraged her to compose, publish and perform. The Strozzi home was the meeting place for groups of highly educated men who met to discuss the arts and sciences, which greatly influenced Barbara's development. One group in which she was particularly interested was the Accademia degli Unisoni, or the "group of similar thinkers" founded in 1637. Their meetings were devoted to musical performances as well as to academic discourse, and Barbara played an important role as singer, lutenist, composer and collaborator. She commissioned poetry from members of the academy, set it to music, and performed and published it. At the time, there was no consensus that women had souls or belonged to the human race, and because of the role she played in a "man's world," she and the Accademia degli Unisoni gained much notoriety. Strozzi's music is similar to, but more lyrical than that of Cavalli, her teacher, and displays the wide variety of musical forms used in her day: full and partial da capo arias, strophic arias, strophic variations, and multi-sectioned cantatas using both free recitative and arias. Strozzi wrote arias, dramatic cantatas, madrigals and duets. She published eight volumes of works, including more cantatas than any other 17th-century composer.
Kyrie from the First mass, op. 18 / Isabella Leonarda University of Arkansas Chorus, violins, cello, organ, Jack Groh, conductor.
Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704) (Novara, Italy) joined the Collegio Sant'Orsola (the Order later called Ursulines) at the age of 16. Her father was a member of the minor nobility and a Doctor of Law. Two of her brothers were canons of the Novara cathedral, and at least two sisters also were members of the Collegio Sant'Orsola .Her oldest brother inherited the family title and was a civic official in Novara. His descendants still live in the city and the family archives include much information about Isabella, including a representation of her on a family tree shown in the accompanying CD booklet. When she was 20, Leonarda's first published music appeared in a collection by the Maestro de Capella at the Novara cathedral, Gasparo Casati, who may have been her teacher. Leonarda published 20 volumes of music during her life, of which two have been lost. The surviving volumes contain more than 200 pieces of music. One is entirely instrumental ­11 trio sonatas and a sonata for solo violin and organ continuo. The vocal works include psalms, magnificats, responsories, litanies, four masses, and many works with non-biblical texts (including four in Italian) which are usually labeled motets. The choral music is for soprano (canto), alto, tenor, and bass. All of the music, including the instrumental sonatas, would have been appropriate for liturgical use, but no records survive to tell us for what occasions her music was written or used, or even where it was performed. Leonarda's works are found in widely scattered locations, however, often with parts missing, indicating that they had been used. In Italy, her music is found in Bergamo, Siena, Bologna, Como, and Pistoia. Her music is also in Benedictine libraries in Einsiedein (Switzerland), Bueron, and Ottbeuren (Germany). Other works are located in national museums in England and the United States, in Munich, and at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. Brossard owned several of her works, which he esteemed highly and which are now in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. [Brossard's collection of manuscripts was acquired by Louis XV in 1724, and became the nucleus of the music collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale.] No manuscripts survive, only published music. Perhaps works were composed and published in quick succession, but it is more likely that Leonarda selected music for her published volumes from among her manuscripts.
 Prelude from the cantata Samson / Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre Tempête from the cantata Le Sommeil d'Ulisse
March for the regiment "Graf Lottum" from Four regimental marches / Anna Amalia, Princess of Prussia Masako Yanagita, Marnie Hall, Margaret Middleton, Yvonne Cable, Thomas Thies (string quartet and double bass)
Selections from Erwin and Elmire, a Singspiel / Anna Amalia, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar Berenice Bramson, soprano; Vieuxtemps String Quartet; Thomas Thies, double bass
Anna Amalia, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar (1739-1807), the niece of Frederick the Great and daughter of Charles I, married at 16 and was the mother of two sons. She assumed the duties of regent for her underage son upon the early death of her husband. Apparently she ruled the duchy well and still had time to cultivate the arts and study composition and piano. She founded the German theatre in Weimar and is considered the founder of the Weimar museums. A very talented and cultured person, she surrounded herself with musicians and writers. Between 1788 and 1790 she traveled to Italy to study music and the visual arts. While there she met Paisiello who impressed her, as did the Italian vocal style.
Sicilienne / Maria Theresia von Paradis Evalyn Steinbock, cello; Roger Rundle, piano
Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824): Paradis' father was the Imperial Court Secretary in Vienna, the cultural and political center of the Hapsburg empire. Maria Theresia was named after the Empress, who subsequently paid for her education. She went blind as a child, but because of her talent, had the best music teachers in Vienna, including Salieri for composition and singing. A keyboard virtuoso who was idolized by the public, both Salieri and Mozart wrote concertos for her. In the 1790s, Paradis stopped giving concerts, preferring to devote her time to composing and teaching. She spent the remainder of her life in Vienna where, in 1808, she founded an institution for music education for the handicapped. Since most of her music was not published, very little of it remains. This song was published in a collection of twelve songs from her European tour of 1784-1786.
 Hier Liegt ein Spielmann / Louise Reichart Grayson Hirst, tenor; Michel Yuspeh, piano
Nachwanderer ; Warum sind denn die Rosen so blass Morgenständchen / Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
John Ostendorf, bass-baritone; Rudolph Palmer, piano (1) Grayson Hirst, tenor;
Michel Yuspeh, piano (2,3)
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847) was a major talent, a better pianist than her brother Felix according to him, and the person to whom he took all of his compositions for criticism. Her father and brother discouraged her from having a professional career or publishing, but she was the musical director of one of the most important musical salons in Berlin in the 1830's and participated as a conductor, pianist and composer . In 1846 a small number of her works were published and she was planning more when she became ill and died. She composed songs, cantatas, oratorios and operas.
Der Winter ; Frühzeitiger Frühling ; Wie glänzt so hell dein Auge / Josephine Lang

Josephine Lang (1815-1880) came from Münich where her father was a court musician and her mother an opera singer. Lang was composing songs by age 13, and was only 15 when she wrote the song presented here. After meeting the young Lang in 1831, Mendelssohn wrote, "She has the gift of composing songs and singing them as I have never heard before. It is the most complete musical joy I have ever experienced." Lang responded to his enthusiasm by idolizing him. Robert Schumann wrote favorable reviews of her songs, including this one. Lang became a professional singer at the Münich court in 1836, but her career was cut short by marriage and a subsequent move to Tübingen in 1842. After her husband's death in 1856, Lang supported her family of six children by teaching voice and piano. Clara Schumann helped arrange for the publication of her Lieder. More than 150 were printed, establishing her as one of the most published women composers of the period. More than half of her songs date from the 1830s and 40s, and were influenced stylistically by Schubert, Schumann and Mendelssohn.
Das ist ein Tag ; Warum willst du And're fragen ;Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen ; Liebst du um Schönheit / Clara Wieck Schumann
Das Vöglein ; Die Beschwörung / Pauline Viardot-Garcia
 Scherzo from Trio in e minor, op. 45 ; Adagio, allegro from Nonetto, op. 38 / Louise Farrenc
Serenade from Quartet, op. 11 / Louise Hériette-Viardot
La morena, op. 67 / Cécile Chaminade
Nocturne ; D'un matin de printemps / Lili Boulanger
Excerpt from Quartet for strings, op. 79 / Amy Beach
Allegro vigoroso from Trio / Rebecca Clarke
 Divertimento / Katherine Hoover
Schicksal and Elisabeth from the song cycle Einsame Nacht / Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
String quartet (1962) / Ruth Schonthal
 Homage to Keith Jarrett and Gary Burton / Barbara Kolb
 Landscapes of the mind II / Marga Richter
 Nocturne La fin de siècle / Judith Lang Zaimont.

Sunday of the Paralyzed Composer

Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759. The magnificent Mr. Handel. Columbia, 1970- E. Power Biggs, organ; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Charles Groves, conductor. Grande Entree~Grande Entree and Semele, oratorio, HWV 58 Where'er You Walk~Where'er You Walk Bryn Terfel sings Handel Arias I feel, I feel the Deity within - Arm, arm ye brave! E. Power Biggs Entrance of the Queen of Sheba Bryn Terfel Vouchsafe, O Lord E. Power Biggs Samson, oratorio, HWV 57 Bryn Terfel Honour and arms scorn such a foe Os Mutantes Ganja Man Fool Metal Jack Curtis Mayfield SuperFly Delius, Frederick, 1862-1934. Sea drift (text by Walt Whitman). A song of the high hills. Angel [1974] John Noble, baritone; Liverpool Philharmonic Chorus; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Sir Charles Groves, conductor. Teddy Pendergrass, Love TKO

Roll Back the Stone

Rachmaninoff, Sergei, 1873-1943. The rock, op.7; [fantasy for orchestra]. Melodiya/Angel[1975] 

 U.S.S.R. Symphony Orchestra

Klezmatics (Musical group) Brother Moses smote the water the Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson & Kathryn Farmer. Piranha Musik,2004. Elijah rock The Klezmatics: Lorin Sklamberg, lead vocals, accordion; Frank London, trumpet, keyboard, organ, vocals; Matt Darriau, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, vocals; Lisa Gutkin, violin, vocals; Paul Morrissett, bass, tsimbl, vocals; David Licht, drums, vocals; with Joshua Nelson, Kathryn Farmer lead vocals, piano, organ. 

Berlioz, Hector, 1803-1896. Romeo and Juliet; the orchestral music. Angel[1970]Romeo at the tomb of the Capulets. Chicago Symphony Orchestra;

 Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor. 

The Best of Rock 'N' Roll Hits of the 50's 

 (CD - Excelsior Recordings #22062)

The Great Pretender Buck Ram The Platters 

Virgil Fox plays the Wanamaker grand court organ, Philadelphia. Command [1964] 

 Mulet, H. Thou art the rock, from Ten Byzantine sketches.

Ain't That a Shame Dave Bartholomew / Fats Domino Pat Boone
Prokofiev, Sergey, 1891-1953. Skaz o kamennom ︠t︡svetke. The stone flower.  London [1965]
 Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Silvio Varviso, conductor.

Earth Angel  Jesse Belvin The Crew Cuts
Donizetti, Gaetano, 1797-1848. Highlights from Lucia di Lammermoor;
opera in 3 acts. Cetra Tomb scene Lina Pagliughi, Maria Vinciguerra,
soprano; Armando Giannotti, Giovanni Malipiero, tenor; Giuseppe Manacchini,
baritone; Luciano Neroni, bass; Orchestra and chorus of Radio Italiana;
Ugo Tansini, conductor.

Tutti Frutti Dorothy LaBostrie / Joe Lubin / Little Richard Little Richard
The Temptations, Papa Was a Rolling Stone
Mylo Hatzenbuhler, Aloan Again Naturally
Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Rock of Ages

Kisses Sweeter Than Wine Paul Campbell / Herb Newman / Traditional Jimmie F. Rodgers
Brotherhood RCA Records, 1968. Somebody - Woman unkind -Pastel blue -
Close the door -Doin'the right thing (The Way) - Seasons (Smith-Volk-Levin). Love for free -
Lady Faire - Ice cream - Box  guitar - Forever (Smith-Volk-Levin). Jump out the window (Smith-Volk-Levin-Etheridge).

Thomas Sunday

Dylan Thomas – Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Various Artists – 100 Great Poems - Classic Poets & Beatnik Freaks
Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me With Science  – Retrospectacle - The Best Of Thomas Dolby
Gigli. RCA Victor [1962]  Thomas.  Mignon: Addio,  Mignon! fa core!-  Beniamino Gigli, tenor, with orchestra.
Irma Thomas, In the Middle of It All
Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958. Fantasia on a theme by  Thomas Tallis Angel 1976.
Sir Adrian Boult conducts string music  of Vaughan Williams.  London Symphony Orchestra.
Patrick Doyle, Mass for St. Patrick  Introit  Trinity Chorale
Rufus Thomas, Walking the Dog.
Davies, Peter Maxwell,1934- Offenbarung und Untergang. Revelation and fall, for soprano and sixteen instrumentalists. based on a poem by Georg Trakl Angel [1969] Mary Thomas, soprano; Pierrot Players; the composer conducting.
B.J. Thomas – Hooked On A Feeling Various Artists – 60s Classics
Handel, George Frideric,1685-1759. Samson. an oratorio Archiv Produktion [1969]  Martina Arroyo, Helen Donath, Sheila Armstrong, sopranos; Norma Procter, contralto; Alexander Young, Jerry J. Jennings, tenors; Thomas Stewart, Ezio Flagello, basses; Münchener Bach-Chor; Münchener Bach-Orchester; Karl Richter, conductor
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847. Elijah: highlights. Angel [1965] Elizabeth Harwood, soprano; Marjorie Thomas, contralto; Richard Lewis, tenor; John Shirley-Quirk, bass; Royal Choral Society; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Sir Malcolm Sargent, conductor. 
Mad scenes from Anna Bolena, Hamlet [and] Il pirata. Angel [1959] Thomas, A. Hamlet: A vos jeux; Partagez- vous mes fleurs; Et maintenant écoutez ma chanson (Mad scene) Maria Meneghini Callas, soprano; supporting soloists; Philharmonia Chorus; Philharmonia Orchestra; Nicola Rescigno, conductor. 
Ezio Pinza, bass. Odyssey, [1972] Thomas, A. Légères hirondelles, from Mignon (with Risë Stevens) Ezio Pinza, bass; Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra; Emil Cooper and Fausto Cleva, conductors;