Christopher Theofanidis, “Rainbow Serpent” from Dreamtime Ancestors Rainbow Serpent is the second of a three-movement tone poem titled Dreamtime Ancestors which composer and Yale Composition Faculty Member, Christopher Theofanidis wrote in the summer of 2015. Theofanidis was commissioned to write the piece by New Music for America and part of the initiative was to…
In his poem, “Essay on Joy Beginning with Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat Major,” Jon Davis writes: “Imagine Mozart, in the warm haze of his gift, blurting “Melody is simple!” then sitting at the piano to improvise a dozen.” Mozart’s gift for melody, as Davis imagines, is on full display in the Sinfonia Concertante — …
When Star Wars hit theaters in May 1977, it became a surprisingly resounding success, due in large part to the exciting classical score composed by John Williams. The Main Title has earned its spot among the most recognizable movie tracks in history, traditionally commencing each Star Wars film. It begins triumphantly with a full and…
Richard Strauss – Don Juan Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was a German composer most well-known for his operas and tone poems. Among some of his most famous works are Also sprach Zarathustra, Der Rosenkavalier, An Alpine Symphony, Ein Heldenleben, Don Quixote, and Don Juan. Strauss composed Don Juan between 1888-89 and based his score on…
“My dad, he always gets on me. He wants me to be a preacher, but I always tell him, ‘Music is my pulpit. That’s where I preach,’” Carlos Simon once told the Washington Post. In his “Four Black American Dances,” Simon is not exactly standing at a pulpit, per sé. But it’s certainly a…
Erich Korngold – Sea Hawk Overture Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) was an Austrian-born composer, conductor, and pianist. When his life in Vienna fell into peril during World War II, Korngold found safety and employment in Hollywood, where he was a highly sought after film composer. During the course of his life, he produced scores…
Suite from The River – Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington is among the most prominent musicians of the twentieth century, famous for his innovative compositional style that evades categorization, encompassing both jazz and classical genres. Born in 1899 in Washington D.C. to musical parents, Ellington was steeped in the arts from a young…
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), German composer of the Romantic period, composed his fourth and final symphony in 1884. Somber and serious, yet rich and complex, Symphony No. 4 in E minor features four movements rich with melodic motifs, and drawing inspiration from sonata form, as well as the works of Beethoven, Bach, and other influences. The…
