Four Centuries of Great Music October 19, 2024 Forgotten American Composers of the 20th Century

FCGM-10-13-24 Forgotten American Composers of the Early 20th Century

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music, I am continuing my series of episodes devoted to forgotten American composers from the early  20th century.

We open with music by Rubin Goldmark.  Born in 1872, he was educated in New York City and Vienna.  He even studied composition with Antonin Dvorak while teaching piano and music theory at the National Conservatory.  Although in his time he was an often-performed American nationalist composer, his works are seldom played now. Today he is best known as the teacher of other important composers, including Aaron Copland and George Gershwin.  Today I am going to play his Violin Sonata in B minor opus 4.  It is in three movements I. Allegro non tanto, II. Air: Moderato semplice and III. Allegro molto

Here is a performance of his Violin Sonata in B minor opus 4 by Ting-Lan Chen, violin and Nathan Buckner, piano from the album American Violin Sonatas  Albany Records.



Next on todays episode of Four Centuries of Great Music focusing on forgotten American composers from the early  20th century is the music of Frederick Converse.  Converse was born in 1871 and educated at Harvard University where he came under the influence of John Knowles Paine leader of the New England school of composition and studied with another member of the movement George M. Chadwick.  Although committed to the more romantic European style of composition, he did compose works on American topics including the work we will be hearing today, his American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra  This work is in 4 movements:


Frederick Converse: American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra - I. Manhattan (Molto maestoso - Allegro molto e con brio)
Frederick Converse: American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra  II. The Father of Waters (Molto largamente e tranquillo - Adagio espressivo)
Frederick Converse: 05 American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra  III. Chicken Reel (Allegro con spirito scherzando)
Frederick Converse: American Sketches  Symphonic Suite for Orchestra  IV. Bright Angel Trail (Adagio maestoso - Andante moderato - Misterioso)

We are going to close this first hour of Four Centuries of Great Music with the first three movements  of
Frederick Converse: American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra - I. Manhattan (Molto maestoso - Allegro molto e con brio)
Frederick Converse: American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra  II. The Father of Waters (Molto largamente e tranquillo - Adagio espressivo)
Frederick Converse: American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra  III. Chicken Reel (Allegro con spirito scherzando)

Here is a performance of the first three movements of Frederick Converse: American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra by Keith Lockhart conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra from the album Frederick Converse: American Sketches Dutton/Epoch Records



Lets open this second hour of Four Centuries of Great music focusing on forgotten American composers from the early  20th century with the last movement of Frederick Converse: American Sketches  Symphonic Suite for Orchestra  IV. Bright Angel Trail (Adagio maestoso - Andante moderato - Misterioso)

Here is a performance of the first fourth movement of Frederick Converse: American Sketches Symphonic Suite for Orchestra by Keith Lockhart conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra from the album Frederick Converse: American Sketches Dutton/Epoch Records


Next on today’s episode of Four Centuries of Great music focusing on forgotten composers from the early  20th century is the music of Louis Gruenberg.  Gruenberg was born in 1884 in Russia but his parents moved to the United States  when he was only a few months old.  He studied both at the National Conservatory in New York City and at in Europe with Ferruccio Busoni at the Vienna Conservatory.  As Gruenberg began to make his mark as a composer, he showed his fascination with jazz, composing works with strong jazz and ragtime influences.  Although perhaps most famous for his film scores, he also made his mark with the opera Emperor Jones which premiered during the 1933 season of the Metropolitan Opera.  Today we will be listening to his second symphony.  It is in 3 movements

Louis Gruenberg: Symphony No. 2   I.  A Broad Expansive Movement
Louis Gruenberg: Symphony No. 2   II.  Langsam Und Aushaltend
Louis Gruenberg: Symphony No. 2   III. Fantasievoll

Here is a performance of Louis Gruenberg’s Symphony # 2 by Paul Freeman conducting the Czech National Symphony Orchestra from the album Gruenberg: Symphonic Works  Albany Records

We will be closing today’s episode of Four Centuries of Great Music focusing on forgotten composers from the early  20th century is the music with the music of Walter Piston.  Piston was born in Maine in 1894, was educated in Massachusetts and early on made a living playing piano and violin in dance bands and later playing violin in orchestras.  During World War I, he joined the U.S. Navy as a band musician after rapidly teaching himself to play saxophone.  After the war he attended Harvard University to study composition and then studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris.  He is probably best known for his textbook on composition, and for the large number of students he taught while on faculty at Harvard including Samuel Adler, Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, Elliott Carter, Irving Fine, John Harbison, Frederic Rzewski and many more.

Today we will be listening to Walter Piston’s Divertimento which is in 3 movements Allegro, Tranquillo and Vivo here performed by New York Chamber Ensemble conducted by Stephen Radcliffe from the album American Profiles

You have been listening to Divertimento performed by New York Chamber Ensemble conducted by Stephen Radcliffe from the album American Profiles

Thank you for joining me today on Four Centuries of Great Music and join me again next Sunday from 3-5 pm and remember this episode encores this coming Saturday from 3-5pm.