Rabbit Rabbit!
For the first of the month, enjoy Michael Torke’s “July.”
Category: Daily Dispatch
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Bosch’s Butt Song Hear the Medieval Tune
I meant to post about Hieronymus Bosch’s “Butt Song” a while ago… but I’m a little behind.
A direct link to the musical realization here:
As sung:
Then if you want to get all academic about it, there’s this guy:
Jheronimus Bosch and the music of hell. Part 1/3: The modern myth of Bosch’s butt music
BONUS: Bosch’s musical instruments brought to life:
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Vintage Gershwin on the Lost Chord
This week on “The Lost Chord,” it’s very clear our love (for Gershwin) is here to stay!
We’ll get a jump on the Fourth of July celebrations with an hour of vintage recordings of music by one of our most versatile composers.
George Gershwin occupied a unique place in American music, rising from Tin Pan Alley scrapper to Broadway royalty. From there, he conquered the concert hall and even the opera house, with his blend of popular song, jazz, blues, spirituals and European classical forms.
Like Franz Schubert a hundred years before, Gershwin managed to churn out an astonishing amount of music over a comparatively brief span. His songs, in particular, have been of enduring interest. His gift of lyricism and invention defied early critics as he bestrode the worlds of popular and classical music like an American colossus.
Sadly, at the peak of his success, he died of a brain tumor at the age of 38.
We’ll sample Gershwin’s artistry in recordings of the era, including several songs performed by Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, and Ella Logan. (So many excellent recordings to choose from!)
We’ll also hear the world premiere recording of “An American in Paris” – performed by the Victor Symphony Orchestra (really members of the Philadelphia Orchestra), with the composer himself on the celesta – and the Concerto in F, performed as part of a memorial concert at the Hollywood Bowl, with the composer’s friend, Oscar Levant, as soloist.
Three of these recordings date from 1937, the year of the composer’s death. All are from his era. I hope you’ll join me for “Vintage Gershwin,” this week on “The Lost Chord,” now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
Clip and save the start times for all three of my recorded shows:
PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – ALL NEW! – Saturday at 11:00 AM EDT/8:00 AM PDT
THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT
Stream them, wherever you are, at the link!
PHOTO: (left to right) Astaire with George and Ira Gershwin
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Herrmann Patriotism on Sweetness and Light
When the plan is to get a jump on Independence Day, but it’s also Bernard Herrmann’s birthday – and you don’t have a film music show on Saturday – what’s one to do? Why, include Herrmann’s score for “Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot” on “Sweetness and Light,” of course!
“Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot” (1957) is the longest continuously-exhibited film of all time, shown at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center for over five decades. (Screenings were interrupted during the pandemic, but have resumed, now with four shows daily.) Peppered with recognizable patriotic tunes from the Revolutionary era, the charming score includes quotations from “Yankee Doodle” and the William Billings hymn “Chester.”
The music will be the centerpiece on this morning’s program, as we anticipate the Fourth of July and light some candles on a red, white and blue birthday cake for Herrmann, who also wrote the music for “Citizen Kane,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “Psycho,” “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad,” and “Taxi Driver.”
In addition, we’ll have some selections on patriotic airs by Dudley Buck and Louis Moreau Gottschalk, a festive work for band, “Celebrating the Fourth,” by Princeton-area composer Samuel A. Livingston, “Fireworks” by Jerry Goldsmith, and an incendiary performance of a march by John Philip Sousa, in transcription for solo piano.
I’ve always had an INDEPENDENT streak (having been born on the FOURTH myself), so I’ve taken the LIBERTY to PURSUE HAPPINESS, even if it is still June. Feel FREE to join me for an hour of flag-waving and sparklers on “Sweetness and Light,” music calculated to charm and to cheer, this Saturday morning at 11:00 EDT/8:00 PDT, exclusively on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
Stream it, wherever you are, at the link:
PHOTOS: Herrmann fuels his genius, with stills from “Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot,” starring Jack Lord!
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Wild Wild West Postponed Again
After another “Wild Wild Week” (if this were an actual episode, it would be called “Night of the Violent Thunderstorms”), I’m afraid Roy is without power, and projected to be so through Sunday. Therefore, ONCE AGAIN, we must postpone our much-delayed conversation about “The Wild Wild West” on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. We apologize for the inconvenience. We’ll try it again… next week, perhaps? I blame Dr. Miguelito Loveless!
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