Tag: Birthday Broadcast

Peter Schickele is best known for his “discovery” of the last and least of Bach’s alleged progeny, P.D.Q. Bach (the 21st of Bach’s 20 children). P.D.Q. Bach has been the vessel for musical parody ranging from high to low (frequently low) for more than 50 years – this often at the expense of Schickele the “serious” composer. Schickele, a pupil of Roy Harris, has composed over 100 works. It seems strange to describe them as serious, since, although they are not outright comic, they often convey a kind of genial wit. We’ll enjoy two faces of Peter Schickele today, on his birthday.

We’ll also hear Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” after James Agee’s nostalgic reminiscence. It’s a coin toss as to whether it will be sung by Eleanor Steber, who commissioned the work, or Dawn Upshaw, who made one of the finest recordings of the digital age. Both singers were born on this date.

In addition, there will be music by August Söderman, Woijiech Kilar and Donald Francis Tovey, all with birthday anniversaries on July 17.

That’s a lot of candles to blow out. I’m saving my breath for between 4 and 7 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.