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Britten and War – A Dedicated Pacifist
I ran this course at the City Lit on Sunday March 10th 2013 to celebrate the Britten Centenary and highlight his deep commitment to pacifism. Below are copies of the handouts from the course and some additional material of general interest. Britten and War selected works Ballad for heroes text ADVANCE DEMOCRACY Still Falls the…
Joseph Haydn
Haydn and the English Although it happened late in his life Haydn’s association with the English had a huge impact on his music not least the 12 Symphonies, chamber and piano music he wrote for his two visits but his discovery of Handel’s oratorios on those visits had an enormous impact on his later choral…
Caprice
Caprice for Violin and Piano in G This was written in 1984 when I was a teacher at a small Prep School in Kent for the violin teacher, Alison Reynolds. The obvious influence is Handel with a few modern twists. Although it is in one continuous movement it is in three sections marked Adagio, Vivace…
Piotr Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky Whilst his contemporaries were torn between the traditionalists and the nationalists, Tchaikovsky tried to find a Third Way and succeeded in becoming the most popular composer Russia has ever produced. This course not only listened to his music but used videos of his ballets and operas to examine the dramatic genius of his ideas….
Florence Price
Florence Price – Composer and Pioneer A child prodigy making her concert debut at 4, the same age as Mozart, Florence Price graduated with 2 diplomas at the age of 19. She was a professional organist, concert pianist and teacher, heading the music department at Clark University, Georgia at 23. Of her 300 compositions her…
Felix Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn and Mendelssohn Fanny and Felix had a closer bond than probably any two other musicians but had very different careers due to their difference in gender. In his youth, Felix was described as the Mozart of the C19th but some considered his sister Fanny to be even more talented. She was destined by convention…
