Brahms

Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday Wolfgang!

It’s January 27th – the day the universe gave us Johannes Chrysostomus (after St. John Chrysostom) Wolfgangus (“Running Wolf” after his maternal grandfather – almost sounds Native American, nicht wahr?)…

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What are people saying about The Discovery Orchestra? Find out in the Maestro's Blog "Listeners Speak".

Listeners Speak

“I took a course with E. Ray Sprenkle at Peabody about 15 years ago, and that man taught me to listen to Brahms and Dvorak with my soul, to understand…

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Discovery Orchestra Chat 143 – Codas

Codas are special endings that composers may write for the conclusion of a movement. Maestro Maull explores the codas used in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Brahms’ Symphony No….

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New Jersey Youth Symphony String Quartet

Ear Worms

This revolting term actually has a specific musical meaning! Wikipedia states: “An ear worm, sometimes also known as a brain worm, (that sounds even worse to me) is a catchy…

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Right Size!

Some good friends of mine are fond of using the words ‘right size.’ And by this they are describing a state of mind in which we perceive our real place…

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Claude Debussy Songs, 1880-1904

The ‘Art Song’ Challenge

The term ‘art song’ has always disturbed me a little bit. What song is not a work of art, and therefore not an ‘art song?’ Are ‘art songs’ in the…

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Your “listening guide” amazes me, in that it is a means of illustrating the role of various instrumental sections in communicating and “telling” a story. My background is science and technology so the 1 -1 ½ hours listening to a symphony with your presentation was an exciting learning experience I was not expecting.You are an exceptional talent and personality to be able to introduce someone like myself to the very complicated language of a symphony.

— Outreach Program Attendee