Composer A-B

I'm thankful for Musicians

Thanks! An Encore Presentation. . .

As I began to write what I hope will be an annual Thanksgiving Day blog post, I re-read last year’s – my first. It appeared to contain some good thoughts,…

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Discovery Orchestra Chat 109 – Follow that Subject

A fugue’s main melody is called its “subject”. Maestro Maull explores different subjects using Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 performed by The Discovery Orchestra and Bach’s Unaccompanied Sonata No. 1…

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Danse Macabre and Other Works for Solo Piano, Camille Saint-Saens

Halloween Candy

Sometime before Halloween, The Discovery Orchestra will post a photo on Facebook that purports to have me in the picture. It does, in fact, have a nine-year-old George Marriner Maull…

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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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Laugh and Cry Sign

Whether to Laugh or Cry

Two recent items published on-line by the League of American Orchestras reminded me of the importance of allowing music to speak for itself – to deliver its own message. The…

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Marvelous job, Maestro, as always! Thank you for doing such a splendid, insightful and careful deep-dive into the art and craftsmanship that Tchaikovsky, after much effort, put into creating this work. There really is no greater portrayal of young love in music than his Romeo and Juliet, and your thoughtfulness demonstrates it so admirably.

— Chat Video Listener