Moon Tempo
Moon tempo? Allow me to back up a bit, or rather a lot. During the summer of 1969 I performed the role of Henry Kleber, the music teacher of American…
Orchestra
Shall We Dance? Some Homework
Maurice Ravel wrote the following words about his composition La valse, po̬me chorÌographique pour orchestre: “Through whirling clouds, waltzing couples may be fairly distinguished. The clouds gradually scatter: one sees…
“That’s My Son!”
Taking a break from the usual serious nature of these ramblings, a few weeks ago a music listening student jogged my memory – emancipating a moment from my past, that…
Mickey Mouse & Mozart
. . .one of my longer rants. Professional symphony orchestras in the United States face an annual challenge that we refer to in jest, belying the utter seriousness of the…
Secrets of Conducting
We know what you’re thinking! Who is “we?” We conductors know what many audience members are thinking when you attend our performances. From your perspective, it looks like a lion…
How Shall We Study Music?
Last week I was given the privilege of speaking at a conference on the campus of Princeton University presented by the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and the Foundation…
I was delighted to hear George Marriner Maull’s “Inside Music” when he discussed how to listen to and enjoy Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the 4th movement. To have the words of the choral Ode to Joy translated and explained (word for word) was enlightening and inspiring as well. And to learn all the intricacies of the music itself was fascinating.