May 2020
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Obscure Music Monday: Bax's On a May Evening
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax (Nov. 8, 1883 - Oct. 3, 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. Predominately known for his symphonic work, he also wrote choral music, concertos, chamber pieces, and works for piano. Continue reading → -
Obscure Music Monday: Palmgren's Moonlight
Selim Gustav Adolf Palmgren (Feb. 16, 1878 - Dec. 13, 1951) was a Finnish composer, conductor, and pianist. He studied at the Helsinki Conservatory in Helsinki from 1895 to 1899, then continued his piano studies in Berlin. He conducted several orchestras and music societies in Finland, and had successful performances as a pianist in Finland and Scandanavia. In 1921 he moved to the United... -
Obscure Music Monday: Smyth's The Wreckers Overture
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth DBE (April 22,1858 - May 8, 1944) was an English composer and member of the women's suffrage movement. The fourth of eight children, Smyth showed a keen interested in music as a career. Her father, a major general in the Royal Artillery, was not particularly supportive, though that didn't stop her from pursuing music anyway. Smyth studied... -
Obscure Music Monday: Dukas' Sonnet de Ronsard
Paul Abraham Dukas (Oct. 1, 1865 - May 17, 1935) was a French composer, professor, and critic, born in to a Jewish family. The second of three children, Dukas didn't show any extraordinary musical talent, despite taking piano from a young age, until his teenage years, when he started to compose while recovering from an illness. When he was 16...