piano

While we have typically looked at works that are more challenging as part of our exploration of somewhat forgotten music, there is also much music that is easier to perform and ideal for beginner to intermediate skilled performers. Today we take a look into this area with a set of three easier pieces by Edgar Bainton, his 3 Little Sketches for solo piano. Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, we looked at solo piano music by Joachim Raff, his Metamorphosen, this week we revisit the prolific output by Raff. The self-taught composer wrote much chamber music, including the delightful late Piano Trio No. 4, Op. 158. Continue reading →

Female composers have historically struggled for recognition in a field dominated by men, even in the modern world. Looking back into the 19th and early 20th centuries, we see even more of a struggle. Such was the case of Dame Ethel Smyth, an English composer who was active as a composer primarily in the late 19th century, with a limited composition output in the early 20th century as she slowly lost her hearing. Today we look at her Cello Sonata in A minor, Op. 5, composed in 1887. Continue reading →

Joachim Raff was a promising composer in Germany in the mid-1800's, but chose his own path. Criticized by both the schools of Wagner and Brahms, Raff's music fell into obscurity in the 1900's, even though it shows great promise and much of the fine technique of the romantic era. Today we look at his Metamorphosen, the third of his 3 Klavier-Soli, Op.74. Continue reading →

Known foremost as a pianist in his time, Friedrich Kalkbrenner was also an accomplished composer. Looking through his output, one sees a significant amount of solo piano music, with a few chamber works (and a very limited selection of vocal works). Today we turn to Kalkbrenner's chamber output, with his Septet, Op. 132, also known as the Grand Septet. Continue reading →

While Horatio Parker's influence on the development of an American musical culture is certainly undeniable, few of his works are performed regularly today. An organist and composer, it was his later years as a teacher, then Dean, at Yale University where he influenced a young Charles Ives and Roger Sessions. His Suite for Piano Trio, in A Major, Op. 35, is a rarely performed gem with a lush, romantic sound. Continue reading →

This week’s Obscure Music Monday selection is the Gesellschafts Rondo by Johann Nepomuk Hummel. The “Society” Rondo, as the name translates, is a light-hearted, but refined work for piano and orchestra that is rarely performed today. Continue reading →