A Rarity from Swiss Music Heritage

There are not too many composers who were called ‘prodigy composers’ and those that we know most often lived many centuries ago. Let’s admit it – the number of outstanding musicians, and I mean REALLY outstanding whose genius can be put in the same line as Mozart’s, is way lower than it used to be in, let’s say, Baroque period. It’s not at all about blaming the nature or announcing the talentless-ness of the younger generation but is rather an attempt to fix on those prodigies that we still have a chance to encounter.

One of such remarkably noticeable figures in music composition is Ernst Levy (1895-1981), the pride of Swiss music heritage. He was not just a composer with style but with a style that musicologists still can’t relate to any of the existing schools – so unique it is. Ernst Levy was also an extended pianist and pedagogue who taught both in his mother country and in the United States. He publicly performed his first piece – D major Concert by Handel – at the early age of 6. Levy strongly believed in the viability of tonality unlike most of his contemporaries who stuck to dodecaphony. His music heritage includes about 460 works, among them 15 symphonies and numerous choral and chamber pieces.

If earlier all these precious manuscripts could be found only in the library of Basel University, now they accessible for the wide public all over the world. The full collection of Ernst Levy sheet music has been digitized with the help of his son Frank Ezra Levy (who is an acknowledged composer and cellist himself) and put online for people to enjoy.

Aaand here’s one of my favorite performances by Mr. Levy: Brahms’ Intermezzo in master’s curious interpretation.

O Holy Night for brass quintet

…O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, 

It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth…

Long ago in the 19th century a parish priest in France asked his friend to write a poem for Christmas. The friend, a wine merchant (not musician) by profession named Placide Cappeau, obliged and drafted a wonderful verse that turned into a Christian hymn in a way. The words desperately needed a no less beautiful music accompaniment and that’s where Adolphe Adam was turned to for help. What we have now is a bright and tender Christmas song that is well-recognized today.

The original always sounds better but the English versions are charming too. Though dedicated to telling the story of Jesus’ birth, this piece has something secular about it, something far from the church that reaches anyone beyond religion. No wonder that such well-known singers as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and may others have recorded their versions of the song. It still is recorded, by the way, last one being this year by Ladywell Primary School in honor of a pupil who died from meningitis.

Adolphe Adam did a great job, no doubt. But music is so multifaceted and diverse that the same work can be rendered with a different shade with every performance. I quite liked the arrangement for a brass quintet by David Burndrett. The nice thing that it can go perfectly well as a concert piece and be played as a fun piece too.

Gershwin’s Summertime for 2 Trombones

Yes, for half the planet that’s way too early to dream about summer yet but this song is something you could always listen to and which lyrics would light a small soul fire every time you hear it. Composed as early as in 1935 by George Gershwin and so popular up to now, marvelous, isn’t it? Some say that it’s the finest creation of the composer. And indeed, Gershwin managed to skillfully combine jazzy elements with African-American motifs that go perfectly well with the lyrics by DuBose Heyward, the “Porgy and Bess” opera author, for which this music piece was specifically written.

Summertime can be called a historical piece in a way. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most recorded songs ever – the number of covers written for it reached 33 thousands! Some of them got really big commercial success (Summertime by Billy Stewart), others were called most distinctive and powerful (Summertime by Celine Dion), and modern music bands still include their own Summertime version into new albums (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Doors, Morcheeba, etc.)

It’s pretty clear with the lyrics. What about the music? Of course, the original is beyond comparison to anything else but there really are some nice arrangements of the piece. Here is one particularly curious work that is scored for a lovely and rare duo – tenor and bass trombone arrangement of “Summertime” by Shannon Mowday does have its own charm. Check it out.

Under-recorded Scott Joplin

Today performers have more chances of getting famous fast, unlike composers who are sort of left in the backstage and whose names are not as often heard around. You’ll rather hear the “oh, you heard that new song by *performer*?” rather than “have you heard the new work by *composer* sung by *performer*?” Cases when composers get the world fame and are recognized by masses of people worldwide are pretty rare. Especially when it comes to

a) recordings
b) conducting

Let’s take America. Such a large country… but the recording priority has been mostly spread between just… 5 names. Five great, talented, outstanding but... few composers: Ives, Barber, Bernstein, Gershwin, Copland. Of course, that’s a very rough distribution but it is basically so. Those are the names that appear on recordings most and whose works are most of all included in conductors’ repertoire.

On the other hand, there are others, slightly overlooked but no less important. But the tradition has been formed in such a way that their names are skipped somehow. And today, I’d like to mark one name – Scott Joplan. Yes, you’d say he’s a fairly well-known composer. But the fame he deserves should have been much bigger in fact – bigger AND embodied in manifold original recordings. Imho. “The King of Ragtime” wrote 44 ragtime pieces, a ballet and 2 operas. But just a few of them received a quality record for future generations. Here, below, is composer’s most influential piece “Maple Leaf Rag” performed by composer himself.

Ave Maria for Piano-Cello Duet

It’s quite interesting when music pieces have the ability to migrate from one genre to another within centuries. And this migration is especially curious when the move happens between two opposite genres such as secular music and church music. In this case, church music is more often to be ‘softened’ for people than the pop music ‘churchilized’ for liturgical services.

Franz Schubert’s setting for Walter Scott’s poem “The Lady of the Lake” was not supposed to get into church when composed. But it did. Not at once, of course, and not on church’s order. The composer was so happy to receive quite a sizeable amount of money for this work (20 pounds sterling!) that thought that was the peak of it. Only by chance of destiny was the holy Latin “Ave Maria” text put on Schubert’s “Lady” by some unknown musician. Since then this duet has been working pretty well.

As composer’s most popular work, Ave Maria was and still is arranged a lot for different instrumentation – piano, violin, cello, organ, choir, flute, trumpet, saxophone and others. Franz Liszt himself wrote three arrangements for it. But choosing between Ave Maria’s versions, I personally opt for the duet of cello and piano. That’s one curious arrangement like that by Viktor Dick: “Ave Maria, Cello and Piano, B flat major” – a lovely sounding! On video another lovely performance by the young Rice brothers, also in my favorite instrumentation.

Mussorgsky’s “Pictures” in unique arrangement

Music composed from personal experience is always way more emotional and touching. And if this experience is a sad, or even tragic, the power of the piece becomes undeniable.

Such was the mournful experience Modest Mussorgsky had to come over – the loss of a close friend, Russian painter Victor Hartmann who shared composer's passion for Russian art and died at an early age of 39. Mussorgsky was so attached to this person that commemorated his creative work in his music. “Pictures at an Exhibition” were composed based on Hartmann’s paintings put on exhibition after his death.

Chicks Sketch for Trilby Ballet. V. Hartmann

Paris Catacombs. V. Hartmann

The Poor Jew. V. Hartmann

The suite consists of 10 movements that depict Mussorgsky’s vision of the 10 relative drawings. Imbued with personal emotional experience, the suite soon became a showwork for all great pianists to follow. It’s been arranged, performed and recorded many times (Maurice Ravel’s version being the most popular) but there are interpretations that are still worth having a listen. My favorite arrangement of “Pictures at an Exhibition” is written for a string orchestra by Arkadi Troitsky. The video features the suite performed by the National Philarmonic of Russia.

Cesar Cui’s Cat

Although being a very versatile person – he used to be composer, teacher, music critic, army specialist – this music character is associated with something different. At the very first mention knowing musicians will most likely relate his surname to The Mighty Five, the famous composers’ circle a member of which he was. Composing was only a part of Cesar Cui’s life and its fruit caused different reactions among colleague-composers and the public. Some outstanding composers and friends like Rimsky-Korsakov notably disparaged his music-writing skills actually. But one couldn't help but notice the deep love for Russia in most of Cui’s compositions, Alexander Pushkin apparently being composer’s favorite Russian poet. 

Mostly loved for his art-songs, Cui has also a lot of operas written. They all in one way or another touch Russian culture and bear a serious analytical character. However, there was completely different side to that. On the other hand, Cui was so much into the world of children’s concerns. His short fairy-tale opera “Puss in Boots” is pretty known today in Russian the way it was introduced there during Soviet times. However, the original version of the opera was premiered in Rome much earlier – in 1915, and exactly that rare opera version was what has become loved in a relatively narrow circle – the former Eastern Germany.

Rubinstein’s Demon

Anton Rubinstein, the celebrated Russian composer, pianist-virtuoso, conductor, educator and in general one of the key figures in the culture of Russia, composed an avalanche of music masterpieces that are widely performed at the world music stage up to now. Among them, the 20 great operas, some of which are well-known today but not so recognized when written. One of them, as surprising as it may seem, is The Demon, premiered in 1871. When the composition was ready Rubinstein gathered the so-called The Five that consisted of Mussorgsky, Cui, Stasov, Rimsky-Korsakov for a private listening. But the critics gave it a very low assessment. Moreover, about 100 opera performances were also evaluated quite unfavorably being called old-fashioned. The music West didn’t accept it at all, so the opera was not a rarity only in Russia. Now The Demon is regarded differently, it may even be considered Rubinstein’s most popular opera. In such a way, it took this wonderful work based on Lermontov’s poem much more than a dozen years to become deservedly acknowledged. 

Torelli the controversial

Like most Italians known for their passionate and highly emotional character, Giuseppe Torelli is the man of his people. Same sensuality and fineness in his music. However, not all of his fellow composers or critics were steadily sticking to the same opinion. While Hutchings considered him a composer lacking originality, Apel thought he was even over-exceptional. That’s where the controversy lies. But all agree on the fact that Torelli was at certain aspects unrivalled, even by Vivaldi who came after him. He is deservedly called the inventor of the instrumental concerto and his music language is more than inimitable. Take only the wonderful operatic aria “Tu lo sai“ (“You Know”), intense, feverish and at the same time restrained and reserved. Torelli was a pioneer in inserting slow movements in his concertos, sonatas and symphonies. Besides, he was a virtuoso violinist probably ranking one of the highest performers of his time.

Ignacio Cervantes — Six Cuban Dances

For Europeans countries of Latin America have always seemed exotic, original and full mysterious charm. Cuba is one the indisputable samples of Latin originality. A country of happy people with warm hearts and exclusive traditions. So is their culture and so is their music. Ignacio Cervantes is a virtuoso representative of his people, a prodigy composer by birth. A pioneer of native Cuban music, he showed exceptional devotion to his motherland and conveyed its beauty to the outer world through music. One of brightest dedications is a set of pieces called Six Cuban Dances, originally composed for piano. These short works are full of lively Cuban rhythms and tones. Cervantes’ Dances – or Danzas Cubanas – are perfect for any musical purpose, be it recital, educational concert or just own enjoyment. All in all, Ignacio Cervantes composed 42 dances.

Diabelli’s Waltz Variations – overlooked works

At times composers try to step out of their usual routine practicing and think of some kind of challenge for themselves. On a sunny day of 1819 Anton Diabelli came up with an exciting idea (that would be of promotional character too) – to ask composers he knew to create a variation for a patriotic waltz of his own. Surprisingly, many accepted the invitation – Beethoven, Liszt, Schubert, Mozart – were among the famous ones. All FiftyVariations on a Waltz by Diabelli were published in an anthology Vaterländischer Künstlerverein. Beethoven’s version got probably most remembered and thus performed. However, among other variations there were no less interesting ones, probably slightly overlooked. One of them is Variation under the 5^th number – the one composed by Joseph Cherny. Check it out, it’s really wonderful.

Erkki Melartin's Music

Not much information could be found about Erkki Melartin (1875-1937), even though he was considered one of the most prominent Finnish composers in the beginning of the 20th century. Interestingly, his wedding march appears to be extremely popular in his homeland – perhaps, even more than Mendelssohn's one, which is not losing ground for almost three hundred years. As concerns other works of Melartin, I can't recommend them highly enough. Merging romantic tradition with impressionism in his music, Melartin indeed had been composing something truly special. For starters, here is Sleeping Beauty. Butterfly Waltz, for Piano, Op.22 No.17 – small but very lovely piece.

Che fiero costume by Giovanni Legrenzi

Relatively little is known about Baroque composer and organist Giovanni Legrenzi, though it is explainable – of 19 operas he composed (which by itself is quite an impressive amount), most haven't survived, and in this light it is a little wonder that historians and musicologists weren't very interested in a biography of a person, whose remaining legacy is quite sparse. Given that he was among forefront composers in his time, it is particularly sad to see only three of fourteen his oratorios having managed to reach the present day as well. To do the best that I can, I want to share with you one of Legrenzi's survived works – for all that he did (including giving lessons to young Vivaldi), he deserves more recognition than he already has. Here is sheet music of Che fiero costume in F Minor, enjoy!

The Spider's Feast – Albert Roussel

Albert Roussel is a very unique name in French music and, dare I say, overall in classical. Despite lesser-known than Maurice Ravel – with whom he was close friends, – or Eric Satie, who was Roussel's student, his works – and, to lesser or even the same extent, personality – had been highly influental: admittedly, a group of composers Les Six, same as quite a few young composers of the beginning of the 20th century, were known to highly regard his oeuvre. Speaking of which, its diversity is startling: most notably, it includes impressionist and neoclassical periods, contains eastern motifs, brought by Roussel after traveling around the world – he at all served as a naval officer for about 7 years, – but draws upon classicism even so. Also, before his efforts, a common belief existed that French symphonic music isn't even possible, but Roussel proved musicologists wrong.

Here is his piano arrangement of his famous ballet, enjoy: Le Festin de l’Araignée (The Spider's Feast), Op.17. Below is the original version, for your listening pleasure: