Henry Cowell: An Unknown Great
There's been a lot of talk lately about the late American composer John Cage, whose 100th birthday would have occurred on September 5. But Cage didn’t materialize out of thin air: He found inspiration...
View ArticleThe People Behind The Music Of 'Free To Be...'
All this week, we'’ve been talking about the influential children’s album Free To Be… You And Me, which turns 40 years old this month. We've spoken with a cultural historian, the producer of the...
View ArticleRemembering Jazz Icon Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck, one of the most influential and popular figures in jazz, died Wednesday of heart failure in Norwalk, Conn., the day before he would have turned 92 years old. Best known for his iconic...
View ArticleTimo Andres: Weaving Together Eno And Mozart
Brian Eno and Mozart are two names one may not expect to be paired up. Yet pianist and composer Timo Andres counts Eno and Mozart among his influences, and has found a way to couple them. On his new...
View ArticleBehind 'Breaking Bad''s Gritty And Impactful Score
The hit AMC drama Breaking Bad -- which tells the story of a mild-mannered (and terminally ill) science teacher-turned-drug kingpin -- wraps up this fall after five seasons on the air. From the show’s...
View ArticleComing Soon: The 'Epic Music' Of Movie Trailers
When you go to a movie in the theater, you'll inevitably see previews for coming attractions. But you might never hear the music again. Those over-the-top, bombastic snippets rarely make it into the...
View ArticleA Conversation with Philip Glass
In 1976, Philip Glass was an unknown composer — almost pushing 40, and driving a taxi to make ends meet — when he got his break: a new work performed at New York’s echt-prestigious Metropolitan Opera...
View ArticleTelemann’s Life
Georg Philipp Telemann wrote more music than any other classical composer. Learn about the life of this prolific musician this week on Classics for Kids.Music used within the program (all by...
View ArticleVirgil Thomson on What Makes a Good Music Critic
Virgil Thomson is the guest on this 1948 edition of The Reader's Almanac. Not Virgil Thomson the composer, though, but Virgil Thomson the critic, whose collection, The Art of Judging Music (1948), had...
View ArticleLeoš Janáček
One of the most influential (and underrated) Czech composers, Leoš Janáček created a deeply original style of composition that infused his operas, string quartets and symphonic music with Moravian and...
View ArticleA Chorus of Conversation: What Is American Music?
Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Lukas Foss, and Irving Fine joke, argue, compliment each other, and agree to disagree, illustrating their points with musical examples. Behind the banter in this 1950...
View ArticleGabriel Fauré
Recognized as the greatest French composer of his generation, Gabriel Fauré bridged the Romantic era and the 20th century with a sophistication that heralded the arrival of a significant new voice....
View ArticleChopin’s Life
Frederic Chopin was born in Poland, but he spent much of his life away from the country he loved. This week on Classics for Kids, learn more about this famous pianist composer.Music used within the...
View ArticleFamous Pianist Composers (Who Played Their Own Music)
Years ago, pianists who gave concerts had to perform works they had written themselves. Learn more about the great pianist composers this week on Classics for Kids.Music used within the...
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Marking Bernstein's Massachusetts Debut
On June 12, 1938 — 75 years ago today — a 19-year-old Leonard Bernstein gave his first performance as a composer-pianist in Brookline, Mass., performing his Music for the Dance Nos. 1 and 2 and Music...
View ArticleThe Eiffel Tower as a Musical Instrument
What do we think about when we think about the Eiffel tower?Most of us envision the famous iron monument in our heads - and no wonder, it is among the most recognizable structures in the world. But...
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[Unedited] Meredith Monk and Krista Tippett
Krista Tippett's unedited interview with Meredith Monk, award-winning, composer, singer, director and choreographer. She spoke with her on January 11, 2012 from the studios of APM in St. Paul,...
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Meredith Monk — Archaeologist of the Human Voice
A kind of archeologist of the human voice, singer and composer Meredith Monk says that "the voice could be like the body" — flexible and fluid with practice. Through music as through meditation, the...
View ArticleThe Life of Charles Ives
Charles Ives was one America’s most unusual composers. Like his father, who was a bandleader, he loved to experiment with sounds in very unique ways. Learn more about the life of Charles Ives this week...
View ArticlePhilip Glass "In the Spirit"
Composer Philip Glass discusses “In the Spirit,” a benefit concert for the Garrison Institute, at Town Hall. The concert features the New York premiere of “Songs of Milarepa,” by Glass; as well as...
View ArticleAlex North
Composer Alex North was best known for his sharp and observant film scores, including the iconic music for "Streetcar Named Desire" --but his music always spoke for itself. In this archival edition...
View ArticleThe Regal and Rollicking Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns had a career that lasted longer and covered more ground than most child prodigies. He started at the Paris Conservatory as a boy and grew up to write in virtually every corner of...
View ArticleCamille Saint-Saëns's Musical Souvenirs
Even in his 80s, Camille Saint-Saëns didn’t slow down. He practiced the piano two hours a day and still managed to travel the world, creating musical sketches of his adventures. Claude Debussy and a...
View ArticleBaltimore Burns, Police Pay in Chicago, and The Celebration of An American...
1. Baltimore Burns as Anger Boils Over | 2. To Thee I Wed: The Arguments For & Against Same-Sex Marriage | 3. Chicago to Pay Millions to Victims of Police Torture | 4. John Cage: Celebrating a...
View ArticleA Celebration of a Great American Composer: John Cage
John Cage was arguably one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century. His avant-garde manipulation of sound was completely novel during the height of his working in the 40s, 50s,...
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[Unedited] Mohammed Fairouz with Krista Tippett
Mohammed Fairouz is a composer whose opera and symphonies have been performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and The Kennedy Center. His 11 albums include "Native Informant," "In The Shadow of No...
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Mohammed Fairouz — The World in Counterpoint
He’s been called a post-millennial Schubert. Mohammed Fairouz has composed four symphonies and an opera while still in his 20s. He invokes John F. Kennedy and Anwar Sadat, Seamus Heaney and Yehuda...
View ArticleFamous Pianist-Composers
In his day, Franz Liszt was the most famous as a pianist. So were Mozart, Beethoven and a lot of other composers. This week on Classics for Kids, we’ll listen to music by many pianist-composers.Music...
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A Deaf Composer Holds Out for Science
Jay Alan Zimmerman discovered he was losing his hearing when he was in his early 20s, trying to make it as a musician on Broadway in New York. As his hearing worsened, Jay considered other professions,...
View ArticleComposing Holiday Magic, Saudi Women Make History, Into the Heart of Chaos
December 14, 2015: 1. Into the Heart of Chaos: New Film Chronicles the Brutality of Syria | 2. Saudi Women Make History in Landmark Election | 3. COP21 Puts Energy Companies on Notice | 4. Pollution:...
View ArticleMusic Lab
At Radiolab, we’re obsessed with music. In this episode, we embrace that obsession for its own sake. First, we showcase two musicians who have inspired our work. Then, the story of a woman preoccupied...
View ArticleJohn Luther Adams Transforms The Music Of The Streets
Place has always been an important, even formative part of John Luther Adams’ music. One of his earliest works, “Night Peace,” uses soft choral singing and gently rustling percussion to evoke a night...
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A Deaf Composer Holds Out for Science
Note: This episode originally aired on November 3, 2015.Jay Alan Zimmerman discovered he was losing his hearing when he was in his early 20s, trying to make it as a musician on Broadway in New York. As...
View Article150th Anniversary of the Birth of Erik Satie
Tomorrow is the hundred fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the French composer Erik Satie. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, Satie's music and thinking were more in tune with our time than with his...
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Leonard Bernstein in 1948 on Gershwin and the Israel Philharmonic
In a typical breathless whistle-stop visit, Leonard Bernstein drops by the studios of New York classical music station WQXR to promote his 1948 recording of Gershwin's An American in Paris, celebrating...
View ArticleThe Loser
A frustrated concert pianist is the subject of a new opera by David Lang. More from WNYC’s Sara Fishko, in this week's Fishko Files.The Loser premieres at the Next Wave Festival at BAM on Wednesday,...
View ArticleToday in Jonathan Schwartz History: Happy Birthday, Jerome Kern!
Today in Jonathan Schwartz History, Jonathan celebrates Jerome Kern!
View ArticleTerms of Art: Film Composer Lingo with Carter Burwell
Even if you don’t know Carter Burwell’s name, you probably love his music. He’s scored nearly all of the Coen Brothers' films, and has worked with Martin McDonagh, Todd Haynes, Charlie Kaufman, and...
View ArticleTwin Peek
This week, we head back to “Twin Peaks.” “Fargo” showrunner Noah Hawley talks about the impact of David Lynch’s cult TV show. Plus, what it was like growing up where the show was filmed, and the...
View ArticleThe Music of "Twin Peaks"
It’s impossible to imagine “Twin Peaks” without the music of Angelo Badalamenti — but why do those languid synth ballads and cool-jazz numbers capture the essence of the show so well? “Breaking Bad”...
View ArticleElectronic Composer Jean-Jacques Perrey Hears the Future
The bouncy beat of a synthesizer-driven tune, Island in Space, provides the incongruous opening music for this 1968 installment of the usually staid series Music and the Message. The guest is...
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Meredith Monk's Voice
A kind of archeologist of the human voice, singer and composer Meredith Monk says that "the voice could be like the body" — flexible and fluid with practice. Through music as through meditation, the...
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Mohammed Fairouz — The World in Counterpoint
He’s been called a post-millennial Schubert. Mohammed Fairouz has composed four symphonies and an opera while still in his 20s. He invokes John F. Kennedy and Anwar Sadat, Seamus Heaney and Yehuda...
View ArticleThe Sound of America
There are many Americas. Nowadays they barely speak to each other. But during the most perilous years of the last century, one young composer went in search of a sound that melded many of the nation's...
View ArticleListen: World Premieres from Four Emerging Composers with the New Jersey...
From July 10-15, 2017, four young composers were awarded the opportunity to workshop new orchestral music with composer Steven Mackey, conductor JoAnn Falletta and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as...
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Composer Wallingford Riegger 'Fesses Up' in this 1961 Interview
Wallingford Riegger working on a composition, date unknown.(unknown/Wikimedia Commons)We have just listened to a concert featuring the world premiere of Riegger's Sinfonietta. But what about the other...
View ArticleFive and a Half Things I Say on the First Day of Orchestration Class
Join Q2 Music on Sunday, April 24 (with an encore presentation Tuesday, April 26) for our second annual Symphomania, a 24-hour marathon stream of music that offers a vision of orchestral repertoire...
View ArticleWatch: Inside Tristan Perich's Home and '1-Bit' Studio
We visited the home and work space of Tristan Perich, a New York-based sound, visual and installation artist whose music blends a composer's interest in acoustic classical instruments and electronic...
View Article#4095: With David Garland, 'Verdancy'
Hear music by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Garland, who presents music from his latest work - a 4-CD set called Verdancy. The music is a celebration of nature, time, and expanded sense of...
View Article#4122: Music from Guitarist-Composers
Hear some new approaches to guitar music from guitarist-composers on this New Sounds. The guitarist-composer Fabi Reyna is the founder and editor of the magazine "She Shreds" which bills itself as the...
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