Classically Speaking

In honor of the “dog days” of summer, I recently posted a list of canine-themed classical music. Even though we lack a season named for cats, it seems only fair to focus on some catty classics as well. 

Gato y Malambo (Hector Ayala)

“El Gato” (The Cat) is an Argentine dance. Several composers have written music suited for this dance, including Hector Ayala.  Guitarist David Russell recorded this “Gato” on his album Sonidas Latinas. You can hear him play and discuss this music in an interview from April on NPR.

“I Bought Me a Cat” – from Old American Songs (Aaron Copland)

This folk song, set by Aaron Copland, starts with a cat, but soon moves on to other forms of life – a goose, a hen, and a wife. Copland also wrote “Cat and Mouse,” which is a favorite of many young piano students.  Here’s a recording with the composer at the piano: 

The Cat’s Lullabies (Igor Stravinsky)

Stravinsky wrote these pieces, for voice and three clarinets, for the cats that he kept during his years in California. Stravinsky’s cats were named Pancho, Vassily Vassilyevitch Lechin (Vaska, for short), and Celeste. I’ve also read that he kept many other animals besides cats, including chickens, cockatoos, lovebirds, and a parrot.

In Memory of Two Cats and Mandoodles (John Tavener)

John Tavener, composer of many mystic choral pieces, has written several piano miniatures dedicated to the memory of his cats. The title Mandoodles is derived from one cat’s name, “Mandu.” 

Duetto buffo di due gatti [Comic Duet for Two Cats] (Giacchino Rossini)

Rossini’s operas were so successful that he was able to retire early from composing. He spent the rest of his life living (and eating) well. He did write some music during his retirement, which he referred to as the sins of his old age. One of these was supposedly a duet for two women singing as cats (the attribution of this duet is not certain). You can hear an orchestrated version of this song in the video below: 

That’s all I can think of right now, except for a “Chopin for Cats” CD that Radio Chopin found in their recent Chopin Shopping spree, but it seems unlikely that Chopin wrote his preludes to “stimulate your pet’s senses.”

Do you have anything to add to this list? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.   

How are the dog days of summer treating you? 

In honor of this part of the season, here are some dog-eared classics to enjoy. If you’re looking for summery music recommendations, without the dogs, check out these suggestions from Jim Lange and from NPR Music. 

I’ll Sail upon the Dog-Star (Henry Purcell)

This song is the most appropriate selection for this list; the “dog days” of summer are named after Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, which rises at the same time as the sun during this period (at least it did during ancient Greek times – I’m not sure how much it has changed since then). 

“I’ll Sail Upon the Dog Star” is a mad song by 17^th century English composer Henry Purcell – well, we all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you?  

Mundus Canis [A Dog’s World] (George Crumb)

This is a light-hearted and brilliant little set of pieces for percussion and guitar. I’ve seen the composer perform it twice with guitarist David Starobin (once in Princeton and then again in Indiana). Each movement conveys the character of a different dog owned by Crumb. Here’s an interview with George Crumb, from when he was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame:

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Enigma Variations: Variation XI (Edward Elgar)

Elgar dedicated his Enigma Variations “To My Friends Pictured Within.” Not all those pictured are human. The eleventh variation (G.R.S.) is dedicated to George Sinclair, though it is Sinclair’s dog, Dan, that is portrayed in the music; you can hear Dan falling into a river and (dog)paddling in the water.

Promenade (Walking the Dog) (George Gershwin)

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Dog Breath Variations (Frank Zappa)

Frank Zappa created several orchestrations of the Dog Breath Variations, based on his song “Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague” (both the song  & a short set of variations originally appeared on the album Uncle Meat.)   Different versions have been recorded by the Ensemble Modern, the Omnibus Wind Ensemble, and the Cincinnati Wind Symphony.

Any other canine musical selections to suggest? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Happy belated 88th birthday to the Hollywood Bowl! 

From Charleston’s Schoenbaum Stage to the Levitt Shell at Overton Park in Memphis, I’ve been enjoying outdoor concert stages recently. I would love to go to the Hollywood Bowl sometime, but for now I’ll just have to settle for watching a movie about it. 

The documentary The Hollywood Bowl: Music Under the Stars is available free online, and it’s completely distracted me from whatever else I was trying to do before leaving for the weekend. You can watch it here.

 (via The Allmusic Blog)

Since we started this blog in 2008, we’ve interviewed many people connected to classical music, some who live in or are from West Virginia; others have visited to make music here or just were heard here on the radio. Performers, composers, conductors, teachers, authors, producers…it’s been wonderful to speak with them all and to have the opportunity to share these conversations with you. 

These interviews are scattered throughout the blog archives, so I’ve always been frustrated that they might not always be easy to find. I've finally created a directory to guide you to these interviews; you can find links to all of our classical music interviews all on one page: the Classically Speaking Interview Index.     

Check it out!  Find a favorite interview, or browse to find something new. 

I’ll be sure to keep it updated as we publish more interviews, and I welcome any suggestions for improving usability.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend! :)