Author: whskyjack

Le Concert Spirituel: Baroque music at the time of Louis XV.

Performed by Jordi Savall & Le Concert des Nations

At the end of the reign of Louis XIV (1722-1774), so-called “private concerts” came into fashion in France. The music no longer took place in churches and palaces but in private homes and gardens in the open air. These “private concerts” had their golden age in France during the reign of Louis XV (1722-1774).

The name Concert Spirituel derives from the fact that the concerts were conceived so that they could be performed during Lent and on other religious holidays of the Catholic Church, a total of some thirty-five days each year, during which all the “profane” activities of the principal musical and theatrical institutions, such as the Paris Opera, the Comédie-Française and the Comédie-Italienne, were brought to a standstill.

Enjoy, Jack

First, THE NEWS!!!

A new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows Vice President Harris leading former President Trump 47% to 44% among likely voters just days before a high-stakes election that appears deadlocked in key battleground states.

When Craig posted the news last night, I was reminded of this political ad encouraging women to vote for Harris. It had such a catchy tune that it floated around in my head all day. So I looked it up and found it on Youtube. Some music just seems to work in a political campaign and some are so forgettable that you can’t remember them as you walk back to your car. American Girl by Laura Bell Bundy seems to be one of those that sticks. Or at least it did with me and I’d never heard it before.

For today I’m creating a playlist of songs to get you ready for the rest of the week that follows. Just to remind you that it is worth the fight. I’m starting it off with American Girl, then The Boss singing Woody’s This land Is your Land and 15 other inspiring songs. Many of them cribbed from my 4th of July play list.

enjoy, Jack

Sleeping Beauty Suite, Op.66a, select compositions from The Sleeping Beauty ballet by  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

While last week’s selection was more oriented toward the spooky side of October, today’s is more the fancy costume ball. So put on your favorite costume and enjoy.

Jack

Piano Sonata No. 2 in B♭ minor, Op. 35 by Frédéric Chopin. 

Performed on piano by Yuja Wang

This Sonata by Chopin just seems to reflect the late October mood, including the famous third movement “The Funeral March”. I really enjoy Ms Wang’s piano work too. She has become one of my favorites on the piano.

Enjoy, Jack

Oboe Concerto in F major, by Johann Sebastian Bach

From the video notes:

This Concerto for Oboe in F major, performed by Emma Black and the Netherlands Bach Society for All of Bach, is a reconstruction of an oboe concerto, based on the keyboard concerto in E major, BWV 1053. Oboists did fairly well out of Bach, as his oeuvre contains more than two hundred oboe solos. They often concern one or two oboes in opening choruses and arias in the cantatas. But the true solo repertoire is sparse. For example, no solo concertos for oboe have survived. There are indications that Bach did indeed compose oboe concertos, whose manuscripts and parts have been lost over the years. For a complete oboe concerto, however, we have to rely on reconstructions, such as this Oboe Concerto in F major BWV 1053r.

Enjoy, Jack