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Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of works for string quartet by Florence Price and Leo Sowerby, who were both prominent members of the Chicago music community in the 1930s and 1940s. Most of Florence Price's compositions remained unpublished at her death, and her String Quartet in A minor was not performed in her lifetime. Her Five Folksongs in Counterpoint entwine and enrich the famous melodies with African American vernacular idioms and colourful harmony, while Sowerby's String Quartet in G minor reveals music undeserving of its decades of obscurity in the Avalon Quartet's world premiere recording of the work.
Anthem: "I Will Lift Up My Eyes" by Leo Sowerby The South Church Chancel Choir Soloist: Cynthia Mellon, Mezzo-Soprano Frank Zilinyi, Organist
Anthem: "I Will Lift Up My Eyes" by Leo Sowerby The South Church Chancel Choir Soloist: Cynthia Mellon, Mezzo-Soprano Frank Zilinyi, Organist
The Perfect Adolescent Sermon by the Rev. Leigh DeVries ----------- Prelude - A Host of Carols © 1991 Lorenz Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Hymn - Angels We Have Heard on High Music © 1937, ren. 1965 H. Augustine Smith Jr. (admin. Fleming H. Revell Company, a div. of Baker Publishing Group). All rights reserved. Response - On Those Who Sit In Darkness Text © 1973 The Jubilate Group (admin. Hope Publishing Company). Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Music © 1983 Hope Publishing Company. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Anthem - Carol of the Candle Music © 1977 Hinshaw Music, Inc. © reassigned to Stephen Paulus in 1998. All rights reserved. Hymn - The Snow Lay on the Ground Music Harm. © 1941 Leo Sowerby. All rights reserved. Offertory Anthem - Lullaby, My Lovely Child © 1988 Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. All rights reserved. Doxology Text © 1949 Church Pension Fund. Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-716211. All rights reserved. Postlude - Joy to the World © 2009 Editions Leupold USA
Prédication par le professeur Michel Grandjean Liturgie par Marc Pernot, pasteur Cantate de Leo Sowerby (1895 - 1968) Great is the Lord Cristiana Presutti, soprano Negar Mehrevan, alto Jaime Caicompai, ténor Seongho Han, basse Diego Innocenzi, orgue et direction
Episode 46 - Andy Baker & Anthony Devroye / Leo Sowerby: The Paul Whiteman Commissions... by Cedille Records
Episode 45 - David Schrader / Organ Music by Frank Ferko & Leo Sowerby by Cedille Records
On this episode of Classical Chicago, Marta Aznavoorian, pianist of the multiple-Grammy-nominated Lincoln Trio joins Cedille President Jim Ginsburg in conversation about the ensemble’s upcoming album. Trios From the City of Big Shoulders showcases rarely-heard piano trios by two important 20th-century composers associated with Chicago: Ernst Bacon and Leo Sowerby. Listen to learn more about these impressive works and the lives and music of Bacon and Sowerby through Aznavoorian's personal insight. Listen to the album here: https://www.cedillerecords.org/albums/trios-from-the-city-of-big-shoulders/
Synopsis Today’s date marks two anniversaries in the life of American composer, teacher, and organist Leo Sowerby, who lived from 1895 to 1968. Sowerby was born on May 1st in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and on his 32nd birthday in 1927, was hired as the permanent organist and choirmaster at St. James’ Church in Chicago, where he remained for the next 35 years. Sowerby wrote hundreds of pieces of church music for organ and chorus, plus chamber and symphonic works, which are only recently receiving proper attention. It’s not that Sowerby was neglected during his lifetime–he won many awards, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1946–but many seemed “put off” by both his unabashedly Romantic style and his unprepossessing physical appearance. The younger American composer Ned Rorem, who took theory lessons from Sowerby, puts it this way: “Leo Sowerby was … of my parents’ generation, a bachelor, reddish-complexioned and milky skinned, chain smoker of Fatima cigarettes, unglamorous and non-mysterious, likable with a perpetual worried frown, overweight and wearing rimless glasses, earthy, practical, interested in others even when they were talentless; a stickler for basic training, Sowerby was the first composer I knew and the last thing a composer was supposed to resemble.” Music Played in Today's Program Leo Sowerby (1895 – 1968) Classic Concerto David Mulbury, organ; Fairfield Orchestra; John Welsh, cond. Naxos 8.559028 On This Day Births 1582 - Early Italian opera composer Marco da Gagliano, in Gagliano; 1602 - Baptism of English madrigal composer William Lawes, in Salisbury ; He was the younger brother of the more famous English composer Henry Lawes (1696-1662); 1872 - Swedish violinist and composer Hugo Alfvén in Stockholm; 1895 - American organist and composer Leo Sowerby, in Grand Rapids, Mich.; 1899 - Icelandic composer Jón Leifs, in Sólheimar; Deaths 1904 - Czech composer Antonin Dvorák, age 62, in Prague; 1978 - Soviet composer Aram Khachaturian, age 74, in Moscow; Premieres 1786 - Mozart: "The Marriage of Figaro" in Vienna at the Old Burgtheater; 1886 - Franck: "Symphonic Variations" for piano and orchestra, in Paris; 1909 - Rachmaninoff: "The Isle of the Dead," in Moscow, conducted by the composer (Julian date: April 18); 1925 - Piston: Three Pieces for flute, clarinet, and bassoon (his first published work), at the École Normale in Paris, by the Blanquart-Coste-Dherin trio; 1939 - Barber: "The Virgin Martyrs," with students from the Curtis Institute of Music on a CBS Radio broadcast, with the composer conducting; 1971 - Dave Brubeck: oratorio "Truth Has Fallen," at the opening of the Center for the Arts in Midland, Mich.; 1987 - Harrison Birtwistle: "Endless Parade" for trumpet, vibraphone and strings, in Zurich (Switzerland) by the Collegium Musicum conducted by Paul Sacher, with trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger; 2002 - Jennifer Higdon: "Blue Cathedral," by the Curtis Institute Symphony conducted by Robert Spano, commissioned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Curtis Institute of Music; 2003 - Lukas Foss: Concertino ("Passacaglia, Bachanalia, Passacaglia") for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, by the New York Choral Artists and the New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur conducting; Others 1761 - Franz Joseph Haydn begins his 30-year tenure as Second-Kapellmeister at Prince Esterhazy's estate in Eisenstadt; In 1766, Haydn succeeded the much older composer Gregor Joseph Werner as First-Kapellmeister; 1825 - first documented American performance of Haydn's Symphony No. 100 ("Military") at Boylston Hall in Boston, at a benefit concert for Haydn's former pupil, Johann Christian Gottlieb Graupner (1767-1836); 1837 - American premiere of Rossini's opera "Semiramide" in New Orleans; 1938 - The German Reichsmusikkammer (Imperial Ministry of Music) forbids Aryan music instructors to teach pupils of Jewish extraction. Links and Resources On Sowerby An essay "Leo Sowerby at 100"
Synopsis Today’s date marks two anniversaries in the life of American composer, teacher, and organist Leo Sowerby, who lived from 1895 to 1968. Sowerby was born on May 1st in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and on his 32nd birthday in 1927, was hired as the permanent organist and choirmaster at St. James’ Church in Chicago, where he remained for the next 35 years. Sowerby wrote hundreds of pieces of church music for organ and chorus, plus chamber and symphonic works, which are only recently receiving proper attention. It’s not that Sowerby was neglected during his lifetime–he won many awards, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1946–but many seemed “put off” by both his unabashedly Romantic style and his unprepossessing physical appearance. The younger American composer Ned Rorem, who took theory lessons from Sowerby, puts it this way: “Leo Sowerby was … of my parents’ generation, a bachelor, reddish-complexioned and milky skinned, chain smoker of Fatima cigarettes, unglamorous and non-mysterious, likable with a perpetual worried frown, overweight and wearing rimless glasses, earthy, practical, interested in others even when they were talentless; a stickler for basic training, Sowerby was the first composer I knew and the last thing a composer was supposed to resemble.” Music Played in Today's Program Leo Sowerby (1895 – 1968) Classic Concerto David Mulbury, organ; Fairfield Orchestra; John Welsh, cond. Naxos 8.559028 On This Day Births 1582 - Early Italian opera composer Marco da Gagliano, in Gagliano; 1602 - Baptism of English madrigal composer William Lawes, in Salisbury ; He was the younger brother of the more famous English composer Henry Lawes (1696-1662); 1872 - Swedish violinist and composer Hugo Alfvén in Stockholm; 1895 - American organist and composer Leo Sowerby, in Grand Rapids, Mich.; 1899 - Icelandic composer Jón Leifs, in Sólheimar; Deaths 1904 - Czech composer Antonin Dvorák, age 62, in Prague; 1978 - Soviet composer Aram Khachaturian, age 74, in Moscow; Premieres 1786 - Mozart: "The Marriage of Figaro" in Vienna at the Old Burgtheater; 1886 - Franck: "Symphonic Variations" for piano and orchestra, in Paris; 1909 - Rachmaninoff: "The Isle of the Dead," in Moscow, conducted by the composer (Julian date: April 18); 1925 - Piston: Three Pieces for flute, clarinet, and bassoon (his first published work), at the École Normale in Paris, by the Blanquart-Coste-Dherin trio; 1939 - Barber: "The Virgin Martyrs," with students from the Curtis Institute of Music on a CBS Radio broadcast, with the composer conducting; 1971 - Dave Brubeck: oratorio "Truth Has Fallen," at the opening of the Center for the Arts in Midland, Mich.; 1987 - Harrison Birtwistle: "Endless Parade" for trumpet, vibraphone and strings, in Zurich (Switzerland) by the Collegium Musicum conducted by Paul Sacher, with trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger; 2002 - Jennifer Higdon: "Blue Cathedral," by the Curtis Institute Symphony conducted by Robert Spano, commissioned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Curtis Institute of Music; 2003 - Lukas Foss: Concertino ("Passacaglia, Bachanalia, Passacaglia") for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, by the New York Choral Artists and the New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur conducting; Others 1761 - Franz Joseph Haydn begins his 30-year tenure as Second-Kapellmeister at Prince Esterhazy's estate in Eisenstadt; In 1766, Haydn succeeded the much older composer Gregor Joseph Werner as First-Kapellmeister; 1825 - first documented American performance of Haydn's Symphony No. 100 ("Military") at Boylston Hall in Boston, at a benefit concert for Haydn's former pupil, Johann Christian Gottlieb Graupner (1767-1836); 1837 - American premiere of Rossini's opera "Semiramide" in New Orleans; 1938 - The German Reichsmusikkammer (Imperial Ministry of Music) forbids Aryan music instructors to teach pupils of Jewish extraction. Links and Resources On Sowerby An essay "Leo Sowerby at 100"
In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the winner of the fourth Pulitzer Prize in Music, Leo Sowerby for Canticle of the Sun. You might not have heard of Sowerby unless you regularly perform church music, but in the mid-20th century he was a powerhouse, especially in the Chicago musical scene. See what we think about Sowerby's setting of Francis of Assisi's hymn and why we think Sowerby might be overlooked today. If you'd like more information about Canticle of the Sun and Leo Sowerby, we recommend: Brice Gerlach's dissertation "Leo Sowerby's The Canticle of the Sun: An Analysis for Performance." Timothy Sharp's article "The Choral Music of Leo Sowerby: A Centennial Perspective," which you can find in The Choral Journal. 35, no. 8 (1995): 9–19. A good recording of the piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1yxjhfSH4A Leo Sowerby's papers and archives at Northwestern University: https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/repositories/3/resources/495
Episode 33 - Francis Crociata / Leo Sowerby: Selected Works for Solo and Duo Piano by Cedille Records
18th Sunday after Pentecost: Sermon: “A Ministry of Action” [Dr. John Finley] Anthem: “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God” [by Leo Sowerby]
For Thanksgiving, this week’s show features works praising God by Chicago composers Leo Sowerby and William Ferris.
This week’s program features music by Chicago composer Leo Sowerby (1895-1968), in observance of Chicago month on WFMT.
On our show for the week of Thanksgiving, we present works praising God by Chicago composers Leo Sowerby and William Ferris. November 27 Thanksgiving LEO SOWERBY (1895-1968) The Canticle of the Sun (32:18) O most high... Praised be my Lord God with all his creatures... Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon... Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind... Praised be my Lord for our sister water... Praised be my Lord for our brother fire... Praised be my Lord for our mother the earth... Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another... Praised be my Lord for our sister the death of the body... Blessed are they... Praise ye the Lord... From The Pulitzer Project Cedille Records CDR 90000 125 (Tracks 11–21) Grant Park Orchestra Grant Park Chorus Carlos Kalmar, conductor Christopher Bell, chorus director WILLIAM FERRIS (1942-2000) Gloria (18:57) From Corridors of Light: Music of William Ferris Cedille Records CDR 7005 (Track 1) Patricia Spencer, soprano Kathleen Meredith, alto John Vorrasi, tenor Philip Skeris, bass William Ferris Chorale Composer Festival Orchestra William Ferris, conductor
The first of four programs showcasing Chicago composers, featuring music by Rudolph Ganz, Leo Sowerby, and Robert Kurka. Playlist RUDOLPH GANZ (1877–1972) Piano Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 32 (1940) I. March-like: Allegro alla marcia (7:35) From Chicago Concertos Cedille Records CDR 90000 028 (Track 1) Ramon Salvatore, piano Chicago Sinfonietta Paul Freeman, conductor RUDOLPH GANZ A Memory (1:48) From Songs of the Romantic Age Cedille Records CDR 90000 019 (Track 20) Patrice Michaels, soprano Deborah Sobol, piano LEO SOWERBY (1895–1968) Symphony No. 2: I. Sonatina: Sprightly (9:42) From Leo Sowerby: Symphony No. 2, other works Cedille Records CDR 90000 039 (Track 4) Chicago Sinfonietta Paul Freeman, conductor LEO SOWERBY The Canticle of the Sun (excerpt) (14:25) O most high... Praised be my Lord God with all his creatures... Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon... Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind... Praised be my Lord for our sister water... From The Pulitzer Project Cedille Records CDR 90000 125 (Tracks 11–15) Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus Carlos Kalmar, conductor Christopher Bell, chorus director ROBERT KURKA (1921–1957) Julius Caesar, Symphonic Epilogue after Shakespeare, Op. 28 (1955) (8:52) From Robert Kurka: Symphonic Works Cedille Records CDR 90000 077 (Track 1) Grant Park Orchestra Carlos Kalmar, conductor ROBERT KURKA (1921–1957) The Good Soldier Schweik Act II, Scene 7: The Front (Soldiers “Wait for the ragged soldiers...”) (3:29) From Robert Kurka: The Good Soldier Schweik Cedille Records CDR 90000 062 (Disc 2, Track 22) Chicago Opera Theater Alexander Platt, conductor
Cedille Chicago Presents a program of music recorded by orchestras home and abroad. Subscribe to the Cedille Email List to receive one free music track from each week's show! This week's download is: LEO SOWERBY (1895–1968) Comes Autumn Time – Program Overture for Orchestra (4:41)From Prairie: Tone Poems by Leo Sowerby Cedille Records CDR 90000 033 (Track 1) Czech National Symphony Orchestra Paul Freeman, conductor Orchestras Home & Abroad EASLEY BLACKWOOD (b. 1933) Symphony No. 5, Op. 34 III. Allegro vivo (7:01) From Easley Blackwood: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5 Cedille Records CDR 90000 016 (Track 3) Chicago Symphony Orchestra James DePreist, conductor JOSEPH WHITE (1835–1918) Violin Concerto in F-sharp Minor Adagio ma non troppo (4:51) From Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries Cedille Records CDR 90000 035 (Track 8) Rachel Barton Pine, violin Encore Chamber Orchestra Daniel Hege, conductor HEINRICH IGNAZ FRANZ VON BIBER (1644–1704) Mensa Sonora: Pars V in E major I. Intrada Allegro (1:08) II. Balletto (0:45) III. Trezza (0:41) IV. Gigue (0:48) From Biber: Mensa Sonora & Battalia Cedille Records CDR 90000 116 (Tracks 26–29) Baroque Band Garry Clarke, conductor LEO SOWERBY (1895–1968) Comes Autumn Time – Program Overture for Orchestra (4:41) From Prairie: Tone Poems by Leo Sowerby Cedille Records CDR 90000 033 (Track 1) Czech National Symphony Orchestra Paul Freeman, conductor DOMENICO CIMAROSA (1749–1801) Concerto for Two Flutes in G Major (played on flute & oboe) III. Rondo (4:08) From Wind Concertos by Cimarosa, Molique, and Moscheles Cedille Records CDR 90000 080 (Track 3) Mathieu Dufour, flute Alex Klein, oboe Czech National Symphony Orchestra Paul Freeman, conductor MAX BRUCH (1838–1920) Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 III. Andante sostenuto (6:52) From Scottish Fantasies for Violin & Orchestra Cedille Records CDR 90000 083 (Disc 1, Track 4) Rachel Barton Pine, violin Scottish Chamber Orchestra Alexander Platt, conductor JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897) Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace (8:20) From Brahms & Joachim Violin Concertos Cedille Records CDR 90000 068 (Disc 2, Track 4) Rachel Barton Pine, violin Chicago Symphony Orchestra Carlos Kalmar, conductor
Fisk University Organist, Dr. Anthony Williams drops in on Patrick D. McCoy, The African-American Voice in Classical Music to discuss his upcoming organ recital at the Washington National Cathedral on Sunday, May 22. At the historic Fisk University in Nashville, TN, Dr. Williams teaches organ and courses in music history. In addition to his academic post, Williams is the organist at First Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Previous university appointments include Dillard University, where he was a member of the music faculty. His teaching career began at Fisk, serving in as director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers in the late 80s. This earned him a place in the history of the legendary ensemble as the youngest person to hold the position. Anthony Williams earned the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the American Conservatory of Music. His principal teachers have included Robert Glasgow, Marilyn Mason, David Mulbury, Peter Fyfe, and Paul Jordan.
The Reverend Doctor Robert Cummings Neville preaches a sermon entitled "Five Things are Ultimate". The Marsh Chapel Choir sings "We shall walk through the valley in peace" by Moses Hogan and "Blessed are all they that fear the Lord" by Leo Sowerby along with service music and hymns.
The Reverend Doctor Robert Cummings Neville preaches a sermon entitled "Five Things are Ultimate". The Marsh Chapel Choir sings "We shall walk through the valley in peace" by Moses Hogan and "Blessed are all they that fear the Lord" by Leo Sowerby along with service music and hymns.
The Reverend Doctor Robert Cummings Neville preaches a sermon entitled "Five Things are Ultimate". The Marsh Chapel Choir sings "We shall walk through the valley in peace" by Moses Hogan and "Blessed are all they that fear the Lord" by Leo Sowerby along with service music and hymns.
The Reverend Doctor Robert Cummings Neville preaches a sermon entitled "Five Things are Ultimate". The Marsh Chapel Choir sings "We shall walk through the valley in peace" by Moses Hogan and "Blessed are all they that fear the Lord" by Leo Sowerby along with service music and hymns.