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Hearing The Pulitzers

53 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago -

Hearing the Pulitzers: A piece-by-piece, episode-by-episode exploration of the winners of the Pulitzer Prize in Music with hosts Andrew Granade and David Thurmaier.

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Episodes

Episode 48 - 1990: Mel Powell, Duplicates

January 30, 2024 19:40 - 29 minutes - 28 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer who played with Benny Goodman as a jazz pianist, and then embraced Arnold Schoenberg's musical ideas as a member of the academy. What kind of music does that concoction create? Listen to this episode on Duplicates, Powell's winning piece for two pianos and orchestra. If you'd like more information about Mel Powell, we recommend: Sally Lamb, “An Analytical Guide to the Works of Mel Powell.” DMA diss., Cornell University, 1988. Jeffrey Per...

Episode 47 - 1989: Roger Reynolds, Whispers Out of Time

January 12, 2024 20:19 - 30 minutes - 70.2 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a work for string orchestra that Kyle Gann opined was the first experimental composition to win the Pulitzer since Charles Ives. Given how much Dave loves Ives, how does he react to Whispers Out of Time? How does the piece fit in the context of music written in the late 1980s?   If you'd like more information about Roger Reynolds, we recommend: Kyle Gann's American Music in the 20th Century (Schirmer, 1997). Roger Reynolds's "Ideals and Realities:...

Bonus: An Interview with William Bolcom

December 08, 2023 02:57 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MB

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with 1988 Pulitzer Prize Winner William Bolcom. What is the difference between the Etudes and the New Etudes? What impact did John Cage have on his career? And who is answering the phone? We hope you enjoy hearing from him about these insights and many more!

Episode 46 - 1988: William Bolcom, Twelve New Etudes

November 16, 2023 21:53 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first solo piano work to ever win a Pulitzer Prize. And they try to answer the question–if these are "new" etudes, what are the "old" etudes? They also examine how Bolcom incorporates various styles and techniques into the etudes, and ponder the set's historical place among other etude collections.     If you'd like more information about William Bolcom, we recommend: Henry S. Jones's dissertation "William Bolcom's Twelve New Etudes for Piano"...

Bonus: An Interview with John Harbison

September 24, 2023 01:02 - 28 minutes - 27.7 MB

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with Pulitzer Winner John Harbison. Why did he decide to play the tuba? What was it like to study composition with two-time winner Walter Piston? What was the impetus for looking at the darker side of Christmas in The Flight Into Egypt? We hope you enjoy hearing from him about these insights and many more!  

Episode 45 - 1987: John Harbison, The Flight Into Egypt

August 30, 2023 21:00 - 29 minutes - 66.9 MB

In this episode Dave and Andrew discuss a composer known for his eclecticism, who writes music that features the influence of jazz, Stravinskian neoclassicism, Schoenbergian serialism, and a variety of popular idioms. But will that mixture of styles win them over when applied to a Biblical text about the "dark side" of Christmas? If you'd like more information about Harbison, we recommend: Brian Galante's dissertation "John Harbison's The Flight into Egypt: An Analysis for Performance," Un...

Episode 44 - 1986: George Perle, Wind Quintet IV

June 27, 2023 14:27 - 22 minutes - 52.1 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss someone they know primarily as a music theorist. George Perle is celebrated for his theoretical work on twelve-tone theory and Alban Berg's music, but how does he stack up as a composer? And what do they think of the first woodwind quintet to win a Pulitzer?   For more information about George Perle, we recommend: George Perle, Twelve-Tone Tonality, 2nd edition (University of California Press, 1996). George Perle, The Operas of Alban Berg, Vol I a...

Episode 43 -1985: Stephen Albert, Symphony RiverRun

June 07, 2023 21:32 - 27 minutes - 63.5 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew continue discussing the streak of Neo-Romantic winners of the Pulitzer Prize in music with Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun. But will this symphony win them over?     For more information about Stephen Albert, we recommend: Ron Petrides's dissertation "Pitch Organization in Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun: A Study in Modal Combinations and Tonal Centricity" PhD Diss, NYU, 2008. Holly Watkins's article "The Pastoral After Environmentalism: Nature and...

Episode 42 - 1984: Bernard Rands, Canti del Sole

May 12, 2023 01:31 - 28 minutes - 64.4 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer associated with New Romanticism. But is that label reductive or does it accurately describe Bernard Rands's music? How about this song cycle based on poems about the sun? If you'd like more information about Rands, we recommend: Will Robin's article "Horizons ’83, Meet the Composer, and New Romanticism’s New Marketplace" in Musical Quarterly, Vol. 102, nos. 2-3 (2019): 158–99. Benjamin Rivera's thesis "An Introduction to the Musical Lang...

Bonus: An Interview with Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

February 25, 2023 19:05 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MB

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with Pulitzer Winner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. What did she learn studying at Florida State University and with former Pulitzer winners Roger Sessions and Elliott Carter? And why does she have a framed "Peanuts" cartoon in her studio? We hope you enjoy hearing from her about these insights and more!  

Episode 41 - 1983: Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Symphony No.1 (Three Movements for Orchestra)

February 10, 2023 23:29 - 24 minutes - 57.1 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first female Pulitzer Prize winner, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, who wrote a symphony of all things. What will they think about the first symphony to win the prize since Walter Piston's Symphony No. 7 back in 1961?   As promised in the episode, here's Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's appearance in Peanuts. If you'd like more information about Zwilich, we recommend: Julie Schnepel's article "Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Symphony No. 1: Developing Variation in the 198...

Episode 40 - 1982: Roger Sessions, Concerto for Orchestra

January 16, 2023 02:12 - 27 minutes - 63.2 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the third winner of the Pulitzer Prize to study with Horatio Parker at Yale, Roger Sessions, for his Concerto for Orchestra. Since the other two winners were Charles Ives and Quincy Porter, it isn't a shock that Sessions was 85 years old when he won. What will they think about this blast from the past?   If you'd like to learn more about Roger Sessions, we recommend: Roger Sessions on Music: Collected Essays, edited by Edward T. Cone (Princeton Uni...

Episode 39 - 1981: No Winner

December 22, 2022 20:25 - 24 minutes - 55.4 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew cover the fourth and final time (so far) that the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. Unlike 1965, which was the last year they didn't award the prize, 1981 wasn't mired in controversy. So why did the Pulitzer Board not award a prize and what should have won? As a bonus, Dave and Andrew also discuss lessons learned after covering 40 years of the Pulitzer Prize and make predictions for what's to come!  

Episode 38 - 1980: David Del Tredici, In Memory of a Summer Day

November 18, 2022 12:00 - 33 minutes - 76.8 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer Aaron Copland called a "rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift." Will they agree with Copland about David Del Tredici's In Memory of a Summer Day?   If you'd like more information about David Del Tredici, we recommend: Contemporary Music Review's issue on New Tonality, volume 6, issue 2 (1992), including Paul Moravec's interview with Del Tredici. J. D. Dolan's article on Del Tredici in BOMB, No. 60 (Summer 1997...

Episode 37 - 1979: Joseph Schwantner, Aftertones of Infinity

October 21, 2022 13:09 - 25 minutes - 59.3 MB

In this episode, Andrew and Dave explore a composer they first encountered with his music for wind band. In his Pulitzer-winning work, Schwantner fashioned a composition critics have described as creating a "poetic illusion—but only an illusion— of movement." Will this illusion win them over?   If you'd like more information about Schwantner we recommend: James Chute's dissertation "The reemergence of tonality in contemporary music as shown in the works of David Del Tredici, Joseph Schwan...

Episode 36 - 1978: Michael Colgrass, Déjà Vu

September 26, 2022 19:13 - 26 minutes - 61.3 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew record their first live podcast event! In front of the Kansas City Conducting Symposium, they discuss an unusual work for the Pulitzers in that Michael Colgrass featured the percussion section of the orchestra. Will they enjoy this departure from standard orchestration?     If you'd like more information about Colgrass, we recommend: Colgrass's autobiographies Adventures of an American Composer and My Lessons with Kumi  James Donald Broadhurst's disserta...

Episode 35 - 1977: Richard Wernick, Visions of Terror and Wonder

September 07, 2022 23:49 - 27 minutes - 62.1 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a Pulitzer winner that has so fallen out of the repertoire that there is no commercially available recording. But that doesn't mean there aren't interesting things to learn about the state of music in the late 1970s! For example, why was there an extra meeting of the jury, and did all the members participate in the deliberations? Listen to find out!    If you'd like more information about Richard Wernick, we recommend: This interview with Wernick f...

Episode 34 - 1976: Ned Rorem, Air Music

August 19, 2022 01:46 - 33 minutes - 77 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer better known for his songs who won for an orchestral work, Ned Rorem. They may enjoy The Nantucket Songs but what will they think about Air Music? And was Air Music actually supposed to win the Pulitzer Prize??? Tune in to find out. If you'd like to know more about Ned Rorem, we recommend: Ned Rorem, The Paris and the New York Diaries, 1951-1961, Open Road Media J.D. McClatchy's 1999 interview with Ned Rorem in The Paris Review, Issue 1...

Episode 33 - 1975: Dominick Argento, From the Diary of Virginia Woolf

August 01, 2022 21:25 - 25 minutes - 58.5 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first song cycle to ever win the Pulitzer Prize, Dominick Argento's From the Diary of Virginia Woolf. Argento always remarked that his music balanced between his desire for fantasy and his need for control. Do Dave and Andrew think this work has that balance?   If you'd like more information about Dominick Argento, we recommend: Jacquelyn Matava's dissertation "Dominick Argento's From the Diary of Virginia Woolf: A Preparation Guide for Perform...

Episode 32 - 1974: Donald Martino, Notturno

July 16, 2022 07:37 - 32 minutes - 74.4 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer who is usually considered a 12-tone composer, but who also rejected labels. He famously told the New York Times in 1997 that "If anyone writes program notes and says I am a Serial or a 12-tone composer, I am infuriated." How do Dave and Andrew label Martino's music? How does Notturno fit into the style of other winners in the early 1970s?   If you'd like more information about Donald Martino and Notturno, we recommend: James Praznik's 20...

Episode 31 - 1973: Elliott Carter, String Quartet No. 3

June 28, 2022 00:33 - 30 minutes - 69.2 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew revisit Elliott Carter, who won his first Pulitzer in 1960. They awarded his String Quartet No. 2 two big thumbs up. Will they be as enthusiastic about Carter's String Quartet No. 3? If you'd like more information about Elliott Carter and his String Quartet No. 3, we recommend: This performance of the String Quartet No. 3 by the Jack Quartet. Andrew W. Mead's article "Pitch Structure in Elliott Carter's String Quartet No. 3" in Perspectives of New Music,  ...

Episode 30 - 1972: Jacob Druckman, Windows

June 05, 2022 23:26 - 25 minutes - 59.2 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew look through Windows at Jacob Druckman's compositional style and legacy in American music. Druckman taught at Yale and the Aspen Music Festival for years, shaping generations of young composers, and coined the term "New Romanticism" when he curated the Horizons Festivals at the NY Philharmonic in the mid-1980s. Yet today, his attempts to merge modernist techniques with audience-friendly sounds are largely forgotten. Should they be?   If you'd like to know m...

Episode 29 - 1971: Mario Davidovsky, Synchronisms No. 6

May 11, 2022 01:21 - 29 minutes - 67.1 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first episode they have a personal connection to as Andrew has performed Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms No. 6. How does Dave react to the third music winner to incorporate electronic sounds, and how do those sounds hold up 50 years later?   If you'd like more information about Davidovsky, we recommend: Wesley True's lecture “Men, Music, and Machines. Some Thoughts Generated by the Practice and Performance of Mario Davidovsky’s Synchronisms #6 ...

Episode 28 - 1970: Charles Wuorinen, Time’s Encomium

April 16, 2022 15:11 - 29 minutes - 67.3 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first fully electronic work to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, even though it was the only electronic work its composer ever wrote. Did Charles Wuorinen set a new standard for Pulitzer-winning music or was electronic music a flash in the pan?   If you're interested in learning more about Wuorinen, we recommend: Charles Wuorinen's extensive website Elliott Schwartz's article "Electronic Music: A Thirty-Year Retrospective" in Music Educators Journal,...

Episode 27 - 1969: Karel Husa, String Quartet No. 3

March 29, 2022 01:07 - 28 minutes - 64.8 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer renowned today for his works for wind band, but celebrated during his lifetime for music that was, in Nicolas Slonimsky's famous phrase, "oxygenated by humanistic romanticism." Join us as we try and tease out exactly what Slonimsky meant by exploring Husa's String Quartet No. 3.   If you'd like more information about Husa, we recommend: Lawrence W. Hartzell's "Karel Husa: The Man and the Music" in The Musical Quarterly Vol. 62, No. 1 (Ja...

Episode 26 - 1968: George Crumb, Echoes of Time and the River

March 14, 2022 11:00 - 27 minutes - 62.7 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore an early work by a composer who transformed American music with his singular vision. But how did a composer who concocted a personal aesthetic reflecting a fascination with "life, death, love, the smell of the earth, the sounds of the wind and the sea" impact artists like David Bowie and directors like William Friedkin (who used Crumb's music in The Exorcist)? If you'd like more information about George Crumb, we recommend: George Crumb's New York T...

Episode 25 - 1967: Leon Kirchner, Third String Quartet

March 01, 2022 19:07 - 28 minutes - 65.4 MB

We're back with Season 2 of "Hearing The Pulitzers!"  In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first music winner to incorporate electronics, Leon Kirchner. Kirchner wanted to expand human capabilities by combining live performance with recorded electronic sounds. Although he did not focus his music on electronics after the 3rd Quartet, Kirchner's award ultimately set a trend for the Pulitzer the next few years, as the jury became more and more accepting of new sounds and timbres.   I...

Episode 24 - 1966: Leslie Bassett, Variations for Orchestra

November 01, 2021 18:44 - 26 minutes - 30.5 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first music winner in three years, Leslie Bassett. After two decades of honoring fairly conservative, European-derived pieces and two years of not honoring any pieces of music, what direction will the Pulitzer go in the late 1960s?   If you'd like more information about Leslie Bassett, we recommend: Leslie Bassett's homepage Ellen S. Johnson's Leslie Bassett: a Bio-Bibliography, published in 1994 by Greenwood Press  Stephanie Brunelli's disse...

Episode 23 - 1965: No Prize (the Pulitzer Hat Trick)

September 18, 2021 22:05 - 27 minutes - 31.3 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew cover the third year the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. The 1964 decision not to award a prize might have been shocking, but nothing could have prepared the Pulitzer Board from the fallout of their decision in 1965. Music jury members resigned, the press had a field day, and the trajectory of music winners changed dramatically. We'll chart all the intrigue, including what Duke Ellington had to do with this scandal.  

Episode 22: 1964: No Prize (again)

August 28, 2021 21:45 - 14 minutes - 16.4 MB

In this episode, Andrew and Dave discuss the second time the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. In fact, in 1964, they did not give awards in the categories of drama, music, and fiction. It was the first time since the Pulitzer Prizes began in 1917 that three separate categories did not have an awardee. To deepen the intrigue, the music board was split, and at least one member wanted to give a music award (and wasn't happy with the other members). We discuss all the drama! W...

Episode 22 - 1964: No Prize (again)

August 28, 2021 21:45 - 14 minutes - 16.4 MB

In this episode, Andrew and Dave discuss the second time the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. In fact, in 1964, they did not give awards in the categories of drama, music, and fiction. It was the first time since the Pulitzer Prizes began in 1917 that three separate categories did not have an awardee. To deepen the intrigue, the music board was split, and at least one member wanted to give a music award (and wasn't happy with the other members). We discuss all the drama! W...

Episode 21 - 1963: Samuel Barber, Piano Concerto No. 1

August 13, 2021 18:39 - 25 minutes - 28.9 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the third person to win two Pulitzers, Samuel Barber. Barber's prize-winning opera Vanessa was a qualified hit in Episode 16, but how does his Piano Concerto stack up?   (Photo of Pianist John Browning, 1966)   If you'd like more information about Samuel Barber or his Piano Concerto No. 1, we recommend: Emily Lu's 1986 dissertation from the University of Wisconsin, "The Piano Concerto of Samuel Barber" Jonathan Blumhofer's fascinating discussion...

Episode 20 - 1962: Robert Ward, The Crucible

June 20, 2021 01:07 - 29 minutes - 33.6 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew turn to the fifth opera to win a Pulitzer Prize, Robert Ward's The Crucible. The opera is based on Arthur Miller's award-winning play that even today is considered an American classic. Does the opera hold up as well? If you're interested in more information about Robert Ward or The Crucible, we recommend: Robert Kolt's book Robert Ward's The Crucible: Creating an American Musical Nationalism. Robert Kolt's article "The Devil Made Me Do It! History to Play ...

Episode 19 - 1961: Walter Piston, Symphony No. 7

May 24, 2021 15:44 - 29 minutes - 33.5 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew return to Walter Piston, who first won the Pulitzer in 1948 for his Third Symphony. In 1961, not even a year into his retirement, Piston won again for his Seventh Symphony. Although Piston's music isn't performed much today, Carol Oja has argued that "From the perspective of the early 21st century, the music of Walter Piston sounds mighty appealing." Will Dave and Andrew agree?     If you're interested in more information about Walter Piston's teaching, we...

Episode 18 - 1960: Elliott Carter, Second String Quartet

April 26, 2021 18:18 - 35 minutes - 40.5 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first Pulitzer winner of the 1960s, Elliott Carter for his Second String Quartet. Carter's work has been frequently performed, widely celebrated, and heavily analyzed, but will it be a hit or a miss for our hosts?     If you're interested in learning more about Carter or his Second String Quartet, we recommend: David Thurmaier's "'A Disturbing Lack of Musical and Stylistic Continuity'? Elliott Carter, Charles Ives, and Musical Borrowing" Curre...

Episode 17 - 1959: John La Montaine, Piano Concerto No. 1

March 27, 2021 19:59 - 29 minutes - 33.3 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss John La Montaine's first piano concerto, a work that made a splash in the late 1950s only to disappear from the repertoire. Similarly, La Montaine has faded from view, so what made this work catch the Pulitzer committee's attention? If you'd like to learn more about John La Montaine, we recommend: Frank Oteri's 2003 interview "Rediscovering John La Montaine" Bruce Duffie's 1989 interview with John La Montaine Erica Beth Weintraub's article “John L...

Episode 16 - 1958: Samuel Barber, Vanessa

March 12, 2021 19:41 - 34 minutes - 40 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the fourth opera to win the Pulitzer Prize in the 1950s, Samuel Barber's Vanessa. In the mid-20th century United States, Samuel Barber was one of the most performed American composers, known especially for his beautiful vocal music that closely mirrored European models. But with the Pulitzer traditionally awarding works that are more "American" in sound, does Vanessa represent a departure from convention for Barber or the Pulitzer board? If you'd lik...

Episode 15 - 1957: Norman Dello Joio, Meditations on Ecclesiastes

February 26, 2021 22:39 - 25 minutes - 29.4 MB

Norman Dello Joio is one of those composers you might know depending on your background. Sing choral music? You might know him from A Jubilant Song. Play in band? You might have performed his Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn. He was accomplished and prolific composer, but we did not know his Pulitzer winning Meditations on Ecclesiastes before this episode. Join Dave and Andrew as they explore if it fits into the list of winners in the 1950s or is an outlier. If you want to know more about Dell...

Episode 14 - 1956: Ernst Toch, Symphony No. 3

February 13, 2021 20:42 - 29 minutes - 34.1 MB

Like Gian Carlo Menotti before him, Ernst Toch was a European composer who won an American prize. Unlike Menotti, Toch did not have the same success in the United States that he had in Europe and never fully identified as an "American" composer. Join us as we find out how his third symphony, inspired by his experience as a Jew fleeing the Nazis in the 1930s, might tell us something about Toch's place in American musical history.   If you'd like to learn more about Ernst Toch, we recommend:...

Episode 13 - 1955:Gian Carlo Menotti, The Saint of Bleecker Street

January 29, 2021 14:48 - 37 minutes - 42.5 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first repeat winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music. We covered Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul in Episode 8 and now he's back again with The Saint of Bleecker Street. We were generally favorable toward The Consul, finding it an effective, if derivative opera. Will Menotti score another hit with this story of a young woman who displays the stigmata?   If you're interested in The Saint of Bleecker Street, we recommend: The original Broadway cast ...

Episode 12 - 1954: Quincy Porter, Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra

January 13, 2021 01:37 - 23 minutes - 26.4 MB

Quincy Porter bridges many of the themes we've seen so far in the podcast: he was the last student of nineteenth-century American composer Horatio Parker (who also taught 1947 prize  winner Charles Ives), he taught composition at an Ivy League school (Yale, in this case) for many years, and he was celebrated for his orchestral music during his lifetime, but is virtually forgotten today. From that list, and from our previous episodes on Howard Hanson, Walter Piston, and Douglas Moore, you m...

EPISODE 11 - 1953: No Prize

November 10, 2020 19:24 - 14 minutes - 16.6 MB

It might surprise you to learn that over the past 80 years, there have been a few years when the Pulitzer Board has elected not to award a prize, even when the music committee had a recommendation. In this episode we explore the first of these "no prize" years, discuss what pieces were considered, and make a guess as to why the Pulitzer Board chose to not award a winner.

EPISODE 10 - 1952: Gail Kubik, Symphony Concertante

September 08, 2020 22:58 - 24 minutes - 28.6 MB

As we move further into the 1950s, we're entering the doldrums of the Pulitzer Prizes, where few winners have entered the repertoire. Gail Kubik was a phenomenon in his day, writing equally well for the concert hall and the movie theatre. His Symphony Concertante began life as a film score before he extracted themes to craft this work featuring viola, trumpet, and piano. So why have you never heard of the work or, most likely its creator? If you'd like to learn more about Kubik, we recomme...

Episode 9 - 1951: Douglas Moore, Giants in the Earth

August 15, 2020 19:22 - 20 minutes - 23.7 MB

Douglas Moore is a name we've encountered before on Hearing the Pulitzers because he was instrumental in helping establish the Pulitzer Prizes. A decade later, he finally won his own Pulitzer for an opera based on Ole Edvart Rølvaag's novel Giants in the Earth. The opera follows the triumphs and tragedies of Norwegian settlers in the Dakota Territories of 1873, but there isn't even a recording today and the score is hard to find. Is its obscurity warranted? If you'd like to learn more about...

Episode 8 - 1950: Gian Carlo Menotti, The Consul

June 14, 2020 20:18 - 34 minutes - 39.5 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the winner of the eighth Pulitzer Prize in Music, Gian Carlo Menotti for his opera The Consul. In the middle part of the 20th century, Menotti was one of the most famous composers in America, particularly after his perennial Christmas favorite Amahl and the Night Visitors premiered on December 24, 1951, as the first opera composed for television. The Consul was one of his most celebrated operas during his lifetime and the first opera to receive the P...

Episode 7 - 1949: Virgil Thomson, Louisiana Story

May 24, 2020 21:10 - 36 minutes - 42.2 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the winner of the seventh Pulitzer Prize in Music, Virgil Thomson for his score to the film Louisiana Story.   Virgil Thomson is perhaps best known for his operas like Four Saints in Three Acts or his precise and incisive music criticism at the New York Herald Tribune. But he was also a pioneer in film scoring, particularly documentary film scoring during the Great Depression. In 1936, he wrote his first film score for Pare Lorentz's The Plow that B...

Episode 6 - 1948: Walter Piston, Symphony No. 3

May 04, 2020 17:45 - 28 minutes - 32.5 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the winner of the sixth Pulitzer Prize in Music, Walter Piston for his Symphony No. 3.     Walter Piston was a long-time teacher at Harvard University (Leonard Bernstein and Elliott Carter count among his students) and author of several influential textbooks, including Principles of Harmonic Analysis (1933) and Orchestration (1955). He was also, according to Aaron Copland, “one of the most expert craftsmen American music can boast.” His Symphony No...

Episode 5 - 1947: Charles E. Ives, Symphony No. 3, "The Camp Meeting"

April 19, 2020 21:37 - 39 minutes - 45.7 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the winner of the fifth Pulitzer Prize in Music, Charles E. Ives for his Symphony No. 3, "The Camp Meeting." This piece, largely scored/written between 1908-11, features many of Ives's favorite techniques, including musical borrowing, cumulative form, and mixtures of harmonic techniques all wrapped up in a short and compact chamber symphony. Ives himself had mixed feelings about the piece, thinking it was a transitional "crossway between the older wa...

Episode 4 - 1946: Leo Sowerby, Canticle of the Sun

April 06, 2020 01:01 - 25 minutes - 29.1 MB

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...

Episode 3 - 1945: Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring

March 08, 2020 16:53 - 33 minutes - 38.6 MB

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the winner of the third Pulitzer Prize in Music, Aaron Copland for Appalachian Spring. Copland is among the most important and well-known American composers, and his style defined "America" in music for generations. Join us as we explore why Appalachian Spring has become a classic in American music and its reverberations down to today. If you'd like more information about Appalachian Spring and Aaron Copland, we recommend: Howard Pollack's biography...

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