Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'composing'

Duke Ellington: The Composer, Pt. 1

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:16:00 EST

Duke Ellington composed some of the most enduring music of the 20th century, producing more than one thousand lasting works. With groundbreaking hits such as "Sophisticated Lady" and "Mood Indigo," Ellington vividly communicated universal ideas, while inventing musical concepts that helped elevate jazz to a sophisticated art form.

IRCAM: The Quiet House Of Sound

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:44:00 EST

A mecca for classical composers looking for ways to bridge music and technology, IRCAM in Paris has been an incubator for some of the most compelling developments in contemporary classical music and acoustics of the past three decades.

Ljova: Giving The Viola A Chance

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:03:00 EST

Ljova is wired like an independent musician, in spite of his old-school instrument. He Skypes. He blogs. He posts music on Facebook and YouTube. And he composes by playing his viola into the computer, overdubbing and improvising the parts as he goes.

A Composer At The Edge Of Sound

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:44:00 EST

Tod Machover's goal is to put music into the hands of people who want to play it — or at least imagine it. He and his team at MIT helped to create Guitar Hero, and one of his latest projects helps people with disabilities write and perform music.

Composer Douglas Cuomo And His Musical 'Dilemma'

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST

The composer of the Sex and the City theme music is tackling his most ambitious project yet. Arjuna's Dilemma tells the story of a warrior prince from the Bhagavad Gita through a blend of classical Indian music, classical Western music and jazz.

'Chasing Light': Music Made For 50 States

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:27:00 EDT

The Ford Made in America project brings new music to regional orchestras that can't afford to commission music by an internationally recognized composer like Joseph Schwantner. His piece, Chasing Light..., will be performed in all 50 states.

Gustavo Santaolalla: A Film Composer Finds His Roots

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:23:00 EDT

Gustavo Santaolalla is perhaps best known for his film scores in Brokeback Mountain and The Motorcycle Diaries. Now, the Academy Award-winner has gone back to his roots as a musician. In a session from WBGO, Santaolalla talks about his film music and plays a lute-like instrument solo.

Jay 'Hootie' McShann: Kansas City Swingman

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:18:00 EDT

"Hootie" to his friends, bluesman supreme Jay McShann served as the living legacy to Kansas City jazz. As bandleader, pianist, singer and composer, McShann was an unsung yet influential figure. During the '40s, his orchestra became an important launching pad for prominent soloists including Charlie Parker.

Jenny Scheinman: Live At The Village Vanguard

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:51:00 EDT

The violinist, composer and occasional country singer has long been developing a rich, earthy take on American music, filtered through adventurous jazz sensibilities. Hear Scheinman's quartet reveal another facet of her sound at this performance, live from the Vanguard.

A Languid Look Back To Gershwin's 'Summertime'

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:34:00 EDT

Gershwin placed his song "Summertime" at the beginning of his opera Porgy and Bess, and for good reason. Pianist and composer Rob Kapilow demonstrates how, in just a few measures, Gershwin transports the listener into the languid world of Catfish Row.

Juliana Hatfield Sings Of 'Walking Away'

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:53:00 EDT

Juliana Hatfield's tenth album as a solo artist showcases her talent for composing songs that draw from her own emotional experience. In a session with David Dye, Hatfield performs songs from her CD How To Walk Away.

Insults And Praise On The Classical Campaign

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:02:00 EDT

Commentator Miles Hoffman offers a classical variation on a political theme: insults and endorsements among the great composers. Invectives hurled at their colleagues and competitors were effective means of shaping public opinion. Whether positive, negative or the all-too-common flip-flop, classical-music criticism, just like political commentary, is little more than biased opinion in time.

'Dr. Atomic' Opera Brings Science To The Stage

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Dr. Atomic, an opera by composer John Adams, examines the conditions and attitudes in Los Alamos leading up to the Manhattan Project's "Trinity" atomic test. Much of the libretto is made up of actual statements from scientists and military and government officials.

Neal Hefti, Big Band Trumpeter, TV Theme Composer, Dies

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:44:00 EDT

Neal Hefti reached a wide audience through the theme songs he composed for TV's Batman and Odd Couple. But he was a talented jazz arranger who got his start with the Charlie Barnett and Woody Herman big bands.

Unexpected Classics from Uncommon Combos

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:40:00 EDT

This week From the Top highlights five remarkable young chamber music groups from past programs. In this "uncommon combos" show, six bassoons play a lively march, three percussionists share one marimba in careful choreography, and an ensemble of teenage string players performs a serenade by a gifted 18-year-old composer.

'Over The Rainbow,' From Kansas To Oz

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:03:00 EDT

In the first entry of the series What Makes It So Great, pianist and composer Rob Kapilow uncovers the secret to the success of "Over the Rainbow." He says that the complete emotional narrative lies in the song's brilliant opening eight measures.

John Adams Composes An American Life

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:50:00 EDT

There probably isn't a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. — or abroad — that hasn't played the music of John Adams. His distinctive sound has made Richard Nixon sing and won a Pulitzer Prize. His new autobiography, Hallelujah Junction, reveals an American composer's history.

Renee Fleming: 'Four Last Songs' Of Strauss

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT

Four Last Songs, by German composer Richard Strauss, is a song cycle marked by the awareness and acceptance of death. A new recording captures world-famous soprano Renee Fleming as she sings his last pieces for a second time — this time with a new direction.

Philip Glass: Complex Minimalist

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:44:00 EDT

The composer discusses his new 10-CD collection, the appeal of his "needle-stuck-in-the-groove music," growing up in Baltimore and his love for science.

Revisiting Bernstein's Immodest 'Mass'

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:07:00 EDT

Leonard Bernstein wrote his Mass to memorialize John F. Kennedy. But conductor Marin Alsop says that the dizzyingly eclectic work reveals more about its composer than anyone else.

Ant Neely: 'Scratch Redux'

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:47:00 EDT

Musician and composer Ant Neely is an advocate of literally spreading his music around the world. A member of the electronic band Subthunk, Neely has turned the release of his first solo album, Not Fit For Human Consumption, into a global experiment by leaving copies of the CD in public locations for people to find, copy, and then leave someplace else. With the help of those who find the CDs, Neely is tracking the movement of his album on his Web site. One disc made its way from England to Brazil while another hopped around the U.K. before landing in Africa.

Lila Downs Woos Fans With 'Shake Away'

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Latina singer and composer Lila Downs Downs talks is touring with a new album, Shake Away. The ranchera and jazz singer talks about her singing career, balancing marriage with show business and what she hopes fans will gain from her latest project.

McCoy Tyner On Piano Jazz

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:27:00 EDT

A brilliant and inventive composer and pianist, McCoy Tyner created the lavish harmonies and percussive piano lines heard on some of John Coltrane's most famous recordings and with his own trio. Tyner puts his prodigious technique to work on in a session with Marian McPartland.

Rejection Revisited: 'Eugene Onegin'

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Tchaikovsky combined a personal, romantic entanglement with a passionate story by Pushkin to create Eugene Onegin, a fiery drama that soon became the composer's most popular opera.

Gabriel Kahane: Leader Of Indie Lieder

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:05:00 EDT

The singer and composer blends wry personal stories with often-complex brass and string arrangements, and mixes it up with both classical musicians and indie rockers. He performs live from his forthcoming self-titled album.