by Peter Cates Celebrating Independence Day, I found the following paragraph in the first chapter of the 42nd Parallel, a 1937 novel by John Dos Passos (1896-1970): “U.S.A. is the slice of a continent. U.S.A. is a group of holding companies, some aggregations of trade unions, a set of laws bound in calf, a radio […]
by Peter Cates Sir Arthur Bryant English historian Sir Arthur Bryant (1899-1985) was a principal of the Cambridge School of Arts, Crafts and Technology from 1923 to 1926 and raised its student body from 300 to 2,000. His books were admired by former Prime Ministers Winston Churchill, Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher and others and became […]
by Peter Cates Patti Page Patti Page – Because Him is a Baby; Goodbye Charlie; Mercury 71510, seven-inch vinyl 45, recorded 1959. Patti Page (1927-2013), along with Doris Day (1922-2019), were two fabulous golden girls of 1950s pop music in combining outstanding musical and commercial success in pop singing (Time and space limits me from […]
by Peter Cates Andy Williams Andy Williams: Hopeless; The Peking Theme (So Little Time). Columbia 4-42784, seven inch 45 disc, recorded 1963. My first exposure to Andy Williams (1927-2012) came from his late ‘50s Cadence 45, The Hawaiian Wedding Song, a tune that my eight-year-old ears enjoyed a lot – however, during those years, Pat […]
by Peter Cates Aaron Copland Aaron Copland – Music for the Theatre Suite; Howard Hanson conducting the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra; Victor Red Seal M-744, three 12-inch 78s, recorded 1940. Aaron Copland (1900-1990) completed his Music for the Theatre in 1925 during the summer months at New Hampshire’s MacDowell Colony for the Arts. It is a […]
by Peter Cates These were our songs These Were Our Songs – The Early ‘30s; Reader’s Digest KRB 187/A2, released 1989. This cassette contains beautifully done transfers from 28 vintage 78 sides, recorded on the Victor label during the early 1930s of classics from the Great American Songbook. Its contents – Maurice Chevalier, Mimi; and […]
by Peter Cates Johannes Brahms Brahms Symphony 1 – Hermann Scherchen conducting the Vienna State Opera Orchestra; Classaphonic-CL-68. 12 inch lp, recorded mid to late 50s. Johannes Brahms was already sketching a First Symphony in 1853 as his friend Robert Schumann was praising the then young composer as the great new hope in music who […]
by Peter Cates Maria Duenas Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole – violinist Maria Duenas with Mihhail Gerts conducting the Estonian National Orchestra, 2019 concert video on YouTube. Spanish violinist Maria Duenas, now 22, has already landed a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon and won several first prizes at violin competitions around the world since the age of […]
by Peter Cates Kurt Masur Brahms 4 Symphonies, Tragic Overture, Academic Festival Overture, Haydn Variations, Schicksalslied; Kurt Masur, New York Philharmonic; Teldec 0630-13565-2, four cds, recorded between 1991 and 1996. Kurt Masur (1927-2015) was forced as a teenager to fight in the German army when the Nazi government was feeling increasingly desperate on both sides […]
by Peter Cates Edith Wharton A paragraph from chapter one of the 1920 classic novel The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton (1862-1937), depicts the late arrival at the opera of a rich, spoiled central character, Newland Archer: “When Newland Archer opened the door at the back of the club box the curtain had just […]