The music of our national anthem was written by a British man for a London gentleman’s club called the Anacreontic Society for their “constitutional” song. The society was an 18th century gentleman’s club for amateur musicians. Their president, Ralph Tomlinson, created the lyrics to “To Anacreon in Heaven” and John Stafford Smith, the composer behind our national anthem, […]

George Gershwin was a Pulitzer Prize winning American composer and pianist from Brooklyn, who, along with his lyricist brother, Ira Gershwin, created hallmarks and standards of the American musical repertoire in Broadway, cinema, and on the concert stage. His most popular work, which I wish to highlight here as music worth of your time, is Rhapsody in […]

The most interesting thing about Impressions of America is that it is written by a Scotsman. Patrick Doyle is an immensely successful film score composer, with films like Brave, Thor, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and many of the Shakespearean adaptations. Being a Hollywood composer though exposed him to the United States and here we have an outsider’s […]

Aaron Copland, considered to be one of America’s finest composers, was instrumental in developing the distinctive American sound. Labelled in his later years as “Dean of American Composers”, his works revolve around American folklore, jazz, the American landscape, the pioneer life, and the country’s spirit. He sought to create accessible music, meaning music all could enjoy, which earned […]