Author Archives: David Guion

Symphony no. 8 in G major by Antonin Dvořák

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Statue of Antonín Dvořák in front of Rudolfinum in Prague, Czech Republic / Wikimedia Commons

Brahms is generally considered Beethoven’s chief successor as a symphonist, but a good case can be made for Antonin Dvořák. Most of Beethoven’s followers seemed to regard his middle period as a boundary beyond which they would not go. Dvořák’s Symphony no. 8 in G major, like most of Beethoven’s, charts new structural ground.

Dvořák’s music had an odd relationship with the Brahms wing of German music. Critics such as Edouard Hanslick held it in high esteem. But they believed that German composers represented the pinnacle of musical genius. Being Czech and not German, Dvořák only counted as a second-class citizen of their musical world. Continue reading →

Fly Me to the Moon by Bart Howard

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full moon. fly me to the moon

halfrain via Flickr

People nowadays tend to attribute songs to whichever singer made the most famous recording. That’s too bad if they’re ignoring one of the great songwriters. In the case of “Fly Me to the Moon,” people might as well attribute it to Frank Sinatra or some other singer. It’s the only hit song by the almost unknown Bart Howard.

Bart Howard was born in 1915 in Burlington, Iowa. His birth name was Howard Joseph Gustafson. In 1931, at the age of 16, he started his musical career, touring as accompanist for a dance band that featured Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton.

In 1934, he moved to Los Angeles, hoping to write songs for Hollywood. It didn’t work out, but he kept busy playing piano. As accompanist for comedienne Elizabeth Talbot-Martin, he performed at Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room in New York in 1937. New York became home professionally for the rest of his life.

Shortly after moving to New York, he met the singer Mabel Mercer. She had a long engagement at Tony’s on 52nd Street, with Howard as her accompanist, and became famous. She introduced “If You Leave Paris,” the first of Howard’s songs ever performed publicly. For many years afterwards, she sang and promoted his songs.

Howard worked as master of ceremonies at the Blue Angel nightclub. He composed numerous songs for the various performers, including Mercer, Johnny Mathis, and Eartha Kitt. He usually wrote both the words and music, like his idol Cole Porter. Continue reading →

Symphony no. 1 in C minor by Johannes Brahms

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A bust of Johannes Brahms in the palace gardens in Detmold. Brahms lived and worked in this small town for a couple of years. / Bernd Sieker via Flickr

Johannes Brahms was 43 when his First Symphony came out. By that age, Beethoven had already composed eight of them. Most important symphonists produced their first symphony sometime in their 20s or earlier. Sibelius, Bruckner, and Vaughn Williams wrote theirs in their 30s.

Why did Brahms take so long to produce a symphony?

As he explained it, “You can’t have any idea what it’s like always to hear such a giant marching behind you.” He referred to Beethoven, but all 19th-century composers had Beethoven marching behind them. It appears that Brahms’ friend Robert Schumann laid a special burden on him. Continue reading →

Leo Arnaud: jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger for Hollywood

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Leo Arnaud

Leo Arnaud

Noël Léon Marius Arnaud, also known as Leo Vauchant, was born near Lyons, France, in 1904. His parents soon divorced and nothing much is known of his mother. His father, Noël Léon Arnaud, was a trombonist, among other musical accomplishments. Another family member also had the name Noël, so they always called the boy Léon.

The elder Noël deserted the French military. To avoid arrest, he changed his name to Jean Vauchant. Léon became Leo Vauchant, and it is by that name that he first became well known. In fact, he called himself Leo Arnaud only when he moved to the US in 1931. Continue reading →

Is classical music dying, or still important today?

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It seems that every year, at least one major article appears that either mourns classical music’s death or seeks to dance on its grave. What’s wrong with classical music? Can it still be important, or is it dying?

(Classical music comprises a wide spectrum of music, but this article only deals with orchestral music to keep focus.)

It seems that fewer and fewer people like it. They complain it’s old and boring music of long-dead composers. How can anything that old still be relevant today? (Never mind that plenty of people enjoy literature, theater, and visual arts of the same vintage.) Continue reading →

Felix Vobaron: the first French trombone soloist

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Felix Vobaron is best known today for teaching a provisional trombone class at the Paris Conservatory but not being hired when the class became permanent.

As part of his work at the Conservatory, he published a trombone method. It’s still important, but neither the first nor the best one in France.

The French musical press didn’t cover trombone soloists with the same enthusiasm as the German musical press did. We know several by name but nothing much about the pieces any of them played. But Vobaron appears to be the first. Continue reading →