I was introduced to Rutter when I was in college. I grew to absolutely adore several of his choral arrangements and have both sung them in the choir and conducted them over the years. John Rutter was born in 1945 London, England. He studied at Clare College in Cambridge, England. He currently resides in Cambridgeshire, Read More
Category: Composers
Profile of a Composer: Rodgers & Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein gave us many wonderful songs including, “Shall We Dance,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning,” and “Younger Than Springtime.” They also wrote the songs to The Sound of Music, including My Favorite Things and Edelweiss. The team of Rodgers and Hammerstein consist of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, both Read More
Profile of a Composer: Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II was the other half of the duo that brought The Sound of Music to life. His lyrics beautifully matched the melodies of Richard Rodgers. Hammerstein was born on July 12, 1895, in New York City. His grandfather was the theatre producer of the early 20th Century, Oscar Hammerstein I. The longing to Read More
Profile of a Composer: Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers is behind the melodies we all lovingly sing from The Sound of Music and numerous other musicals. In fact he composed over 900 songs and 43 Broadway musicals. He was born on June 28, 1902 in New York City. He began playing the piano when he was six years old and was composing Read More
Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin
George Gershwin’s biggest hit almost didn’t happen. Imagine if the work that established Gershwin as a serious composer never happened. In 1924, George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist, with compositions spanning both the classical and popular sectors. Together with his brother, Ira, he composed for the Broadway stage. He penned his first hit, Read More
God Bless America
Irving Berlin’s patriotic love song to his adopted homeland was hidden away for over twenty years before being publicly made known. Irving Berlin was a Russian immigrant living in New York City. Growing up, Berlin often heard his mother say “God Bless America.” Berlin later said about his mother, “without America, her family would have Read More
The Untold Story: The Star Spangeled Banner
We all know our National Anthem, but do you know how it originated? The author, Francis Scott Key, was at Fort McHenry when the British Royal Navy bombed the fort in 1814. Francis Scott Key, a lawyer, and amateur poet, and John Stuart Skinner were on a mission for President James Madison on Read More
Irving Berlin, He Was American Music
Irving Berlin was born Israel Isidore Baline on May 11, 1888, in Tyumen, Russian Empire. He was one of eight children born to his parents. In 1893 his family immigrated and settled in New York City. By the age of eight, he’d quit school and was selling newspapers. While selling papers he would hear the Read More
Star Wars, Stargate Composer Dies
Did you recently hear of the death of Joel Goldsmith? Did you also wonder who he was? Joel Goldsmith was born November 19, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. This oldest of six children was born into a musical family. He is best known for his work on Star Wars, Stargate, Stargate Atlantis and other Read More
Heroes: The Titanic Band
“They kept it up to the very end. Only the engulfing ocean had power to drown them into silence. The band was playing ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee.’ I could hear it distinctly. The end was very close.” -CHARLOTTE COLLYER, TITANIC SURVIVOR We have all heard the stories of how the Titanic orchestra played until Read More