American composer William Bolcom has made a lot of ears happy through decades of composing, recording, and performing.  A triple-Grammy winner and tireless advocate for American music, he’s helped to revive the American songbook, particularly in league with his wife, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris.  He was instrumental in restoring Scott Joplin’s music to the public, and has created an eclectic and appealing legacy of compositions in all genres.

Works discussed: Charles Harris, After the Ball is Over; William Bolcom, Songs of Innocence and of Experience (texts William Blake), Concert Suite for Alto Saxophone and Band, Graceful Ghost Rag.

Titles are funny things, and Paul Richards knows how to grab your attention with titles like “A Butterfly Coughs in Africa” and “Falling on Lobsters in the Dark.” But he holds your attention with a rich palette of innovative and engaging sounds. The Dallas Wind Symphony will perform his concerto “Snake in the Garden” in its next concert, and you’ll be tempted to become a Richards fan.

Works discussed: Paul Richards, Snake in the Garden

What’s this program about?
The Dallas Wind Symphony performs a concert entirely of American music running the gamut from show music to patriotic tunes to new pieces from some of America’s leading wind-band composers.

Works discussed
Stephen Bryant, Stampede; Morton Gould, American Salute; John Gibson, American Anthem; Fisher Tull, Rhapsody for Trumpet and Symphonic Band; Ron Nelson, Passacaglia on B-A-C-H; Leonard Bernstein, Three Dance Episodes from On the Town.

What’s this program about?
There isn’t exactly a Top 40 for the Band World. But if there were, every piece on this concert would be high on the list.

Works discussed:
Clifton Williams, Fanfare and Allegro; Vaclav Nehlybel, Symphonic Movements; Holst, Second Suite in F; Milhaud, Suite Francaise; Persichetti, Symphony for Band, Op. 69; Varese, Integrales

What’s this program about?

Was it the great tunes, the snappy lyrics, or both?  George Gershwin’s fabulous songs are a treasured part of American music.  His Rhapsody in Blue, theater works American in Paris and Porgy and Bess, brought him celebrity status and changed the course of American music.  After his premature death, his brother Ira carried on the legacy working with the Library of Congress to ensure that these musical treasures are ours today.  Professor Carol surveys the life and works of Gerswhin.

Works discussed: Rhapsody in Blue, Songs, Three Preludes for Piano

An American Evening features three aspects of American music: a symphonic tribute to American culture by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, a ballet for Martha Graham by Aaron Copland, and two colorful pieces by the dynamic, contemporary composer John Corigliano.

Works discussed:  Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring; John Corigliano, Promenade Overture and To Music; Antonin Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”

What’s this program about?
Professor Carol discusses the history, customs, and geography of America that inspire our diverse choral music, from Colonial times to the present, emphasizing texts of John Stirling Walker and Eric Johns, tunebooks and hymnals, liturgy, folk song, and spirituals.

Works Discussed: Leonard Bernstein: Mass; Aaron Copland: The Tender Land; Randall Thompson: “Alleluia”; Choral works by David Conte, Hubert Bird, Ned Rorem, William Billings, Stephen Paulus

Where you can find:
Bernstein Mass
Copland The Tender Land
Randall Thompson “Alleluia”

What’s this program about?
John Gibson’s choral work “Mockingbird Sings” utilizes Native American texts of the Yuma, Zuni, Laguna, and Apache tribes. The title refers to the individual charged with remembering events and traditions and his recounting of this oral history in songs and stories. In this interview, Gibson explains his approach to setting these unusual texts to music and factors that distinguish American music from its European roots.

Works Discussed: John Gibson’s “Mockingbird Sings”

What’s this program about?
Carol interviews Dean Bouras, arranger for the Dallas Wind Symphony Big Band concerts, and John Trapani, leader of the John Trapani Big Band about the era, the music, and its popularity today.

Works Discussed: Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Norman Leyden

Where you can find:
Big Band Collection
Big Band Magic

What’s this program about?
The final segment of Glenn Mitchell’s interview of Carol on KERA Radio turns to the Library of Congress’s American Memory Project, Bill Monroe, John Fogerty, Harry Partch, and Scott Joplin.

Where you can find:
The Harry Partch Collection (Vol. 1)
Ricky Skaggs & Friends Sing the Songs of Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe: Blue Moon of Kentucky
Piano Rags

What’s this program about?
Glenn Mitchell’s interview of Carol on KERA Radio continues in Part 2 with a discussion of the Sacred Harp (shape-note singing), Stephen Foster, American film music, Louis Armstrong, Broadway, and Ernest Tubb.

Where you can find:
American Folk Hymns from the Sacred Harp Collection
Tubb: Waltz Across Texas
King Oliver with Louis Armstrong
Songs of Stephen Foster

What’s this program about?
Carol pays tribute to the late Glenn Mitchell with a reprise of her appearance in September 2000 on his radio program, reproduced here as a three-part podcast courtesy of KERA Radio. Carol and Glenn begin their discussion of America’s highly varied musical heritage with reference to William Billings, Jimmie Rodgers, Charles Ives, and Frank Zappa.

Where you can find:
Ives: An American Journey
Zappa: Trance-Fusion
The Essential Jimmie Rodgers

KERA Radio
Glenn Mitchell
Harry Partch
American Memory Project (Library of Congress)
Jimmie Rodgers
Shape-Note Singing