The end of the 19th century saw a sudden explosion of interest in folk music, especially of non-Western-European cultures. From the spicy Spanish-Gypsy flavor of Bizet‘s Carmen, through the Hungarian dances of Liszt and Brahms, to the misty temples of Debussy‘s Pagodas, audiences soaked up music that they had never heard before.

Harry T. Burleigh was an African-American musician who helped to bring the folk music and spirituals of African-Americans to the concert stage. He achieved fame as a singer and arranger in New York, where he met and sang for Dvořák. It is said that Burleigh’s singing influenced Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony.

This cheerful little piece for violin and piano is a perfect example of Burleigh’s skill at blending African-American melodies and rhythm with the European style of composition.

When enjoying art, music, literature, etc., it’s so easy to get fixated on big names – the Picassos, Beethovens, or Dickens (Dickenses?). Over-indulgence of these big names often means little gems get overlooked. José Silvestre White Lafitte was an Afro-Cuban virtuoso violinist who left us only a few composed works. He lived a long life, traveled the world, and received accolades for his violin playing. Here is his “La Bella Cubana”, a habanera, which (likely) captures the sound of 19th century Cuba in a more authentic way than some more famous 20th century American examples.

The music is great. The video, however, changes camera angles  WAY too often. The piece ends at 5:45, and after that it’s a fade-out replay.

What if your life got caught in some sort of endless time loop? What if you were forced to live the same day over and over again?

What if your music got caught in some sort of endless time loop? What if you were forced to play the same measure over and over again?

Steve Reich is an American composer best known for his minimalist compositions – put simply, pieces that use a minimal number of musical resources (especially pitch and rhythm). His Piano Phase remains one of the defining pieces of the movement. Two pianists play a short phrase of music over and over again; one speeds up just a tiny bit, and eventually the two pianists are one note off from each other. The same pianist speeds up again, and then they are two notes apart. And so on. Because the piece is so repetitious, a subtle change becomes a tremendous moment.

A marvelously simple piece, fiendishly difficult to perform. This music can put you in a trance, or drive you crazy, or maybe both. But so would living the same day over and over again.

most performances take over 15 minutes … I was very happy to find this 5-minute version!