Dovetailing off of yesterday’s post, another fanfare; this one, to me, feels more appropriate for the first morning of the New Year.

Aaron Copland wrote the Fanfare for the Common Man in 1942 in response to the US joining into World War II. The title says it all; this fanfare is for YOU.

… think about all the Giant Steps you during the earth’s last rotation around the sun.

The lore surrounding saxophonist John Coltrane is wild, almost as wild as his playing. He managed to cram eighty years of living into forty years of life. Some people find his music impossible to listen to; they can’t tell whether it is overly complex or completely random (however you think it sounds, the truth is that everything he did was carefully crafted and practiced). His music is now over 50 years old – so if it sounds normal to you, well, you have Coltrane to thank for that. Art Music is always progressing towards new territory – some people just get there faster.

For the most part, the holidays are now over. Now comes the big let-down, as we begin to endure the long, cold winter with little respite.

American composer Samuel Barber won the Pulitzer Prize for his opera Vanessa. This aria, “Must the Winter Come so Soon?” is often used by voice teachers to introduce their students to modern American opera.