Classical Classroom

Why did the number of female guitarists diminish over time? Was it a comet?? Find out here!

It's Women's History Month, and all month, we're bringing you amazing women in classical music! In this episode, guitarist Valerie Hartzell, creator/director of the Classical Minds Festival and Competition, talks about the ladies of classical guitar. Who are they? Why did their numbers diminish over time? And what can we do about it??

Audio production by Todd "Not Tony Danza" Hulslander with editing by Mark DiClaudio and bossing by Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode: – "Rosita" by Francisco Tarrega. Played live in studio (also available on Valerie's Ex Tenebris Lux CD). – Chaconne in G Major by George Frideric Handel. Played by Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya.

For more about Valerie Hartzell: www.valeriehartzell.com

Want to learn more about women in classical guitar? Check out this information from guitarist and scholar, Candice Mowbray: Dr. Mowbray wrote her doctoral dissertation about Ida Presti; she's also been writing short essays about the women of classical guitar on her Facebook page during Women's History Month. You can see another article she wrote about Presti here. In her own words, "I started my research about female guitarists in 2006 when I was asked to give a lecture at the Bethlehem Guitar Festival. The theme of the that year's event was "Women in Guitar" and my lecture discussed women as performers, composers and philanthropists. Through the process, I discovered wonderful players and music that was new to me. I have enjoyed continuing to share the information." Thanks to Dr. Mowbray for providing us with this great info!

Each day during February, we posted a "Classical Music Moment in Black History" on our Facebook page to show the contributions of black artists to classical music throughout history. We've collected our twenty-eight February entries in this article. By the way, these entries were originally part of an episode of the Classical Classroom podcast (audio included below).

Composer Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

In the mid-to-late 1700's, Chevalier de Saint-Georgeswas an Afro-French composer who was also France's best fencer. After Napoleon re-instituted slavery in France, de Saint-Georges' works were rarely played, though lots of his work has been recorded since the 1970's.

In 1803, virtuoso violinist George Bridgetower, who had studied under the leader of the Royal Opera, played with Beethoven. Beethoven then dedicated his Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major to Bridgetower, and they premiered the piece together. Later, the two had a falling out – something to do with a lady – and Beethoven changed the piece's name. It's now called the Kreutzer Sonata. Poet Rita Dove wrote a book about Bridgetower and Beethoven's relationship.

Soprano Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, "The Black Swan".

In 1853, soprano Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield – people knew her as the "Black Swan" – made her New York debut at the Metropolitan Hall. While she could sing, her skin color would have denied her entrance to the concert. But that didn't slow Greenfield down: In 1854, this classy lady sang a command performance before Queen Victoria.

Composer Scott Joplin.

In 1868, innovative composer and pianist Scott Joplin was born in Texas. Joplin wrote 2 operas, one ragtime ballet, and 44 original ragtime pieces before he died.

Composer Harry Thacker Burleigh.

From 1892-95, Antonin Dvorak – not black as you might know, but stick with me – was director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. The woman who founded the school, Jeanette Thurber, opened the school to men, women, blacks, and whites – pretty unusual for that time. Dvorak felt that a true American style of music should grow out of African- and Native-American music. Harry Burleigh, one of the earliest African-American composers and one of Dvorak's pupils, introduced Dvorak to American spirituals.

In 1898, Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor wrote the musical Hiawatha's Wedding Feast. It was wildly successful during his lifetime. Coleridge-Taylor also visited the States and inspired American blacks to become composers.

Tenor Roland Hayes.

In 1921 tenor Roland Hayes gave a performance before King George V of England. In 1923, Hayes debuted at Carnegie Hall. He was the first African American man to become famous worldwide as a concert performer, and he became one of the world's greatest Lieder interpreters.

In 1926, Undine Smith Moore graduated cum laude from the Juilliard School. She was the first graduate of Fisk University, a historically black school, to receive a scholarship to Juilliard. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Moore became "…one of this country's most prominent composers and arrangers of choral works, many based on or inspired by Negro spirituals and folk songs."

Composer William Grant Still.

1931 was the year William Grant Stillbecame the first Black American composer to have a symphonic work performed by a major American orchestra. The Rochester Philharmonic performed his Afro-American Symphony. Stills had another big "first" in 1949 when his opera Troubled Island – based on a libretto by Langston Hughes – was performed by the New York City Opera, becoming the first opera by a black person to be performed by a major company. William Grant Still was also the first black man to conduct a major orchestra (LA Phil) and he won 2 Guggenheim fellowships. In 1933, Caterina Jarboro became the first black woman to appear in a leading role with a major American opera when she again played the title role in Aida with the Chicago Opera.

Composer Florence Price.

Also in 1933, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed Florence Price's Symphony in E Minor. She was the first female African-American composer to have a symphonic composition performed by a major American symphony orchestra.

Baritone Todd Duncan and Anne Brown. Culver Pictures/file 1935.

In 1935, George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway, with baritone Todd Duncan as Porgy, and sopranos Anne Brown as Bess and Ruby Elzy as Serena. In 1945, Todd Duncan became the first African American to sing with a major American opera company, when he played the role of Tonio Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci with the New York City Opera.

Contralto Marian Anderson

In 1939, both the Daughters of the American Revolution and the District of Columbia's Board of Education refused to allow contralto Marian Anderson to use Constitution Hall and Central High School auditorium for a recital respectively. So, she gave her concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial instead, drawing a crowd of 75,000 – not to mention the millions who listened on the radio. (To read more about the performance, go here.)

Lyric Soprano Camilla Williams (l) with Margery Mayer. Courtesy of Fred Fehl/New York City Opera.

Also in 1945, lyric soprano Camilla Williams signed a contract with the New York City Opera in 1946, becoming the first African American to do so with a major American opera company. She debuted with the role of the heroine in Madama Butterfly. And in 1947, soprano Helen Phillips was the first African American to sing on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. In 1951 William Warfield and Muriel Rahn were the first black concert artists on TV – they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Soprano and educator Dorothy Maynor.

In 1953, soprano and educator Dorothy Maynor was the first black person to sing at a US presidential inauguration when she performed the national anthem for Dwight Eisenhower.

Composer Margaret Bonds. Wikimedia Commons.

Margaret Bonds, who frequently collaborated with Langston Hughes, was one of the first black composers and performers in the US to gain recognition. In 1965, when the Freedom March on Montgomery, Alabama took place, she wrote Montgomery Variations for orchestra, dedicating it to Martin Luther King, Jr.. For more information about Ms. Bonds, check out this piece from WBUR 90.9 FM.

Conductor Henry Lewis.

In 1968 Henry Lewis became the first black conductor and music director of a major American orchestra when he was appointed to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. He was also the first African-American to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera.

1972 saw Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha finally premiere – 55 years after his death – at the Atlanta Memorial Arts Center. In 1976, Joplin posthumously received a special Pulitzer Prize for his contributions to American music.

Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Photo by Luigi Beverelli. Courtesy Mr. Marsalis' website.

In 1983 and 1984, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis became the only artist ever to win Grammy Awards for both jazz and classical records. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1997 for Blood on the Fields, a three-hour oratorio for 3 singers and a 14-member ensemble. The oratorio follows the story of an African couple sold into slavery in the US.

In 1987, conductor Paul Freeman became Founding Musical Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta. This orchestra's mission is "Musical Excellence Through Diversity". Dr. Freeman served for 24 years.

Violinist Aaron Dworkin. Courtesy of the MacArthur Foundation website.

Violinist Aaron Dworkin founded the non-profit Sphinx Organization in 1996 to cultivate the development of young black and Latino musicians in the classical music profession. The Sphinx Competition, spotlights young black and Latino string players on a national platform.

Composer George Walker received the Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra, a work commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra as part of its tribute to tenor Roland Hayes. This was the first time a living African American won the prize for music.

Mezzo-Soprano Denyce Graves. Courtesy of the artist's website.

In 2001 mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves sang "America the Beautiful" and "The Lord's Prayer" at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance Service at the Washington National Cathedral following the September 11 attacks.

James DePriest conducting the Oregon Sympony. Courtesy of the Sympony's website.

In 2005, James DePriest, one of classical music's most accomplished conductors who at the time of his death in 2013 was Laureate Music Director of the Oregon Symphony and Director Emeritus of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the Juilliard School, received the National Medal of Arts.

Tim Brooks won a 2007 Grammy award for Best Historical Release with his Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, which includes performances by Harry Burleigh, Roland Hayes, and Edward Boatner.

Tenor Noah Stewart. Photograph: Mitch Jenkins Mitch Jenkins/PR.

In 2012, tenor Noah Stewart became the first black musician to top the UK Classical Album Chart.

Of course, we had to leave a GAGILLION people out of our daily Black History Month Facebook posts because (duh) there are just not enough days in the month. Like Jeffrey Mumford, Awadagin Pratt, David Baker, Imani Winds, André Watts, Chelsea Tipton, Thomas Wilkins, Morris Robinson, Lawrence Brownlee, Valerie Coleman, Rachel Jordan, and Tona Brown. And Daniel Bernard Roumain. And Black Violin. And… you get the idea!

But, blacks are still one of classical music's most under-served communities. As of 2011, according to the League of American Orchestras, only 1.83% of our nation's orchestras' makeup was black. Aaron Dworkin has pointed out that African-American composers are often missing in traditional classical music station programming. But people like Dworkin and many others are working to change that!

We hope you've enjoyed learning about all of these awesome artists.

"Indie-Classical", "Alt Classical", "Nonclassical"… whatever you want to call it, George Gershwin may have been one of the first people to do it. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein explains Gershwin's sound, its French influences, and what makes it uniquely classical.

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein. Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco. Courtesy of Ms. Dinnerstein's website.

Audio production by Todd "Teeny" Hulslander with editing by Mark DiClaudio, and one giant leap by Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode:

• "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin, from Simone Dinnerstein's new album, Broadway-Lafayette.
• "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin.

For more about Simone Dinnerstein: www.simonedinnerstein.com

This episode is so old that Producer Todd didn't even have funny middle names yet. But it's so good that we wanted for you guys to hear it again. Because Debussy. And Tracy Jacobson. I mean, come on. Back next week with more new stuff! —————————– WindSync Wind Quintet bassoonist, Tracy Jacobson, takes Dacia along on her journey to continue her musical education as a professional musician. She steps outside of her comfort zone and into Debussy's piano works. Come with us to Paris, talk in your museum voice, and have some wine. It'll be awesome!

Audio production by Todd Hulslander with encouraging yelps from Dacia Clay, and s few nods and shakes of the head from Tracy Jacobson, too.

For more about WindSync: www.windsync.org.

Thumbnail photo of Tracy Jacobson courtesy of WindSync's website.

Debussy's piano works! In this episode, Windsync bassoonist, Tracy Jacobson, takes Dacia on her journey to continue musical education as a professional musician. She steps outside of her comfort zone and into Debussy. Come with us to Paris, talk in your museum voice, and have some wine. It'll be awesome!

Audio production by Todd Hulslander with encouraging yelps from Dacia Clay, and few nods and shakes of the head from Tracy Jacobson, too.

Music used in this episode included:

– Debussy Preludes, Book 1 & 2, pianist Pascal Roge, Onyx Classics

– Debussy Piano Works, pianist Pascal Roge, London/Decca

– Arthur Rubinstein playing "La Plus Que Lente"

– Jack Kerouac, "American Haikus" from Blues and Haikus

– Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight"

Composer Stephen Paulus passed away last October and left a void in many hearts along with an amazing legacy. Composer Alex Freeman teaches about Paulus the man, and the music he left for us.

Music in this episode (both by Stephen Paulus): – Pilgrims' Hymn – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

Composer Alex Freeman. Photo by Aino Launis. Courtesy of the composer's website.

Audio production by Todd "Tastee Freez" Hulslander with punches and kicks from Dacia Clay.

For more about Stephen Paulus: www.stephenpaulus.com For more about Alex Freeman: www.alexfreemanmusic.com

We're excited to share our new subseries, MusicWorks! It's a show where you'll learn about what classical music is doing in the world right now. You'll hear inspiring artist stories, plus we'll go into the sometimes unexpected places we've discovered classical music thriving while we've been learning about it on the Classical Classroom. We hope you dig it!

In our first MusicWorks episode, soprano Sonya Yoncheva tells the story of how she happened upon her passion – singing opera – by being true to herself (and listening to her mother) and by practicing her buns off. This put her in a position to be ready when she got that call from the Met to fill in at the last moment. And the rest, as they say, is in the podcast.

Soprano Sonya Yoncheva. Photo © Ruven Afanador. Courtesy of Ms. Yoncheva's website.

Audio production by Todd "Totally" Hulslander with awesomeness by Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode:

• Giacomo Puccini: La Boheme – Donde lieta usci
• Charles Lecocq: Les Cent Vierges, Act III, No. 10 Je soupire et maudis le destin
• Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata – Sempre libera
• Claudio Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea – "Pur ti Miro" (Sonya Yoncheva & Max Emanuel Cencic)
• W. A. Mozart: Il Re Pastore – "L'Amero saro costante" (Sonya Yoncheva & Marc Minkowski)
• Charles Gounod – Faust Final Trio – Anges Purs – Sonya Yoncheva, Joseph Calleja & Bryn Terfel

For more about Sonya Yoncheva and her new CD, Paris, mon amour www.sonyayoncheva.com

Learn about composer George Heathco's piece, "ReGifting Lions", part of our MusicWorks intro, and oh-so-much more about him at www.georgeheathcomusic.com.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of chamber music is its inherent "democracy" – each part is of equal importance. Aaron Humble and Paul Rudoi of the Cantus Vocal Ensembleexplain how it works when everyone involved in making the music is a special snowflake.

Audio production by Todd "Sir Toddsalot" Hulslander with unflagging devotion to somethingerother by Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode, all by Cantus:

From A Harvest Home –

• "My Journey Yours"
• "How Can I Keep from Singing?"
• "The Pasture"
• "Fiddle Tune"
• "Eventide"

From On the Shoulders of Giants:

• "Zikr"

For more about Cantus Vocal Ensemble: www.cantussings.org.

Chamber Music Houston is bringing Cantus to Houston in February! For more information, go to CMH's website: www.chambermusichouston.org.

Okay. So our HAL 9001 hasn't come in yet, and you're getting another rerun episode. But dang – it's a good one! And! We have so much new stuff we can't wait to share with you once HAL arrives. Stick with us!

<3,

Your friendly Classical Classroomproduction team

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All about the flute!! Joel Luks, CultureMap Houston editorial staffer and columnist, and classically trained flutist, teaches all about the history and surprising range of the dainty, lovely, badass, whale-sound-making, beatboxing flute. He takes us from "Carmen" to Mario Brothers (and a few other places in between).

Audio production by Todd "2 Fast, 2 Furious" Hulslander with adequate hydration by Dacia Clay.

What makes Mozart's violin concertos so special? Is it that he only wrote 5 of them? That he wrote him when he was a teenager? That they are both beautiful AND hilarious? What is it?? Violinist Rachel Barton Pine returns to the Classroom to spell out why these pieces are so special – generally and personally – that she decided to record all of them.

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine. Photo by Andrew Eccles. Courtesy of rachelbartonpine.com.Audio production by Todd "Mr. Titters" Hulslander with that funky monkey, Dacia Clay.

All music in this episode is from Rachel Barton Pine's new CD, Mozart: Complete Violin Concertos, Sinfonia Concertante K364, with Matthew Lipman, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and Sir Neville Marriner conducting. (Avie 2317)

You can also hear Rachel in episode 43, and in our short, "Rachel Barton Pine Rocks and Bows".

The HAL 9000 that we use to produce these little gems has met an untimely demise. Fear not! We've got a brand new HAL 9001 on order. Until next week, please enjoy this old gold from the Classroom vault.

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Was Tchaikovsky's Symphony VI (aka "Pathetique", aka "Suicide Symphony") a suicide note or did he die of cholera, per the Official Word? You decide after this intweeging lesson with clarinetist and Shepherd School of Music Professor of Music, Michael Webster!

Audio production by Todd "Toddsy Woddsy" Hulslander with roof raising by Dacia Clay.