Synopsis

Traditionally, the harmonica is the instrument of the loner: the cowboy by the campfire, the hobo riding the rails, the bluesman pouring out his soul at midnight.

The harmonica seems a little out of place in a concert hall — especially when played by someone wearing a tuxedo. But every so often a virtuoso player comes along who commissions a new concert work for the instrument. In the mid-1950s American harmonica virtuoso John Sebastian asked Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos for just such a work.

On today’s date in 1959, Sebastian premiered Villa-Lobos’ Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra in Jerusalem. This work is now regarded as one of the finest concertos ever written for the instrument, but when British harmonica virtuoso Tommy Reilly wanted to record it 20 years after its 1959 premiere, he said had a very hard time tracking down the score. Even Villa-Lobos’ own publisher didn’t seem aware of its existence!

Truth be told, Villa-Lobos was both a prolific and not-always-very-organized composer, so his poor publisher may be forgiven for his ignorance of the work. Even he couldn’t remember all the pieces he had written, and once said, “I am like a father of a family too numerous who doesn’t always recognize his own infants.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Harmonica Concerto; Robert Bonfiglio, harmonica; New York Chamber Orchestra; Gerard Schwarz, conductor; RCA/BMG 7986