[Borges]

[Borges]

Classical Music Ping

[LibFreeOrDie]

http://www.leroyanderson.com

[Publius]

I have a 2-CD set of the 1959 sessions he conducted with a pickup orchestra in New York playing all his short compositions.

In 1973 Anderson lectured at the Yale Music School, and one lecture was taped. I was working in radio at the time, and on Sunday mornings we ran the "Yale Reports" tapes. The Anderson lecture was one of the funniest lectures on classical music I've ever heard.

Among my favorites about old music textbooks:

"All the examples in the book were from the symphonies of Louis Spohr."

"The author said, 'There are three great composers in Germany today whose music will live forever. They are Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Joachim Raff.'"

He then explained his search for the mysterious, but forgotten, Raff. He knew about a piece of restaurant music, "Cavatina", that Raff had composed, but nothing else. His research led him to 11 symphonies by Raff, the last of which had been performed in Boston in 1901. "If a composer's works haven't been played in that many years, there's generally a good reason for it."

I wish I could find that lecture.

[driftless2]

Anderson’s music used to be common fare on many radio stations pre-seventies. That’s the tragedy of today’s pop music stations. Even in the sixties you’d get wide variety of music on the pop charts. Anderson’s music would mostly be found on the stations your parents would listen to. But I always liked his music.

[LibFreeOrDie]

Anderson did arrangements of Harvard songs for the Boston Pops, where he met Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, with whom he began a lifelong professional relationship. Anderson composed the music and Fiedler introduced the pieces at Boston Pops concerts.

Sadly, the Boston Pops are ignoring Anderson's centennial. Nothing on this year's schedule. The Pops concert tonight: a Judy Garland tribute.

[SaveTheChief]

Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival” is one of my favorites during the season. In my opinion, it is the best of all arrangements of traditional Christmas carols.

[cyclotic]

Leroy has given me many hours of mirthful entertainment. I once downloaded about 10 different versions of “Sleigh Ride” and burned them onto a CD, which I gave as Christmas gifts and played at a party. After playing for several hours, no one at the party even noticed that it was the same song over and over and over and over.

[gusopol3]

grew up with syncopated clock as lead-in to cartoons:

http://www.pbs.org/sleighride/Video&Music/Compositions_SClock.htm

(needs realplayer, Leroy Anderson conducting U.S. Air Force band)

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I really love "Bugler's Holiday" as well! At my suggestion, my husband created an a cappella version for his own barbershop quartet to sing and record.

This is the speed at which it really should be played.

Military band clip playing here

Here's a version played by double-bell euphoniums, if you can believe that.