And something a bit different, a Juneteenth post: William Grant Still

This isn't intended to be a side note, in fact, it's the result of a sort of last minute epiphany. I had a moment of realization and decided I had to make it happen, since I hadn't approached this blog in such a long time and I was about to renew my participation. 

So I was Googling my own blog, because I had actually forgotten the site address. It had been so long and I've been through so much weirdness in the time that I had started this project and time interval where I stopped, I forgot about it and it was a cloudy time. Looking up Greene's and classical, I ended up coming across a different blog with a different Mr. Greene, called AfriClassical, which centers around honoring classical composers of African heritage. Again, I'm just here for the interesting musical discoveries, and it's interesting indeed. The one that I looked into was very very cool, and I am interested to hear much more from this composer, William Grant Still.

This is a simple show of solidarity, because I'm a humanist and humanitarian on a basic level. But also, this is the kind of stuff I'm looking for, it's a beautiful, distinctive, different take on classical music, and it's the type of thing I like finding when plowing through Greene's, and why I fancy myself a musical gemologist, looking through the more common things to find the gems.

When I get home after work, I'll see if he has a listing in that book of mine and update this if so.

 [1909] STILL, William Grant

INSTRUMENTALIST,  ARRANGER, ADMINISTRATOR

BORN: Woodville, Miss., May, 11, 1895

DIED: Los Angeles, December 3, 1978

Anyway, the links, the links.

https://youtu.be/L28seK9v-ow

https://africlassical.blogspot.com/2022/10/chicago-philharmonic-for-our-2223.html?m=1

3rd Pick: Juan Crisótomo Arriaga

 [1187] ARRIAGA Y BALZOLA, Juan Crisóstomo Jacobo Antonio

VIOLINIST

BORN: Rigoitia, January 27, 1806

DIED: Paris, January 17, 1826

It's been awhile and I'm glad to be continuing this project. This peice of loveliness is by a man who seems to have been "long forgotten," but then, at some point was "resurrected," and hailed with the impressive title "The Spanish Mozart."

Indeed, he has similarities, not only in what I've experienced this morning audibly in terms of great melodic flamboyance, but, he also, like Mozart, was a child prodigy, and had the same birthday (?!) but was born 50 years later. 

His career seems to have been quite grand, playing string quartets with adults as a 10 year old, his first opera at 14, being taken to the Paris Conservatory by his parents and studying with Françoise-Joseph Fétis and Pierre Baillot for the violin and composition respectively. He was praised by Cherubini, who called his works masterpieces... (his name sounds familiar but I'm no David Mason Greene. I'm just here for the YouTube picks,)

Tragically, this very talented young man's career was cut short by what is generally agreed to have been tuberculosis although it's a bit unclarified in the scholarly realms of history. He died at only 19 years old.

So I chose this really nice guitar piece, played by the amazing Daniel Guerola, "Variaciones sobre el tema "La Húngara" op. 23." It's super nice, and although very intricate, had a super calming effect on my nerves this morning. Hope someone digs it. 

Peace :)

https://youtu.be/5-fuVWHjens