good morning bitches, meet patrick
lily takes the week off and y'all learn about classical music
This is like when you get a campaign email from Elizabeth Warren and you open it up to see it was written by some random ass campaign aide. You probably weren’t going to read the email in the first place, but the thought of reading the words of the the Woman Herself gave you a glimmer of hope in your mundane life.
Well folks, buckle up, because Lily is out for the week. Probably on an extended Zoom Call with people who cosplay as Frasier Characters…god only knows…
Welcome to the first (and possibly, after Lily reads this, last) Guest Written Good Morning Bitches. I’m Patrick. Who I am is truly unimportant. If you already know me, a description isn’t going to change anything. If you don’t know me, I’d prefer to keep things shrouded in mystery. Like Lemony Snicket, but with worse skin. (Editor’s note: I linked his Twitter because he’s very funny and you shouldn’t believe his self-deprecation! - Lily) The TLDR version: I’m a KC Native, Mizzou grad, and I’m finishing a masters in Vocal Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, which basically means my entire livelihood exists in the industry that was first to get the axe during this Coronavirus Lockdown. So I am currently completing the final two months of my masters degree via Zoom from my childhood bedroom in sunny Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
Here’s a picture of me on a Zoom call, presumably unshowered, with Ratatouille in the background. This picture is like the opposite of a Rembrandt, in that it somehow gets worse every time you look at it. Life imitates art.
Now to the main event, recommendations…
I told Lily the other day, “If there’s one thing that describes 90s children, it’s that we all think what we’re currently watching/reading/listening to is the most important piece of culture in existence.” In that vein, I present to you…
Patrick’s Lockdown Survival Guide
Or, How I Avoided Making Progress In My Professional Life for An Indefinite Period of Time.
I’m a musician, so let’s talk music. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than a classical musician who only listens to classical music. That would be like Doris Kearns Goodwin only ever reading biographies of American Presidents (actually, she probably does that…bad example). I think people who create art should be consuming as much art from as many genres as possible. That being said, the bulk of this newsletter is going to be devoted to my classical music recommendations. Kind of a haphazard “Beginners Guide to Listening to Classical Music,” if you will. I would also include my non-musical recs, but since I’ve spent 7+ years of my life studying every motherfucking aspect of fine art music, I figure I should put some of that knowledge to use.
For a general point of clarification: music can be academically categorized into three major groups: folk music, fine art/classical music, and popular music. So, when I say classical music, I mean music that is created for the purpose of fine art. Obviously that’s your Beethoven and Brahms and Bach, but it’s also stuff that’s being composed right now. Popular music, in my world, is everything from Stephen Foster’s banger “Beautiful Dreamer” to that weird remix of Cardi B’s “Coronavirus!” video. (Do you really expect me to know what it’s called, I just know my sister keeps playing it from different rooms of the house). So when I say “pop music,” just know that I could be referring to The Beatles or I could be referring to something that might be played at 12:30AM on the dance floor of Roxy’s (non-Mizzou people, look it up).
Every single recommendation in this newsletter has been compiled into one MASSIVE playlist, whose link is inserted above. So, if you don’t have time to read this novel that I’ve written, check out the playlist and maybe come back later and read about some of the things you’re listening to…
Classical Greatest Hits
These are my “desert island” classical recordings, so to speak. The fun thing about classical music is that the great canonical works have been recorded dozens, sometimes hundreds, of times. So not only is there the joy of finding a piece of music you like, there is also the fun of finding a specific recording you prefer.
Bach: The Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould (piano), 1951
I could make an argument that this is the greatest recording of classical music of all time. Glenn Gould is this nobody pianist from Canada when Columbia releases this album. Furthermore, no one was recording a lot of Bach at the time and they DEFINITELY weren’t recording his solo piano music. It was generally considered to be academic – you learned Bach piano pieces to improve your pianistic abilities, but you didn’t program them on a concert, let alone make an entire recording. Gould plays the Goldberg variations on a modern piano (not a harpsichord, which is what Bach would have composed on) and he takes some absolutely insane tempos. Also, one of my favorite quirks about Gould, he hums along to his own playing. It drove the recording technicians crazy – no matter where they placed the microphones, they could not avoid picking up Gould’s vocalizations. I love it because it is something that can only happen on a recording and it’s something that makes Gould’s playing and this particular recording so special.
Schubert: Winterreise, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) and Jörg Demus (piano), 1966
There is so much classical music in the world, and usually the first thing people think of when they hear “classical” is a giant symphony orchestra playing some huge piece by Beethoven. But those major works represent only a piece of the classical canon. A large chunk, especially starting in the late 18th century, is music for solo voice and piano. The true masters of this “art song” genre are Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms in the German tradition; Gabriel Faurè, Claude Debussy, and Francis Poulenc in the French tradition; Ralph Vaughn Williams, Samuel Barber, and Benjamin Britten in the English tradition. Franz Schubert is important because he does something really revolutionary around the turn of the 18th century. Rather than writing individual songs, he starts writing song cycles. These are large works where the songs are all on texts of a single poet. The progression of the song cycle tells a single story. His two most famous, and the two still considered the seminal works in the song cycle literature, are Die Schöne Müllerin (The Lovely Miller’s Daughter) and Winterreise (Winter Journey). These are both just absolutely stunning works and there are countless good recordings. But when it comes to German Art song, the DADDY is Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Not only is he just a world class singer, he absolutely mastered the art of singing for a recording studio. He knows how to use every color and timbre of his voice in the most elegant and nuanced way to reveal certain parts of the text or story. His 1962 recording with pianist Jörg Demus is also important in that it is an equal collaboration between voice and piano. Schubert was also revolutionary because he made the piano part not just accompaniment, but an equal player in the narrative. Demus’s knowledge of the text is evident as he creates a sound world through the piano that perfectly complement Fischer-Dieskau.
Elgar: Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures, Jacqueline du Pré (cello) and Dame Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano) with Sir John Barbirolli conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, 1965
This isn't a recording of works that would be classified by any musicologist as “greatest works of all time.” But damnit if I don’t just love this album! This was one of the first albums I bought on vinyl when I started collecting a few years ago (another white dude who collects vinyl, I know…). It’s so brilliant because side A is the QUEEN Jacqueline du Pré, the legendary French cellist, playing the Edward Elgar Cello Concerto (we all know Elgar because he composed that music that was played ad nauseam while you processed into your high school auditorium for graduation…~Pomp and Circumstance~). Side B is the GODDESS Dame Janet Baker, the absolutely iconic British mezzo-soprano, singing the stunning Elgar Orchestrated Song Cycle, Sea Pictures (remember song cycles? 100 years later, we’re now writing them for voice and ~orchestra~). It’s just a killer recording all around. John Barbirolli conducts the LSO with so much flare and nuance. I love it so fucking much.
Honorable mentions
Here’s what I will say about Classical Music…it can be pretty fucking intimidating. And dated. And very white/male. And oftentimes, the pieces are so long that any attempt to listen just becomes ambient listening where you put on some Mozart string quartets while you study and have no idea what’s happening. I get all of that. But if you are able to find a door into the world of classical music, I guarantee you won’t be sorry. It is VAST and there is something for everyone. Here’s my suggestion: find a composer that you like. Or even a performer you like (a singer, a pianist, a cellist, a conductor). Ask yourself what you like about them. Listen with a critical ear. Then do your research: what genres do they typically write in or are they known for? (i.e. Mahler is known for his symphonies, Chopin is known for his solo piano music, Bach is known for his keyboard/organ works and his oratorios) What era are they from and who are other famous composers from that era? (If you like Debussy, you might like Maurice Ravel. If you like Franz Schubert, you might like Robert Schumann. If you like J.S. Bach, try G.F. Handel) Listening to classical music is like a scavenger hunt. You find something you like and use critical listening skills to discover something similar. My music history professor in college used to say “You cannot hate what you don’t know.” None of us will ever listen to every piece of music ever composed, but give yourself permission to try something new.
FUN NEW CLASSICAL RECOMMENDATIONS!!!
Because the most important thing to know about classical music is that it is STILL HAPPENING. Composers are still writing symphonies and art songs and cello concertos, but they’re also doing a lot of exciting, weird, and invigorating new things. I gave myself a requirement to only recommend classical works that have been composed in my lifetime. I also challenged myself to find composers and/or performers who are folks of color or non-male. The reason so many of our “greatest composers of all time” are white, Germanic, men is two-fold: First off, those were the types of people who had access to instruction in music and who could pursue music professionally. Women might have learned how to play piano, but very few had the agency to compose professionally (there are some who did! And they’re awesome and radical!! Barbara Strozzi!! Clara Schumann!! Fanny Mendelssohn!! Amy Beach!!) Second, white men were the ones whose music was valued by music historians and critics. Composing music is one thing. It’s a whole other ballgame to get your music taken seriously by the “academy.” A woman might have composed, but if the powers-that-be didn't value her music, it never saw the light of day. It wasn’t taught to the next generation, and therefore it was essentially forgotten. Now that we live in era of fourth-wave intersectional feminism, there is some amazing work being done to discover, publish, and perform music of historically underrepresented composer. My friend Ben Worley recently published his research on the works of Harry Lawerence Freeman, a black American who wrote the first successfully produced opera by a black composer. We also live in an era where symphonies, arts organizations, record labels, etc. are finally starting to value the music of underrepresented people. We are far from perfect – our big music organizations still program a lot of dead white males. But when the Metropolitan Opera includes even one work by a living composer in their season, it’s a win for all of us. Progress is slow, but it’s happening! Here are some recordings of amazing new works in the classical canon that you should 100% check out. I’m going to nix my description this time. I want to challenge you to listen to the recording once with no background knowledge (or at least a few tracks from the recording). Then go do your research. Look up the composer and the performers. Think of it as a fun exercise in critical listening.
Caroline Shaw: Partita for Eight Voices, Roomful of Teeth
The Goat Rodeo Sessions, Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile (Remember when I described three “categories” of music?! This album kind of exists in all three!!! It has elements of folk, classical, and pop music in it!!! Music is intersectional!!!!)
Bach Reworks, Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
Wynton Marsalis: The Abyssinian Mass, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Chorale Le Chateau conducted by Damien Sneed
Saariaho X Koh, Jennifer Koh (violin) performs works of Kaija Saariaho
Crazy Girl Crazy, Barbara Hannigan (soprano & conductor) with Ludwig Orchestra (The Alban Berg Suite on this album was not composed during my lifetime…sue me.)
A brief intermission for some quality meme content…
Opinions From People Who Aren’t Me
We finally get to my personal favorite part of this special GMB. I have asked a bunch of my friends who are in the classical music world for their Lockdown Listening Recommendations. However, if you remember, I consider classical musicians who only listen to classical music to be milquetoast humans. So I told my friends to give me two listening recs: one classical and one non-classical. This whole thing is inspired by this article that Gramaphone put out where they asked a bunch of the artists on their label to give their classical music listening recommendation. Here are my friends’ recs, presented with a brief description of the world class human who provided the recommendation. Just for kicks, I’ve included the pop album I’ve been vibing on during this quarantine: Talking Heads ‘77 by Talking Heads.
Leyly Bagherof, my brilliant friend from Eastman. Leyly is a Mezzo-Soprano and is completing her Masters this spring before staying at Eastman to begin work on her Doctorate. She’s the REAL DEAL! Leyly’s friendship has literally kept me sane during my Masters. Also Leyly’s dog is Instagram famous. Follow @moose__tracks for the best fucking dachshund content of your life.
Ryan Layton, my ride or die/BFF/greatest human alive. Ryan is a passionate music educator doing the LORD’S WORK teaching high school choir in Mid-MO. Also he’s just a gentle and kind spirit. I love him.
Classical: Cesar Franck Symphony in D Minor, played by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Lorin Maazel
Popular: Ryan created this playlist, titled “Golden Age of Puberty” featuring some of the old school hits he is currently jamming on. I love it.
Ian Silverman, also a friend from Eastman who is about to finish his masters in Opera Stage Directing. Eastman only admits one Stage Directing student at a time, so Ian is a BIG FUCKING DEAL. Ian has also seen more Broadway shows than any human being I know.
Classical: Hello, Dolly!, The New Broadway Cast Recording with Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce (Ian is the type of person who sends you a Broadway Cast Recording when you ask him for a classical music recommendation and we love him for that) (Also…David Hyde Pierce?? What do we know him from…?)
Popular: Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa
Martha Allen, my precious friend from Mizzou who is working on her Masters in voice at the Manhattan School of Music. Of all the musicians in my life, Martha is the one who is the most excited about life and most excited to learn. I love that about her.
Classical: Claude Debussy’s La Mer, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conduced by Valery Gergiev (oooh a chance for some comparative listening since I gave you a recording of this same piece conducted by Pierre Boulez earlier!!!)
Aaron Mencher, my friend from Mizzou who is not only an amazing clarinet player, but an unreal good composer. Aaron is currently working on his Masters in composition at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Aaron knows New Music.
Ernest Harrison is someone you all probably know because of that viral video of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angelas singing to Laura Dern at the Spirit Awards (if you haven’t seen it, watch it NOW). EJ is the artistic director of GMCLA and truly one of the most wonderful, authentic, and passionate humans I know.
Katarina Galagaza, my dear dear friend who I sang with last summer at Seagle Music Colony. Kat is a stunning mezzo-soprano who finished her Masters at Boston Conservatory and is going to start an Artist Diploma at UMKC this fall. Kat and I have considered entering into a domestic partnership.
Hans Bridger Heruth, the friend who I give more shit than any human alive and yet still keeps me around. Hans is a quadruple threat: a brilliant composer in addition to being an amazing singer, violinist, pianist, and conductor.
Classical: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, performed by Sascha Goetzel conducting the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra
Popular: Someone to Watch Over Me by George Gershwin, sung by Ella Fitzgerald with the London Symphony Orchestra (Hans is enough of a music snob that when you ask him for a “pop” listening recommendation, he sends you an orchestral arrangement of Gershwin…you see the people I deal with every day??)
Maeve Berry, who is quite literally one of the most talented and sensitive pianists I’ve ever met. Maeve could easily pursue a successful career in solo piano, but she loves collaborating with singers and instrumentalists so much and is SO DAMN GOOD AT IT that she’s working on her Masters in collaborative piano. Also Maeve listens to more music than anyone I know.
Veronica Siebert, the person whose career I am most excited to follow. Veronica is only a sophomore at Eastman and already has the most stunning voice of any singer I’ve ever known. Also she’s smart, which is surprisingly rare in my industry. Also she’s maybe a witch, and I think witchy vibes are always good in the arts.
Adrienne Hyde, who is maybe the best cellist I’ve ever met. Adrienne specializes in Baroque Cello and Viol de Gamba (the cello’s predecessor). She just got accepted to Juilliard for her Masters. Adrienne knows Baroque and Early Music better than most people our age.
That’s all she wrote, folks. If you stuck around until the end…kudos to you. I probably would’ve ditched this 500 words ago for mindless Instagram scrolling. Here’s the link to the Mega-Playlist again:
Also, just for the hell of it, I’m including a playlist I’ve been putting together over the past few years. Inspired by an NPR article where music critics listed what they considered the “greatest recordings of all time,” this playlist features those recordings in addition to a bunch that I consider can’t-miss-albums. They’re all classical and they’re all by old/dead white men. But still a lot of good music.
Happy listening. Tell your mom to get a colonoscopy.
PG