April 2005 Articles

Come Rain or Come Shine: A Musical Celebration of Harold Arlen
Sunday, April 17, 8 p.m.

You may not know his name, but you've certainly heard his music. Harold Arlen wrote some of the most beautiful popular songs of the twentieth century. He composed the songs for several Broadway musicals and dozens of Hollywood movies, including "The Wizard of Oz (his "Over the Rainbow" was recently named the Number One Song of the Century), and "A Star is Born,"-over 400 songs in all. They include the standards "It's Only A Paper Moon," "Stormy Weather," "Get Happy," "I've Got the World on A String," and "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive."
This hour-long special surveys the life and accomplishments of one of America's finest songwriters. Hosted by NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg, there are interviews with singers Michael Feinstein, Bobby Short and Margaret Whiting, cultural historians John Lahr and Max Wilk, and the composer's adopted son, Sam Arlen.
The program also features rare archival material of Harold Arlen singing and talking about his work, as well as interviews with his major lyricists Johnny Mercer and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, and Ella Fitzgerald are among the singers whose interpretations of Arlen songs will be highlighted in the special.
Let the musical wizardry of Harold Arlen transport you . . . over the rainbow.

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Music of the Baroque: Bach's B Minor Mass
Sunday, April 3, 8 p.m.

Music of the Baroque offers a special concert for the Easter season: Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B Minor.
The concert was recorded at St. Paul's Church, Chicago, and conducted by Jane Glover. The soloists include Nathalie Paulin, soprano; Phyllis Pancella, mezzo-soprano; Frank Kelley, tenor; James Maddalena, baritone; and was directed by Edward Zelnis, chorus director of Music of the Baroque.
Music of the Baroque was founded in Hyde Park, Illinois, 33 years ago by Conductor Laureate Thomas S. Wikman. From its church choir roots, Music of the Baroque has grown to be the Midwest's largest baroque professional chorus and orchestra specializing in the performance of sixteenth, seventeenth and early eighteenth century music. Over the past three decades, the ensemble has brought Chicago audiences their first, and in some cases, only performances of many early masterpieces; among them, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, Telemann's Day of Judgement, Mozart's Idomeneo and numerous Handel operas and oratorios.
The chorus and orchestra comprise approximately 60 professional musicians. Chorus members have active operatic and recital careers and many perform regularly both in the United States and abroad. Many members of the Music of the Baroque orchestra are also members of other leading ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera orchestras.

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The Voice of an Angel: A Tribute to Renata Tebaldi
Sunday, April 10, 8 p.m.

I know that my voice has entered into the hearts of many people and has caused beautiful reactions. Some, hearing me sing, have become more religious; some who were ill felt joy; friends, while in hospital, played my tapes whenever they felt ill; they all said that my voice gave them the strength needed to stand the pain. - Renata Tebaldi

Italian soprano Renata Tebaldi was renowned for her angelic voice. Along with Maria Callas, she was considered one of the greatest divas of the post-World War II era. Her consummate artistry made her a beloved prima donna at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala Opera of Milan and Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Miss Tebaldi's rich, flexible, easily produced sound, wide range and warm stage presence endeared her to audiences worldwide. While placid in temperament and unassuming in dramatic intensity compared to her fiery Greek-American rival Maria Callas, many listeners felt the sheer beauty of her singing more than compensated for any lack of dramatic conviction.
For years, opera fans devoured details of what they perceived as a prima donna duel between Miss Tebaldi and Maria Callas. But much of the supposed rivalry was actually whipped up by the media. After her retirement, Miss Tebaldi told an interviewer she had never considered fiery Callas as a rival.
This program is a tribute to the great Renata Tebaldi in the words of distinguished musicians and others, who knew and worked with her.
Host Jon Tolansky brings recordings from her performances and the entire time-span of her opera, concert and recital career. Singers such as Marilyn Horne, Evelyn Lear, Carol Neblett, Thomas Steward; conductor Sir Edward Downes; recording executives Ernest Gilbert and Christopher Raeburn; voice coach Maria Cleva; opera intendant Sir John Tooley, and Tebaldi herself offer remembrances from their experiences with Tebaldi.
When Renata Tebaldi died in 2004 at the age of 82, Luciano Pavarotti said, "Farewell, Renata. Your memory and your voice will be etched on my heart forever."

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Gray Matters: Learning throughout Life
Sunday, April 17, 9 p.m.

New brain research affirms that throughout life people can study, read, observe, and inquire. Education neither begins nor ends in the classroom, and life is filled with opportunities for learning.
Learning Throughout Life explores new brain research across the life span, from early brain development to lifelong learning. Nobel laureate Dr. Eric Kandel and other preeminent brain researchers probe several intriguing questions: Do individuals learn the same no matter what their age? How does learning throughout life influence how one ages? Are there things we can do to "rev up" our brain for learning?
New findings refute the widely held belief that memory loss is unavoidable with aging. Research now shows that one's mental abilities can be modified, and there may be ways of intervening-actually changing the ways people alter their skills and outlooks. And in recent years, evidence has emerged that challenges the longstanding belief that humans are born with all the brain cells or neurons they will ever have. Join host Garrick Utley for modern proof of the old saying, "You're never too old to learn."

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Speaking of Faith: The Future of Moral Values
Sunday, April 24, 8 p.m.

Speaking of Faith is public radio's conversation about belief, meaning, ethics, and ideas. Each program focuses on a different theme, asking writers, thinkers, and theologians to discuss how religion shapes everyday life.
The headline of the 2004 presidential race has been written: In a time of economic uncertainty and international instability, "moral values" is the most important issue in the minds of American voters. This program explores moral values-an idea that confuses and divides Americans. Political analyst Steven Waldman helps explore what these words do and do not convey to liberals and conservatives, and why they still matter. What is at stake when both sides fail to understand the moral convictions of the other?
Host and producer Krista Tippett is a journalist and former diplomat with a Masters of Divinity from Yale University. While at Yale in the 1990's, she worked as a chaplain to Alzheimer's patients, and was involved in the creation and management of programs for the homeless and inner-city children in New Haven and Philadelphia. Before creating Speaking of Faith, she consulted with a number of organizations, including the internationally renowned Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at St. John's Abbey and University. She has reported for numerous news organizations including Time, Newsweek, Die Zeit, and ABC.

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Humankind: Reaching Out to Troubled Youth
Sunday, April 24, 9 p.m.

Humankind presents the riveting stories of everyday people who have found real purpose in life. Living by their principles-compassion, service, generosity, spirituality, equality, and integrity-they make a profound difference in the quality of life in their communities.
Hosted and produced by David Freudberg, Humankind helps listeners examine some of humanity's biggest questions and illuminates the lives of ordinary people who, by their example, can inspire us all.
In the first half of the program, we follow Chicago dramatist Meade Palidofsky, founder of the Music Theatre Workshop. She uses musical theater as a therapeutic tool in her work with juvenile offenders, who write and perform plays while incarcerated. In the process, they see their lives through a new lens.
Through art, language, and catharsis, her stage company has transformed bleak lives and fostered success and a renewed commitment to life. Listen to young former inmates, their performances, and an in-depth interview with this woman who is helping a lost generation.
Famed child advocate and National Book Award-winning author Jonathan Kozol is profiled in the program's second half. He talks about his work among the impoverished children of a neighborhood in the South Bronx that was served by dedicated educators.
Unique, powerful, and committed, Kozol has been a longtime defender of poor children, school reform, and the power of young people in the face of harrowing odds. In this half-hour, he traces his career from an angry young man to a seasoned observer who finds reasons for hope even in adverse conditions. Still zealous, Kozol prompts questions every parent will feel deeply, every listener will want to discuss, and all of us should ask ourselves:
"How does living in poverty hurt a child? How can teachers avoid burnout working with impoverished children? How does the quality of a child's education determine his or her future?"

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Camerata Orchestra Salutes American Music
Bill McGlaughlin, Sylvia McNair and Charles Webb to appear

It will be red, white and Rhapsody in Blue as the Camerata Orchestra of Bloomington brings together stellar artists for a concert of all-American composers.
"An American Salute" will be guest-conducted by Bill McGlaughlin, host of Saint Paul Sunday (heard Sundays at noon on WFIU). Two-time Grammy Award-winner and IU graduate Sylvia McNair will perform beloved songs by Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, and George Gershwin, and I.U. School of Music Dean Emeritus Charles Webb will bring his pianistic virtuosity to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Rounding out the program are beloved pieces by Bernstein, Barber and Copland.
WFIU is providing media support for the concert, which takes places in Carmichael Hall at Bloomington High School South on Sunday, April 3 at 7 p.m.
"I am eagerly looking forward to performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Camerata Orchestra," said Charles Webb. "The Rhapsody is an exciting piece, full of inventive ideas, and represents Gershwin at his best."
Founded in 1989 by concertmistress Lenore Hatfield, the Camerata Orchestra offers a professional musical setting to IU faculty, retired faculty, music students and townspeople. Most of the members are former principals from major orchestras here and abroad. The Camerata also commissions and performs works by major contemporary American composers.
When he's not hosting Saint Paul Sunday (heard Sundays at noon on WFIU) guest conductor Bill McGlaughlin holds conducting positions with leading orchestras and composes his own music, which has been performed by the Camerata.
"I have very fond memories of being in Bloomington with the Camerata," says McGlaughlin. "I've never worked with Sylvia McNair before, having had to content myself with worshipping from afar. I'm looking forward with anticipation, not to say glee, at the prospect of collaborating with her."
The three artists and Lenore Hatfield chose the music for the concert. "We wanted a reflection of the American spirit in the first half of the twentieth century," says McGlaughlin, "and tried to represent the Jazz Age with Rhapsody in Blue. We added two pieces from the war years, one whimsical and jazzy-the Bernstein Interludes from "On The Town" and then in conclusion, Aaron Copland's Third Symphony which celebrates a triumph. Barber's Overture to the School for Scandal is a personal favorite of Lenore's and fits the program very well.
This will be the first time that acclaimed lyric soprano Sylvia McNair will perform with the Camerata. With the orchestra, McNair will sing George Gershwin's "The Man I Love" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." At the piano Charles Webb will accompany Ms. McNair on songs of Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael.
Reflecting on the last time he performed with the Camerata, Charles Webb said, "I remember my pleasure at performing with the Camerata as a guest organ soloist several years ago. The orchestra contains excellent players and plays with excitement and a real love for the music that is being performed. We should have a good time together."
And so will you! Tickets are available in advance at O'Malia's on College Mall Road, or at the door.

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Community Events

WFIU is the media sponsor for the following events. Find more information on these and other activities on the calendar page of our Web site: www.indiana.edu.

Mozart Magic
Saturday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m.
First Christian Church in Columbus

The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's elegant Symphony No. 35 along with the beautiful Franz Joseph Haydn Cello Concerto performed by Ryan Lannan, who played in the youth programs and in the Philharmonic while a high school student and an IU music major. The Columbus Indiana Children's Choir and the Columbus Philharmonic Chorus join forces for Franz Schubert's Mass in G plus other choral works. David Bowden conducts.

Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Hulman Center

The Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra under the direction of David Bowden will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II with Richard Rodgers' Victory at Sea and other memorable music from the 40's and 50's, including Music of the Big Bands. Tenor Neil Jones is the featured soloist.

Homeward Bound South Central Walk
Sunday, April 10 at 2 p.m.
Third Street Park, Bloomington
Registration starts at noon

Homeward Bound is Indiana's 5K walk to fight homelessness and promote affordable housing. Individuals and teams come together from dozens of companies and community organizations for a day of festivities and an opportunity to raise awareness and mitigate the effects of homelessness. The event is sponsored by homeless and affordable housing service providers that will host thousands of walkers. The events have raised more than $83,000 since 2003 and is one of eight walks statewide.

"Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard
April 22-24, 28-30 at 8 p.m., Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

This play juxtaposes the members of a 19th century family in one room in their house with their descendants in the same room and house in the present day. Stoppard contrasts the events of the 19th century with the modern day attempt to rebuild and decipher the same occurrences. The characters force us to take stock of our concepts of history as they assign motive and meaning to the evidence that is left to them. "Arcadia" is about how we formulate and understand ideas.

Passion & Virtuosity
Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Erne Auditorium
Columbus North High School

The final concert of the season for the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic will have an international flair. Naoko Ogihara lives in Europe and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Yoshimitsu Ogihara live in Columbus. Naoko will perform French composer Edouard Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole for Violin and Orchestra and the enchanting Symphony No. 5 by Tchaikovsky. David Bowden conducts.

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Musical Highlights for April
by Robert Lumpkin, Music Director

Artist of the Month
WFIU's Artist of the Month for April is wind ensemble conductor Ray E. Cramer. Professor Cramer is president of the Midwest Clinic, an international band and orchestra convention with over 14,000 attendees representing 28 countries, and is president of the American Bandmasters Association. He is in demand internationally as guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. Join us on WFIU to hear Ray Cramer leading the IU Wind Ensemble on a number of occasions this month. We'll hear them on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:07 p.m. in a performance of the Divertimento by Jindrich Feld. On Thursday the 14th at the same time, Dr. Cramer and the IU Wind Ensemble return with Blue Shades composed in 1996 by Frank Ticheli. Tune in for David Gillingham's beautiful Be Thou My Vision on Wednesday, April 20 at 10:12 p.m., and on the Wednesday the 27th, we'll hear the artists in five of the Chants d'Auvergne by Joseph Canteloube featuring soprano Kate Van Eck.

New Releases
Our featured new releases for April include a new recording entitled Ghosts by the Terre Haute Philharmonia á Vent conducted by John Boyd. We'll be sampling the brand new Klavier release several times during the month, and on Monday, April 25 at 7:07 p.m., join us for the title work on that new CD, Ghosts, by Stephen McNeff. Tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Leif Ove Andsnes have a recent release from EMI Classics of Schubert's vocal masterpiece, Die Winterreise, and we'll air that on Wednesday, April 6 at 10:12 p.m. The following Monday, the 11th, at 7:07 p.m., join us for the Symphony No. 3 in C, Op. 52 by Jean Sibelius. That's played by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis on a recent LSO Live release. Ralph Vaughn Williams' Symphony No. 4 in f comes your way on a new Naxos recording on Wednesday the 20th at 10:12 p.m. We'll hear Paul David conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. There's a special treat for our Stravinsky fans on Wednesday the 27th at 10:12 p.m. From a new Naxos release, Robert Craft leads the Philharmonia Orchestra and a stellar cast of soloists in the oratorio/opera, Oedipus Rex.

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NPR Purge Shocks Listeners

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1 - In a move that sent shocks throughout the public radio community, National Public Radio announced the firings of several top personalities at a press conference today.
The announcements were made by NPR's aggressive new marketing executive, Edward Cahn, Jr. He said that Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep will be replaced by "shock jock" Howard Stern.
"We believe that Howard will bring a new perspective to the program," Mr. Cahn said.
Explaining the firing of Morning Edition co-host Renee Montagne, Mr. Cahn explained, "We love Renee, but she's a bit cerebral." He introduced her replacement, celebrity Paris Hilton.
"I know some listeners will object to these changes," Mr. Cahn commented, "but new ideas are always attacked at first."
Former Fresh Air host Terry Gross is reputed to have suffered a breakdown after learning of her replacement by talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Two other victims of the purge, Car Talk's Tom and Ray Magliozzi, have refused to yield their microphones to their replacements, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
According to industry insiders, replacements for non-NPR program hosts are also expected. Under consideration to replace Hearts of Space host Stephen Hill are Robin Williams, George Carlin and Chris Rock.

April Fools! Relax, dear reader, NPR isn't replacing anyone. This article is only our April Fool's joke, and we hope it gave you a chuckle. It's our way of thanking you for your support, which means the world to us and keeps public radio running. And we ain't fooling!

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Peter Noble-Kuchera at the Movies

WFIU's new movie reviewer Peter Noble-Kuchera is both a creator and a connoisseur of movies.
He sold a science-fiction screenplay when he lived in Los Angeles, and he is now writing a script that is slated for production in Bloomington this summer.
Peter has also studied film criticism in IU's Communication and Culture department. His approach to movie reviewing is to be "wide open" to the experience. "I try to pay attention to what the movie did to me, and how it did it, and be honest to that."
Peter sees this as a time of transition for the century-old art form.
"Right now, film is being phased out of the mainstream, and digital photography and CGI are moving in," he says. "A medium you could touch with your hands is being traded for a more mediated one. What a painful and exciting time to be writing about movies."
A peak experience for Noble-Kuchera was watching movies at a huge Cinerama theater in Minneapolis.
"The Cooper Theatre had a screen 106 feet wide and 36 feet tall. That was the greatest place to see a movie. That's where I saw '2001: A Space Odyssey.' Thus Spake Zarathustra played as the sun rose over the Earth-far out, man!"
Peter has also held the job of projectionist. He recalls an incident this is every projectionist's nightmare.
"I was test screening a print of 'The Fugitive,' just before opening night. When I returned to the projection booth, I discovered that the center hub of the reel had popped out. The film had flown off the platter and shot everywhere, literally filling the room like the spaghetti in the children's book 'Strega Nona.' So a friend and I led the film out of the projection booth, down the stairs, out the door, and around the parking lot, and rolled it up again. It was printed on some kind of superfilm; it simply would not break."
Peter has happier memories from behind the camera. Like the lucky break he got when shooting a scene that called for a gathering storm.
"I spent everything I had on a single all-night shoot. We were shooting outside, on the street. As the camera rolled, a deluge came. The world itself became a movie, and we were all in it."
Peter Noble-Kuchera's reviews can be heard Tuesdays at 10:06 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. and on Fridays at 9:03 a.m. and 11:06 a.m. If you miss a broadcast, you can read it on our Web site: www.wfiu.indiana.edu. Click on the Arts & Culture tab, then in the Reviews & Interviews box click on Movie Reviews by Peter Noble-Kuchera.

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Profiles

April 3 - Third House
This hour-long question-and-answer session with legislators from the Indiana General Assembly provides insight into current legislative activities. The featured legislators represent most of the WFIU listening area and answer questions from local residents. Produced in the studios of WTIU, Third House is simulcast live on that station. If you have any questions that you would like to submit, send them in advance to wtiu@indiana.edu or call 812-855-2102 or 800-553-7893.

April 10 - Glen Gass Part 1
April 17 - Glen Gass Part 2
IU music professor Glenn Gass was among the first to offer classes on the history of rock 'n roll in a music school or conservatory. He also teaches a survey course on the history of Western classical music and takes groups of students to London for a course on The Beatles. His musical works have been performed internationally, and he is the author of the Random House textbook "A History of Rock Music," a book he once described as "a text that takes the music seriously, not a glossy type of thing about rock stars." He spoke with WFIU's David Brent Johnson. This interview is broadcast in two one-hour segments. (repeat)

April 23 - Gary Snyder
Poet, scholar, and environmental activist, Gary Snyder has published eighteen collections of poetry including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Turtle Island." Synthesizing a master's command of words with influences from Zen Buddhism and Asian languages, Snyder brings poetry, ecology, and public policy into harmony. As a tireless activist as well as beloved poet, Snyder has been called the Thoreau of his generation and "a poet of wildness" by his peers. His other works include the National Book Award finalist "No Nature," "A Place in Space: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Watersheds," and "Mountains and Rivers Without End." He was interviewed in San Francisco for City Arts and Lectures by A Prairie Home Companion's Garrison Keillor.

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The Radio Reader
with Dick Estell

"Night Fall"
by Nelson DeMille
Begins: Friday, April 1

Based on true events, but unlike anything you've ever read before, The New York Times best-selling author Nelson DeMille has created what may be his finest work to date.
In the summer of 1996, on a deserted Long Island beach at dusk, a man and a woman are frolicking in front of a video camera. Suddenly a terrible blast lights up the dark summer sky. TWA Flight 800 has just exploded in midair with 230 souls on board, and the video camera has recorded the last moments of the doomed airliner.
Five years later, the government has declared the crash a result of mechanical failure. But John Corey, an ex-NYPD detective who is now a contract agent with the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force, is persuaded by Kate Mayfield, his wife and task force partner, that the case deserves a second look. Kate is aware that some 200 individuals witnessed a strange, missile-like trail that rose from the ocean and appeared to home in on the airliner seconds before the fateful explosion. These witnesses are convinced that this missile, not mechanical failure, was responsible for the deaths of 230 persons.
"Night Fall" raises questions about national security, questions with more resonance today than at any other time in our history.

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Schickele Mixes with Bloomington Audience

Local residents got a chance to meet with Professor Peter Schickele after he gave a concert at the IU Auditorium in February.
The Schickele Mix host was in town for his "P.D.Q. Bach and Peter Schickele: The Jekyll and Hyde Tour." (Schickele Mix is heard on WFIU Sundays at 1 p.m.) The concert featured music by Schickele and his alter-ego, P.D.Q. Bach, Johann Sebastian's last and least offspring, who Schickele "discovered" in the 1950s. The concert was the culminating event of the 2005 Bloomington Area Arts Council's Arts Week.
"Jekyll and Hyde" title refers to the "good" and "evil" parts of the concert program. The "Hyde" pieces included such P.D.Q. Bach classics as the recently discovered Four Next-to-Last Songs and Shepherd on the Rocks, With a Twist.
The "Jekyll" part of the program featured songs and rounds by Peter Schickele, including the hilarious Shakespeare Song-rock 'n' roll settings of famous Shakespeare speeches.
Pam Davidson of Bloomington described the concert as "So funky funny, so off the wall."
"The guy behind me had this infectious laugh and we were all on the floor laughing."
Karina Avanesian, a graduate student in the piano program at the School of Music, joined her husband Tony in calling the concert "really funny!"
For some audience members, it was a chance to re-meet Schickele after a long absence. Pianist Edward Auer had seen Schickele the last time he was in Bloomington. David Jensen, who attended the concert with his wife, harpsichordist Janet Scott, knew Schickele from his childhood.
"We grew up together in Fargo," Jensen said. "Peter's father was an agricultural professor at the North Dakota Agricultural College. In the mid-fifties, Peter and his brother spent Christmases with us. We'd have impromptu concerts.
"I first heard Peter perform the 'Shakespeare Song' fifty years ago. Of course it wasn't as polished back then."
Jensen, who works in the School of Music's piano shop where he is charge of tuning, maintaining and rebuilding instruments, offered that the evening's concert was "Wonderful! Peter's performances are always wonderful."

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Schickele's Semi-Serious Side

There's another side to Peter Schickele besides the zany, rumpled professor who will do anything for a musical laugh.
Schickele is also an accomplished composer of more than 100 pieces for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensemble, voice, film and television.
After greeting audience members from his recent IU Auditorium concert, the composer relaxed over a chicken dinner and had a chance to reflect on musical matters.
Schickele spends about half the year composing classical music at his home in Woodstock, New York. But when he's touring, he has a hard time finding time to compose.
"On the road it's very uneven," he said. "As I get older, I try not to have composing deadlines when I'm traveling. It's more important to take a nap. At least that's what I try to do-I'm not very disciplined!" He's currently working on a viola concerto that will be premiered by the Pasadena [California] Symphony.
His IU concert featured some rather off-the-wall rounds.
"I like rounds, they're fun. They are not inherently a public performance art. They're really made for the people singing them, so I work out little endings for them."
At one point in the concert, Schickele and tenor David Düsing sang a song in "retrograde inversion." Standing across from each other, they simultaneously sang from opposite sides of the same sheet of music.
"Writing those pieces takes me right out to the edge of my intellectual capacity," Schickele said, laughing. "I can barely keep track of what's going on."
He's used similar tricks in other pieces.
"I wrote one once for violin and French horn. Which means that even though it's in treble clef, the French horn is a transposing instrument-it sounds a fifth down from what it's written. So you get another relationship in that case. It's fascinating!" He adds with a laugh, "But tiring."
When asked what kind of music he listens to for pleasure, Schickele was stumped.
"I don't know how to answer that. Somehow I listen technically and emotionally at the same time. Though I don't do it consciously, I try to picture or imagine what the notes actually are."
Shifting the topic somewhat, he mused, "I find that composers often don't like to talk about non-musical inspirations in their works because a lot of listeners exaggerate that. Thinking that a symphony is telling story, just like a novel. It usually isn't."
"I often get extra-musical associations after I've written it. A movement in one of my string quartets is called "Bugs" because after I wrote it, it reminded me of bugs scurrying. Even Robert Schumann said that of a lot of his pieces-that the evocative titles came after the piece was written."
Summing up, he said, "The trouble with talking about music is that if you can really say what it's about in words, there's no point in writing the piece. A lot of poets say that. 'What does this poem mean? Well, if I could tell you, I would've written it with prose.'"

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Broadcasts from the IU School of Music

WELCHER-Zion; Stephen Pratt/IU Wind Ens.
Airs: 4/1/ at 3 p.m.

BRITTEN-Hymn to St. Cecilia, Op. 27; John Poole/Pro Arte Singers
Airs: 4/4 at 7 p.m., 4/5 at 10 a.m., 4/8 ar 3 p.m.

MOZART-Rondo in a, K. 511; Jonathan Biss, p.
Airs: 4/11 at 7 p.m., 4/12 at 10 a.m., 4/15 at 3 p.m.

HANDEL-Praise of Harmony; Stanley Ritchie/IU Baroque Orch.; Pro Arte Singers (dir., John Poole)
Airs: 4/18 at 7 p.m., 4/19 at 10 a.m., 4/22 at 3 p.m.

BARTOK-Violin Sonata No. 1; Miriam Fried, vln.; Jonathan Biss, p.
Airs: 4/20 at 10 p.m.

BRAHMS-Violin Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 100; Federico Agostini, vln.; Reiko Neriki, p.
Airs: 4/25 at 7 p.m., 4/26 at 10 a.m.

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Last updated: Monday, March 28, 2005
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