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Farewell

Hello all,

All good things eventually come to an end, and I’ve come to realize it is time to close the book that is This Week’s Music. As mentioned previously, I’ve begun expanding my music criticism into new domains, writing album and concert reviews for various cultural and artistic publications. (You can find my published reviews here: https://www.thomasphilbrick.com/criticism). I’ve also begun a position as the official music critic for the publication VoegelinView, which is a review of art, literature, theology, and political philosophy. Between those new ventures and the demands of work, family, and life, I no longer have the capacity to continue writing weekly TWM posts. With that said, I encourage all of you to follow me at VoegelinView and on my website, where I will continue to write about music and share my own performances and compositions from time to time. And I’d like to thank all of you for joining me for this unexpectedly wonderful journey that began ten years ago in my college dorm room and has since grown to reach several thousand people across 19 countries. It’s been a great ride!

Farewell for now, and keep listening.

With gratitude,

T

P.S. The TWM domain and website will remain live and accessible, so you’ll always be able to visit pieces of music you particularly enjoyed or were interested in.

P.P.S. Put your favorite TWM episode in the comments below!

Posted on by tjphilbrick

Mozart’s “Lacrimosa”

Hello all,

This week’s music is the “Lacrimosa” movement from Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor.

Mozart’s Requiem, one of the masterpieces of the choral repertoire, is shrouded in mystery. It was commissioned anonymously by what Mozart called “an unknown, gray stranger” who appeared one day on his doorstep. Mozart, against his family’s advice, accepted the commission. In a strange twist of irony, Mozart was dying while he wrote it. As he wrote in his journal, he was essentially writing his own Requiem. He died before it was finished at age 35; his students finished it.

We will be listening to one of the movements of the Requiem called “Lacrimosa.” The word lacrimosa (Latin for “weeping” or “tearful”) comes from the Roman Catholic Dies Irae Requiem Mass that was popular during Mozart’s youth. The Lacrimosa movement is the last part of the Requiem that Mozart wrote before he died. The orchestra begins with a soft, rocking rhythm before the sopranos and altos introduce the mournful melody. This melody is then repeated throughout the movement, each time with one more voice added.

Enjoy!

T

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A New Chapter

Hello all,

I’ve begun publishing reviews of newly-released classical music albums. My goal in doing so is to (1) highlight composers who should be more widely known than they are and (2) promote tonal music to the listening public. You can find my latest review at: https://voegelinview.com/jonathan-leshnoffs-violin-concerto-no-2/.

I will post any future reviews on the “Criticism” page of my website (https://www.thomasphilbrick.com/criticism).

Enjoy!

T

Posted on by tjphilbrick

Allemande

Hello all,

This week’s music is the Allemande from J.S. Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major for solo cello, performed by Mischa Maisky.

Bach wrote six suites for solo cello between 1717 and 1723 while living Kothen, Germany. The first suite, a part of which you will hear today, has become the most famous of the six. Each suite consists of six movements that represent common baroque dance forms: prelude, allemande, courante, sarabande, minuet/bouree/gavotte, and gigue. An Allemande was a type of German court dance that involved dancers linking arms and making full or partial turns down a line. Visually, the allemande gave the appearance of a large weave or braid. It was performed primarily by German royalty, and there is an air of courtly majesty in the music.

The six cello suites of J.S. Bach are the foundation of the cello repertoire. Every cellist learns them, and every cello competition requires their performance. They vary in complexity, from simple melodies to rumbling chords, and challenge the cellist in nearly every aspect of technical and musical interpretation.

Enjoy!

T