Music Notes – Sunday, July 7th:
This week’s musician is Laura Silverman.
Laura Silverman received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano from The Cleveland Institute of Music and was a prize winner in both The Casadesus International Piano Competition (now The Cleveland International Piano Competition), and the J.S. Bach International Piano Competition. Ms. Silverman is on the faculties of both The University of Akron School of Music (Director of Collaborative Piano Studies) and The College of Wooster. Be sure to arrive early this Sunday for pre-service music from Laura, beginning at 10:10!
Selections from Album for the Young, Op. 68 – Schumann
Renowned composer and pianist Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was one of the most important figures of the Romantic era. A virtuoso pianist himself, Schumann wrote exclusively for the piano until 1840, after which his output included concertos. symphonies, tone poems, vocal and choral pieces, and an opera. Schumann wrote his Album for the Young (Album für die Jugend), in 1848 for his three daughters. The work is comprised of 43 short pieces, which become progressively more advanced to guide students along a path of learning.
Opening Hymn: #1008 When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place – Poley
#1008 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook, “When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place” was written in 1996 by UU musician and composer Joyce Poley (b. 1941). This song “invites us to see ourselves in others. As we come to understand that all people have wisdom to share and stories to tell—regardless of culture, race, social status, or faith—we begin to realize how important our commonalities are, and how interwoven our lives. When we open ourselves to this sacred idea, then ‘our heart is in a holy place’.” (from uua.org)
Centering Music: Selections from Nocturnes – Alexander
American composer, pianist, and music educator Dennis Alexander (b. 1947) is best-known for his significant contributions to pedagogical repertoire for the piano. He has well over 400 published works and spent more than 20 years teaching piano pedagogy at the University of Montana. First published in 2018, Alexander’s Nocturnes have already become widely used as teaching pieces and recital repertoire.
Offertory Music: Andante Cantabile from Sonatina in G major – Diabelli
Anton Diabelli (1781-1858) was an Austrian musician, publisher, and composer. He was most famously known during his lifetime as a music publisher, and today is best-known as the composer of the waltz which was used by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) used as the basis for his famous Diabelli Variations. “Andante Cantabile” is the first movement of Diabelli’s Sonatina in G Major (op. 151), first published in 1830.
Closing Song: Where You Go – Jedwab
Lyrically based on a passage from The Book of Ruth, “Where You Go” is a song about compassion and inclusion. It was written and first recorded by Shoshana Jedwab, a songwriter, drummer, and educator based in New York City.
Postlude: Rondo: Allegretto from Sonata No. 16 in C Major – Mozart
Renowned Classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) composed his Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major (K. 545) in 1788, although the work was not published until several years after his death. The lively “Rondo: Allegretto” is the third and final movement from that sonata, which is still widely performed and recorded today.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director