Romancing the Classics

This evening, my son told me he is learning about the War of 1812 at school. He loves history, so he was rather excited about it. And I got to turn his small talk into not only a history lesson, but a music lesson.

I know I've mentioned before that my dad was a stereo lover. He had played the trombone in high school, and then in the Air Force. His vinyl collection was amazing! And I cannot recount how many nights I watched him conduct his imaginary orchestra with a very real baton. He even taught me how to keep tempo. I loved those nights when he'd pass me the baton, and I could join in his reverie.

Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers. His up-tempo pieces are so captivating. They fill you with excitement and empower in ways that you feel like you can do just about anything.

So tonight, I shared the 1812 Overture with my son. From the church bells to the cannons, he loved it. This led to looking up Tchaikovsky's bio. Such a sad, tormented story. But the article mentioned Mikhail Glinka, which reminded me of another Russian composer I loved.

My dad had an album called Romantic Russia, and I remember nearly every piece recorded on there. The pieces that stood out the most, though, were the ones written by Glinka. (It's so much fun to say that name out loud!) And sadly, he's not nearly as famous as the classic Classical composers like Beethoven, Mozart, or even Tchaikovsky himself.

So I'm going to share with you my favorite Glinka piece. My son listened intently as we read about Glinka's life. We talked about minor keys versus major keys, as well as modulation. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I do.

I may craft words into stories, but these men crafted notes into magnificent works that will stand the test of time. I am forever grateful...