Links to Classical Music, Wagnerian Opera,
and Classical Jazz
Background
As a long time
jazz and swing enthusiast, dating from my childhood during World War II,
I have had an absolute passion for jazz and swing. Although my parents
did not have a record player, that was the name that was given to devices
that played 78s, older cousins of mine did have them. Thus I was introduced
to the swing bands of Harry James, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and a few
others at an early age.
I remember hearing
the trumpets and visualizing playing one, even if I had no idea what a
trumpet looked like at the time. One day when I was 5 years of age(1942
or 1943), my mother and I were in downtown Reading, PA. We saw a trumpet
in the window of a music store. The horn had a glass mouthpiece, perhaps
necessitated by the war effort. I told her that was the horn I wanted to
play.
Eventually I became
a trumpet player and, during college days, performed jazz trumpet and vocals
sitting in with several groups in the Reading, PA area. I also played with
the Rainbow Hose Company drum and bugle corps, the Rainbows of Schuylkill
Haven, PA during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
At one time I had little or no use for classical
music in general and specifically opera. That all changed when I entered
college and met someone who introduced me to Richard Wagner. One weekend
we spent together listening to "Das Niebelungenlied" in its entirety. It
was one of those experiences that either make or break one's interest and
enthusiasm. As it turned out I became as enthusiastic a Wagnerian as I
am enthusiastic about Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington. Over the years I
have accumulated a rather large collection of Wagner on vinyl and some
on 78rpm records. Yes, I still have a stereo setup with an automatic turntable
that will play these great classics in both formats. I would like to get
all of my Wagner recorded to cassettes then port them over to CD. Someday
I hope to be able to attend the Bayreuthenfestspielhaus , hopefully
for a performance of "Das Niebelungenlied."
Incidently, the person who introduced me to
Wagner now does not particularly care for the " Bayreuthenmeister ."
He finds Wagner to be too bombastic for his taste. Whenever he tells me
that I remind him of the fact that I spent my early childhood during World
War II. (I still can remember hearing FDR's "December 7, 1941... a day
that will live in infamy" speech on the radio.)
While I was a student at Albright College I became interested in German lieder, especially after I began to study German. I purchased a book of German Lieder and Volkslieder at our local music store, Stineman's, in Schuylkill Haven. Within its pages were "Die Lorelei," "Das Mühlenrad," "Ein Feste Burg," "Am Brunnen vor dem Tore," and a host of others. Although at that time I knew no Liedersänger, I soon discovered one who has become my favorite singer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
I discovered Fischer-Dieskau when I purchased a copy of the Angel vinyl vesion of "Tannhäuser". In this version he sings the part of Wolfram von Eschenbach in the lieder contest. Fischer-Dieskau's voice is distinctive and dynamic. He is certainly one of the best practitioners of his kraft, in my opinion.
Duke Ellington served as the person who led
me into my love of jazz. My first recollection of Duke was from the old
Rio Theater in Schuylkill Haven, PA back in the mid 1940s. When I got a
record player, sometime in the early - mid 1950s, I immediately began to
collect recordings of Duke Ellington on vinyl. As the years went by, my
taste in jazz broadened and included musicians such as Stan Kenton, Count
Basie, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and a whole lot
of other musicians playing during that time. (I discovered "Bird" posthumously
after his early death while I was still in high school.) I took in my first
jazz performance at the old Hershey Starlight Ballroom in Hershey,
PA when Gene Krupa made an appearance there during the late 1950s. Throughout
the 1960s I saw many performances especially of Harry James, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Stan Kenton in both concert and dance venues. The giants are gone now, but the great music that they made lives on.
