"Oh, I like all kinds of music!” is a familiar strain among certain age groups. But those groups will not be the only attendees at a recital. I seek a wide common ground on which everyone can enjoy the recital. I believe the program notes are the tool for that job. My notes usually explain the piece rather than the composer. I provide only the barest biographical information to provide necessary context. My primary concern is to outline a road map through the piece: what to listen for, what style to understand, what clever surprises await. The ultimate satisfaction comes when a person tells me that they heard what the program notes prepared them for! Here are some examples of my writing, what I always hope is “easy reading” for the audience:
ALAIN, Jehan
ALBRIGHT, William
BACH, Johann Sebastian
BOBO, Len
BOËLLMANN, Léon
BÖHM, Georg
BOLCOM, William
BONNET, Joseph
BRAHMS, Johannes
BREWER, Herbert
BRIDGE, Frank
BUXTEHUDE, Dietrich
CLEMENT-FAIVRE, Maurice
COCKER, Norman
COOK, John
DANIEL-LESUR, Jean-Yves
DAQUIN, Louis-Claude
DUBOIS, Théodore
DUPRÉ, Marcel
DURUFLÉ, Maurice
FRANCK, César
FROBERGER, Johann Jakob
GARNER, David
GAWTHROP, Daniel
GIGOUT, Eugène
GUILMANT, Alexandre
HAMPTON, Calvin
HARBINSON, William G.
HARRIS, William Henry
HINDEMITH, Paul
HOWELLS, Herbert
JONGEN, Joseph
LANGLAIS, Jean
LEMARE, Edwin
MENDELSSOHN, Felix
MULET, Henri
PAULUS, Stephen
REUBKE, Julius
REGER, Max
RHEINBERGER, Josef
ROGER-DUCASSE, Jean-Jules Aimable
ROWLEY, Alec
SAINT-SAËNS, Camille
SCHUMANN, Robert
SIBELIUS, Jean
SOWERBY, Leo
SWEELINCK, Jan Pieterszoon
VIERNE, Louis
WALTON, William
WEAVER, John
WHITLOCK, Percy
WIDOR, Charles-Marie
