Daniel Pinkham's 'Nocturnes'

Synopsis

An old music dictionary’s definition of “nocturne” reads as follows: “A night piece, a musical composition that suggests a nocturnal atmosphere, for example Haydn’s Notturno or Mozart’s Serenata Notturna, but more specifically a short piece of romantic character. First to use this title for this genre was John Field, followed by Chopin.”

Hundreds of composers since Field and Chopin have tried their hand at writing nocturnes. This particular one was written for flute and guitar by Boston-based composer Daniel Pinkham, as part of a five-movement suite of nocturnes, all premiered on today’s date in 1993, at the First and Second Church in Boston.

Now, as any insomniac will tell you, there are all sorts of night moods, and the descriptive titles of Pinkham’s set of five Nocturnes ranges from the sprightly to the serene, with others titled “brooding,” “sultry” and “restless” tossed in for good measure.

Pinkham was particularly fortunate in his teachers. Imagine studying composition with Aaron Copland, Walter Piston and Samuel Barber, or harpsichord with Wanda Landowska and organ with E. Power Biggs. Pinkham did — and in turn became a successful teacher himself, with a long tenure at the New England Conservatory of Music. He served as music director of Boston’s historic King’s Chapel, and as a composer was particularly honored by his church musician colleagues for his many works for chorus and organ.

Music Played in Today's Program

Daniel Pinkham (1923-2006): Nocturnes; Fenwick Smith, flute; David Leisner, guitar; Koch 7423

On This Day

Births

• 1794 - Bohemian composer and pianist Ignaz Moscheles, in Prague

• 1864 - Danish composer Louis Glass, in Frederiksberg

• 1901 - English composer Edmund Rubbra, in Northhampton

• 1912 - French composer and pianist Jean Françaix, in Le Mans. The composer has written that his family name is pronounced with the final “x” sounded (as in “Aix”-en-Provence), although is commonly pronounced “Français” in both Europe and America.

• 1934 - American electronic engineer and inventor, Robert Moog (pronounced: “Mohg”), inventor of the synthesizer bearing his name which was made famous by performers such as Wendy Carlos (of Switched-On Bach fame).

Premieres

• 1736 - Handel: opera Atalanta (Julian date: May 12)

• 1814 - Beethoven: Fidelio Overture, in Vienna, as part of a third and final revision of the opera "Fidelio," at the Kärntnertor Theater

• 1876 - Brahms: String Quartet No. 3, in Berlin at the home of Clara Schumann by the Joachim Quartet. The work was subsequently performed for a small circle of friends at the Joachim home on June 4 that year, and given its first public performance in Berlin on October 30, 1876, again by the Joachim Quartet.

• 1883 - Tchaikovsky: Festival Coronation March, in Moscow (Gregorian date June 4)

• 1926 - Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 8, in Moscow

• 1937 - William Grant Still: Lenox Avenue for narrator and orchestra, broadcast over the CBS radio network, with Howard Barlow conducting

• 1943 - Barber: Commando March, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with Army Air Force Technical Training Command Band, composer conducting

• 1971 - Einem: Der Besuch der Alten Damen (The Visit of the Old Lady), at the Vienna State Opera

• 1971 - Sessions: cantata When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d (after Walt Whitman), in Berkley, California

• 1993 - Daniel Pinkham: Nocturnes for flute and guitar, at the First and Second Church in Boston, by flutist Fenwick Smith and guitarist John Curtis

Others

• 1826 - American premiere of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni at New York City’s Park Theater, presented by members of the Garcia family with Lorenzo da Ponte (Mozart's librettist) in the audience