Welcome to Week 29 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode. I am posting this on Jan. 11, and the 12th is the 100th anniversary of Feldman's birth, so let's commemorate that by listening to either The King of Denmark or Rothko Chapel.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 29.

Anonymous music from the Medieval era
Lauda sion - score
Stabat mater - score
Dies irae - score
Pange lingua gloriosi corporis mysterium - score
Salve virgo/Ave gloriosa Mater/Domino
Pucelete/Je languis/Domino - score
Sumer is icumen in - score

Petrus de Cruce
Aucuns vont souvent/Amor qui cor/Kyrie - score

Gustav Mahler
Adagio movement from unfinished Symphony No. 10 - score
     recommended recordings: Rattle/Bournemouth SInf.; Bernstein/NY Philharmonic

Morton Feldman
Projection I - look at the score here for a sense of how Feldman's indeterminate pieces of this era work.
Projection II
Projection III
Projection IV
Projection V
The King of Denmark - look at this video for more understanding of how these grid scores work. Also, look for any video performance on YouTube - this is a good piece to see visually because it's for a single percussionist with a lot of instruments.
Rothko Chapel
      recommended recording: Brett/UC-Berkeley choirs

Richard Wagner
Tannhauser - score - libretto and synopsis
     recommended recording: conducted by Solti
     recommended video: conducted by Levine
If you don't listen to the whole opera, at least listen to the Overture and Venusberg music, conducted by Mehta.

The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground and Nico
White Light/White Heat
The Velvet Underground

Welcome to Week 26 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores, opera libretto and synopsis, and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 26.

Arcangelo Corelli
12 Trio Sonatas, Op. 1 - score
     recommended recording: London Baroque

Eugene Ysaye
6 Sonatas for unaccompanied violin, Op. 27 - score
     recommended recordings: Shumsky; Zimmermann

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 9 - score
      recommended recordings: Abbado; Karajan; Bernstein (all with Berlin Philharmonic)

Benjamin Britten
Ceremony of Carols
      recommended recordings: Cleobury; Hill

Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
Safe as Milk
Trout Mask Replica

Welcome to Week 22 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores, opera libretto and synopsis, and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 22.

Vexilla Regis Prodeunt (plainchant) - text - score
Alma Redemptoris Mater (plainchant) - text - score
Veni Sancte Spiritus (plainchant) - text - score
Victimae Paschali Laudes (plainchant) - text - score
Veni Creator Spiritus (plainchant) - text - score

Paul Hindemith
Sonata for Trumpet and Piano - score (only public domain in Canada)
     recommended recording: Gilbert Johnson/Glenn Gould
Kleine Kammermusik (Op. 24 No. 2) - score (public domain in US & Canada, but not EU)
     recommended recording: Bergen Wind Quintet

Georg Philipp Telemann
12 Fantasias for Flute (unaccompanied) - score
     recommended recording: Claire Guimond

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 8 - score - text
      recommended recording: Chicago Symphony/Solti

Frank Zappa
Freak Out! (Mothers of Invention)
We're Only In It For The Money (Mothers of Invention)
Hot Rats

Welcome to Week 19 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode in which we briefly review last week's works, talk about the opera list for the project, and look ahead to this week's playlist.

Here is the Spotify playlist for week 19.

Here are this week's pieces, along with links to the scores where available:

Franz Joseph Haydn
Andante with Variations in F minor - score

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 7 - score

Pierre Boulez
Pli selon pli - information

Duke Ellington
The Carnegie Hall Concerts 1943
Selected studio recordings from 1943-46

Welcome to Week 16 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode in which we briefly review last week's works and look ahead to this week's playlist.

Here is the Spotify playlist for week 16.

Here are this week's pieces, along with links to the scores where available, and album information:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 11

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 6

Pierre Boulez
Piano Sonata No. 1
Piano Sonata No. 2
Piano Sonata No. 3
This Wikipedia page has information on these pieces.

Duke Ellington
Fargo, ND, Nov. 7, 1940 - YouTube link - album info

Welcome to Week 13 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode. We review last week's works, talk about which composers will be most often found throughout this project, and look ahead to this week's playlist.

Here is the Spotify playlist for week 13.

Here are this week's pieces, along with links to the scores where available, and album information:

Domenico Scarlatti
Keyboard Sonatas: K3; K185; K184; K227; K238; K239; K52; K192; K193; K208; K209; K252; K253; K191

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5

Pierre Boulez
Le Marteau sans maître (text and translation here)

Duke Ellington
Early recordings on the OKeh and Columbia labels.

Welcome to Week 11 of The Works! Start with this week's episode of the Listening to the Works podcast, then find the pieces for this week on the Spotify playlist.

Here are the pieces for this week, including links to the scores, texts and translations, and opera synopsis.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Organ Works:
Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 531
Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 532
Toccata and Fugue in F Major, BWV 540 (some recordings are of the Toccata only)
Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 562 (recordings are of the Fantasia only as the Fugue is incomplete; the first recording on the Spotify playlist is labeled as BWV 561, but it's actually this piece)
Fantasia in C Major, BWV 570

Giaochino Rossini
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Libretto
Synopsis

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 4
Text and translation

Pierre Boulez
Éclat (for large chamber ensemble)
Structures, Book I (for two pianos)

The Coasters
Selections

Eddie Cochran
Selections

Carl Perkins
Selections, including all of The Dance Album

Welcome to Week 8 of The Works! Start with this week's episode of the Listening to the Works podcast, then find the pieces for this week on the Spotify playlist.

Here are the pieces for this week, including links to the scores, texts, and alternate recordings.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Magnificats (these are 3 of Palestrina's 35 settings of this text):
Magnificat primi toni a 8 (recorded by the Westminster Cathedral Choir)
Magnificat primi toni from Book 3 (recorded by the Westminster Cathedral Choir)
Magnificat septimi toni from Book 3 (recorded by Camerata Nova. NOTE: this doesn't seem to be titled correctly. Details in podcast episode 9)

Georges Bizet
Suite 1 and Suite 2 from L'Arlésienne (recommended recording: London Symphony/Abbado; alternates: New Philharmonia/Munch; Royal Philharmonic/Beecham)

Karlheinz Stockhausen
Stimmung (recorded by Singcircle and Theater of Voices)

Jelly Roll Morton
Listen to selections from the following:
- Complete Victor Recordings
- Complete Library of Congress Recordings (not available on Spotify; link is to a playlist of 8 YouTube videos)

It's Week 7 of The Works! Start with episode 7 of the Listening to the Works podcast, including a review of the pieces from Week 6 and a discussion of musicality.

Here's the Spotify playlist for the coming week.

Here are the works on the list for Week 7, along with links to scores where available and texts for vocal works:

Jelly Roll Morton
Selected recordings from 1923-1927 with Morton on solo piano and leading a trio and the Red Hot Peppers
A few piano scores of Morton's compositions are available here. Don't forget to check in the “collections” tab.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 10 (for two pianos)
(recommended recordings: Argerich/Rabinovitch; Labèque Sisters; Emil and Elena Gilels)

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 3
This symphony includes vocal parts. Here is the text and translation.
(recommended recordings: Berlin Philharmonic/Abbado; New York Philharmonic/Bernstein)

Maurice Ravel
Works for solo piano (note: You have to click on the “arrangements and transcriptions” tab to find the scores of the orchestrated versions, even though they are Ravel's own orchestrations.)
 - Menuet antique (also an orchestral version)
 - Pavane pour une infante défunte (also an orchestral version)
 - Jeux d'eau
 - Sonatine
 - Alborada del gracioso (No. 4 from Miroirs; also an orchestral version)
(recommended piano recordings: Robert Casadesus; Alexandre Tharaud; orchestral recordings: Cleveland Orchestra/Boulez; Montréal Symphony/Dutoit)

Week 5 of The Works begins with episode 5 of Listening to the Works, on your favorite podcast platform. We talk about how film music fits into the project and the difference between recordings of piano music and programming for actual recitals and concerts.

Here's the Spotify playlist for the coming week.

Here are the works on the list for Week 5:

Aaron Copland
Fanfare for the Common Man
(recommended recordings: Boston Pops/Williams; US Air Force Band; London Symphony/Copland; Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy)
Symphony No. 3
(recommended recordings: New York Philharmonic/Bernstein; Philharmonia Orchestra/Copland)

Leos Janacek
Glagolitic Mass
(recommended recordings: Czech Philharmonic/Mackerras; London Symphony/Tilson Thomas)

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Stanzas to the Blessed Virgin (consists of 8 madrigals)
1. Vergine bella (score; text)
2. Vergine saggia (score; text)
3. Vergine pura (score; text)
4. Vergine santa (score; text)
5. Vergine sola al mondo (score; text)
6. Vergine chiara (score; text)
7. Vergine quante lagrime (score; text)
8. Vergine tale è terra (score; text)
(recommended recordings: Hilliard Ensemble; Akademia)

Original Dixieland Jazz Band
Selected early recordings

New Orleans Rhythm Kings
Selected early recordings

Week 4 of The Works! Here's the new podcast episode, in which I review last week's pieces, talk about listening to music in other languages, and preview the works coming up this week.

Here is the Spotify playlist containing the recordings for Week 4.

Here are the works on this week's list, including some links to the scores (and other relevant information) where available:

Paragon Ragtime Orchestra
Album: On the Boardwalk (read the liner notes here)

Eubie Blake
I wanted to listen to his appearance on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, but I don't have access to it. If you do, listen to it this week! Here's information about the album, and here's one piece from it.

Dmitri Shostakovich
Music (Op. 116) from the film Hamlet (not to be confused with the incidental music he wrote for the play)
Watch the film or listen to the recording of the suite (Op. 116a) conducted by Yablonsky (alternate recording conducted by Sinaisky)

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2
This symphony includes vocal parts. The texts and translations can be found here.
Recommended recording: Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Klemperer (alternates: City of Birmingham Symphony/Rattle; New York Philharmonic/Bernstein; NYPO/Walter)

J. S. Bach
15 Two-Part Inventions
15 Three-Part Sinfonias (or Inventions)
Recommended recording on piano: Angela Hewitt (alternates: Glenn Gould; Andras Schiff) and on harpsichord: Ton Koopman

Week 2 of The Works begins with the new podcast episode, in which I review last week's pieces, discuss Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and preview the works coming up this week.

Here is the Spotify playlist containing the recordings for Week 2.

Here are pieces on this week's list, including some links to the scores where available:

György Ligeti
Cello Concerto

Franz Schubert
Die Schöne Müllerin (find the song texts and translations here)

Agustín Barrios
Guitar Works (see Spotify playlist for specific pieces)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 9

Big Joe Turner
This link shows the compilation album Big, Bad, and Blue as a 3-CD set with 61 tracks, but on Spotify it only has 28 tracks, so I have included all of those plus 6 more of his most important singles.

Eubie Blake
This link shows an LP of piano rolls made from Blake's playing between 1917-1921, recorded in 1973 under Blake's supervision. My Spotify list includes all of these songs, but I can't be sure they're the same recordings. A few other Blake pieces, played by himself, are also on the list. Most of his scores are not yet public domain, but this one is (in the US only).

Other Ragtime Composers
James Scott: Grace and Beauty and Ragtime Oriole
Tom Turpin: Saint Louis Rag
Joseph Lamb: American Beauty and Nightingale Rag

I have embarked upon a new 10-year project: to listen to all the Great Music of the Western World (aka The Works)! Listen to my first podcast episode here to get some background on the project.

Here is the Spotify playlist containing most of the recordings for Week 1.

Here are links to the scores (and sometimes recordings) for this week's pieces:

Scott Joplin
Rags (list below)
Piano roll recordings

Erik Satie
3 Gymnopédies
3 Gnossiennes (just nos. 1-3)
Arrangements by John Hackett and Steve Hackett:

• Gymnopédie No. 1
• Gymnopédie No. 2
• Gymnopédie No. 3
• Gnossienne No. 1
• Gnossienne No. 2
• Gnossienne No. 3

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet, Op. 18 No. 1
String Quartet, Op. 18 No. 2

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 1

*Joplin rags: Maple Leaf Rag; Original Rags; The Favorite; The Easy Winners; The Entertainer; Elite Syncopations; A Breeze from Alabama; Palm Leaf Rag; Weeping Willow; The Cascades; The Chrysanthemum; The Ragtime Dance (2nd version); Reflection Rag; Gladiolus Rag; Searchlight Rag; Pine Apple Rag; Fig Leaf Rag; Paragon Rag; Wall Street Rag; Euphonic Sounds; Solace; Pleasant Moments; Scott Joplin's New Rag; Magnetic Rag