I have a new Music for a While for you: here. It begins with “The Harmonious Blacksmith.” Kind of a funny name. It refers to the Suite No. 5 in E major, by Handel. More specifically, it refers to the final movement of that suite: an air and variations. Where does the name, or nickname, come from? There are many guesses — but nobody knows for sure. At any rate, the suite is one of the glories of the Baroque keyboard literature. And the final movement is the crowning glory of the suite.
The podcast ends with “Speak Low,” the Kurt Weill song, with lyrics by Ogden Nash. This is one of those songs that have long been beloved of classical singers and popular singers alike. It comes from a musical, One Touch of Venus. The song begins, “Speak low when you speak, love.” Nash got the lyric from Shakespeare: “Speak low if you speak love.” In other words, if you’re gonna talk about love, you better keep your voice down. This is from Much Ado about Nothing.
What else is on the menu, between the blacksmith and “Speak Low”? There’s a Strauss song — the last one he ever wrote. Indeed, the last piece of music he ever wrote. There’s a Boccherini piece, done up by Luciano Berio. There’s a song by García Lorca. Do I mean the poet and playwright? I do. He was a multi-talented fellow. There’s an orchestral outburst by Wagner — a glorious outburst, a shout of exuberance. And a Wolf song. And . . . a bit of commentary, by yours truly (not much).
For “a break away from the everyday” — old fast-food slogan — try this podcast. Again, here.