July 30, 2009
Through a series of surprising connections on FaceBook I find myself contemplating the remarkable music of Anthony Philip Heinrich (1780-1860), known in his day as "The Beethoven of America." One of the early champions of the performance of this most original composer (he is the subject of my DMA thesis), I have become aware of a small groundswell of interest in his music among the next generation. I've just been in communication with two other Heinrich fans, and I think it's time to start playing his music again.
After the premiere of the Gerald Shapiro fugues in October I'm going to start practicing APH, relearning the pieces I did in the late 1960s, early 1970s. There's a lot of misrepresentation out there about this man. For a sample, check out Bernard Holland's piece in The New York Times on February 25, 2008:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/arts/music/25cham.html
I promise I will return to the subject of Shep's fugues on Saturday. But for the moment all I can think of is Papa Heinrich! Now to force myself to practice for my lesson in NYC with Sophia Rosoff…
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Fascinating! I am in pursuit of Heinrich at present - bit from the angle of his Bohemian origins, being a fanatic for all things Czech. I should love the chance to hear more of his music than is currently available (such as your own CD of his music).
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in anything you can do with regard to Heinrich. I have only very recently discovered him and that from the angle of him being Czech born. All music of the Czech Republic and Slovakia is of interest to me. Heinrich seems to be one of the most fascinating composers ever to be born in Bohemia and I should love to hear more of his music. I already have your own CD, incidentally.
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