A compendium of musical delights by Alan and Margaret Ashworth
THE German composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856) completed his only piano concerto in 1845. It was premiered in Dresden with his wife Clara as the soloist. I wonder if this work … Continue readingSchumann Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op 54
HYMNS in which Christians are portrayed as warriors seem to have a special resonance these days, and Fight the Good Fight is one of the best. The words were written … Continue readingFight the Good Fight
This silly but catchy song was written by American singer Shirley Ellis with Lincoln Chase. (It can’t have been hard to write as there are only a couple of notes … Continue readingShirley Ellis: The Name Game
Possibly the best self-composed Beatles track, with a stunningly complex and beautiful melody. John Lennon claimed to have written it solo, given credence by this scratchy home demo, but Paul … Continue readingThe Beatles: If I Fell
ON Sunday, services of remembrance will be held at war memorials in towns and villages all over the country, each with its list of names of those who died to … Continue readingO God Our Help in Ages Past
This was written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams)and Mack David (lyrics). It was released by the Shirelles in 1961, reaching No 8 in the US … Continue readingThe Shirelles: Baby It’s You
LAST week I wrote about Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), the Venetian composer sometimes called the King of Baroque. He was a major influence on Johann Sebastian Bach, who was seven years younger. … Continue readingBach Violin Concerto No 2 in E major BWV 1052
Written by the great Randy Newman, this was released by the Nashville Teens in 1967. For the first time in this series, I can’t find out if it got into … Continue readingNashville Teens: Biggest Night of her Life
TODAY’S choice is another of the 9,000 or so hymns written by Charles Wesley (1707-1798). I covered the early part of Wesley’s life when I wrote about O For a Thousand … Continue readingLove Divine, All Loves Excelling
This was written in 1961 by Phil Medley and Bert Berns and first recorded by the Top Notes, but they ruined it. Amazingly this was produced by Phil Spector. The … Continue readingThe Beatles: Twist and Shout