Max Derrickson

Benjamin Britten     (Born: Lowestoft, England, November 22, 1913 (St. Cecilia’s Day); died: Aldeburgh, England, December 4, 1976) Men of Goodwill: Variations on a Christmas Carol Like Barber’s Die Natalie, Britten’s Christmas variations were also crafted with intelligence and charm.  Unlike Barber’s medley, however, Britten uses only one carol as his theme: “God Rest […]

Samuel Barber     (Born in West Chester, PA, 1910; died in New York, 1981) Die Natalie: Chorale Preludes for Christmas, Op. 37 As was the case with most of Barber’s compositions, Die Natalie was a commissioned piece, and in this case, by the Koussevitsky Foundation (the same group that commissioned Copland’s Appalacian Spring, and […]