#ClassicsaDay #NAFTAclassics 2021 Week 1
By Ralph Graves
The Classics a Day team once again made NAFTA Classics the theme for July. Two of the three countries in North America have significant holidays in the month — Canada Day (July 1), and Independence Day (July 4).
As always with this theme, I simply alternated between Canadian, American, and Mexican composers. And the process discovered a lot of great classical music north and south of the border.
Here are my #ClassicsaDay posts for the first ten days of #NAFTAclassics.
7/1/21 Murray Adaskin (Canada) Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
Adaskin was a violinist, composer, and director of the University of Saskatchewan’s Music Department.
7/2/21 Julian Carillo (Mexico) Symphony No. 1
Carrillo was famous for his theory of microtonal music, “Sonido 13.” His earlier works — such as this 1901 symphony — use more traditional harmonies.
7/5/21 Benjamin Carr (US) Federal Overture
Carr emigrated to America in the 1790s. He’s known as the Father of Philadelphia Music for his work as a composer, conductor, and teacher.
7/6/21 Charles-Amador Martin (Canada) – Prose de la Sainte Famille
Martin was the second priest to be ordained in New France. His sacred works are the earliest attributed to a Canadian composer.
07/07/21 Juan de Lienas (Mexico) Salve Regina
De Lienas (ca. 1600-1654) is only known to us through two surviving manuscript collections. It is thought that he was a chapel master in Mexico City, and perhaps Havana.
07/08/21 William Henry Fry (US 1813-1864) Macbeth Ouverture
Fry was the first native-born American to compose for orchestra and the first to compose an opera. As a music critic (another first), he encouraged his readers to support American composers.
7/09/21 Calixa Lavallée (Canada) – Le papillon
Lavallée composed “O Canada,” which was later adopted as the national anthem. Lavallée was born in Montreal but spent a good deal of his career working in the U.S.
