William Howard Schuman—named after President William Howard Taft—was born in Manhattan in 1910. He played banjo, violin, and string bass as a child, forming his own musical group in highschool; the band performed at weddings at bar mitzvahs throughout New York City. In his twenties, Schuman studied Commerce at New York University, […]

       With very little classical training in performance and composition, Rebecca Clarke became one of the most prominent virtuoso violists of the 20th century. One of the first recognized female professional orchestra musicians of all time, Clarke championed other women in the field through her compositions and chamber groups.         Born […]

      Episode fifteen of WorldView is the first to feature only one artist and composition: Edward Elgar’s Symphony No. 3 (with a run time of fifty-five minutes). Though the British composer is best known for his Pomp and Circumstance Marches, this symphony remains a popular work.        Edward Elgar was born near […]

Thank you so much to everyone who has tuned in to listen to WorldView in the past few months! I’m thrilled that people like the show, and it is an honor to work with the station. I don’t have a featured artist for this post, but I’ve included the episode playlist. Have a safe Memorial […]

        Before serving as the Prime Minister of Poland, Ignacy Jan Paderewski was an internationally acclaimed composer and pianist. He drew on lyrical and traditional works to influence his compositions, writing and performing for almost seven decades.  Paderewski was born in southeast Poland in 1860, and raised by distant relatives of his […]

Known for her lengthy career in composition and efforts to support underrepresented communities, Barbara Harbach has become a prominent figure in modern American classical music. She has written works for symphonies, musicals, film, ballet, solo artists and choirs, composing a symphony as recently as 2017.  Barbara Harbach was born in Pennsylvania in 1946. She studied […]

A sitar virtuoso and composer of North Indian classical music, Ravi Shankar became famous in the mid-20th century for his solo performances and collaborations with Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison. He inspired a generation of musicians and is considered to be one of the greatest Indian musicians of all time.  Ravi Shankar was born in […]

 This episode of WorldView features music performed on  double reed instruments—such as the bassoon and the oboe—and written by composers from America, Canada, and Croatia. In Ancient Greece, instruments with two reeds were held in higher regard than any other; in Renaissance Europe they became a favorite medium for minstrels and bards. Updated versions of […]

Celebrated for his portrayal of “American music”, Aaron Copland was heavily influenced by the sights and sounds of America during the Great Depression, both World Wars, and the tumultuous second half of the 20th century. His most famous pieces are those which he called “accessible”; these works feature simpler melodies, folk music roots, and relatable […]