Mark​​​​ Canada, Ph.D.​

December 30, 2020: I like this gentle little song for three guitars. One of the guitars, it seems, plays just a few recurring notes on the background, and others play little plucked solos over this background.

January 24, 2021: This is my first reflection on one of Albinoni‘s works. Outside of baroque circles, he is known primarily for his Adagio for Strings, which is indeed lovely. The second movement of this oboe concerto is similar in the lush strings. My favorite movement, though, is the third, which also features beautiful strings, along with the oboe parts. I don’t enjoy the oboe as much as the clarinet, but I still enjoyed this work.

November 30, 2020: In this four-part piece, a mandolin and violin begin in intimate conversation and eventually join in a lively, layered performance.

January 23, 2021: I enjoyed this concerto, especially the pensive second movement and the lively third movement, which features lots of swirling oboe parts.

January 11, 2021: The first movement begins tentatively before progressing to a start-stop series. The second, slow movement features some lovely violin playing. The fourth movement is my favorite: it features a distinctive, appealing phrase, as well as some very lively piano parts. If I had enjoyed the other movements as much as this one, the entire work would be one of my favorites.

January 10, 2021: I really enjoyed this work. The first movement is filled with life. The piano, clarinet, and violin are more intertwined than I’m used to hearing, and the effect is delightful. The movement has a lot of texture and variation: gentle and assertive playing, luxuriously long and excitedly short notes, and distinctive phrases mixed with solo runs. The second movement is largely peaceful, but the piano has a slightly menacing part. Finally, the third movement features a lot of light, bright playing on the piano and clarinet, as well as a section that sounds a little like a march.

January 9, 2021: There’s a lot going on here. The first and third movements feature plenty of bombast, as one would expect of Beethoven, but there also are some tamer, quieter parts, as well as various piano runs, dialogues of violin and piano, playful portions, and more.

February 8, 2021: this pleasant work is a mixture of not only the usual slow and lively passages, but also some voice and and couple of interesting plucked passages. I was particularly intrigued by the opening, which consists of a series of very short passages and intervening pauses. It makes for a striking opening.

January 1, 2021: In this short, pleasant song, three guitars play intimately. I heard no dramatic 

melody, but rather various plucked notes and the occasional run.

January 28, 2021: Much of this work sounds very familiar. I think that it was a go-to for me for a while several months ago. It is a pleasant work with some distinctive phrases. The first and second movement begin gently and then turn more lively. The fourth movement is my favorite.  A mixture of quickly, lively playing on the strings and staccato-like passages make for an enjoyable listening experience.

January 25, 2021: This short work begins with a lively opening, made up largely of a recurring phrase.  The third and fourth movements are also lively ones, featuring some lovely layers of strings.

January 3, 2021: I really enjoyed this work, which reminded me a lot of Mozart’s music. The first movement opens with some light strings and dramatic single notes before the clarinet takes over with some light, gentle flights. The second movement features some slow, lovely playing. The charm and elegance of the clarinet makes for a soothing, beautiful experience. I also enjoyed the cors anglais, which substituted for the bassoon.

December 9, 2020: I really enjoyed this piece and added it to my Baroque favorites playlist. It features some graceful, even regal phrases, along with some very lively violin solos.  The fourth movement features some interesting back-and-forth between bald Notes played by the harpsichord and free wheeling, energetic violin playing.

December 10, 2020: The first movement of this concerto begins in a way similar to the previous one – gracefully, but this time with the sense of decisive strides. The second movement irrupt‘s in a lively manner and features some bold, almost angry violin playing that reminds me of Vivaldi. The final movement may be the best; it features the lively and complex interplay of instruments that I love about Baroque music.

December 11, 2020: I think this concerto is my least favorite so far in the Op. 3. The final movement features some typically lightly playing, but the entire piece blacked any discernible, appealing melodies.

December 13, 2020: This concerto grosso is unusual in that it has only two movements, but the first movement is diverse, as if it were two movements. It begins in a formal, even regal way, but then sets off at a run. The rest of the movement then alternates between slow and quick tempos.  The second movement has some appealing, staccato-like phrases.

December 14, 2020: The third movement of this concerto features some lovely, emotional violin playing over the top of hey slow beat of the strings in the background. My favorite movement, however, is the fourth, which features some spirited flights punctuated by short, dramatic phrases.

December 15, 2020: This concerto begins dramatically with a single note and a pause. The first movement features some slow, lovely violin parts, and the second movement is lively and delightful.

December 17, 2020: I really enjoyed this Sonata, which features some of the best things I like about Baroque music. The first movement opens briskly before and oboe takes off on some lively playing. In this movement, it takes turns with the strings in playing a pleasing melody. The 2nd movement features some gentle oboe playing, and the third is another lively movement.

December 18, 2020: I really enjoyed this work from the post-Baroque era. It begins with a hard-charging movement heavy on strings. The other two movements are lively, as well, and full of strings. An interesting future I noticed is the prevalence of parallel phrases, sometimes with variation.

January 24, 2021: I enjoyed this pleasant a little work. The combination of violin and mandolin works well here. The first and third movements are lively, and the second, much slower movement features a lot of solo playing on the mandolin.  The mandolin, of course, has a distinctive sound, giving the work a kind of delicacy that I don’t remember hearing in a lot of baroque works.

January 10, 2021: I would not characterize this work as one of my favorites, but I’m glad that I heard it. It strikes me as unusual in that in features three clarinets. I don’t recall hearing any other works played on three or more of the same instrument. I love the sound of clarinet, and this work certainly has plenty of it! I might have enjoyed it more if there were some contrast from strings. It is a light work, featuring some distinctive, recurring phrases and lots of swirling clarinet sounds. It was played by a father, Ernst Ottensamer, and his two sons, Andreas Ottensamer and Daniel Ottensamer.

There is probably a story behind the title of this work, but I don’t know it. The first movement begins dramatically and has a courtly feel to it. The second movement interests me more than the first. It has some percussion and seems serious, even assertive. The third movement is my favorite. It is a short, lively piece carried along with some light percussion, perhaps some form of tambourine.

I listened to the first few parts of this work yesterday and did not realize that I had not heard the whole thing. This morning, on my way back from a doctors appointment in Indianapolis, I listened to the rest of it. The fourth part certainly lives up to its name as a march. Other parts are pleasant. For example, one of them is upbeat with some light percussion, and the final one has a pleasant air about it.

January 10, 2021: After listening to a variety of works by Beethoven, Stamitz, Vivaldi, and others over the last several weeks, I came back to Mozart’s piano Concertos and fell in love all over again. I’m not sure what it is about these works that I love so much, but perhaps it has something to do with Mozart’s unparalleled ability to write appealing melodies. Of course, I also love the sound of piano, especially when it is set against an orchestra, as in these concertos. This one comes back again and again to a dominant melody, played by both the orchestra and by the piano, but there’s enough variety in other planes, with characteristic runs of short notes played on the keys, to keep it interesting. The typically lively, light strings and lively Piano are also part of the appeal. The second, much slower movement also features a distinctive, recurring phrase, and the third has the start/stop phrasing that I have occasionally heard in classical music.

January 12, 2021: This concerto features some typically pleasing Mozart melodies. The first movement begins fairly dramatically and includes some rapid piano runs. The second movement moves from a meditative mood to something bolder. The third movement quickly takes off on a run. Typically the strings lead the way, and then the piano follows in equally lively fashion. Again, the melody is engaging.

January 12, 2021: In the first movement, the orchestra introduces the theme, and then the piano takes off on some lovely playing. All three movements feature variations on melodic phrases. In the third movement, the right hand piano off on various lively gamuts against a backdrop of strings and lower notes. All in all, I enjoyed this concerto as I enjoy many of the others Mozart wrote.

January 14, 2021: I like the way this work begins – with a dramatic single note, followed by repeating slow cascades play by the orchestra. Of course, the piano eventually enters with similar Cascades. The piano has some lively parts, featuring rapid runs at the high end, but also some delightfully soft touches.The second movement features a pleasant Melody, and some slow, lovely parts played softly on the piano. The final movement is another lively one, perhaps my favorite of the three. It features more cascades, as well as swirls and steps.

January 16, 2021: The lively first movement features a very distinctive melody. The slow second movement was pleasant, but perhaps not as much so as some of the other slow movements and Mozart’s piano concertos. The third movement is heavy on drama. At times, the orchestra plays for dramatic note, and then the piano takes off on races and flourishes.

January 16, 2021: This concerto is not unappealing, but it is one of my least favorite among the first six. The first movement has some typically lively piano parts, which are somewhat enjoyable, but not as delightful as the solos in other piano concertos Mozart wrote. The second movement seems short on melody, as well.The third movement has a more distinctive melody, as well as some lively piano parts.

January 17, 2021: I don’t recall encountering a piano concerto for three pianos until I heard this one. Perahia is such an astonishingly masterful pianist that I couldn’t tell the difference between the playing on this concerto and the playing in others; he can play so fast and well that two extra pianos don’t seem to make that much of a difference. The first movement grabbed me. It may be the most complex movement I have heard as I have been listening to the first seven of Mozart’s Piano Concertos. It seems to have a lot of different flavors, including an appealing combination of set up and dramatic takeoff, as well lush orchestral embellishments, a distinctive melodic piece, and appealing cascades. The second movement is pleasant, but the third movements seems to be short on personality.

January 18, 2021: I enjoyed this work, although it differs somewhat from the others I have heard so far. The first movement is not as intense as other first movements and features some playful parts on the piano. The second movement is more typical and features some pleasant slow parts for both registrar and piano. The third movement is the most unusual, as it has little or no intensity and sometimes sounds like a dance.

January 19, 2021: This piano concerto, one of my favorites among Mozart‘s, has a lot of personality – or perhaps a lot of personalities. The first movement, typically, features opportunities for a virtuoso such as Perahia to dazzle us , but also some more intimate passages mixed in with the dramatic orchestral parts. I noticed some distinctive melodic phrases, but there’s much more here then recurring phrases: flutters, cascades, climbs, and more.  I particularly enjoy the interplay of the piano and the orchestra. There is a lot of enjoyable back and forth. The second movement begins with a much more serious, even somber tone. Some parts, including not only passages played by the strings but also those played by the piano, would seem to fit in something by Beethoven. The piano lightens the mood a bit and makes the movement sound more like Mozart, but overall the movement is relatively dark as Mozart concertos go. The final movement begins at a breakneck pace and features some of the liveliest and most delightful piano virtuoso passages that I have heard anywhere so far in the Mozart piano concertos, as well as a pleasant extended slow part near the end.

January 20, 2021: A dramatic opening initially gives this concerto the feel of, say, the Jupiter Symphony. Most of the first movement, however, is dedicated to lots of virtuoso piano solos.  The second movement features more of the same kinds of solos, but at a slower pace. Two noteworthy features are some overlapping passages on the piano and some appealing interplay between very love notes and higher notes. The final movement features at least two distinctive phrases, one played by the orchestra and another played by the piano.

This is among my favorite works of classical music.  I still remember one of my first experiences with it.  I came across it somehow about 12 years ago, and I remember listening to it when I took Will to a basketball game or practice.  It has many of my favorite things: a lovely and distinctive melody (in the first movement), beautiful strings, and the soft, round sounds of the clarinet.  The second movement features a lovely slow melody, played softly alternately by the clarinet and the orchestra.  In the third movement, the clarinet soars and swirls, and the orchestra plays an appealing melody.

January 29, 2021: The first movement of this short work features an interesting combination of short, dramatic passages interwoven with light, lively, melodic excursions.  The second movement features a pulse of lower notes throbbing under the free-flowing higher notes.  Finally, the third movement is especially energetic with a distinctive recurring phrase and, typically for Mozart, a lot of notes!

January 30, 2021: at first, I struggled to describe this unusual Senada. At least, it seems unusual to me. At last, it occurred to me that it’s a little bit like an extravaganza: a tour of fun ways to play the piano. The first movement starts off at a race, only occasionally taking a breath, and features some very distinctive phrases. The third movement features some dramatic chords played in threes, combined with some lively and also soft passages.

This is among my favorite works of classical music.  I still remember one of my first experiences with it.  I came across it somehow about 12 years ago, and I remember listening to it when I took Will to a basketball game or practice.  It has many of my favorite things: a lovely and distinctive melody (in the first movement), beautiful strings, and the soft, round sounds of the clarinet.  The second movement features a lovely slow melody, played softly alternately by the clarinet and the orchestra.  In the third movement, the clarinet soars and swirls, and the orchestra plays an appealing melody.

January 29, 2021: The first movement of this short work features an interesting combination of short, dramatic passages interwoven with light, lively, melodic excursions.  The second movement features a pulse of lower notes throbbing under the free-flowing higher notes.  Finally, the third movement is especially energetic with a distinctive recurring phrase and, typically for Mozart, a lot of notes!

January 30, 2021: At first, I struggled to describe this unusual Senada. At least, it seems unusual to me. At last, it occurred to me that it’s a little bit like an extravaganza: a tour of fun ways to play the piano. The first movement starts off at a race, only occasionally taking a breath, and features some very distinctive phrases. The third movement features some dramatic chords played in threes, combined with some lively and also soft passages.

February 1, 2021: if I had not known, I might not have guessed that this sonata was written by Mozart. The first movement features variations on a catchy theme, but this theme seems to lack the elegance I’m used to hearing in Mozart’s piano works.  The second movement features some dark undertones that seem more characteristic of Beethoven. The final movement is the exception: it features the rapid-fire notes that I’m used to hearing and Mozart’s piano works.

February 2, 2021: This is far and away my favorite of the piano duets I have heard so far as I have been making my way through Mozart’s piano duets. The first movement is amazing; it’s rich with various dimensions, including an appealing chase and layers. I particularly enjoyed the prominent passages on the middle notes, something I’m not used to hearing in Mozart’s piano works, which tend to be heavy on the high notes. The third movement is also appealing; it does not seem as multi-dimensional as the first movement, but the recurring phrases and characteristic runs of high notes make for an engaging experience.

February 3, 2021: As the “Adagio – Allegro Di Molto” tempo direction indicates, this Sonata has in a typical beginning. The slow tempo, however, accentuates the quicker tempo that follows. The more lively portion of the movement features a catchy recurring phrase and a tendency to build to a climax, found in an interesting interplay of multiple notes and single notes. I noticed an interesting little feature in the second movement: occasional single notes that sound like punctuation points after series.  The third movement held a lot of interest for me. Much of it seems more controlled than the play play extravaganzas I am used to hearing and mini of Mozart piano works. I heard a distinctive phrase played in variation in something that sounded a little bit like waves. Some of the passages struck me as very unusual for Mozart, and I even seemed to hear some discord. It was not necessarily unappealing, but definitely striking.

February 2, 2021: This is far and away my favorite of the piano duets I have heard so far as I have been making my way through Mozart’s piano duets. The first movement is amazing; it’s rich with various dimensions, including an appealing chase and layers. I particularly enjoyed the prominent passages on the middle notes, something I’m not used to hearing in Mozart’s piano works, which tend to be heavy on the high notes. The third movement is also appealing; it does not seem as multi-dimensional as the first movement, but the recurring phrases and characteristic runs of high notes make for an engaging experience.

February 3, 2021: As the “Adagio – Allegro Di Molto” tempo direction indicates, this Sonata has in a typical beginning. The slow tempo, however, accentuates the quicker tempo that follows. The more lively portion of the movement features a catchy recurring phrase and a tendency to build to a climax, found in an interesting interplay of multiple notes and single notes. I noticed an interesting little feature in the second movement: occasional single notes that sound like punctuation points after series.  The third movement held a lot of interest for me. Much of it seems more controlled than the play play extravaganzas I am used to hearing and mini of Mozart piano works. I heard a distinctive phrase played in variation in something that sounded a little bit like waves. Some of the passages struck me as very unusual for Mozart, and I even seemed to hear some discord. It was not necessarily unappealing, but definitely striking.

February 4, 2021: I think this is my second favorite of the Sonatas I have heard on this album. In between A dramatic opening and a dramatic conclusion, the first movement features some of the typical rapid – fire runs on high notes, as well as lots of follow end of the end leader passages with high and then lower notes. I generally prefer the more up – tempo movements in the sonatas, but I really enjoyed the second, slower movement, which is lush and lovely. The third movement is typically lively, featuring a distinctive recurring phrase.

Particularly appealing in this movement is a later passage in which the higher notes are dancing above a rich bank of lower notes.

February 9, 2021: I enjoyed this sonata. It is unusual in that it has only two movements. The first begins with a staccato opening, which gives way to a lot of playfulness, particularly in the runs of high notes, which have the feel of a chase taking place on little feet. The second movement is also pleasant, but different. One distinctive passage features high notes played over a steady rhythm of middle notes.

December 20, 2020: I encountered this sonata on Baroque and Beyond. Robert Aubry Davis explained that it is a throwback to the Baroque. I enjoyed it and noticed what seemed to me some signature Mozart features: light strings against lower ones, little phrases that sound like abrupt steps, and appealing melodies.

November 29, 2020: I encountered this work on the November 22, 2020, episode of Baroque & Beyond.  It features strings playing alternating slow, graceful parts and lively, textured with multiple layers.  It reminds me a little of the Canon.

The term “partie” is a variation of “partita,” which is “something more or less akin to a suite: a collection of contrasting movements of dance character.

February 7, 2021: I encountered this lovely work on the January 24, 2021, episode of Baroque and Beyond.  After a dramatic opening come alternating passages of of slow, lush strings and lively parts, including one that sounds like a dance.

January 8, 2021: This delightful work opens with a bright movement with light strings and clarinet solos. The second movement features some slow, pleasant clarinet solos. The third movement is my favorite. It has a pleasant melody played alternately by the orchestra and the

clarinet.

January 4, 2021: I really like this work, which reminds me a lot of Mozart. The first and third movements are very lively with dramatic steps, Swirling and soaring clarinet solos, and lovely strings. The 2nd movement is much gentler, featuring long notes on the clarinet.

December 1, 2020: This trio features recorder and viol in movements that are appealing without obvious patterns in them.

December 2, 2020: The recorder is definitely the star in this trio, which also features viol and harpsichord. The viol literally follows and sometimes echoes the recorder.

December 3, 2020: Like the trio sonata I listened to yesterday, this one features a recorder, a viol , and a harpsichord.  The opening movement is lively, as the tempo (“Vivace”) indicates.  In the second, much slower movement, the viol is prominent.  In the third, “Allegre,” movement, the recorder bubbles along in a prominent part.

December 4, 2020: I did not pick up on any obvious patterns or “riffs” in this trio sonata, which features recorder, viol, and harpsichord.  The work is still appealing, however, thanks especially to the second and fourth movements, which are labeled as “Vivace.”  I especially enjoyed the lively and prominent part of the harpsichord in the fourth movement.

December 5, 2020: The viol plays a pleasant part beneath the recorder in this trio, which also features harpsichord.

December 6, 2020: This trio--featuring recorder, viol, and harpsichord--begins with a pleasant “walk” in the Andante movement and ends with a lively Allegra movement.  The final movement seems to alternate between distinct, structured segments and extravagant, exuberant recorder solos.

December 7, 2020: I tend to prefer the livelier movements in Baroque music, but this gentle work is one of my favorites among Telemann’‘s trios on this album. It begins with a slow movement featuring the repetition of a very simple four-note phrase played by both the recorder and the viol.  Even the presto and the vivace movements have a relatively relaxed feel to them.

​December 8, 2020: This trio--featuring recorder, viol, and harpsichord--opens with a meditative movement featuring a distinctive, descending phrase played by the recorder and ends with a lively, appealing fourth movement that sounds like a Renaissance dance.

December 27, 2020: I enjoyed this lively work of Vivaldi’s. Each movement features a prominent recurring phrase, as well as a prominent part for the bassoon. The first movement opens with one of these phrases repeated several times (with some variation, I think), as well as some light strings. The third movement, also lively, is my favorite.

December 28, 2021: My experience listening to this slightly strange work by Vivaldi makes me think there is a reason why I have not heard mini Bassoon and Concertos. The first movement begins with a few notes played by the bassoon --nothing too strange there--but then then the strings go off on a tear, and the bassoon sounds out of place in its solo parts. In the third movement, it sounds silly as this lumbering instrument is played furiously at a pace that seems more suitable to strings, like a woodchuck trying to play tag with rabbits. Even in the slow second movement, the bassoon just sounds weird in a prominent place.

December 29, 2021: I like this bassoon concerto in spite of the bassoon. As in the case of the bassoon concerto I listened to yesterday, the bassoon just doesn’t work for me as a solo instrument here. Nevertheless, I love the hook that begins the first movement, and I’d like the third movement, as well.

December 19, 2020: this wonderful piece features all the drama that I love in Vivaldi. It opens in a serious manner with some low strings before the violin takes off on some virtuoso playing. The violin is much sometimes lighter, but the piece remains dramatic.  The third movement features cascade after cascade of strings.  Carmignola plays with gusto, and the way he draws his bow dramatically over the strings never lets you forget that you are hearing a violin.

December 21, 2020: This sonata is generally understated. Even the allegro movements are not particularly lively, although the peace is enjoyable. The first movement features some distinctive phrases, along with slow descending parts.

December 28, 2020: My experience listening to this slightly strange work by Vivaldi makes me think there is a reason why I have not heard mini Bassoon and Concertos. The first movement begins with a few notes played by the bassoon --nothing too strange there--but then then the strings go off on a tear, and the bassoon sounds out of place in its solo parts.  In the third movement, it sounds silly as this lumbering instrument is played furiously at a pace that seems more suitable to strings, like a woodchuck trying to play tag with rabbits.  Even in the slow second movement, the bassoon just sounds weird in a prominent place.

December 29, 2020: I like this bassoon Concerto in spite of the bassoon. As in the case of the bassoon Concerto I listened to yesterday, the bassoon just doesn’t work for me as a solo instrument here. Nevertheless, I love the hook that begins the first movement, and I’d like the third movement, as well.