cropped-logo_darkblue_green-copy.jpgWhat shall we be singing during the Simply Romantic workshop? (Saturday 3rd October)

Well, a variety of pieces including Dvořák’s Kyrie from his Mass in D major, Rachmaninoff’s Ave Maria, Tchaikovsky’s Legend, Mendelssohn’s Grant us thy Peace and opera choruses, including extracts from Borodin’s Prince Igor. 

dvorak

Antonín Leopold Dvořák 

Born September 8, 1841, in Nelahozeves, Bohemia
Died May 1, 1804, in Prague

Although Dvořák learnt to play the piano and violin (later viola) at an early age, the organ became his main instrument of study. As he built his career in music, he played his various instruments in restaurants and churches, at balls, for theatres, the opera and concerts – everything from folk music to classical. By the late 1870s he was earning enough from prizes and commissions to devote more time to composition than to playing and teaching.

YouTube is a great source of performances, some with video, some without. Some good, some not so good. They can be useful when learning a piece or just to sing along with for the fun of it. First up, Dvořák’s Kyrie.