Musical Memorials

I apologize in advance for the somber nature of this post. My absence from the blogging world has been largely due to a very ill young cat named Henry who was suffering from FIP. We had to "put him down" last Thursday and the hole we feel is bigger than we imagined.

But, I'm also thinking about the loved ones, friends and colleagues of two musical lives, each leaving important musical legacies. For those of you who are in the New York area, please note:

A Celebration of the Life of

H.Wiley Hitchcock

Founding Director of the Institute for Studies in American Music and
Distinguished Professor of Music Emeritus, Brooklyn College
and The Graduate Center of The City University of NewYork


Saturday, March 8, 2008
Five o’clock
Saint Peter’s Church, Lexington Avenue at East 54th Street, New York

H. Wiley Hitchcock was an icon in musicology, especially for us Americanists. His Music in the United States was the first book I read that sealed my desire to be an Americanist. I remember meeting him at a conference of the Society for American Music and sensing a joy-filled spirit (sometimes difficult to find at academic conferences). May he rest in peace.

and for those of you in Boston, very short notice I'm afraid:

The Memorial for Craig Smith

The Memorial for Craig Smith, Founder and Artistic Director of Emmanuel Music, will be held on January 31 at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary of Emmanuel Church.

The program will include works by Bach, Schütz, Mozart, Schubert and Brahms. The performers will include current and alumni members of the Orchestra and Chorus of Emmanuel Music.

The public is cordially invited to attend.


Emmanuel Music
15 Newbury Street, Boston
617.536.3356
www.emmanuelmusic.org

An upper-respiratory bug sadly keeps me from this celebration of life tonight. I had the good fortune of seeing Craig Smith conduct at Emmanuel in one of his last performances. I did not know the man, but I know many who hold him in the highest regard. This is a great loss for the music community at large.