Death of centenarian musicologist
mainProfessor Paul Bryan of Duke University, an expert in the music of Johann Baptist Wanhal, has died at the age of 101.
He also conducted the college wind band.
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a wind band sounds perfect for a musicologist to conduct – he must have been in his element
According to Wikipedia, Johann Baptist Wanhal (1813-1739, age 74) – “a Czech classical music composer. His music was well respected by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. He died having never married, and never had any children. His life was rather long and lacked stress.”
Might his music be as boring and forgettable as his Wiki bio? That’s why we’ve never heard of this guy.
Those of us who listen to music of the late classical period have heard “this guy’s” music, which merits the respect the greats had for it. And by the way, his dates should be reversed — he was no PDQ Bach.
Do give Vanhal a listen – his symphonies have been well recorded on Naxos and at their best, they’re up there with second-rank Haydn or Mozart. There’s a particularly fine symphony in G minor – I forget the Bryan number!
1813-1739?
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554341
Professor Bryan was also responsible for the composition of a couple of wind band classics, Norman Dello Joio’s “Variants on A Medieval Tune” and he commissioned the “Symphony No. 3” by Vittorio Giannini. He was a former student of William D. Revelli, legendary conductor at the University of Michigan.