Dear Listeners, About six months ago, we decided to produce a series
Called "Music in Time of War" to dovetail with the 60th anniversary of
Pearl Harbor.  There was no way we could have known then that in this first
week of December our country would be involved in a war against terrorism.
We briefly considered cancelling the series.  Perhaps the emotions would
be too raw, we thought.  Maybe we would seem opportunistic.  In the end, we
have decided to bring you the series because recent events may have made us
able to empathize more fully with the way composers have expressed anger,
sadness, and even nobility in times of crisis.

Our series is an album of snapshots.  We hope you find it enlightening,
entertaining, and even moving.

COMING UP ON NPR's PERFORMANCE TODAY DECEMBER 3 -- DECEMBER 7, 2001

FRED CHILD IS HOST

Monday, DECEMBER 3

Hour 1 -- Early Battle Music: Harvard Professor Thomas Kelly joins Fred to
introduce 16th-century depictions of battles in music.  And we'll hear the
Tallis Scholars in concert, singing a portion of Palestrina's mass "L'Homme
Arme" ("The Armed Man").  In the middle ages and the early Renaissance,
more than 40 masses were constructed using the chant "L'Homme Arme."

Hour 2 -- Classical composers integrate battle themes in their music:
We'll hear Haydn's "Military" Symphony, Mozart's Overture to "The Abduction
from the Seraglio" and Beethoven's "Wellington's Victory."

Tuesday, DECEMBER 4

Hour 1 -- "What Makes it so Great?" with Rob Kapilow: Maurice Ravel was a
truck driver in World War I and he lost many of his friends in battle.  As
Rob demonstrates, the piece Ravel dedicated to his friends, "Le Tombeau de
Couperin," is a surprisingly delicate response to the horrors of war.

Hour 2 -- Coming to Terms with the March: Miles Hoffman joins Fred to
examine how the march made its way from the battlefield into the mainstream
of classical music.

Wednesday, DECEMBER 5

Hour 1 -- An hour featuring the United States Marine Band: Colonel
Timothy Foley, the conductor of the US Marine Band, joins Fred to introduce
performances of music associated with war, from Copland's "Fanfare for the
Common Man," to Percy Grainger's "Lincolnshire Posy" to marches by Samuel
Barber and John Philip Sousa.

Hour 2 -- The invasion of order by disorder: In Carl Nielsen's Symphony
No. 5, a martial snare drum insistently takes over the course of the
music.  Michael Steinberg joins Fred to introduce a performance by the
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.  This is week five of our Nielsen
symphony series.

Thursday, DECEMBER 6

Hour 1 -- Music in the Civil War: Author Jan Swafford reflects on the
music used on the battlefields during the Civil War, from "Tenting Tonight"
to "Home, Sweet Home" to "Dixie."

Hour 2 -- Basic Shostakovich: Dmitri Shostakovich was living in Leningrad
during the 900-day siege that began in the winter of 1941.  His Symphony
No. 7 depicts the horrors of the time, and the defiant spirit of the
people of Leningrad.  Ted Libbey joins Fred to recommend three of the
best recordings for the Performance Today Basic Record Library.

Friday, DECEMBER 7

Hour 1 -- Symphony for the Sons of 'Nam: This fall, American composer
and Vietnam veteran Kimo Williams traveled back to Vietnam to lead a
performance of his music there.  He kept an audio journal, and we'll hear
excerpts, along with his "Symphony for the Sons of 'Nam."

Hour 2 -- To commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we'll hear
music written in response to World War II, including a portion of the
"Airborne" Symphony by Marc Blitzstein.

AND ON THE NEW PERFORMANCE TODAY WEBSITE: Listen to a profile of MacArthur
"Genius Grant" winner Stephen Hough, Hear Robert Kapilow explain what makes
"America the Beautiful" so great...  Hear Royal Brown's critique on the
Harry Potter soundtrack....  Tune in to our Nielsen series...  Check out
our special page on music for solace and comfort in the wake of recent
events.  Order your copy of "Peter and the Wolf: A Special Report." You'll
find it all at http://www.npr.org/programs/pt

NOTE: SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  FOR EXACT BROADCAST TIMES, CONTACT
YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC RADIO STATION, GO TO OUR WEBSITE, OR CALL PERFORMANCE
TODAY AT (202) 513-2370.

Angelo Harris <[log in to unmask]>