COMING UP ON NPR's WEEKEND PT    JANUARY 23 AND JANUARY 24, 1999

Saturday, JANUARY 23

Hour 1-- Milestones of the Millennium--Johann Sebastian Bach: Performance
Today's "Milestones of the Millennium," is a two-year series that creates
a picture in sound of the pivotal events, places, movements, artists and
musical works of the past 1000 years.  Today's edition, "Johann Sebastian
Bach: The Brook and the Wellspring," features commentary by biographer Jan
Swafford.  Using the metaphor suggested by the composer's name ("Bach" is
German for "brook"), Swafford explains how Bach emerged from a family of
musicians to become perhaps the greatest master and innovator of all time.
We'll also hear some of Bach's job descriptions, which include enticing
duties such as cleaning slop from tables and staying away from girls in
the organ loft.

Hour 2-- Portrait of a Benefactor: Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
was a classical music lover, and although musicians are aware of her
philanthropy, few others know much about her.  Author Cyrilla Barr hopes
to change that with her new book, "Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge" (Schirmer
Books).  She joins Martin to talk about a woman who was tireless in her
support of the performing arts, and whose patronage of composers helped
shape the face of music in the 20th century.

Sunday, JANUARY 24

Hour 1-- Haydn from the Lone Star State: The 9th edition of the El Paso
Pro-Musica International Chamber Music Festival ends today, and we'll hear
a performance from the concert that kicked off the two-week event: the
String Quartet in D major, Op. 76, No. 5, by Franz Joseph Haydn.

Hour 2-Basic "Petrouchka": Throughout 1999, PT commentator Ted Libbey is
joining Martin to recommend outstanding recordings of music composed during
the 20th century, and today he turns to a work that he says helped to
define "modern" music: Igor Stravinsky's ballet "Petrouchka."


COMING UP ON NPR's PERFORMANCE TODAY    JANUARY 25--FEBRUARY 1, 1999

Monday, JANUARY 25

Hour 1-- What was the greatest invention of the past 1000 years --
Plumbing? The computer?: According to Howard Gardner, a professor of
educational psychology at Harvard University, it was western classical
music.  He talks to Martin about his choice, which he made for an on-line
society of scholars called "Edge" and which appeared in the January 11th
issue of Newsweek.

Hour 2-- American Orchestras: Pianist Andre Watts joins conductor Marin
Alsop and the Colorado Symphony to perform the exciting Piano Concerto No.
1 by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky.

Tuesday, JANUARY 26

Hour 1-- In observance of "Australia Day," Martin chats with a compatriot
from Down Under--Margaret Throsby, who hosts a radio program for the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation.  She'll fill us in on how Australians
mark the day, and we'll hear conductor Edo de Waart and the Sydney Symphony
perform "Elevator Music" by Australian composer Graeme Koehne.

Hour 2-- How important is a conductor?: On this week's edition of "Coming
to Terms," Miles Hoffman joins Martin to answer a listener's question about
how much a conductor actually does to shape a performance.

Wednesday, JANUARY 27

Hour 1-- Milestones of the Millennium--The Great War: We continue our
countdown to the year 2001 with the fifth installment of PT's "Milestones
of the Millennium." Today, Martin and guest commentator Linda Kobler talk
about World War I and its impact on the popular and classical music of the
time.

Hour 2-- Happy Birthday Wolfgang: Today is the 243rd anniversary of
Mozart's birth.  We'll mark the occasion with concert performances of the
composer's music.

Thursday, JANUARY 28

Hour 1-- Martin talks with conductor Paul McCreesh, an influential scholar
and interpreter of Renaissance and Baroque music, about his love of early
music and how he brings it to life for his audiences.  And we'll hear
excerpts from his concert last weekend with the Washington (DC) Bach
Consort, which featured music by English composer Henry Purcell.

Hour 2-- Basic Tosca: PT critic Ted Libbey joins Martin for a visit to the
PT Basic Record Library to focus on another important composition of this
century.  Today they discuss, and Ted recommends recordings of, an opera
that ushered in the 1900s--Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, which premiered in Rome
on January 14, 1900.

Friday, JANUARY 29

Hour 1--Do wrestling and classical music mix? They did 55 years ago, when
residents of Houston, Texas were treated to a unique war bond rally billed
as a "Wrestling Championship and Symphony Concert." Martin talks with one
of the participants, professional wrestler Louis Thesz, who describes what
it was like to wrestle to the tune of "The Blue Danube."

Hour 2--Helene Grimaud Live in Studio 4A: Distinguished young pianist,
prolific recording artist and wolf-lover Helene Grimaud joins Martin in
the studio to perform and to explain how she keeps up her double-life
as concert pianist and animal caretaker.

   --OR (confirmation to come later)--

Hour 2--Super Bowl showdown: In this hour, we'll feature music from
Denver and Atlanta, the hometowns of the teams scheduled to square off
on Sunday.  And we'll hear from some musicians who have more than just a
casual interest in the outcome: football-loving members of the Colorado
and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras.

Monday, FEBRUARY 1, 1999

Hour 1-- TBA

Hour 2-- American Orchestras: In this hour, we'll hear an outstanding
performance by a US orchestra.

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