Music Meets Drama

  It only took me three years to complete this particular Gena project.  Three years, yet, I kept at it even though I did take extended breaks at times to work on other Gena projects that needed attention.  Three years……   Yes, for three years I transcribed Gena Branscombe’s letters to her publisher, The Arthur P. Schmidt Co. of Boston.   Held at the Library of Congress, the Schmidt business books, letters to/from all composers they published, photos and more are in the stacks available for research.   Five years ago I photographed every letter Gena Branscombe wrote to Mr. Schmidt, Miss Emery, Miss Allen, Mr. Austin and others at the company.     From December 1910 to December 1951 Gena wrote hundreds of letters to these people.   Forty-one years of handwritten letters almost impossible to decipher at times because of her terrible penmanship and she always wrote in haste….even she admitted that.     In two different lette...

  Imagine you are in a 19 th century public library where you are about to check out a book you are most anxious to read. You approach the checkout desk, but first, the librarian retrieves a large ledger book, opens it to the page where your name appears.   The librarian then begins to enter the title of the book and author, date checked out, date due back and eventually the date you returned the book.   Now you may leave the library with the book you are excited to read.   The process takes about 10 minutes.   Compare that to today's world where the book checkout takes less than one   minute.   Originally libraries were non-circulating meaning you went to the library to read and could not check out books.   Private libraries at the YMCA, membership libraries or Sunday schools began to issue library cards allowing their members the honor of taking books out of the building. The 19 th century public library movement enabled the everyday person...

We ended the weekend of The Gena Branscombe Project’s concert attending a performance of Alexandra Bellhaven’s song cycle, “Diary of a Payphone,” at 54 Below in New York City.  Ally is The Gena Branscombe Project’s 2022 Composer Scholarship winner.  Honored to have been at this performance with Gena’s great niece, Allison, and Dr. Laurine Elkins Marlow.  And, a picture of Dr. Laurine Elkins Marlow and Kathleen with the concert poster outside of The New York Society for Ethical Culture.  Gena, we brought you back to your beloved Upper West Side!.   #BringingBackBranscombe

    The Gena Branscombe Project's May 6 th concert  at the New York Society for Ethical Culture Bringing Back Branscombe to the Upper West Side The Program:     Narrator: French Horn and Piano: Violin Sonata: Piano: Art Songs: Choral Works & Final Bow Reception: With thanks to Gary Schoichet, photograher, for the concert pictures and to Roger Branscombe Phenix for recording the concert. #BringingBackBranscombe