Music Meets Drama

  For over a year, The Gena Branscombe Project had been developing a concert that honored the first women composers who in 1924 were invited to join the National League of American Pen Women.   Identifying the composers, researching their works, making a list of titles, finding a theme for the program, then slowly choosing which pieces would form the   program may seem tedious, yet, “Winds of Change, Songs of Time: The Musical Legacy of the National League of American Pen Women”   was a success. With many thanks to Board member Regan Russell for creating a program celebrating the four seasons which featured 10 woman composers who were among the first to join the Pen Women and we included one 21 st century composer was genius!   Again, thank you, Regan! On February 28 th , “Winds of Change, Songs of Time: The Musical Legacy of the National League of American Pen Women” was performed at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.   With performances by p...

  For Gena Branscombe the years 1919-1920 were ones of deep sorrow, depression and a time for her compositional creativity to be a healing agent following the deep loss of her 3 year old daughter Betty.   As I have written in the past, her largest work ever, Pilgrims of Destiny , was composed during these years.   Though Miss Branscombe’s 150 art songs lead the number of compositions she wrote, there were also piano and choral works, chamber music and instrumental pieces including her Sonata in One Movement for Violin and Pianoforte.   This is a tour-de-force piece that was denied publication because it was deemed too difficult by publishers.   The one movement sonata opens restless seeming to seek out its development then settles into three contrasting thematic groups.   It is florid and extroverted based in the late German romantic style.  Making its way to the concert stage, the sonata’s first performers used the original manuscript loaned ...