Unsung Composers

The Music => Recordings & Broadcasts => Topic started by: Wheesht on Wednesday 03 March 2021, 16:42

Title: Douglas Munn – Piano Music
Post by: Wheesht on Wednesday 03 March 2021, 16:42
Douglas Munn was an eminent mathematician who held a professorship at the University of Stirling and he was also a gifted composer. The Latvian pianist Arta Arnicane, who knew him, can be heard and seen playing his preludes here (https://youtu.be/cLpycYroqAA). She has a CD with Munn's piano music in first recordings in the pipeline at Toccata Classics (https://toccataclassics.com/pipeline/). It will include these works:

Minuet and Trio
Intermezzo
Scherzo
Sonatina
Nocturnes in D sharp major, A major, B flat minor, E sharp major and E sharp minor,
Mazurka
Duet for Joanne and Debbie
Preludes in E minor, F sharp major and D major.
Title: Re: Douglas Munn – Piano Music
Post by: Revilod on Wednesday 03 March 2021, 19:37
E# major and E# minor?! Only professors of mathematics would write music in those keys!
Title: Re: Douglas Munn – Piano Music
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 03 March 2021, 20:44
I agree. On a piano there is, of course, no discernible difference between E sharp major and F major or E sharp minor and F minor.
Title: Re: Douglas Munn – Piano Music
Post by: eschiss1 on Thursday 04 March 2021, 00:17
and even then - having known a fair number of math professors (and aimed to be one, until they found teaching and I didn't really go together) - more out of their sense of humor.
Title: Re: Douglas Munn – Piano Music
Post by: 4candles on Monday 15 March 2021, 16:10
Beautiful music it is too - sound samples now available on the Toccata Classics website (https://toccataclassics.com/product/douglas-munn-piano-music/). (Each piece's tonality also given there, correcting a previous note about a couple of unusual key signatures!)

4c
Title: Re: Douglas Munn – Piano Music
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Monday 15 March 2021, 16:22
I agree - really lovely. What an attractive disk.
Title: Re: Douglas Munn – Piano Music
Post by: semloh on Tuesday 16 March 2021, 08:16
I find the Nocturnes especially enjoyable. How good it is to have these works on CD.
Title: Re: Douglas Munn – Piano Music
Post by: Martin Eastick on Tuesday 16 March 2021, 09:12
I will certainly obtain a copy myself on the evidence of the extracts - backed up by opinions given here!