Villa-Lobos meets the harmonica

Synopsis

Traditionally, the harmonica is the instrument of the loner: the cowboy by the campfire, the hobo riding the rails, the bluesman pouring out his soul at midnight.

The harmonica seems a little out of place in a concert hall — especially when played by someone wearing a tuxedo. But every so often a virtuoso player comes along who commissions a new concert work for the instrument. In the mid-1950s American harmonica virtuoso John Sebastian asked Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos for just such a work.

On today’s date in 1959, Sebastian premiered Villa-Lobos’ Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra in Jerusalem. This work is now regarded as one of the finest concertos ever written for the instrument, but when British harmonica virtuoso Tommy Reilly wanted to record it 20 years after its 1959 premiere, he said had a very hard time tracking down the score. Even Villa-Lobos’ own publisher didn’t seem aware of its existence!

Truth be told, Villa-Lobos was both a prolific and not-always-very-organized composer, so his poor publisher may be forgiven for his ignorance of the work. Even he couldn’t remember all the pieces he had written, and once said, “I am like a father of a family too numerous who doesn’t always recognize his own infants.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Harmonica Concerto; Robert Bonfiglio, harmonica; New York Chamber Orchestra; Gerard Schwarz, conductor; RCA/BMG 7986

On This Day

Births

• 1782 - Italian composer and violinist Niccolò Paganini, in Genoa

• 1912 - American-born Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow, in Texarkana, Arkansas (He became naturalized Mexican citizen in 1956)

• 1927 - American composer and teacher Dominick Argento, in York, Pennsylvania

Deaths

• 1678 - English composer John Jenkins, 86, in Kimberley, Norfolk

• 1975 - American jazz composer and arranger Oliver Nelson, 43, in Los Angeles

• 1991 - Polish-born British composer Sir Andrzej Panufnik, 77, in London

Premieres

• 1827 - Bellini: opera Il Pirata, at La Scala in Milan

• 1886 - Mussorgsky: A Night on Bald Mountain, posthumously, in a re-orchestration by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, in St. Petersburg, by the Russian Symphony conducted by Rimsky-Korsakov (see Julian date: Oct. 15)

• 1901 - Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Moscow, composer as soloist (Gregorian date: Nov. 9)

• 1916 - Stenhammar: incidental music for Strindberg’s A Dream Play, at the opening of the Lorensberg Theater in Gothenburg, Sweden

• 1948 - Stravinsky: Mass, in Milan at La Scala, with Ernest Ansermet conducting

• 1950 - Creston: Symphony No. 3, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting

• 1957 - Villa-Lobos: Harmonica Concerto in Jerusalem

• 1958 - Henze: ballet Undine, in London

• 1975 - Druckman’s Lamia at New York Philharmonic concert

• 1988 - Steven Stucky: Concerto for Orchestra, in Philadelphia

• 1989 - Christopher Rouse: Iscariot for chamber orchestra, in St. Paul, by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, John Adams conducting

• 1993 - Daniel Asia: Symphony No. 4, by the Phoenix Symphony, the composer conducting

• 1994 - Steven Mackey: Eating Greens for orchestra, by the Chicago Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies conducting

• 1994 - Christopher Rouse: Flute Concerto, by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Vonk, with soloist Carol Wincenc

• 1995 - Michael Torke: Flint for chamber ensemble, in Palermo, Italy, by The Brass Group