Category: Classical music
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An American Musicale
Friday, July 3, 2026 – Orlando, Florida In honor of America’s 250th birthday, I offer this Independence Musicale! American Salute (Gould) Goin’ Home (Largo from Dvorak’s Symphony from the New World Yankee Doodle (Traditional) March from “Midway” (J. Williams) March from “1941” (J. Williams)
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why ‘An Innocent Man’ Had to Score “This Night” in ‘Comings and Goings’
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Music, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, An Innocent Man (1983), An Innocent Man (song), Billy Joel, Classical music, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Ludwig van Beethoven, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Pop Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaOn Writing and Storytelling: Why An Innocent Man Had to Score “This Night” Some choices in storytelling are deliberate. Others are instinctive—felt before they’re understood. When I wrote Comings and Goings, I knew Jim and Kelly needed music playing in the background of their brief, luminous night together. I also knew it had to be…
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How Pop Culture and Music Inform the Garratyverse
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in A Bridge Too Far (1977 film), Alex Diaz-Granados, All the Things You Are, All the Things You Are (Kern and Hammerstein), Amazon, Billy Joel, Classical music, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, John Williams (Composer), Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Ludwig van Beethoven, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Movies, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Pop Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Star Wars, Superman: The Movie, The Summer of Two Movies, West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957)How Pop Culture and Music Inform the Garratyverse If you spend enough time inside the Garratyverse, you eventually notice something: Jim Garraty’s world doesn’t just contain pop culture and music—it breathes through them. Songs, films, TV shows, and the cultural noise of their eras aren’t background decoration. They’re emotional weather systems. They shape memory, mood,…
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A Mini Musicale for Tuesday, June 9, 2026
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent” ― Victor Hugo
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Ending the Merry Month of May with a Sunday Musicale
Hi, everyone. Well, it’s the last day of May and, if you go by the meteorological calendar, it’s also the last day of spring. It’s also Sunday, and as much as I love writing – it’s what I do, after all – I do need to take an occasional day of rest. So, I’m waving…
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Sunday Spring Musicale…May 24, 2026 Edition
Hi, everyone. I started writing a post for this blog a few hours ago, but I couldn’t organize my thoughts well enough to get my ideas across on the page, so I gave up. I suppose I could have kept trying until I produced something worth reading, but I had already been writing for an…
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Music Album Review: ‘Cinema Serenade 2: The Golden Age – Itzhak Perlman, John Williams & The Boston Pops Orchestra’ (1999)
Cinema Serenade 2: The Golden Age – Itzhak Perlman, John Williams & The Boston Pops Orchestra Label: Sony Classical Year Released: 1999 Genre(s): Film Music, Light Classical, Violin Transcriptions Cinema Serenade 2: The Golden Age — A New and Expanded Review Following the unexpected and well‑deserved success of Cinema Serenade, conductor John Williams and violinist…
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A Monday Afternoon Musicale Fit for “May the Fourth Be with You” Day
Music from a Galaxy Far, Far Away…. I’ve proudly waved my Star Wars fan flag since 1977. Admittedly, I was a bit of a holdout at first—much like my character Jim Garraty in “The Summer of Two Movies,” I didn’t rush to see George Lucas’s original space-fantasy adventure. But once I finally took my seat…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why Brahms’ Poco Allegretto Has Become Jim’s ‘Letter Music’ for Me
Wednesday, June 15, 1983 My dearest Martina, I’m not sure if I am doing the right thing by telling you this now, or if I should tell you this at all. I wish I had the answers. I can’t believe our three years at SMSH have come to an end. It seems as though only…
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A Sunday Mozart Musicale (from a Frazzled Writer)
I’m a bit tired on this hot and humid Sunday, and I don’t feel up to writing a regular post today. At the same time, though, I want to give my readers some fresh content to enjoy on this spring day.
A Certain Point of View, Too 