Preserving an American Musical Heritage

Having been a resident of Philadelphia for the past thirty years, a classical pianist on staff at the Community College of Philadelphia and published recording artist, I have been privileged to have been asked by producer Matthew Phillips of TFA Recordings (Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania) to record first time American performances of American music. The composers of the pieces were published and active performers around the turn of the 20th century. We, as Americans, should cherish and make known to the general public the beauty and craftsmanship of these works.

All too frequently one hears the only the works of the same, often-repeated composers--those from the European theater of writing--played constantly in concert halls, on radio broadcasts, and included in publications. What has happened to the American school of resident composers, many of whom never reached our ears? This thought-provoking challenge aroused my interest when Matthew Phillips introduced me to a 3 foot stack of music (published by the John Church Co., Philadelphia) to be researched and studied for the hope of recording them in 1995. I did so, and within a six week period of time recorded 18 tracks of music, which were then accepted and published by the VAI label (#1123). The Mel Bay Publishing Co. liked the music so much that they contracted me as editor for the newly released piano scores in one volume entitled American Heirlooms for Piano - MB96934 - complementing each piece as it appears on the recording. Unfamiliar names of composers such as: J. Lewis Browne - Director of Music at John Wanamaker's, Philadelphia, 1908-1910; two women composers - Emma Beiser Scully and Dorothy Gaynor Blake; and Walter Kramer - critic on staff of Musical American Magazine from 1910-1922 and CBS Radio Network Supervisor in 1927, appear on this first recording.

My second recording resulted in a first time resurrection in America of the complete works for piano of Edgar Stillman Kelley (1857-1944), accepted and issued by the Albany label (Troy #225). Kelley was a Wisconsin native who studied and taught in Germany. One of his students was Wallingford Reger. While in Germany, Kelley was awarded the Wagner prize for his excellence in composition and, upon his return to the United States, was hailed as the "American Wagner". In his 50's, he settled in Ohio where he lived until his death in 1944. Daniel Webster of the Philadelphia Inquirer praised my playing, and I quote, "using a lively technique with appropriate color and expressivity to resurrect music that has all but disappeared. The music is late romantic, and the shorter color pieces have vitality that gives them currency." The "Alice In Wonderland Suite" appears for the first time in piano format, originally composed for full orchestra in 1922 (Norfolk Summer Festival, members of the New York Philharmonic). This collection of music is also contracted by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. to be released with my editing for the first time in 100 years.

Early songs of Jerome Kern fascinated me as well when Phillips presented me with photocopies of many works. These pieces for voice and piano represent a ragtime style prevalent to Vaudvillian and Tin Pan Alley styles. Philadelphia singer Anne Sciolla and I were given a glowing review in Billboard Magazine stating, "Soprano Anne Sciolla and pianist Brian Kovach are ingratiatingly up to the task, making no concessions to modernity so they can transport the listener to the style of the period - a total delight." These songs are recorded on the Centaur Label #2371. Rave reviews appeared nationally and internationally; Composer's and Lyricists' Corner, Fanfare Magazine, London Daily Telegraph.

Finally, my latest recording of Henry Holden Huss' piano music was released on the Albany label (Troy #287), proving once again that recording companies see value in our heritage, but the general public is unaware of the beauty of these pieces. Huss, born in Newark, New Jersey in 1862, studied with a pupil of Liszt and achieved great performance and compositional skills while studying in Germany. He was a guest artist and performer in Tchaikovsky's presence during the dedication of Carnegie Hall in New York City, 1891. His long association with the Music Teachers' National Association enabled Huss to travel throughout the United States promoting recitals of his own music as well as others. Perhaps the greatest of his assets was improvisational skills, permitting spontaneous composition from themes given by audience participants during each of his concerts. The piano music of Huss is also contracted to be released with my editing in the near future with Mel Bay Publications. The noted music critic, Harold Schoenberg, writing for the American Record Guide, cites this recording as "ably played - excellent recorded sound."

Much support is needed to perpetuate performances and recordings of these composers' works. This American kaleidoscope of music preserved by Matthew Phillips and myself should not be forgotten and, in truth, deserves being highlighted and brought to the front of the public's musical awareness. It is part of our heritage and culture to be perpetuated and illuminated into the 21st century.

If you'd like to experience a piece of American musical history for yourself, you can download Prelude by Alexander MacFayden, one of the works from the collection American Heirlooms for Piano. (You will need Acrobat Reader to download the music.)

Copyright © 2000 Mel Bay Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.