Wee Small Hours and Other Cliches

3:39 a.m. and enjoying the "Beethoven Satellite Network," a 7-day all-night broadcast of "classical" music, DJ'd by Peter Van De Graaff, who has the best job in the world.

I think the dramatic orchestral work I'm listening to is by Shostakovich, or somebody who has played the sedulous ape to him and in the process has developed his own wonderful voice. There are elements of this that do not sound like dear Dimitri, but that brilliant Russian musician had versatility to squander as one of his many great virtues. Lord! How I wish I had enough knowledge of music to write intelligently of the sublime sounds I'm hearing.

OK. It was George Antheil! Pronounced "Ann-thile," An American, and he was a film composer! His dates are 1900-1959. The work I heard was the Fourth Symphony. I could listen to what I just heard many times without tiring of it. It was rich; the orchestration was a banquet. I've heard a couple of his other symphonies and loved the richness of them too.

This guy, besides writing the score for Hellcats of the Navy (1957), a forgettable WWII movie with Ronnie and Nancy, wrote six symphonies, a number of sonatas, and even a couple of operas. Antheil was serious enough to study under Ernest Bloch, a respected Israeli composer, and whose works, incidentally, I have heard little of Shostakovich in.

A while ago, Pete played some tunes by Leroy Anderson. Mr. Anderson and I go back to when I was about seven or maybe eight. He is he composer of "Sleighride," a winter holiday song I'd risk guessing that everybody who reads this dreck is familiar with, perhaps even by name. Tonight Pete played two pieces for trumpet and orchestra, "Trumpeter's Lullaby" and "Bugler's Holiday," and then he played a piano concerto by Anderson. I've never heard anything by the maestro that was not simply melodic, pleasing, undemanding, just a sweet, short diversion from this vale of tears.

Speaking of harmless fluff, my father-in-law and I watched a TCM Saturday matinee of El Dorado,a 1967 oater starring the Duke, Bob Mitchum, Jimmy Caan ("Sonny Corleone") as "Mississip", and Arthur Hunnicutt as "Bull." Listening to the four of them banter throughout that movie as they fight the baddies is a party. I've seen El Dorado at least eight times and I enjoyed it this time best of all.

Well, it's half-past four and I think I might be able to go to sleep. I'd gone to spend the night with Rosie and her dad but couldn't sleep and was afraid I'd upset Howard, who gets confused after dark, so I slipped out and came home. Rudy never gets confused. He's snoring right now. A choral work is on WUOL -- Purcell or somebody like that -- and it is euphonious. Old Shoe and I must retire. Peace and God bless you all.