Tag Archives: Brian Masuda

Episode 441. A Cavalcade of Spirituals

February 28, 2026African American Singers, Behind the Iron Curtain, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Forgotten Divas, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Muriel Smith, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Orchestral Songs, Queer Pride, Rescue Mission, Singers of Color, Spirituals, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAdele Addison, Anne Wiggins Brown, Arpad Sandor, Arthur Kaplan, Borislav Bazala, Brian Masuda, Camilla Williams, Carroll Hollister, Charles Holland, Daniel Kelly, David Garvey, Dorothy Maynor, Edward Boatner, Ernest Ragogini, Florence Price, Gloria Davy, Hall Johnson, Harry T. Burleigh, Inez Matthews, Jacqueline Bonneau, Janet Williams, Jonathan Brice, Jules Bledsoe, Julia Perry, Kjell Olsson, Lawrence Brown, Leontyne Price, Marian Anderson, Muriel Smith, Norman Johnson, Paul Robeson, R. Nathaniel Dett, Reginald Boardman, Robert McFerrin, Roberta Alexander, Roland Hayes, Rosario Bourdon, Ruby Elzy, Spirituals, Todd Duncan, Undine Smith Moore, Veronica Tyler, Warren Jones, William Clifford Heilman, William Grant Stillcountermelody

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:28:43 — 121.8MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

As the last official entry in Countermelody’s Black History Month 2026 series, I bring you a potpourri episode that has long been a dream of mine: one dedicated entirely to the Spiritual, that distinctly American musical form that was born in adversity (specifically enslavement, murder, torture, family separation) and yet by a confluence of miracles yielded the most transcendentally beautiful music ever heard on this beleaguered planet. This is no scholarly exegesis of the form (there are others much better-versed in its history than I); it is rather a celebration of nearly a century of great performances of these songs by the finest concert singers of the twentieth century, beginning with Harry Thacker Burleigh through Janet Williams and the late Roberta Alexander (it still hurts my heart to write this!) In between, many additional Countermelody favorites are heard, including Dorothy Maynor, Marian Anderson, Todd Duncan, Jules Bledsoe, Paul Robeson, Margaret Tynes, Muriel Smith, Gloria Davy, Roland Hayes, Veronica Tyler, Adele Addison, Charles Holland, Anne Wiggins Brown, Robert McFerrin, Camilla Williams, Inez Matthews, and Miss Leontyne Price in arrangements by such exceptional African American composers as Julia Perry, Nathaniel Dett, William Grant Still, Undine Smith Moore, Hall Johnson, and Florence Price. There was so much material that, with regret, I had to leave by the wayside that you can be sure that there will be an additional spirituals episode in the very near future! I dedicate this episode to my beloved mother, who loved these songs, and to all those who have recently lost loved ones.

Countermelody is the podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 403. Roberta Alexander In Memoriam

October 18, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Broadway, Crossover, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Spirituals, Twentieth Century Music, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAdolf Heyduk, Adolph Green, Alban Berg, Alec Wilder, Altenberg-Lieder, Andrew Davis, Ángel de Saavedra, Antonín Dvořák, Arthur Rimbaud, Benjamin Britten, Betty Comden, Brian Masuda, Bruce Hubbard, Charles Ives, Claron McFadden, Clifford Shaw, Colenton Freeman, David Porcelijn, David Triestram, Dick Hoogeveen, Du Bose Heyward, Edith Hemenway, Edo de Waart, Elinor Wylie, Francesco Maria Piave, Gabriela Preissová, Gaetano Delogu, Gary Miller, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giulio Cesare, Giuseppe Verdi, Hall Johnson, Hendrik Andriessen, Howard Haskin, Ira Gershwin, James Agee, Janet Williams, Jenůfa, John Dawson, John Greenleaf Whittier, John Henry McKay, John Milton, La finta giardiniera, La forza del destino, Langston Hughes, Laquita Mitchell, Leonard Bernstein, Leos Janacek, Les Illuminations, Loonis McGlohon, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Michael Tilson Thomas, Moses-Ibn-Ezra, Nicola Francesco Haym, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, On the Town, Peter Altenberg, Porgy and Bess, Randall Thompson, Reinild Mees, Riccardo Chailly, Richard Strauss, Roberta Alexander, Samuel Barber, Semyon Bychkov, Spirituals, Tan Crone, The Divan of Moses-Ibn-Ezra, Thomas à Kempis, Undine Smith Moore, Vaughan Schlepp, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zigeunermelodiencountermelody

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:36:35 — 102.3MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

This is an episode I never dreamed I would have to produce. But alas, the great Roberta Alexander has unexpectedly departed this earth this past Tuesday evening, on the three-week anniversary of my beloved mother’s death. Listeners to Countermelody know how much I revered her artistry, and how much I valued our special friendship. In fact, just last week as David and I escaped for a few days to the Netherlands for my birthday, I had been in touch with Roberta, hoping that we could see each other, but she was still recovering from a serious illness from last summer that, in the end, proved too much for her heart, no matter how kind and generous it was. I’m reminded that on the same day I published my first all-Roberta episode, in honor of her birthday in 2023, her dear friend and colleague Kenneth Montgomery died, also unexpectedly. Today’s episode is the fifth (but certainly not the last) time that I will honor Roberta, not only the kindest yet most straight-shooting, but also the least pretentious world-class singer I have ever known. For today’s tribute I have chosen music that, begging your indulgence, is for the most part, valedictory. Yet I also sought to foreground both her extraordinary versatility as well as her profound powers of communication, in music ranging from Handel to Bernstein, Mozart to Berg, Wilder to Janácek, all of it gloriously performed. Many of the recordings, as is my wont, are extremely rare, yet at the same time cherishable. There will be a bonus episode this weekend featuring many of the selections that ended up on the cutting room floor today. Roberta may no longer be with us, but on my podcast, she will always be prominently celebrated as the great singer, teacher, mentor, and friend that she was. Requiescat in pace, dear one.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 204. Roberta Alexander Sings America

July 4, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAaron Copland, Alec Wilder, Alfred Heller, Brian Masuda, Charles Ives, David Triestram, Du Bose Heyward, Edo de Waart, Emily Dickinson, Eric Stern, Florence Price, Gary Miller, George Gershwin, George Meredith, Girl Crazy, Harry T. Burleigh, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, James Agee, James Joyce, Jerry Bock, Jerry Hadley, John Avery Lomax, John Greenleaf Whittier, John Jacob Niles, Kees Bakels, Larry Moore, Leonard Bernstein, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Old American Songs, Porgy and Bess, Reinbert de Leeuw, Roberta Alexander, Roger VIgnoles, Samuel Barber, Sheldon Harnick, Spirituals, Stephen Sondheim, Tan Crone, Thomas Hampson, Tom Lehrercountermelody

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:23:55 — 96.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

Posting a few days early in celebration of the Fourth of July and in further recognition of the beloved American soprano Roberta Alexander, whose birthday we celebrated on Countermelody last March. Ms. Alexander has made a number of exquisite recordings over the years, many of them for the small Dutch label Etcetera. Many of these releases feature songs by the greatest American composers: Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and Samuel Barber, as well as two releases featuring light classical and Broadway songs. The recordings range in date from 1976 (a live performance of Ives at the Holland Festival, in honor of the American Bicentennial) through 2009 (a live performance of Roberta as Maria in Porgy and Bess conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt). We also hear material by Berlin, Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Alec Wilder, Bock and Harnick, John Jacob Niles, and Tom Lehrer, accompanied by pianists Reinbert de Leeuw, Roger Vignoles, Alfred Heller, Brian Masuda, Tan Crone, and David Triestram and conductors Kees Bakels and Edo de Waart. Throughout, Roberta Alexander’s approach to this material is perfectly on target, revealing both pathos and a crackling sense of (often sardonic) humor, all grounded in a love of the music of her native country and wrapped in a red, white, and blue bow.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.