In this episode, Dave and Andrew talk about a curious winner for the year 2000 since it was originally composed 25 years earlier! What will they think about this blast from the past? It's also the first opera to win the Pulitzer Prize in many decades. If you'd like more information about Lewis Spratlan, we recommend: This video of Spratlan talking …

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a concerto featuring an instrument not often put into a concerto setting: the flute. But its title also promises a balance among three forces instead of a featured soloist. What will they think of this contradictory piece? If you'd like more information about Melinda Wagner, we recommend: Frank Oteri's excel…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew return to the venerable string quartet for a piece that mixes tonality, modernist music, Baroque dances, and Medieval modality. But will this mixture work for them? If you'd like more information about Aaron Jay Kernis and the String Quartet #2, we recommend: Leta Miller's book Aaron Jay Kernis, the first biography …

In this episode, Dave and Andrew go deep into the tangled history surrounding the first jazz piece to ever win the Pulitzer Prize in Music, Wynton Marsalis's Blood on the Fields. But what will they think of the changes to the Pulitzer that allowed a largely-improvised piece to win an award previously reserved for notated music? If you'd like more i…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a song cycle in all but name, George Walker's Lilacs. From the outside, this win looks like another lifetime achievement award, but is it? And does Lilacs remind them of music from an earlier period in the Pulitzer's history? If you'd like more information about George Walker or Lilacs, we recommend: Ginger …

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer from an earlier generation winning a Pulitzer in the twilight of his career. What will they think of Stringmusic? If you'd like more information about Morton Gould, we recommend: J. Wesley Flinn's article, "Developing Variation in the Late Work of Morton Gould and Why It Matters" Gamut vol. 10. no…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss one of the composers Dave wishes he had met, Gunther Schuller. But does Schuller's winning work Of Reminiscences and Reflections live up to his high expectations? If you'd like more information about Gunther Schuller, we recommend: Schuller's autobiography, A Life in Pursuit of Music and Beauty The Gunther S…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew consider one of the few concertos to win the Pulitzer Prize, this time for an instrument whose sound some critics claimed grew "tiresome." Will they agree? And what famous composer's music is quoted in the piece? If you'd like more information about Christopher Rouse, we recommend: This interview with Joe Alessi men…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew address one of the most controversial awards in Pulitzer history. What happened in 1992 and was Wayne Peterson's music worthy of the ruckus that grew around it? If you'd like more information about Wayne Peterson, we recommend: Joshua Kosman's Obituary of the composer in the New York Times. Peterson's professional m…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew are joined by Howard Pollack, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Music at the University of Houston. Dr. Pollack is the author of acclaimed biographies of several Pulitzer Prize winners from the early years, including a recent biography of two-time winner Samuel Barber. About Howard Pollack…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the second Pulitzer Prize in music won by a female composer, Shulamit Ran for her Symphony, in 1991. What will they think about this fourth freely-atonal work in a row to win the prize? And what snags did they run into researching this episode? As mentioned in the podcast, here is Shulamit Ran performing wit…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer who played with Benny Goodman as a jazz pianist, and then embraced Arnold Schoenberg's musical ideas as a member of the academy. What kind of music does that concoction create? Listen to this episode on Duplicates, Powell's winning piece for two pianos and orchestra. If you'd like more information…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a work for string orchestra that Kyle Gann opined was the first experimental composition to win the Pulitzer since Charles Ives. Given how much Dave loves Ives, how does he react to Whispers Out of Time? How does the piece fit in the context of music written in the late 1980s? If you'd like more information …

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with 1988 Pulitzer Prize Winner William Bolcom. What is the difference between the Etudes and the New Etudes? What impact did John Cage have on his career? And who is answering the phone? We hope you enjoy hearing from him about these insights and many more!…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first solo piano work to ever win a Pulitzer Prize. And they try to answer the question–if these are "new" etudes, what are the "old" etudes? They also examine how Bolcom incorporates various styles and techniques into the etudes, and ponder the set's historical place among other etude collections. If yo…

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with Pulitzer Winner John Harbison. Why did he decide to play the tuba? What was it like to study composition with two-time winner Walter Piston? What was the impetus for looking at the darker side of Christmas in The Flight Into Egypt? We hope you enjoy hearing from him about these insights and m…

In this episode Dave and Andrew discuss a composer known for his eclecticism, who writes music that features the influence of jazz, Stravinskian neoclassicism, Schoenbergian serialism, and a variety of popular idioms. But will that mixture of styles win them over when applied to a Biblical text about the "dark side" of Christmas? If you'd like more…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss someone they know primarily as a music theorist. George Perle is celebrated for his theoretical work on twelve-tone theory and Alban Berg's music, but how does he stack up as a composer? And what do they think of the first woodwind quintet to win a Pulitzer? For more information about George Perle, we recomm…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew continue discussing the streak of Neo-Romantic winners of the Pulitzer Prize in music with Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun. But will this symphony win them over? For more information about Stephen Albert, we recommend: Ron Petrides's dissertation "Pitch Organization in Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun: A Study …

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer associated with New Romanticism. But is that label reductive or does it accurately describe Bernard Rands's music? How about this song cycle based on poems about the sun? If you'd like more information about Rands, we recommend: Will Robin's article "Horizons ’83, Meet the Composer, and New Romant…

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with Pulitzer Winner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. What did she learn studying at Florida State University and with former Pulitzer winners Roger Sessions and Elliott Carter? And why does she have a framed "Peanuts" cartoon in her studio? We hope you enjoy hearing from her about these insights and more!…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first female Pulitzer Prize winner, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, who wrote a symphony of all things. What will they think about the first symphony to win the prize since Walter Piston's Symphony No. 7 back in 1961? As promised in the episode, here's Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's appearance in Peanuts. If you'd like mo…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the third winner of the Pulitzer Prize to study with Horatio Parker at Yale, Roger Sessions, for his Concerto for Orchestra. Since the other two winners were Charles Ives and Quincy Porter, it isn't a shock that Sessions was 85 years old when he won. What will they think about this blast from the past? If yo…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew cover the fourth and final time (so far) that the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. Unlike 1965, which was the last year they didn't award the prize, 1981 wasn't mired in controversy. So why did the Pulitzer Board not award a prize and what should have won? As a bonus, Dave and Andrew also discuss l…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer Aaron Copland called a "rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift." Will they agree with Copland about David Del Tredici's In Memory of a Summer Day? If you'd like more information about David Del Tredici, we recommend: Contemporary Music Review's issue on New Tonality, volu…

In this episode, Andrew and Dave explore a composer they first encountered with his music for wind band. In his Pulitzer-winning work, Schwantner fashioned a composition critics have described as creating a "poetic illusion—but only an illusion— of movement." Will this illusion win them over? If you'd like more information about Schwantner we recom…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew record their first live podcast event! In front of the Kansas City Conducting Symposium, they discuss an unusual work for the Pulitzers in that Michael Colgrass featured the percussion section of the orchestra. Will they enjoy this departure from standard orchestration? If you'd like more information about Colgrass,…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a Pulitzer winner that has so fallen out of the repertoire that there is no commercially available recording. But that doesn't mean there aren't interesting things to learn about the state of music in the late 1970s! For example, why was there an extra meeting of the jury, and did all the members participate…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer better known for his songs who won for an orchestral work, Ned Rorem. They may enjoy The Nantucket Songs but what will they think about Air Music? And was Air Music actually supposed to win the Pulitzer Prize??? Tune in to find out. If you'd like to know more about Ned Rorem, we recommend: Ned Ror…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first song cycle to ever win the Pulitzer Prize, Dominick Argento's From the Diary of Virginia Woolf. Argento always remarked that his music balanced between his desire for fantasy and his need for control. Do Dave and Andrew think this work has that balance? If you'd like more information about Dominick…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer who is usually considered a 12-tone composer, but who also rejected labels. He famously told the New York Times in 1997 that "If anyone writes program notes and says I am a Serial or a 12-tone composer, I am infuriated." How do Dave and Andrew label Martino's music? How does Notturno fit into the …

In this episode, Dave and Andrew revisit Elliott Carter, who won his first Pulitzer in 1960. They awarded his String Quartet No. 2 two big thumbs up. Will they be as enthusiastic about Carter's String Quartet No. 3? If you'd like more information about Elliott Carter and his String Quartet No. 3, we recommend: This performance of the String Quartet…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew look through Windows at Jacob Druckman's compositional style and legacy in American music. Druckman taught at Yale and the Aspen Music Festival for years, shaping generations of young composers, and coined the term "New Romanticism" when he curated the Horizons Festivals at the NY Philharmonic in the mid-1980s. Yet …

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first episode they have a personal connection to as Andrew has performed Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms No. 6. How does Dave react to the third music winner to incorporate electronic sounds, and how do those sounds hold up 50 years later? If you'd like more information about Davidovsky, we recommend: We…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first fully electronic work to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, even though it was the only electronic work its composer ever wrote. Did Charles Wuorinen set a new standard for Pulitzer-winning music or was electronic music a flash in the pan? If you're interested in learning more about Wuorinen, we recommend:…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer renowned today for his works for wind band, but celebrated during his lifetime for music that was, in Nicolas Slonimsky's famous phrase, "oxygenated by humanistic romanticism." Join us as we try and tease out exactly what Slonimsky meant by exploring Husa's String Quartet No. 3. If you'd like more…

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore an early work by a composer who transformed American music with his singular vision. But how did a composer who concocted a personal aesthetic reflecting a fascination with "life, death, love, the smell of the earth, the sounds of the wind and the sea" impact artists like David Bowie and directors like Willi…

We're back with Season 2 of "Hearing The Pulitzers!" In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first music winner to incorporate electronics, Leon Kirchner. Kirchner wanted to expand human capabilities by combining live performance with recorded electronic sounds. Although he did not focus his music on electronics after the 3rd Quartet, Kirchner…

We've roasted our last role model, flamed our final friend, lambasted our last loveable leader ... you get it. No more BYH episodes. It was fun while it lasted, thanks folks!By Albert Kirchner

Finally, someone takes shots at the King of Rock. Ben thinks he holds guitars weird, Albert is pissed at his hair. Tell us what you think over at [email protected] and @burnyourheroes on twitter.By Albert Kirchner

This week the gang takes on the collosal organization behind great gifts to humanity like Crunch bars! Nestle seems all nice when you're sucking down hot pockets but maybe theres something fucked behind the scenes? Find out more this week and let us know what you think @burnyourheroes and [email protected]…

Albert and Ben take on Disney's most notorious gaslighter, Aladdin!By Albert Kirchner

The Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an infinite well of legal precedent who is also just a regular ass lady. Give us your favorite legal rulings over at [email protected] and @burnyourheroes on twitter.By Albert Kirchner

A leader of mutants or a gatherer of child soldiers? Ben and Albert dive into the ins and outs of the worlds foremost brain pervert. Tell us what you think over @burnyourheroes and [email protected] Albert Kirchner

The king of space might be gets humbled on another this weeks episode. Also Ben is getting married!? OK I guess. Sorry for missing last week, Albert had covid and wouldnt shut up about it. Tell us how mad you are over at [email protected] and @burnyourheroesBy Albert Kirchner

The greatest dad on american tv is actually regular as hell! Join us this week as Ben and Albert get into a bitter debate about the moral fiber of Homer Simpson. Let us know what you think over at [email protected] and @burnyourheroes on twitter.By Albert Kirchner

Arf Arf it's time for the big dawg. This week, Ben and Albert fire at the big tool man himself. Does a life a reasonable success free a man from the burdens of time? Aparantly not. Chime in over at [email protected] or @burnyourheroes on twitter.By Albert Kirchner

Our scorn is endless, like a thousand severed feet, we are infinite. This week on the pod we dive into famed slur filmer, Quentin Terantino. Love his movies, love complaining about the man. What do you think? Let us know @burnyourheroes or [email protected] Albert Kirchner

Why is there so much pleasure in watching the suffering of others? Ben and Albert don't know but if you'd like free tickets to the Maury show send a kindly worded letter to [email protected] or find us on twitter @burnyourheroes,By Albert Kirchner

Americas Next Top Model superstar Tyra Banks is a titan of yelling at young women. Is she a beacon of success or a professional bully? Maybe both? Tell us what you think over at [email protected] and @burnyourheroes on twitter. God Bless and Stay humble!By Albert Kirchner