Ten Christmas Duets
Twelve Christmas Arrangements by Carol Klose
23 December 2017
14 December 2017
A Volkert Christmas Program Notes
Grandma recorded "Volume I: Hymns" in 2010, shortly before her stroke in January of 2011. Sadly, her second album, "Volume II: Popular Classics," never came to fruition, but she did create a list of the music she had intended to record. Some time last year, Dad asked me if I wanted to see that list. Knowing full well I couldn't replace the recording that never happened, I declined, and he never brought it up again. Months went by, and my family took a trip to visit our relatives in Washington State. It was a snowy January with a roaring fire, wonderful meals, plenty of artisan beer, and great company. Curiously enough, something about my attitude toward that ghost recording changed. Maybe it was visiting Grandma's grave or seeing so many of her children in one place. Maybe it was wanting to be closer to all the people who treated me so well. I don't really know why, but I asked to see the list. It read:
Sympathy was written by Grandma's mother's father, F. W. Friedrich of Gaylord. In addition to being a church organist and choir director at First Lutheran Church, he was the first full time teacher at First Evangelical Lutheran School. Also known as the German Lutheran School, its primary purpose was to promote German culture, the German language, and the Lutheran faith. F. W. Friedrich served as its principal from 1906, the year "Sympathy" was published, until his sudden death in October of 1941. He organized the first choir in 1914 and maintained more than one hundred students on his own until a second teacher was hired in 1918. I don't know why he wrote "Sympathy," but I'm of the strong opinion that it belongs on a piano and not an organ. I wrote "Walk With Me" during my first year of college, probably because distraction is a procrastinator's best friend. I wouldn't write my second piece for another ten years.
Rainbows
I have an early childhood memory of visiting Grandma and Grandpa a quarter of a century ago, and much to my delight, they had a large rainbow painted in the room. This medley, "Rainbows," is an homage to childhood. The first song, "Happy Times," was written by Danny Kaye's wife Sylvia Fine, and performed by Kaye in the 1949 movie, "The Inspector General." As four of these medleys are titled Rainbows, Moon & Stars, Dreams, and Love, "Happy Times" could hardly have been more tailor made for this project.
The second medley, "Moon & Stars," begins with another Sesame Street song I've only recently discovered. Rainbows resurface in "Moon River," featured in the 1961 Audrey Hepburn movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and the medley concludes with two lullabies which take the place of Grandma's original "Goodnight, Ladies" and "Goodnight Irene." "Goodnight Ladies" was sung in the 1962 movie, "The Music Man," and the concluding lullaby, "Goodnight, My Someone," comes from the same score. It is a song about stars, dreams, wishing, and of course, love. If you have never seen Shirley Jones leaning out the window and showing off her soprano range when she's supposed to be teaching a piano lesson, you're missing out.
This one starts with a song from one of my dad's favorite musicals, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" before settling into a little ditty from the 1952 musical movie "Singin' in the Rain." Continuing to weave these medleys together, "Dream a Little Dream of Me" sings of stars and sunbeams, and "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" brings us back to the rainbows. Concluding "Dreams" is a song from Roger and Hammerstein's very first musical, "Oklahoma!" which was written in 1943. Grandma chose another song from "Oklahoma!" to represent the entire "Saluting the Musical" section in her original list, and once upon a time, she must have enjoyed playing the score quite a bit. There's a stolen yellowed copy in my parents' hutch to this day.
We end with a simple medley of Christmas sheet music I played in our home as a teenager. The entire album ends the way Grandma concluded everything, and we all know what that means. "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You," was written by Meredith Willson, the composer of the "The Music Man." Grandma always improvised a trill on the word "bluebird," and I'd like take her musical quips one step further. In bringing this recording full circle, I'd like to suggest that those bluebirds came from over the rainbow. After all, somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly; birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can't I?
Our bonus track is a short Sylvia Fine medley recorded with Liên on one of her ukuleles. Another version of "Happy Times" melds into a lullaby from the 1955 Danny Kaye movie, "Court Jester." Liên and I would never presume to be as smooth as old Danny, and regardless of what you think of our version, I'd recommend hearing his. The lyrics depict such vivid and peaceful imagery that they're worth reading on their own.
POPULAR CLASSICS
Middle Baroque & High Baroque
Ach Bleib Bei Uns - Samuel Scheidt (a chorale used in Grandma's thesis)
Minuet in G - J.S. Bach
Invention in C - J.S. Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - J.S. Bach
Largo - George Frideric Handel
Trumpet Voluntary - Jeremiah Clarke (with Steve Kratzke)
Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel (with Myla Kratzke)
Bridging into the Romantic, Romantic, & Late Romantic
Moonlight Sonata - Ludwig van Beethoven
Träumerei - Robert Schumann
Romance in F# - Robert Schumann
Elsa's Bridal Procession - Richard Wagner
Minuet in G - Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Prelude in C# minor - Sergei Rachmaninoff
Family-iar
Sympathy - F. W. Friedrich
Walk With Me - Lan Kratzke
Memories
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - Leon Jessel
Saluting the Musical, Sing-Along
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning - Rogers & Hammerstein
Scarlet Ribbons - Danzig & Segal
All the Things You Are - Kern & Hammerstein
La Vie en Rose - Édith Piaf
Camping on the Old Camp Ground
Goodnight, Ladies ending with Goodnight Irene - Edwin Pearce Christy, Huddie Ledbetter
One Meatball - George Martin Lane, later Hy Zaret & Lou Singer
Reuben and Rachel - William Gooch & Harry Birch
Happy Birthday - Patty & Mildred J. Hill
Almost Hymns
Thank You for Giving Me the Morning - Martin G. Schneider
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You - Meredith Willson
Evening Prayer - Engelbert Humperdinck & Adelheid Wette
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands - American spiritual
Patriotic
America the Beautiful - Samuel A. Ward & Katharine Lee Bates
God Bless America - Irving Berlin
It started with a collection of Classical pieces that had edged their way, through necessity or admiration, into Grandma's precious repertoire. There were church songs that hadn't made it into Volume I. A chosen few had undoubtedly created wonderful family memories, but for the generation before me. This was the secular side of Grandma's range, and it was barely secular.
What to do with such a list was a puzzle. The easiest course of action would be to leave well enough alone, and the hardest would be to record it. I met with Dr. Betty Mallard and told her there was a chance I'd be coming in specifically for the third movement of the Moonlight and the overplayed Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# minor. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like all of that effort would be wasted. Nobody, not even my family in Austin, was going to listen to that. I have perfect recordings of both of those pieces in my iTunes right now, and we don't pull them up very often.
Months went by. I would pick up the list every so often, and I would put it down again. These were the pieces she liked to play. These were the camp songs, the sing alongs, the family songs, the requests. The favorites. They represented the culture of her family - sacred because her family was firmly rooted in Christianity, repeated not due to greatness, but simply from being loved. "One Meatball," was written in the 1850's, and it became a pop song nearly a century later. Then Mother or Father or Billy or Mary or Tommy or Steve or Pete must have sung it, and it became a Kratzke treasure.
I did not grow up with "One Meatball." Dad played John Denver in the car with the window rolled down, Liên sang West Side Story wherever she went, the whole family had a crush on Danny Kaye, and that's just the way it was supposed to be. For the most part, my siblings and I grew up with musicals and Disney and Sesame Street.
Like the generation before us, however, we grew up celebrating Christmases together. The idea of Christmas bridges a sacred tradition with a cultural norm, and it also provides a common ground between the generations. And so, with all of this in mind, I decided to create a Christmas album of family favorites inspired by Grandma's original list.
Like the generation before us, however, we grew up celebrating Christmases together. The idea of Christmas bridges a sacred tradition with a cultural norm, and it also provides a common ground between the generations. And so, with all of this in mind, I decided to create a Christmas album of family favorites inspired by Grandma's original list.
Memories
Sing
As a small child, almost every time I would ask my dad to sing a song, he would begin with "Sing." He may not remember this, but it's true. Malinda and I found a clip of Peter Alexander performing this song in German on a 1975 Sesame Street show, and we thought it would be a perfect way to start the program. It closes with a musical quote that foreshadows the first medley, "Rainbows."
Family Pieces
Sympathy - F. W. Friedrich (1906)
Sympathy - F. W. Friedrich (1906)
Walk With Me - Lan Kratzke (2001)
Sympathy was written by Grandma's mother's father, F. W. Friedrich of Gaylord. In addition to being a church organist and choir director at First Lutheran Church, he was the first full time teacher at First Evangelical Lutheran School. Also known as the German Lutheran School, its primary purpose was to promote German culture, the German language, and the Lutheran faith. F. W. Friedrich served as its principal from 1906, the year "Sympathy" was published, until his sudden death in October of 1941. He organized the first choir in 1914 and maintained more than one hundred students on his own until a second teacher was hired in 1918. I don't know why he wrote "Sympathy," but I'm of the strong opinion that it belongs on a piano and not an organ. I wrote "Walk With Me" during my first year of college, probably because distraction is a procrastinator's best friend. I wouldn't write my second piece for another ten years.
Edwin Friedrich, Carlie Friedrich, F.W. Friedrich (Opa), Eugene Friedrich
Paul Volkert, Lizzie Friedrich (Oma), Julia Friedrich Volkert, Willie Friedrich
Betty Volkert, Ruth Volkert
12 Carols Arranged by Carol Klose:
Baroque
Good King Wenceslas - Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
O Little Town of Bethlehem - Prelude in C, J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Silent Night - Minuet in G BWV Anh 114 & 116, J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
I Saw Three Ships - Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Classical
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5/2, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Gesu Bambino - Für Elise, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Moonlight Sonata, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
O Holy Night - Ave Maria, Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Romantic & Impressionist
Romantic & Impressionist
O Christmas Tree - Mazurka in C Op. 67 No. 3, Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Pat-a-Pan - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
What Child is This - Rêverie, Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Sussex Carol - Gymnopédie No. 1, Erik Satie (1866-1925)
I chose twelve carols (and twelve total tracks) to honor the twelve days of Christmas, and each of these arrangements by Carol Klose incorporates a famous classical piece. Although these arrangements are simple, I found them to be clever and charming. Four of Grandma's original classical selections appear in this set, and I've tried my very best to include the most recognizable carols and pieces I could find. If you don't recognize a carol (I Saw Three Ships, Gesu Bambino, Pat-a-Pan, Sussex Carol) or a classical piece, (Haydn String Quartet, Chopin Mazurka, Debussy Rêverie, Satie Gymnopédie), I'd be happy to send you links to those you request. As with Grandma's list, these have been organized by musical era.
I chose twelve carols (and twelve total tracks) to honor the twelve days of Christmas, and each of these arrangements by Carol Klose incorporates a famous classical piece. Although these arrangements are simple, I found them to be clever and charming. Four of Grandma's original classical selections appear in this set, and I've tried my very best to include the most recognizable carols and pieces I could find. If you don't recognize a carol (I Saw Three Ships, Gesu Bambino, Pat-a-Pan, Sussex Carol) or a classical piece, (Haydn String Quartet, Chopin Mazurka, Debussy Rêverie, Satie Gymnopédie), I'd be happy to send you links to those you request. As with Grandma's list, these have been organized by musical era.
Rainbows
Happy Times
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
The Rainbow Connection
Look to the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
I have an early childhood memory of visiting Grandma and Grandpa a quarter of a century ago, and much to my delight, they had a large rainbow painted in the room. This medley, "Rainbows," is an homage to childhood. The first song, "Happy Times," was written by Danny Kaye's wife Sylvia Fine, and performed by Kaye in the 1949 movie, "The Inspector General." As four of these medleys are titled Rainbows, Moon & Stars, Dreams, and Love, "Happy Times" could hardly have been more tailor made for this project.
Wish on the moon
And look for the gold in a rainbow
And you'll find happy times
You'll hear a tune
That lives in the heart of a bluebird
And you'll find happy times
Though things may look very dark
Your dream is not in vain
For when do you find a rainbow?
Only after rain
So wish on the moon
And someday it may be tomorrow
You will suddenly hear chimes
And you'll have your happy happy times
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" is a melody based on the middle section of Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu, composed in 1834. It became popular after it was introduced in the 1918 Broadway show, "Oh, Look!" and again when Judy Garland sang it in the 1941 movie, "Ziegfeld Girl." Kermit's iconic "Rainbow Connection" bridges into a simple but popular tune from the musical, "Finian's Rainbow." Our concluding song, "Over the Rainbow," has what I believe to be one of the most beautiful melodies ever written.
Moon & Stars
I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon
I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon
Moon River
When You Wish Upon a Star
Goodnight, My Someone
The second medley, "Moon & Stars," begins with another Sesame Street song I've only recently discovered. Rainbows resurface in "Moon River," featured in the 1961 Audrey Hepburn movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and the medley concludes with two lullabies which take the place of Grandma's original "Goodnight, Ladies" and "Goodnight Irene." "Goodnight Ladies" was sung in the 1962 movie, "The Music Man," and the concluding lullaby, "Goodnight, My Someone," comes from the same score. It is a song about stars, dreams, wishing, and of course, love. If you have never seen Shirley Jones leaning out the window and showing off her soprano range when she's supposed to be teaching a piano lesson, you're missing out.
Dreams
Any Dream Will Do
All I Do Is Dream of You
Dream a Little Dream of Me
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Out of My Dreams
Love
La Vie En Rose
All the Things You Are
So In Love
Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man
Till There Was You
This brings us to the fourth medley, "Love." The first two selections come straight from Grandma's original list. "La Vie En Rose" was composed by the French singer Édith Piaf, but due to copyright issues, the melody was said to have been composed by Louis Guglieimi, whose pen name was Louiguy. It was Piaf's signature song, and it became extremely popular by 1950. "All the Things You Are" was written by Kern and Hammerstein for a musical called "Very Warm for May." "So In Love" comes from the 1948 Cole Porter musical, "Kiss Me Kate," and is one of the greatest love songs I know. Although Liên is no floozy and I'm not quite as standoffish as Kate, there are similarities, and I've always imagined the two of us in those roles. The ever gorgeous "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" is from another Kern and Hammerstein musical, "Showboat," which is about miscegenation among other things. (I'd like to take a moment to point out that interracial marriage wasn't legalized in the United States until 1967, and my dear parents got married only a dozen years later.) Concluding this dramatic collection, we settle back into "The Music Man," for the romantic scene in which the piano teacher comes to terms with the fact that she has fallen for a con man. The song is so charming, it became the only Broadway song ever recorded by the Beatles.
Christmas
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
White Christmas
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You
Bonus Track
Happy Times
Loo! Loo! Loo! I'll Take You Dreaming
Our bonus track is a short Sylvia Fine medley recorded with Liên on one of her ukuleles. Another version of "Happy Times" melds into a lullaby from the 1955 Danny Kaye movie, "Court Jester." Liên and I would never presume to be as smooth as old Danny, and regardless of what you think of our version, I'd recommend hearing his. The lyrics depict such vivid and peaceful imagery that they're worth reading on their own.
Loo Loo Loo, I'll take you dreaming
Through the rainy night
To a place behind the raindrops
Where the stars are bright...
Years from now when you go dreaming
When you're very old
Tho your crown be rich with rubies
Diamonds set in gold,
None will shine as bright
As the star we'll find tonight
Bonus Video
Over the Rainbow
Bonus Video
Over the Rainbow
The bonus video features Drakeson Miner, my son and Grandma's great-grandson, performing in his very first piano recital at nearly five years of age. I already suggested that the bluebirds from "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You" are the bluebirds from over the rainbow, and in closing, I'd like to suggest that the land over the rainbow is the place behind the raindrops. I don't think that's too far of a stretch.
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high,
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops that's where you'll find me
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops that's where you'll find me
Volume II: A Volkert Christmas
Volume II: A Volkert Christmas
Piano 𝄀 The Volkert
1. Memories
Sing 𝄀 Joe Raposo (1971)
2. Family Piece
Piano 𝄀 The Volkert
1. Memories
Sing 𝄀 Joe Raposo (1971)
2. Family Piece
Sympathy 𝄀 F. W. Friedrich (1906)
3. Rainbows
3. Rainbows
Happy Times 𝄀 Sylvia Fine (1949)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows 𝄀 Harry Carroll & Joseph McCarthy (1917)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows 𝄀 Harry Carroll & Joseph McCarthy (1917)
The Rainbow Connection 𝄀 Paul Williams & Kenneth L. Ascher (1979)
Look to the Rainbow 𝄀 Burton Lane & E. Y. Harburg (1947)
Over the Rainbow 𝄀 Harold Arlen & E. Y. Harburg (1939)
4. Baroque: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
4. Baroque: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
Good King Wenceslas 𝄀 Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
O Little Town of Bethlehem 𝄀 Prelude in C BWV 846, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
O Little Town of Bethlehem 𝄀 Prelude in C BWV 846, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Silent Night 𝄀 Minuet in G BWV Anh 114 & 116, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
I Saw Three Ships 𝄀 Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
5. Moon & Stars
5. Moon & Stars
I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon 𝄀 Jeff Moss (1978)
Moon River 𝄀 Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer (1961)
When You Wish Upon a Star 𝄀 Leigh Harline & Ned Washington (1940)
Goodnight, My Someone 𝄀 Meredith Willson (1957)
6. Classical: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
6. Classical: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing 𝄀 String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5/2, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Gesu Bambino 𝄀 Für Elise, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen¹ 𝄀 Moonlight Sonata, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen¹ 𝄀 Moonlight Sonata, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
O Holy Night 𝄀 Ave Maria, Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
7. Dreams
7. Dreams
Any Dream Will Do 𝄀 Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice (1968)
All I Do Is Dream of You 𝄀 Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed (1934)
Dream a Little Dream of Me 𝄀 Wilber Schwandt, Fabian Andre, & Gus Kahn (1931)
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes 𝄀 Mack David, Al Hoffman, & Jerry Livingston (1950)
Out of My Dreams 𝄀 Rogers & Hammerstein (1943)
8. Romantic & Impressionist: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
8. Romantic & Impressionist: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
O Christmas Tree 𝄀 Mazurka in C Op. 67 No. 3, Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Pat-a-Pan² 𝄀 Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
What Child is This 𝄀 Rêverie, Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Sussex Carol 𝄀 Gymnopédie No. 1, Erik Satie (1866-1925)
9. Love
Sussex Carol 𝄀 Gymnopédie No. 1, Erik Satie (1866-1925)
9. Love
La Vie En Rose 𝄀 Édith Piaf (1945)
All the Things You Are 𝄀 Kern & Hammerstein (1939)
So In Love 𝄀 Cole Porter (1948)
Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man 𝄀 Kern & Hammerstein (1927)
Till There Was You 𝄀 Meredith Willson (1957)
10. Family Piece
10. Family Piece
Walk With Me 𝄀 Lan Kratzke (2001)
11. Christmas
11. Christmas
I’ll Be Home for Christmas 𝄀 Kim Gannon & Walter Kent (1943)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 𝄀 Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane (1944)
White Christmas 𝄀 Irving Berlin (1942)
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You 𝄀 Meredith Willson (1950)
12. Bonus Track
12. Bonus Track
Happy Times 𝄀 Sylvia Fine (1949)
Loo! Loo! Loo! I'll Take You Dreaming 𝄀 Sylvia Fine (1955)
Loo! Loo! Loo! I'll Take You Dreaming 𝄀 Sylvia Fine (1955)
Drakeson's First Recital
Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
Lan Kratzke Piano
All Tracks
Lan Kratzke Alto
Sing
The Rainbow Connection
I Don't Want to Live on the Moon
Any Dream Will Do
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Bonus Track
Malinda Healy Soprano
Sing
Rainbows
Moon & Stars
Dreams
Love
Christmas
Karl Fagerstrom Drums
Rainbows
Moon & Stars
Dreams
Love
Christmas
Liên Kratzke Ukulele
Look to the Rainbow
Moon River
All I Do Is Dream of You
All the Things You Are
White Christmas
Bonus Track
Liên Kratzke Alto
Rainbow Connection
Any Dream Will Do
Bonus Track
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