CLAY McCORD

For 60+ years, having been schooled in the classics, I have been exposed to American pop music. From 50's rock & roll, to the folk music & evolution of the 60's Beatles, to Sir Elton John or R&B in and of the 70's, the genius creations of Jim Webb & David Foster, the extraordinary divas such as Whitney Houston or Celine Dion among others, I have been emotionally moved. Just as a stable government has to be grounded in the Constitution, musical creations are best grounded in classical training. This is why… Read more

• Program Notes: AN EVENING WITH CLAY McCORD—HIS ORIGINAL MUSIC, WIT AND IMPERSONATIONS Clay McCord, physician by trade, musician by heart, has studied piano since age 4, voice since age 9, often bus touring Texas with his schoolboy choir over Christmas. His musical talent was thus cultivated with discipline and musical exposure in childhood. In high school he was a classmate of Boz Scaggs & had his own band which won the school talent show with his own compositions, two of which he plays tonight (try…

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Music has power, so as an art form certainly has something going for it. It can turn depression into happiness, anxiety into reassurance, agitation into calm, hate into love. Get a group of strangers into a concert and many may leave as friends. I don't see many fights in discos where people are dancing! I especially see intense involvement in many European concerts where the audience shows incredible emotion. How great it is if music can stir you to cry. There is much to be said for European culture…

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Occasionally I watch talented celebrities interviewed and sometimes either learn from their philosophy or have my own viewpoints validated. In the case of Sarah Brightman, she once observed that many singers such as herself, do not wish to emphasize the vocal aspect of the music but rather the music itself. The voice is only an instrument or vehicle. But the public is just the opposite. They wish (as did my engineer) to emphasize the voice. It is also quite remarkable that in her prime she chose very…

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BEST PERFORMERS AND MUSIC OF 20^TH CENTURY—one man’s opinion 

Romantic Piano Concerto—RACHMANINOFF #2:overpopularized but genius nonetheless. His 3rd is a greater work but not more beautiful

Classical Virtuoso / Dynamic Piano Concerto: Prokofiev#3—listen to Van Cliburn’s rendition, 1958.

Greatest pianist: Vladimir Horowitz & Sviatislav Richter

Violin Concertos: Romantic=Korngold: Viruoso=Bartok

Violinist: Jascha Heifetz (whose brother was a Neurosurgeon—not bad achievements for one family).

Choral Work…

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