Danish composer Paul von Klenau (1883-1946), who left his native country in 1902, enjoyed a long and distinguished career as composer, conductor and polemicist in Germany before returning to Denmark for personal and health reasons in 1939, where he remained until his death in 1946. In Germany, he was well-known not least for his operas and after the Nazi takeover in 1933 he maintained a good relationship with the German music establishment. Such an association provoked hostility in Denmark which was intensified following the German occupation of the country and still persists up to the present day. In 2001, a totally unknown Ninth Symphony by Klenau for orchestra, chorus and four soloists was discovered in private ownership in Vienna (probably the largest symphony written by a Danish composer). The work was written in 1945 and 1946, begun a few months before the end of the war. It is a linking of a four-movement symphony and a four-movement (war?) requiem to a liturgical requiem text and a free text of unknown provenance. In this chapter, Klenau's Ninth is discussed in musical and philological terms against the background of its first performance in March 2014 and in relation to Klenau's reception as an 'outsider' in Denmark because of his alleged Nazi sympathies.
Pale-headed Brush-finch Atlapetes pallidiceps is on the verge of extinction, with fewer than 100 individuals surviving in an area of less than 4 km 2 in the Yunguilla valley in the province of Azuay, southern Ecuador. A reserve created for the protection of the species held 10 or 12 pairs in 1999, 14 in 2000, 16 in 2001 and 17 in 2002. Nearly all males had distinctive songs, showing little or no change from one year to the next. The yearly turnover of singing males was 40% in both 2000 and 2001 (4/10), and 29% in 2002 (4/14). Altitudinal range of A. pallidiceps was 1,650–1,950 m. Habitat was typical of regenerating landslides and fallow fields, composed of early succession growth in the ecotone between dry, thorny valley-bottom and humid forest remnants on the upper slopes. Territory size averaged 1.0 ha (range 0.7–1.4 ha, n = 37), and nearly all territories were within 100 m of a stream or an irrigation channel. Most were on steep slopes with Chusquea bamboo, and deciduous bushy cover with few or no spines, typically including the composite Steiractinia sodiroi , and with some open areas. Although habitat improved considerably between 1999 and 2002, some territories were vacant some years. Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis parasitism was noted, and could be even more important than habitat as a limiting factor of the population size. The song of A. pallidiceps was found to be similar to songs of several other Atlapetes spp. in general pattern. Diet was composed of arthropods, fruit and a few seeds. Arthropods were almost invariably picked from the bark on upper- and under-surfaces of twigs and small branches. Seeds were taken from the ground. Young (cowbirds) were apparently only fed insects. Between 1,800 and 1,950 m A. pallidiceps occurred with Rufous-naped Brush-finch A. latinuchus , which replaces it at higher elevations. Territories did not overlap, and where they met, A. latinuchus was confined to slightly taller and more humid vegetation, or to forest. In interspecific encounters A. pallidiceps was subordinate to Stripe-headed Brush-finch Buarremon torquatus , with which it coexisted in all its territories. Habitat management began in 2002, and limited cowbird control is planned to begin in 2003.
The Carl Nielsen Edition (CNU) was established in 1993 on the initiative of the then Minister of Culture in response to press polemics concerning the poor state of performance material for the opera Maskarade . The project was concluded with the publication of the last volume in March 2009. Prior to the CNU the dissemination of Nielsen’s music had been compromised by the generally bad state of the written music, either in the form of bad editions or no editions at all. The edition of all Nielsen’s completed works in 35 volumes has been prepared on a scholarly, philological basis and presented in a way that aspires to the highest possible standard. The edition now presents all Nielsen’s music for the first time, making possible a new and broader approach to the composer by scholars and musicians.
We describe a striking new species of Grallaria antpitta from wet, upper sub-tropical forest in the upper Río Chinchipe drainage, provincia Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador Notes on its natural history and molecular systematics are presented along with spectrograms of its voice. The species is readily diagnosed by its large size, unique white facial markings, and voice. Initial results from DNA sequence analyses place the new species in a well-supported clade that includes Grallaria nuchalis (which is syntopic with the new species), G. hypoleuca, G. watkinsi, and G. ruficapilla.