Three of Bach's sons went into their dad's business, even though the one who would became the most famous, Carl Philip Emmanuel, was determined to be a lawyer and keep music a hobby. No such luck; he was just too good a harpsichordist.
It's Father's Day this Sunday. Tune in between 8:00 and noon and I'll celebrate by playing music by composers who influenced their progeny, like Leopold Mozart, Alessandro Scarlatti, Richard Wagner and Johann Strauss.
Also music written by fathers for their children, like Julian Lloyd Webber's lullaby for his newborn son, and Claude Debussy's piano pieces that capture the merry nature of his beloved daughter, Chou-Chou.
We'll listen to a couple ensembles led by the family patriarch, like Celedonio and Los Romeros or the Robert Casedesus family.
A father-son relationship that has produced great music and a few dual concerts is the one between concert pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane and his son Gabriel.
Gabriel plays the piano as well, but the similarities in the two's styles stop there, since Gabe primarily performs his own pop music.
You can choose the audio links to the right and listen to Gabriel Kahane play and speak with Fred Child from Performance Today. The recording starts off with a sweet tribute from Jeffrey to his son.
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Music recorded in the Maud Moon Weyerhauser Studio at Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul.
Songs performed: "Craigslist Lieder: Neurotic and Lonely," "The Faithful," and "Underburg."
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