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Commentator Rob Kapilow explains how Copland's pure, American sound springs from two simple chords that open the ballet Appalachian Spring. Stacked upon each other, the chords reveal a sound like all of America, like the purest values, and like Shaker simplicity.

Hayes Carll made a stir in Americana music with his self-released 2004 album, Little Rock. Music critic Robert Christgau says that Carll has matured some since then, and that maturity sounds good on him. Carll is good for a laugh, but Christgau says his sensitive side puts his new album, Trouble In Mind, over the top.

La Maestra, held in Paris this September, is the first fully realized competition solely for women conductors — an effort to help balance a male-dominated field.

The Pulitzer-winning rapper has returned with his first solo release since 2017's DAMN.

When artists die, it can feel impossible to imagine a world without their musical guidance. Yet it's also a moment to celebrate — not just their impact on culture but also inside ourselves.

It takes a village to make the music we love. We remember the singers, songwriters, composers, instrumentalists, producers and journalists that we lost in 2024.

This year, pop critic Ann Powers offers something a little different — 10 deserving albums that might have topped lists in any other year.

This week, From the Top comes from San Antonio, Texas. The talented Texans include a 16-year-old baritone from Fort Worth performing Handel and a 16-year-old clarinetist from Duncanville, playing Carl Maria von Weber. And a special guest, the composer and fiddler Mark O'Connor, makes music with all of the kids on today's show. This program originally aired Apr. 4, 2007.

Music journalist Holly George-Warren's new book traces the troubled life and backwards career arc of Big Star's Alex Chilton. Reviewer Jason Heller says the book is a poignant and forthright portrait.

Minnesota's Twin Cities area is a hotbed of excellent classical music. It's also home to American Public Media, where classical music thrives. APM's Brian Newhouse thinks these 10 new classical recordings rise to the top of the year's offerings.