THERE was a time when some music lovers could find a shop which specialised in classical music and go there to browse or listen to the music of their choice.
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Although there are no longer such shops in Australia, classical music lovers can enjoy two hours listening to it on Tuesday nights on 2MCE-FM.
Great Sounds Of Music is presented in turn by one of four volunteers, two of whom I introduced in my last article.
Today, I'd like you to meet Graham Carter and Margeurite McKibbin.
When Graham and Margeurite plan their programs, they inevitably reflect their own musical tastes.
A feature common to each is the inclusion of composer of the month and in September this is Gustav Holst (1874-1934), who was a British, not German, composer. His best-known work is The Planets.
Graham is what he terms a real classical romantic. He prefers tuneful compositions which stay in his head or trigger emotions and memories.
If you listen to his sessions, you'll find that he is particularly fond of the Baroque period and you'll not be likely to hear music written in the last 100 years.
Religious works such as Gregorian chants and some choral works are also part of Graham's collection of vinyl and CDs and you may hear some of them when he is in the studio.
Margeurite joined the program early in 2016. She likes to feature a wide variety of instruments and some recent programs have featured piano, organ, clarinet, cello and violin.
Her interest in history may lead her to include pieces composed for events such as victories, memorials and requiems.
Anniversaries of the birth or death of composers or the premiere of the performance of a particular composition may inspire Margeurite to play a piece in her session.
A fascinating example: the premiere of Handel's Messiah was a charity performance at a Foundling home in Dublin.
Sometimes Graham likes to have a theme and recently did a program on child prodigies such as Mozart, Paganini, Saint-Saens and others who were all composing by the age of seven, while Martha Argerich, Daren Barenboim and Glenn Gould were all performing public piano concerts at around five years of age.
Like all volunteers at 2MCE-FM, the foursome who present Great Sounds Of Music not only give pleasure to their audiences, but also have other interests.
Graham is a member of the Macquarie Lions Club of Bathurst and a builder of model aeroplanes and vehicles.
Margeurite enjoys bushwalking and reading, especially about history relating to her musical interests.
Great Sounds Of Music is on Tuesdays from 8pm. You can also follow the team on Facebook: search Great Sounds Of Music.