Lukas Foss (1922-2009)

Introduction
Foss, born in Germany as Lukas Fuchs in 1922, was a German-American composer, pianist, and conductor. He studied with the likes of Paul Hindemith and Leonard Bernstein. He died of a heart attack after spending his final years with Parkinson’s disease in 2009.==Work Analysis== I chose to analyze Night Music by Foss. This piece starts with a mix of staccato notes and legato phrases with its instruments and it was written for the Northwood Symphonette for brass quintet and chamber orchestra. Foss was commissioned to do this piece the morning of the day John Lennon was shot and killed. This event has been believed to have heavily influenced the composition. It was primarily written for brass quintet and chamber orchestra and is written in three different parts.

Comparisons
It almost has an element of jazz due to his relationship Leonard Bernstein. It almost sounds like it could fit into the musical West Side Story at certain parts. For example, the beginning piano part sounds very similar to some of the pieces in that musical.

Observations
I believe that this piece is one of the more pleasing ones to listen to that I have been analyzing because it is what I’m used to listen to. It almost has a jazzy element to it that creates and evokes a different feel than other composers and pieces of the time.​​​​​​​