F is for Fine

Irving Fine

To say that he's one of my favorite composers is (how to say it diplomatically) a gross overstatement. To say that I just discovered he existed about 2 years ago is a bit more accurate. Honestly, I know very little about this composer, but the few pieces I've heard, I've enjoyed. Another fact I recently learned was that Fine and Copland were contemporaries, friends, and maybe worked together (Fine as arranger on some chorale pieces I believe). This is not based in any kind of scholarly study, so don't go quoting me for a term paper or anything. What is clear from all the sources I've seen is that he was highly regarded in musical circles but not widely known outside. Sort of a composer's composer.

The little info I scraped together from my own collection and wikipedia suggests that Fine's output wasn't too large, but it did cover several genres with a slight emphasis on vocal work. Other than that, I'll say that I enjoy his piece "Music for Piano" (Orchestrated into "Music for Orhcestra"). I'll leave it to you if you'd like to pursue it further.

There's a few clips on youtube if you're really ambitious, but nothing there really caught my eye/ear.

A short entry, but I'm of the mind that if you only have the materials for a tent, don't try to build a house.