Cafe Music - Paul Schoenfeld

Composer: Paul Schoenfeld (formerly Paul Schoenfield) Instrumentation: Violin, Cello, and Piano Duration: Approx. 17 minutes Date Written: 1987 Commissioned by: St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Premiered by: St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, January 1987 Additional Information:  Perhaps Paul's most widely performed and revered composition, Café Music is beloved worldwide Paul Schoenfeld: “The idea to compose Café Music first came to me in 1985 after sitting in one night for the pianist at Murray’s Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Murray’s employs a house trio that plays entertaining dinner music in a wide variety of styles. My intention was to write a kind of high-class dinner music — music which could be played at a restaurant, but might also (just barely) find its way into a concert hall. The work draws on many of the types of music played by the trio at Murray’s. For example, early 20th-century American, Viennese, light classical, gypsy, and Broadway styles are all represented. A paraphras