John Knowles

In music as in love, one + one can add up to not two but a new and greater one. On Heart Songs two of the world's greatest guitarists, Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles, make this clear. Both are masters of their instrument, honored by the iconic Chet Atkins with the rare designation of CGP (Certified Guitar Players). Emmanuel has twice been voted "Best Acoustic Guitarist" by readers of Guitar Player Magazine and honored as both a "Member of the Order of Australia" and an official "Kentucky Colonel". Knowles is a Grammy winner, a member of the National Thumb Picker's Hall of Fame, and editor of the respected FingerStyle Quarterly.

John Knowles Paine (1839–1906) was a pioneer—the first university Professor of Music in America (at Harvard), the first American composer to have a symphonic work published in full score. Yet there is nothing primitive about this pioneer. If anything, his music is polished and conscientious to a fault, displaying an apparently uncritical adherence to European models of the kind that would eventually drive Charles Ives and other radicals to revolt.

John Knowles Paine was the first American-born composer to earn widespread recognition for his large scale symphonic works. But his smaller-scale compositions- in particular his beautifully crafted piano pieces- have been largely forgotten. With this albums lovely and wondrously performed music, the acclaimed pianist Christopher Atzinger seeks to redress such unjustified neglect. Being the eldest of the fabled Boston Six band of composers, Paine was also the first to receive advanced training in Europe. Some have called him the finest American composer of his time. And, as the nations first American-born music professor, the curriculum he developed at Harvard was adopted by academic music departments across the country and has profoundly influenced advanced American musical training ever since.