Music History Monday: In a Class by Himself
September
25th,
2023
Glenn Herbert Gould (born “Gold,” 1932-1982) circa 1955 We mark the birth on September 25, 1932 – 91 years ago today – of the pianist Glenn Herbert Gold, in Toronto, Canada. (Yes, the surname on “Glenn Gould’s” birth certificate is “Gold.” When the young guy was seven years old his family began informally using the…
Dr. Bob Prescribes Richard Wagner, Lohengrin revisited – Part One
September
19th,
2023
Both Music History Monday (for August 28) and Dr. Bob Prescribes (for August 29) were dedicated to Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin. That Dr. Bob Prescribes post examined three traditional video performances of the opera, and ultimately recommended a Bayreuth Festival performance recorded in 1982, featuring Peter Hofmann as The Mystery Man in Silver (Lohengrin), Karan Armstrong…
Music History Monday: Jimi Hendrix and the 27 Club
September
18th,
2023
James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix, 1942-1970), circa 1967 We mark the death on September 18, 1970 – 53 years ago today – of the American guitarist, singer, and songwriter James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix, at St. Mary Abbots Hospital in London. He was born in Seattle, Washington on November 27, 1942, making him…
Dr. Bob Prescribes Charles-Valentin Alkan
September
12th,
2023
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888), one of only two known photos of Alkan Yesterday’s Music History Monday post acknowledged the strange and by any measure, stupid death of Charles-Valentin Alkan on March 29, 1888. (You needn’t flip back to yesterday’s Music History Monday; we’ll recount Alkan’s “death by umbrella rack” later in this post.) By the time…
Music History Monday: They Did Not Go Gently…
September
11th,
2023
9-11; a somber day for us all. A day for reflection, contemplation and perhaps, still, after 22 years, a day to grieve. François Couperin (1668-1733) Far more often than not, Music History Monday is about celebrating the life and accomplishments of a musician or identifying and exploring some great (or small) event in music…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 4
September
5th,
2023
Anton Bruckner circa 1888 Bruckner, whose 199th birthday was celebrated in yesterday’s Music History Monday post, was born in the Austrian village of Ansfelden, near Linz. His father – Anton Senior – was the town schoolmaster and the church organist, and it was at the local Catholic Church that Bruckner heard his first music, sang…
Music History Monday: On the Spectrum
September
4th,
2023
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) in 1896, wearing the Order of Franz Joseph, in a portrait by Josef Büche We mark the birth on September 4, 1824 – 199 years ago today – of the composer and organist Josef Anton Bruckner, in the Austrian village of Ansfelden, which today is a suburb of the city of Linz. …
Music History Music: Richard Wagner – Lohengrin
August
29th,
2023
Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin received its premiere in the Thuringian (central German) city of Weimar on August 28, 1850: 173 years ago yesterday. Conducted by Weimar’s Kapellmeister – the extraordinary Franz Liszt (1811-1886) himself - the premiere was a smash and Lohengrinhas remained a pillar of the operatic repertoire since. As we observed in yesterday’s Music…
Music History Monday: Lohengrin
August
28th,
2023
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) in 1850, by Henri Lehmann We mark the premiere performance on August 28, 1850 - 173 years ago today – of Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin, in the central German city of Weimar. Franz Liszt (1811-1886) in 1847, by Miklós Barabás The premiere was conducted by none-other-than Wagner’s friend and supporter (and…
Dr. Bob Prescribes Switched-On Bach
August
22nd,
2023
We pick back up where we left off in yesterday’s Music History Monday post, with the techno-wizard and American maverick-styled inventor Robert Moog’s education. Robert Moog (1934-2005), Continued Moog with his parents in 1957, the year he graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering (from Columbia University) and physics (from Queen’s College) Having graduated…